Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-11-16
GERMANS, FOR 7 YEARS,
READY TO FIGHT WITH Gas
Apparatus Captured in Battle OF
champagne Dated as Far
Back as 1908.
DESCRIPTION By AMERICAN
Richard Norton, Organizer and Conn
nander Of Motor Ambulance Corps,
in Letter to Brother, Writes OF
Thrilling Experiences.

Thrilling Experiences.
NEW YORK. November 1.-THE ex-
pertcncc of q number Of Americans who
we're in tho midst OF the great battle
~ Champagne last month when the
French mnde their notable advance
against tho Germans. arc related in Il
otter made public to-day from Rich
ard Norton. tho organizer and com
inander or the American Motor Ambu-
lance Corps
One point that is disclosed In Mr..
Sorlon's narrative IS tho fact that gas
apparatus which was captured from
the Germans in the battle Of Cham
payne was dated as far back as 1905.
thus showing he said, that seven
yenrs ago the Germans had decided to
night with gas"
The letter is dated At La Croi*.
Champagne October IA, and is sd
dressed to Eliot Norton. his brother In
New York He points out that II is
Just year since the corps came into
being, and that IL has grown until IL
now includes some sixty motor ambu-
lances to which the st. Johns Ambu
lance Corps and the Red Cross Socic-
ties render any assistance that is re
uuested.
THE French authorities have en-
trusted US with the whole ambulance
| service OF the Eleventh Army Corps"
| tho years work he adds that the Ameri-
can corps has carried nearly $4,000
cases. and that from the twenty-hfth
81 September TO the ninth of October
the American cars relieved the suffer
ings OF over 5000 individuals.
Beginning his account Of the battle
o! Champagne, he says:
For some weeks before the battle
began VIC knew from all sorts OF evil
'ience that n big movement was on foot.
The movement of troops hy night ana
i day. the great numbers OF aeroplancs
and captive balloons and general rurror
! all pointed to this. Il was not, how.
ever, until we were sent from the
region OF Amiens to this district that
NC knew whore the attack was to he
made. And II Was not until We had
been sonsa three weeks stationed with
in few miles OF the line here that We
had any inkling as 10 exactly when or
AZ exactly what spots the blow would
he delivered.
TRENCHES FOR BRINGING
WOUNDED FROM FIRING LINE
when. however, We were sent for
ward. our base became the viilugc OF
La CrolA. where two large hospitals
had been erected. Seven Of the ambu-
lanccs were stationed here. two others
at Sonme Tourbe nve AT La Sale and
finally two groups were sent 10 the
woods, where camped out III tents
and dugouts and carried the wounded
OF the Twenty first ard Twenty second
Divisions from trenches Nos. aud ),
which had been duS for the purpose OF
bringing them out OF the firing line.
The whole countryside mad been
most carefully prepared ONE main
road had been cut from St. Jean over
The rolling chalk hills to the villages
Of licrluS and Mcsnil. which were be-
tween tho French batteries aud tho
front trenches, and from which other
roads ran further north. Besides this
main road there we're many tracks md
trails over the chalk desert and these
Us the days passed became more and
moro clearly marked. But the instant
the rain began to fall, which /; did the
first day OF the battle. and continued
OF and on for many days. taoy became
IS near impossible could he T.
was not only the enormous amount Of
trnftic which made driving difficult but
the slightest rain turns this chalky
soil into a mixture so slippery that a
car standing quiet on the crown OF
the road would not infrequently slide
gently hut surely into the gutter
which was, of course. deep in mud. AT
night we had TO drive without lights
which increased our difficulty. Besides
the making OF the road mentioned
narrow gauge railways had been laid
20 carry munitions aud other supplies
10 the fighting line and for miles the
trenches
1T was on the twenty-fourth that We
received final orders to move up TO the
lines and to station our cars AT the
Held hospitals and the trenches We
sorted out the cars and men according
10 their various capacities. took one
group on the night OF the twenty
fourth up TO the lines. The other
trench group was in charge Of Messrs
J. q. harrington and J. II. Phelps
COUNTRY PACKED WITH
TROOPS AND MISTTION TRAINS
The country was absolutely packed;
can scarcely find any word to sug-
gest a picture of how packed il WAS
with troops and muntion trains. There
was every sort and description. on
the rolling land, over which the
trenches cut In through the chalk soil
ran like great white snakes. the bat
teries Of every sized gun We're innun-
| cradle. cannot tell you how many
/ guns there were but in n radius OF half
a mile from where my ambulance stood
4 the first night there were at least
dozen batteries of various calibers, and
they were no thicker there than any
where else We tried To sleep on the
stratchers for an hour or two before
dawn Of the twenty-ffth but when YOU
have a battery Of 1908 coughing unin-
terruptedly within less than 100 yards
Of where you are resting. to say moth
ing of other guns to right and to left
OF you. ones repose is decidedly syn
copated. On the morning OF the TWEEN
ty-hfth. the cannonade slackened and
we knew afterwards that the three
previous days work had battered the
German lines into a shapeless mass
and that the French infantry had made
good the chance they had been patient
~ waiting for all summer of proving
TO the world their ability to beat the
Germans.
I'VE arc In no position 10 tell what
troops did the best work but every
one knows that the Colonials under
General Marchand did spIendidiy as
. did the Eleventh Corps. which was
alongside them. Only three or four in
eidents of the twelve hard days work
I stand out clearly in my mind. The rest
! Is but a hazy memory OF indistinruisb