OCR Text |
Show SALT LAKE ENGINEER SEES YANKS ADVANCE TO VICTORY I J. DOUGLAS COOK J. Douglas Cook Describes How U. 5. Waves Sweep Boche Backward. ONE of the most interesting letters from overseas yet received in Salt Lake, which not only furnishes a vivid description of a brilliant , American victory, but also gives a glimpse Into the intimate, personal daily life of the men, has been received from J. Douglas Cook, F company, 31Gth engineers. engi-neers. Mr. Cook is the son of Mr. and Mrs. TV. L. Cook, 324 A street, and has been in the service some seven months. He Is an alumnus of the University of Utahvand even as young as he is, had made more than a local reputation as a writer. Mr. Cook was correspondent of The Tribune at he university, connected with the university stud ant publications and was an associate editor of the Bugle, issued by the soldiers at Camp Lewis. Mr. Cook's letter follows: "On Active Service with the American Expeditionary Force, France. October S. "It is quite cold now and my hands are almost stiff; but I shall try to elucidate eluci-date a few impressions of 'the front,' even if my mind does feel the same. "Really, it was quite a show. It came our turn to see It, so we made ourselves ready at nightfall. Orders came to move at 12:30 a. m., and we were off. We were then four miles back of the front line. The usual light bombardment was going on, so it struck us as nothing extraordinary. extraordi-nary. However, matters soon changed. We entered the 'theater of war' and "scarcely were we able to get under cover In some shell holes until an orchestra of many-sized cannon set up such an overture over-ture as I have never heard. It wasn't as sweet as some I've heard, but it rang true to pitch, every note. Display Magnificent. "Thp night was clear as a bell, but not very light. A few stars shone, and all arounds us, apparently, was the front Ifne. for against a dark blue 'backdrop' great fountain sprays of orange light shot Into the air and illumined the ground for several hundred yards around. Star shells performed the same function, and signal lights rose to great heights. The display wa magnificent beyond description. descrip-tion. It was all mysterious, for we could see nothing except the brilliant Illumination Illumina-tion and the black trees silhouetted against the sky. "Toward morning a very heavy fog came up. even before the sun, so that our location (to me) was still indefinite. The fog separated the first act of this great drama as effectively as any asbestos asbes-tos curtain. "About 5:30 a. m. we moved forward. Just before this hour, Sammy sent over a barrage. It vas said that it was a perfect one. It must have been,' It was so wonderful. Like all pictures, this 'noise landscape' had a background, not of color, but of sound. Rifle fire composed com-posed It, an even and effective monotone. It was a continually increasing rumble, heavy, because of the great amount of It. The 'medial tones' and 'high lights' were composed of the light artillery, machine guns and heavy artillery placed at varying vary-ing intervals from a few hundred yards to six miles back. "No high lights or shadows stand out as plainly as the reports of a 10 or 16-inch 16-inch cannon. Din Is Terrific. "One large shell really sounds like a heavy freight train rattling over a big steel bridge. The barrage increased in intensity; the air positively became as thick as water docs when a thickening rubstnnce is added. Shells literally rent 4the air asunder. The hissing and thud minutes, partly disrobing outside. Twelve men were admitted at a time. When inside in-side It took only a few seconds to got located, lo-cated, for twelve men Were only allowed ten minutes to undress, bathe and dress. We all stood rather close In a little square surrounded on three sides by an Iron pipe. In front of us was a heater and a ten-gallon tank with a pump attach at-tach ed. "There were also two men; one tended the fire and the other pumped when 'Go' was called. I got all fussed; the excitement excite-ment was so great that I expected to see a Chinese mystery pulled off before my eyes. 'Go was given. Four pencils, were pulled out of four holes in the pipe, and four pencil streams of lukewarm water descended gently toward us; for why shouldn't they? The man at the pump was all 'hot up,' pumping so hard. Nevertheless, we were one grand bubble in a very short time and washed off, dry and clean in less time than that. We were fortunate in being able to hang onto a truck going our way and arrived, back at camp at 6:30, in time for a very good supper. "Our division received, a personal letter let-ter from General Pershing, congratulating the division on its work at the front. 'I hear' it is the 'crack' division overseas. Isn't that splendid ! "Yes, I did read my little book on the boat, and many times since. I go to It like I used to go to mother with my troubles, and it surely helps. Yesterday after reading I felt so good that I went deep Into the forest and sang for a long time. The only trouble, my voice can't express my feelings. "J. DOUGLAS COOK." of the explosions only added to the terrific ter-rific and almost overwhelming cataclysm. "By this time the sun had been up for several minutes and the fog began to clear. It did so in less than two minutes, min-utes, and revealed a stage set with such splendor and horror that will, when 'struck,' never bo set again, I do hope. This change indicated the end Of the second act. "The third followed immediately and Is still in progress. Its end can't come too quickly to suit me. I can't think it will be a great way off. for the denoument has already been reached. "The scene was in a partial semicircle. Two hills, the one we were on, and the ope across the valley, occupfed by Fritz. We were on a road which was half way up the hill. Below and above us were waves of infantry at regular intervals, ready to go over the top. They stood all attention; rifles with fixed bayonets at 'high-port.' "The waves extended from the bottom of the hill to the top. "Talk about nature's beauties revealed in the waterfall, mountain or architectural architec-tural wonders of our cities! A few frail human characteristics surpass all that at an infinitely greater distance. Advance Ordered. "The order w-ae given to 'go Over,' and wave at a time advanced Ojulckly, but cautiously. One wave, a second, a third, and so on, until the whole hill appeared to be alive with some tan mobile mass. It was a wonderful sight. I shall never forget it as long as I live, nor do I want to. What follows I do want to forget; for it seems now more than ever to be the most forbidding of all earthly error; the most depraved of anything Godly, and the most futile of all human endeavor the effect of an insane ambition am-bition of one man. "We followed close upon t.helr heels, rebuilding roods and shattered bridges, for a Yank barrage is the most destructive destruc-tive agency there is. A lot of the chaotic condition of the land was due to the Germans also ; for In all directions, as far as one could see. were acres upon acres of barbed wire entanglements, stretching themselves repulsively, like snakes, over hills and valleys. They are almost interminable, and brown with rust. Close beside them are trenches, ope. two or three years old, and are as disgusting to the landscape as the great mounds and chasms of the newly upturned earth. "Finally, our day's work took us a distance of five miles. The Germans found it expedient to retire that far and more conducive to their own safety to retire later and they are still retiring. "Some day I shall tell you what the rest was like, if T can. "We are now three days' hike back of the line. It is very cold and rainy this moaning, but with signs of clearing up. Letters Welcome. "Nothing ever looked so good to me as your big bunch of letters. It rejuvenated me. and subtracted the five years I thought nine days had added. "Well, I have decided to take no sou venirs. I have had several helmets, a pistol, button, cards, etc., but the more of German kultur I see the less T want of its symbols. So, one by one. I threw them away, "without any compunctions of conscience whatever. "I don't know why you think or even believe it possible to have a photo taken here. We are now occupying an old French camp In a woods. I believe if France knows anything about such modern mod-ern things as. photos, it is in Paris and nowhere else. "Here is my latest, anyway. Would you want anything that resembles this? TTorsehide shoes, nine and a half EE, wet through and covered with mud. logins, w-rap, full of holes and camouflaged with mud: trousers with 'beauc.oup' holes, and garnished with mud ; blouse worn thin .-nd spotted with mud. My face has a five days' growth of whiskers, and my enrcssions Are not always the pleaan'-est. pleaan'-est. I am forced to Mop, by the little senpe of decorum T have Wt. from divulging di-vulging the truth about bathing and changing underwear. "I am broke, of course. All I need money for is in case we should be allowed al-lowed to see Parts or London; however, they would be only stumbling blocks in my way if we were allowed to go home. Both Complicated. "Unless T tll you hefOrehand. you would hardly realise that the following account is one of the simplest operations one could perform in America. This Is the way wc do it here: "Start in 3 at 3 a. m.. we walked four and a half miles in mud; real French adhesive ad-hesive mud I am merely observing details, de-tails, not complaining. Arriving at our destination, we waited in line twenty |