The Moles of Modern Warfare.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 6, Issue 274, 11 May 1917, Page 4 (Supplement)

The Moles of Modern Warfare.

THRILLING MOMENTS UNDERGROUND.

"If I were asked," said an EngineerCaptain, who has 6pent (nearly two years at the Front, "who are tho bravest of all our fighters, I would answer without any hesitation tho tunnelers, the moles of modern warfare who burrow their way underground towards tho enemy's lines under almost inconceivable conditions of difficulty and hardship, and who never know at what moment they may meet a hornblo death."

Thero is exhilaration .and glamour in fighting a thousand feet above the earth, or in charging tho enemy, with tlie blood on fire, tho stimulus of personal rivalry, and the maddening exexcitement of hand-to-hand battle. But for tho tunneler there are no such glorious moments to compensate him for the risk, even tho sacrifice of his life. No eyes sco him as he burrows his slow, laborious way under tho earth, possibly in pitch darkness: for at times the atmosphere is so foul that no candle vill burn in it. The tunnel in which ho works is probably so low that ho cannot oven sit upright in it, and so narrow that his shoulders almost touch it at each side. He may be a hundred yards or more from the tiny' pcfint of flight iwhidh marks tho exit to the upper world, and at any moment the earth may collapse on or behind him and bury him alive. Ho can perhaps hear above the subdued roar of the guns overhead the sounds of enemy picks and shovels at work close td him; and at any moment tho barrier may be broken down, and he may find himself engaged in a grim life and death struggle in whVh no one can help him. All this, I can tell you, requires courage and nerve of tho very highest order; and it is a splendid tributo to our tunnelers that they never fail to display both in tho highest degree without a thought that they arc do'ng anything out of the common.

But this work of mining is not without its thrilling and dramatic moments, which como when, at last, the laborious work of burrowing is completed and the mine is placed in position. Let me try to describe to you this last and crownin<-; stage.

A gallery had been driven a distance of a hundred yard« or more from our first trenches, under No Man's Land, towards the enemy lines. Explosives havo been placed in this long, narrow tunnel. The, attack is timed to begin at, say, half-past five in the morning and tho mines are to be exploded earlier.

The work of making this tunnel has been very difficult and dangerous; for its end is so near the German trenches that their voices can be heard quite distinctly; and tho tunnel is so near the surface of the earth that tho concussion of the shells overhead or anywhere near is sufficient to blow all the candles out.

And. in addition, throughout the work the sounds of the Huns making a parallel, or possibly a converging tunnel, havo been a constant menace in our men's ears. Thus the work has had to be done with tho m'nimum of noise and in hourly danger of failure and disaster. Even the noise of the mechanical fans is such a source of possible danger that they have had to !>e dispensed with —with tho result that the air in the tunnel has become almost deadly in its impurity. The series of charges placed in position, the next work is to surround each with strong barriers of sandbags filled with enrth, so as to concentrate the force of the explosion and to direct it upwards against the frailer barrier of earth above it; and these bags—"stemming" as they are called —have to be passed from hand to hand by a number of men lying at close intervals along tho floor of tho tunnel.

At last this laborious work is finished —you can imagine the discomforts a ri difficulties of it—the cramped position of tho men, the darkness, the poisonous, suffocating air. The charges are all "stemmed," and they are connected with the outlet by n number of electric wire fl to ensure that all shall be exploded simultaneously.

Everything is now ready for the moment which is to crown long days of perilous toil with success —or wreck 't with failure. And only just in time; for the attack begins at 5.30 to the second, and alrendy the time is approaching.

There, is only n little margin to spare. Tho tunnclcrs, their long task oompletr<l, are making their wav back along tlio commuivcation trench behind our front line, thankful that at las>t their labours are ended, and to ho able to stretch their Tramped limbs and to take in once- moro deep draughts of pure air. The darkness which precedes the dawn is stabbed hy the flashes from Runs and exploding shells; the air is thick with the funics of explosives, and ears are deafened with tho crash and thunder of the cannon. Tho minutes are crowded with tense excitement; each second seems a minute, so slowly does the time seem to crawl to the men whoso duty it. in to explode the charged, crouching behind tho parapet, waiting with strained nerves and m'nds full of conflicting hopes and fears for the crucial moment. At last, after what seems a small eternity of waiting, the moment arrives"; the watches, whicji have been set to the exact time of the brigade head(|iiartelis, point to the tunc, and the handles of the exploders are pushed down. Ha<s nothing happened? Thooon'vsfion from the deluge of shells is so deafcuing that no sound of the explosion in the tunnel os>,n lie heard, or at least recognised. In a few minutes the men will bo pouring out of the trenches for tho attack, and thoughts too horrible for wonb'!—the mines have not exploded ! Quick as thought, the connections on the batteries are charged, using three exploders for each separate cuarge and still no apparent result. A few seconds later the order to charge i; given; and with shouts and song the men are pouring over the parapet and racing acms-i \ 0 Mini's I,and. Thank goodness! The charge has exploded splendidly after all" it has blown iii a Herman gallery but ri few foot distant, killing a numlier of enemy tunnclcrs; and s-oon a small armv (.f wippers is at work w'th pick and ■hovel making a com in un'cation trench along which ammunition and reserve. can be taken to 'be gallant I: 'ls who have eloa.'M d i he Huns from the I ,'eneh- «"». Thus what seemed failure and d : s a-t'T has iiroved a brilliant success : and i iir brave tiinrole'v* :irn ahb« to ellicv with iiroud and light heart- the i-!eep they have so iiid.lv earned.