The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1915-08-05
REScUING THE WOUNDED.
Ambulance Man Writes of Experiences
at the Front.

American volunteer ambulance corps, tn,
chief Red Cross unit with the secon,
French army, makes public letter writ
ten to him by William X. Berry, attache,
to the corps, giving a vivid description
Of its work and the dangers it's mem
bors have to undergo, Professor Nortor
was but recently decorated by the Frencl
government with the military cross.
Mr.. Berry's letter dated Baisieux. Som.
me, June !, states that the corps has
been removed to a base less than six
miles behind the lines and tells his ex.
periences during "a hours at a post hall
a mile or so from the trenches.
1.-TWO of us, on a two-stretcher three
sitter ambulance, arrived at the an.
pointed village little after midday
the letter reads, "but still in time to
bid goodbye to the French guard car
which we were to replace. AT 230 D. m.
there came telephone order FROM the
premier post de scours" at the trenches
for the "Voitme Americana" to report
there Immediately. At once the car was
gotten under way. Slowly we crawled
through streets Uttered with the debris
of shell-shattered houses and walls, and
by sentries who demanded the pass word
at the bayonet's point. Further on a
clutter of supply and ammunition trains
in a country lane kept us back, but d
sudden turn to the left showed a white
ribbon OF empty road that wound up
over high ridge before us. Innocent it
looked, and inviting. We opened the
throttle wide and rushed to the summit
to find ourselves in full view of the
German guns and trenches, while in the
surface OF the road we jolted over, old
shell-marks gaped at us like manholes.
Down the far side OF the ridge we
dropped at full speed holding our breath
But no shells fell and no bullets, and
we inwardly congratulated ourselves as
we drew up near the dugout shelters
hidden in hollow behind the French
second line, where we found an orderly
waiting for us beside final sentry. Here
the car was turned round and the stretch
ers shouldered, for we had reached a
point beyond which the ambulance might |
not go, since the road, which led straight |
on to the German lines, was heavily bar
rieaded at intervals of Is meters.
"The premier poste de secours,' was
some ways down the road and we hur- |
ried towards it with the orderly. When |
we reached it, this first aid dressing sta
ton proved to be dugout chamber five |
feet below ground, reached by an inclined /
plane, much as one enters to the tomb
chamber OF the great pyramid of Cheops. |
Here we found our men, wounded but Is /
minutes before, ready for us. One had
a rifle bullet through his head; the other
rt1IIad x.sst1 81, u
in pretty bad shape, the shrapnel case
but as we lifted the first onto
a stretcher his eyes opened and he smiled
at us, while from the distorted bundle
Of light blue uniform and red bandage
which was the second, a weak and bloody
hand crept out and closed over mine as
We lifted him, and from mouth which
could not see came the whisper, les {
Americaines' II
Mr.. Berry then describes the painful J
work of carrying the two men back I
through the post village TO little church /
urthcr on which had been fitted up as {
temporary hospital. I
During dinner that evening the village {
vas shelled for half an hour, he writes. I
1t II p. m. they were aroused by an {
rderly with a. summons for them to 20 u
o "hill H." y
Without a single light, but with a \
Loudly moon to guide us, the car moved
trough the deserted streets, feeling its ]
'ay through the tree shadows. Sentries !
re jump folk at these hours. and a &
moving lantern in the middle of the s
Dad brought US to dead stop while /,
hroaty 'Qui Vivel' from the darkness at 4
he side marked where a rifle probably fl
Dvered us. y
"The pass woodland then on again v
ntil hill N was reached. This time d
e left the car as close against the near.
4 dugouts az possible, for now stray 81
nllets were zipzipping overhead az thick Il
) june bugs around n candle A dim q
d light showed ms the 'poste de Sc L
,urs.' We shufiled down its passage "a
nd entered. One Of two lanterns was OF
noking badly, and il was through a "a
ne that we saw, az one end Of a cham "a
r perhaps 40 feet long BY 10 feet wide, "
which one had TO stoop. FIVE or six I'll
ightly wounded infantry asleep on the fe
raw which covered the earthen floor; hc
the other end, rude operating table Il,
ON which two orderlies were lifting TO
e cause Of our journey. In a corner
e surgeon was washing his red hands
a basin. That was all.
"But perhaps not quite all.
"The orderlics whispered encouraging. W
into ears that did not hear as they do
rove 90 quiet the rolling 10 and fro Of an
2 bundle Of red and white bandaFe tn
iich was a head, or bound 10 the be
retcher the tWitching arms and legs IN
which the broken nerves were strug. q,
ne. Presently. however. they stopped. is
ted and passed ont under the stars. q
2 started to follow with the accoutre BIZ
,nts and rife but the surgeon dried FRI
. hands and stopped MS. In silence Oh
picked up an infantry tunie. blood pr,
lined and cut into ribbons b. shrap- ai
and biz scissors From an inside tei
cket he drew letter. creased and fu
cared with red. 8a
Take good care Of him. BE- said a. car
handed i 10 NJ. and Just inside the ne
Iel0pf We could see q piece al pressed in
ite lilac. 81 clean and unsu0tted a. D.
the daY SOMEONE Who had been left tie
ind had put u there. Ithe
We were glad after 81 that one Of l1ui
) lanterns wns Smoking ~