Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-04-05
MAXINE ELLIOTT
BUS|LY ENGAGED
IN RELIEF WORK
Tells Of Distress of Belgians
Who Are "Stuffed Like Sar-
dimes in Barns, Plg-Stys and
Hen-houSeS".

Dunkirk, France, March 26.-Still
vigorously pushing her relief work
close to the battle lines in Flanders,
Maxine Elliott reports finding the
Belgian refugees STUFFED like sar-
dimes in the barns, even in the pig
stys and hen houses-in fact, any
place that has a roof"
Il have still not been able to find
any shelter for my ambulance within
a radius of ten miles" she said to an
Associated Press correspondent who
found her on that vehicle, ankle deep
in mud and dripping with rain.
Il stuff the ambulance full daily
with food and clothing" she contin-
ued, and make the pitiful round oil
as many cases as | can.
Il recently wrote an open letter TO
My own eountrywomen' in England
for aid, but only English people re-
sponded. 1t was great surprise 70
me, for / thought ! might get help
from America and little or nothing
from England, but as usual the lin-
expected happened. From England |
got a little over $4,000 i'm cash and
between $4,000 and $4,000 worth
of stuff for the barge"
Conditions Understandable.
The barge is the Julia" which
the American actress herself conduct-
ed through the canals from Calais to
the remote corners of West Flanders,
TO reach the starving refugees be-
tween the lighting fronts.
Il can hardly describe to you the
pitifnl condition of these poor refu-
gees she continued. only today We
have clothed twelve families from
top to toe. from ten to fourteen peo-
pie in each family 1t is impossible
for them to find shelter and they are
stuffed like sardines in the barns,
even in the pig-stys and hen houses,
in fact, in any place that has roof.
"In a house close by eighty soldiers
sleep on the ground floor, and in q
tiny room adjoining are fragments of
several families. fifteen people in
all. Two of the children are down
with typhoid one on the floor ana
one in an old biscuit box, and this rs
the sort of thing we encounter daliy,
but we have managed to make great
improvement in conditions. though
il is quite impossible to house them
any better. There is not enough room
for the army, and as many children
as possible are sent away continually,
but still they come on--shelled out
" SfNil hCli0os dild
from one wretehed place to another
Bakery Destroyed by Bomb.
Il have arranged With a. bakery
close by to bake several hundreo
loaves Of bread q day, and yesterday
a bomb dropped in front of the door,
killing man and three horses, ~
tore a hole through one corner OF the
roof and broke every pane of slass
in the bakery, and all the yeast ana
bread for the days supply had TO pc
thrown await was full of glass
splinters. Several other bombs were
thrown a little further on killing
eight people in all 1t seems much Q
senseless sort of warfare for no one
but little children and harmless eivl-
lians are the sufferers.
What horror. horror, everywhere
the glorious thing called war brings
IN its train. We see nothing put SAD
sights, and yet the people themselves
are not sad. is surprising what
people can live through. There Is @
family Of five living in hand cart
close by and have been there i've
monthsi They have rooted the top
over with sacking and strip of ean-
vas and there they tuck themselves
away and the soldiers feed them. or
course the military authorities say
the refugees are gone now because
they don't see them with their little
bundles crying by the roadside, put
poor things, they have crowded into
every available corner, and cling TO
the idea that they may be able TO
creep back to their homes when, the
bomharding ceases. BY that time there
Won't be much left Of their poor lit
tie homes | fear.
Church Bells and Cannon.
ut seemed so incongruous the
other Sunday to hear the church bells
Ginning all day and the cannons
Keeping dreadful accompaniment.
In the evening a soldier brought us
some German souvenirs taken from
one of those killed the day before
with Nit Gott fur Koenig und Fader-
land on the helmet and 'Gott Nit
uns on the belt.
To relieve the pressure on my
barge had to establish another uepct
az Lumoeh near La Panne and have
taken in the wife of a commandment
There, Nine. lie Favre, to help, rs
Well as the wife of another OFFICER,
and found tickets for the people TO
present and obtain their supplies, !
:tiso give tickets on the local baker
les 90 well as at La Panne and Bulls