The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-08-06
WORK OF THE RED
CROSS AND DANGERS
MEMBERS UNDERGO
(By Associated Press.)

New York. Aug. Elliot Nor
ton, New York lawyer, brother Of
Professor Richard Norton, the
founder of the American Volunteer
Ambulance corps, the chief Red
Cross unit with the Second French
army, makes public a letter written
to him by william r. Berry, at
tached to the corps, giving a vivid
description of its work and the dan
gers its members have to undergo.
Professor Norton was but recently
decorated by the French government
with the Military Cross.
Mr.. Berrys letter dated Baisieux,
Somme. June l, states that the corps
has been removed to base less than
six miles behind the lines and tells
his experiences during "a hours at
a post half a mile or so from the
trenches.
1.-TWO of us, on two-stretcher.
three sitter ambulance, arrived at
the appointed village a little after
midday" the letter reads, "but still
in time to bid goodbye to the French
guard car which we were to replace.
At 2:3O p. nj. there came a tele-
phone order from the premier Post
de Scours'' at the trenches for the
"Voiture Americaine' 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 de-
manded the pass word at the bayo-
nte's point. Further on clutter of
supply and ammunition trains in
country lane kept us back, but
sudden turn to the left showed
white ribbon of empty road that
wound up over high ridge before
US Innocent it looked, and invit
ing. We opened the throttle wide.
and rushed to the summit-to find
OuTSciNeS Ill luil NIeW vi thS uei Hlhh
guns and trenches, while in the sur
face of the road we jolted over, old
shell marks gaped at us like man
holes.
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 con graf
ulated ourselves as we drew up near
the dugout shelters hidden in hol-
low behind the French second line
where we found an orderly waiting
for us beside a final sentry. Here
the car turned round and the
stretchers 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 barricad-
ed at intervals of fifteen meters.
"The Premier Poste de Secours
was some ways down the road and
we hurried towards it with the or
derly. When we reached it, this first
aid Dressing station proved to be a
dugout chamber five feet below the
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 fifteen minutes before.
ready for us. One had a rifle bullet
through his head, the other was rid
died with shrapnel. Both were in
pretty bad shape. the shrapnel case
especially, but as we lifted the first
onto a stretcher his eyes opened and
| he smiled at us, wfrfle from the dis
torted bundle of light-blue uhiform
and red bandage which was the Sec
ond. weak and bloody hand crept
out and closed over mine as we lift
ed him. and from a mouth which
could not see came the whisper, Les
Americaines.
Mr.. Berry then describes the
painful work Of carrying the tv