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Show U. S. Troops Take a Hand In Fighting With British Several Americans Captured but They Escaped When Britons Advance Against Germans. With the British Aniy In Prnnco, Saturday, Dec. 1. Largo .liuinbeM of American army engineers working on the British railways in the region of Gouzoaucourt, caught In the German Ger-man turning movement, escaped by lying In shell holes and prone on the ground while the British fired over them. Thero they remained until tho British wero near enough to enable en-able the Americans to Join the rank. They fought valiantly and plajed a very important part In replying to the enemy. Tho British commanders command-ers rofer to their valiant behavior with the greatest enthusiasm. Americans elsewhere took a busy hand In the fighting and were undr hot German shell fire. Numbers of them volunteered for patrol work In the danger zone nnd all acquitted themselves finely. A British gcneinl told tho correspondent corres-pondent that ho could not pralso them too highly. It Is reported that several Americans wero captured but escaped after a few hours and rejoined re-joined tho British. Tho engineers wero mainly from New York. Tho crew of a train had a narrow escape. Tho englno driver, whoso home Is In St. Louis, was standing besldo his engine talking with a British soldier when the attack began. be-gan. A shell struck nearby and killed the Briton, but tho American miraculously escaped. Two more shells exploded on either side ot the locomotive and tho engineer thought it was time to move. He and the crew dug themselves In In shell holes nnd after many hours made their escape. Tho railway rail-way was blown up by tho Germans soon after tho Americans hid themselves. them-selves. For nearly four months American engineers have been laboring on the roads behind tho British lines, but military requirements precluded tho mention of this fact until it was announced an-nounced that the Americans had played an Important part In the drive, having hail a largo hand In tho marvelous, work which resulted In the pushing of tho vital railways up to tho front. Military observers can recall no previous timo when army engineers havo undergono such varied and thrilling experiences ns yesterday. Tho latest reports say that several Americans who were actually captured captur-ed by tho Germans escaped after a few hours and mado Hietr way to tho British line agnin. How many of them spent agonizing hours lying In shell holes with the 'enemy all about, It Is Impossible to stato; but thero were a largo number. |