HUN "TRAPS"

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 124, 12 February 1918, Page 7

HUN "TRAPS"

A TRAIL OF TREACHERY. 'A remarkable story of what he terms the world's record for death-trap treachery, which was established by the Germans in the forced retreat from tha.Aisne, is told by Mr, the United Press Association correspondent With the French armies. < Hero are a few traps loft behind by the Huns to catch unwary Frenchmen :— Branches barring the entrances to dug-outs if removed would produce an explosion in the shelter a few minutes later. ' A book on a table if touched would , detonate a charge. " Coal in buckets was mixed with high explosives. . , Stove pipes were charged to blow, up if a fire was ignited. Telephone wires were connected with hidden mines. Nails driven in walls if touched meant death:' A shovel loaning against a wall .if removed connected wires with explosives. A chair would blow up if sat upon. Tools, pieces of metal, helmets, artificial flowers, and all kinds of apparently abandoned souvenirs wore deathtraps. Window weights were hung to fall on a box of detonators if disturbed. Nails were driven on stajrways so as to be literally triggers for mines. Barbed-wire barricades in' trenches were on hair-trigger contact with heavy explosives. Roads apparently in perfect conditions contained many traps. Some or these would allow troops, to pass, but would explodo when a gun or automobile passed. Esperienco has proved that when the Germans leave a private house or public building it is usually a danger spot. Here explosions are retarded by means of clocks, which some times tick away for over s week before they set off a fatal charge. Small mines are liberally hidden in floors, ceilings, and walls. Many times a fuse is suspended in the chimney, bo that it will eventually be ignited nnd communicate' the epark to a «>n/>oal(vl mine.

UNLUCKY EURIDICE

A TALE OF A TRAWLER (By W. H. Holton, in thn "Manchester Guardian.") They said that tho Euridico was unlucky the day sho came off tbe stocks, for she broko her moorings as she took tho water and swung round towards tho sun, which overy deop-sea fisherman from Gloucester to Amsterdam knows bodes disaster to any craVt. Anyway, she was a nice, tight little boat, and Duncan Madiray, already rich in the reputation of the smartest fisherman out of harbour, was a proud man when he dropped down on the tide rip with her ono fine morning tvnd the hands fitting up tho new black gear forward. And things wont well for a time; fishing was good, and prices ruled high. But, trouble came: twice tho Euridice lost her gear; then Mnchray came back one trip and found his wife had died in his absence Folks shook their hends and tallied oF.thc unlucky launch, while the skipper took to drink .to drown the pain at his heart and consistently trifled with death to stifle bitter memories until the name of tho boat became a byword iip and down the fleets for daring and drunkenness, , .

Then the war broke out, and with tho rest of the Trawler Reserve in tho lmrbour Machray changed his rig and went trawling for mines instead of fish. His characteristic darinu; and his wonderful knowledge of tho banks, especially those off the Dutch islands, made him a'valuable asset to.the patrol, and before very long the Euridice was missing from the string of sweepers that dropped seawards each dawn— the was earmarked for special service. One day the Commander sent for Machray. "You have carried out," he said, "many difficult tasks, but I have got a little rip for you that will bo. as big a gamble as you have ever taken. Pull it.off, keep off the bottle, and I'll give you a h.'gger boat and got you another ring, , - , - • Machray nodded grimly. "If .'tis possible I'll do it. But ye may keep the bigtur b'ot. The Euridice is. good enough for- me, an' I wouldn't drop a bottle for a dozen Hew rings." ■ ■ The Commander grunted and, knowing his man, humoured his rudeness. Taliing -up a ohart, he pointed out.somo of the big shoals that lie down on the eastern seaboard. : "Just about there," he remarked, "are a string.of buoys marking the entrance to enemy minefields. They have got to be removed Got .me? .' § . . It's risky. The place is alive with armed trawlers at times, but it's worth a lot to us. . .• . .Now get away, and for Heaven's sake keep sober enough to get back. You are too useful for us to lose." Machruy grunted, although there was a flicker of a smile around his hard mouth as he turned to go. It was two days late; , . A stiff northerly wind was taking the scud up in stinging patches from, the grey seas as the Euridice nosed and twisted round the deadly shoals, but Machray, drunk and cheerfully reckless, eased her safely through them, more by instinct than knowledge. He was sober enough to pick up his bearings though, and just before dusk had spotted his objective, a line of foul - 'bobbing black buoys stringing back along the broken water on the edge of the banks.

They lay there with, lights doused till night, and then, with the driving white water their only guide, Machray and a couple of hands dropped overside in their little jolly-boat to carry out their instructions. They were gone half the night, and came back wet through and baling like madmen, with the boat badly stove in and leaking. Machray, grim and silenij dropped back without a word, and they heard him knock the neck off a bottle. The hands who had gone with him had the terror of death in their eyes, but denied any knowledge of how the job had been done. ■ By daylight they were well away. Machray was still below when the mate hailed him. "There's a steamer hull down to the cor'-east, skipper. I've watched her, and she's just altered her course to-wards-us." Machray clambered unsteadily up on deck and.eyed.her sullenly. "It ain't a friendly rig, anyway," he said curtly.. Ten minutes later they knew she was not. A staccato report of a three-pounder rang out, and they saw a puff of emoke on her bows and the splashes of a ricochetting shot flicked up in their direction. . "Keep her goin', wo ain't caught yet," remarked Machray. Then the sottishness fell away from him; hs began furiously to think. "She can't come far out," he remarked, "without gettin? into touch wi' our boats, Cuffey," he shouted to the mate, "put her five points to etarb'd and take a short cut over the nose of the shoal." • ■ " "liis risky!" objected Cuffey. . "Mebbe. But we're taking risks. They draw more water than us and can't follow." Over the edge of the broken water, skimming the line of the shoal, danced the Euridice, while everybody but the steersman watched tho bigger boat coming np astern, hand over fist. They n'atclied to see her' turn off, but to their surprise she did not. "The blamed fools I" muttered Machray, "they'll strike .'as siire's there's bones in a herrin'." He was , right. While they still watched they saw her Bwing off a bit, then fetch up with a sudden jerk, lying a black smudge amongst the white wiiter of the surf-, crested shoal. "Put her round!" yelled Machray to the man at tho wheel. The man hesitated. "D'ye hear? Put. her round!" In threo strides he was at the wheel and hustled him aside. The Euridice quivered with the force of the seas abeam for a few seconds; then the green water roared under her counter as she swung round. "We'll be smothered!" expostulated the mate.

"Dam' ye, they're drownin'!" snapped tho skipper.

They could make out tho boat reeling helplessly on the shoal, her top hamper a web, her black hull a shadow through the faam and snioko of tho driving surf; she was half heeled over, and there were black spots of men in her rigging. Every wave lifted hor and dropped her a dead weight a little further on the shoal. As they dropped •Jown they saw the black smudges of men being snatched from their rigging. Machray cursed again. "'Tis just my luck that our bo't should be-smashed. Hore, caso her in a bit more, b'ys; plenty o' water under the forefoot yot. W'l try and get a line across." The line fell short. On the second attempt it fouled; a third timo they all hung amidships waiting tho skipper to throw. It was a fatal moment of lax ity. A roaring, white-fringed sea caught tho Euridice on the bow to windward and carried her right forward on to the shoal. They felt her heel and tho give of tho sand beneath as she grounded. Machray hurled himself on the wheel to ease her off, but before she could free horeelf another sea caught her up, followed by the twisting backwash of another. And then tbo hungry seas leapt like beasts of prey upon tho nnlucky Euridice. Thoy whirled hor in a smother of spray farther on tho shoal one moment, and sucked her back into the shifting sand the host.

A Rcarch patrol found some broken wreckage, and roported it, together with tho removal of tho buoys.