TUNNELLERS AT WORK

Nelson Evening Mail, 7 August 1916, Page 7

TUNNELLERS AT WORK

OPERATIONS IN FRANCE,

MINING AND" COUNTER-MINING

An interesting account of some of tht operations of members of the New Zealand Tunnel ling 'Corps in France, and of other incidents that occur in the firingline, is given in a letter from one of the tunnellers. Following are some extract? given in the- New Zealand Herald : "There have 'been some terrible struggles in'this city. Three times the Germans have had possession of it, and' each time they have been driven out at tho point of the bayonet. The line we are holding is about one mile from the. city, and describes, roughly, a 'half-moon, s<> ! tnat we frequently get shelled from different directions. In the citv- itself, the shops and houses have underground cellars, into which the soldieite go when the shelling becomes unusually heavy. Then are a few thousand French people left, and some of the poorer people are in the habit of leaving the city as soon as a oombardment commences, to return again when it stops. It makes me more determined than ever to do what I can to heir to drive the Germans back when I see the little babies having their humble homes wrecked by the German high explosive shell. Every d'ay I walfc about three miles through trenches to get to my post, and we are shelled regularly. EXPLOSION OF A MINE. "On Friday last we put down six shafts, about 100 yards apart. Drives in various dii«ctious were then constructed, past our own trenches towards those of the enemy. We • heard 1 the Germans approaching, so we stopped work. We listened attentively until they got quite close—they -wanted to get under oUr trenches and blow our fellows up, but we loaded our galleries with many tons of powerful- explosives. At last everything was read'y for firing. We received instructions to complete the act at 10 o'clock at night, and' you can imagine that our nerves were screwed up very tightly as we watched the minutes go by. The infantry were warned. Ait last — ''bang* ; the earth trembled,'and although I was some distance away it took me all my time to keep my feet. I think we must have tired some of the enemy's charges as well, and' subsequent ervents have shown that we destroyed many Germans and upsot their plans considerably. The galleries that we constructed prior to the explosion were 70ft below the surface of the ground 1 . FEW CASUALTIES.

"On Sunday the enemy commenced to pay tis back, and- started a terrific bomi>ardment over a front of 'half-a-mil'e. We were subjected' to fire from all sorts of guns, tip to 6in, at the rate of about I'OOO an hour for two and a-half hours. We have had few casualties, considering that we have been' under fire arid in the vicinity of the front trenches for two months. A day or two ago I was on duty between our tunnels. 'Our trenches .were being bombarded', and were being knocked to pieces. Tree® with a trunk diameter of 2ft were blown' to bits, and huge holes were torn in the ground every yard or two. Some of the men were almost roasted with the high explosive shells, and there were bits of iron stuck in sandbags, and huge' 1 pieces of wood everywhere. The coast miners are splendid workers. They shift ground in a marvellous manner. Our menfare granted 14 days' leave, and are advanced wages and- get free steamer and' train fares to anyi part of England, Scotland, or Ireland. lA day or two ago, I went to see a T>attery of guns concealed in an old chalk pit. Just as I got there an order came to immediately open rapid t tire on a spot two miles away. It was a revelation to see the gunners working. They sprang to action, and in a moment or two every gun w.as spitting shells at au astonishing pace. The .man at the 1 breech slipped- on gloves as the handle grew hot. Soon- the order came to cease : fire. ALL KINDS OF MISSILES.

"Alii kinds of missiles are hurled at us in the trenches. The 'whizbang' is veryquick to explode, and you cannot see it leave the gun. The 'co*al-box' is like an oil drum, and is up to 120! Ib in weight. It contains a lot of broken bottles andnails and other rubbish, but one can see it coming. It makes a fearful noise when it explodes. The 'sausage' is shaped like one; one can see it coming through, the air. and can dodge it. The 'peardrop' is quick and deadly, while the aerial torpedo is a big powerful monster, with blades like fire attached' to it. It makes ■quick deviations', and one is- never sure which way it will finally land'. So far as shellfire goes we can send the Germans five to one, and we often compel them to stop firing."