The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-04-04
wars BURDENS
TEST OF AUTOS
Four Packard Ambulances
Carried 300 Wounded
in Afternoon.
MANNED FILLED CHURCH
Diary of Motor Car Company Official
Tells of Work Put on Auto
mobiles at Front.
MANNED FILLED CHURCH

Never have words seemed such
crude tools as during this war of the
world. AS the early English dramas
were played without props" so this
great struggle must be written in con-
temporary history without recourse to
adjectives.
More eloquent than studied phrases
are the notations from the diary of
Curtis Goode, who is connected with
the Packard branch in Paris. Goode
left the French capital for the front
in charge of five ambulances and one
truck. He worked under the direction
of the French medical staff. caring
for the wounded who fell along that
section of the 3O0-mile trench line
Just to the west of Scissors One
days entry relating to recent opera
lions in this region follows:
Last night heavy cannonadng. Call
for four ambulances. Three cars TO
Feschamps and one to Massey.
Wounded Fill Church.
Run out over hill, ten kilometers,
past advancing train of ammunition
wagons and little bands of Iimping
and bandaged soldiers walking back
from the front covered with mud.
Heavy firing; down through little
valley. past awaiting supply and am
munition wagons, and a little muddy
lane to the left, past a ford lined with
cavalry horses drinking, up a steep
hill, past little cottages and a sharp
turn to the right in Gront of a church.
I'VE take in our six stretchers and
wait until the wounded are placed on
them. All the benches of the church
are piled down behind the chancel
rail and on each side and down the
~ nf 1,.,-
straw. Some quiet with eyes closed.
others moaning, one crying out with
the army surgeon and two soldiers
making him as comfortable as posi-
BILE until he can be taken out.
Three HR1dred in Afternoon.
"In the center. the little village
priest in black robe is giving the last |
rites to dying corporal We carry
out, one by one, six of the worst ;
wounded on the stretchcrs and load
them in our car.
I'VE drive back slowly to Montdi-
der. past ammunition wagons and the
group of officers cars lined up close
10 hay stack and unload them at the
Evacuation Hospital at the railroad
station where they are placed under
a tarpaulin stretched between the sta
ton buildings TO make more room. We
return at full speed for the others. |
past the sentry at the outskirts or
Montdidier who salutes as We go by. |
las it gets dark in the little church |
the silver candle sticks are placed in |
the inches of the columns, giving a |
dim light and making such a picture
that one can hardly realize that he is |
not looking at an old war painting |
of the sixteenth century.
AT the last trip about S O'Clock |
the surgeon and the little priest came |
Z he ND -fel,z
and 'merci.' We hurry off to sleep |
again after thirty-six hours work
when we get back and count up |
we find we have carried in close to |
300 wounded during the afternoon and |
part of the morning with our four
Packards. At the station over 120O |
wounded were handled, sent out on
trains and distributed to the hospitals
during twenty-four hours
Day in, day out this is the routine
Of these ambulance men and their
cars