The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-02-20

Some idea OF the work and dangers OF
the volunteer drivers and assistants Of
the American Ambulance Hospital at
the front in France may be obtained
from the following extracts ron letters
of the men OF section I. which was sta
toned for almost Il yea near Dunkirk.
The section gave "A good account of
itself on more than one occasion in the
heavy fighting which took place in the
district during that time. The section
has gone to another location some
where oil the Lorraine front"
The American Ambulance Hospital
needs more ambulances and more young
Americans who can drive them and face
the trying conditions under which they
operate IN the field
Gifts for the hospital Gould be marked
''for the field service of the American
Ambulance and should be sent to Lee
Higginson & Co, bankers, Boston. Men
can Join the hospital through William
Il. Hereford. Bankers trust Building,
IA Wall street.
one of the ambulance drivers writes
as follows:
1t appeals to the French people that
SO many Americans are standing by
them In their tragic hours. The little
that We In America have actually done
seems small indeed. compared with the
size Of the situation but its main object
and its main effect is to show to :he
people OF France that We believe In them,
and in the Justice OF their cause: hat
". still remember what they did for
US In the darkest hou Of our own his
very and that, a. members of "A great
sister republic, our hearts and hopes
are with them In this terrible war.
our trip has been full Of touching
and appealing impressions, crowdinp
one upon the other. ~ our picturesque
convoy ran through the little villages
We stopped here and there for some one
to clean n spark plug or mend a tire
and the children crowded around us. and
asked questions about America. and W.
often got them to sing the 'Marseil'
laise.' or some Of the topical songs o.
the about the 'Boches' and
'Guillaume.'"
sees BOmbs Dropped.
Writing "A day or two later. when th'
Section had arrived at Its destination
the driver continues:
" are in the var zone now, only
a few miles from the Belgian frontier
and the trenches. our equipment ~
thirteen autos is divided into twt
squads, and I am on the night shift from
5 J.. NJ. to : A.. NJ. driving wounded
from the trains to one or another u
| the score of hospitals in Dunkirk an
| the ne!ghboring towns. or to the hospita
! steamer that carry wounded TO Bou
logne or Brest. or some other port OF
the west coast.
Last night We had another visit IRON
the 'Boches.' II was a wonderful,
| clear moOnlit night and an ] drove abou
the deserted, mooh-blanched street.
carrying mutilated human freight. ! wa!
thinking how the same moon was look
ing down on the silent harbor of Glouce
ster. when suddenly. without the slight
est warming We heard II boom low
the street. \ bomb had dropped frpn
the clear. silent sky. Boom, Boom
boom! They were dropping here am
Their. and blinds and shutters we:'
quickly pulled together.
81 stopped my motor and got ont an
cJu,J hear the motors in the ~ r.
nothing was visible. Boom, Room
Boom like thunder. All the lights m.
been eXtinguished. and when | enterc,
! the freight shed which We used as
/ hospital and struck a match. the seen
really was amusing. The old reseryists
WHO serve 90 W anu
bearers, were lowering in corners undo
the mattresses which they had torn from
the beds. An old soldier whom ! rec
osnized AS "a sentinel had era wled unde
"A table"
Avoiding shell Cratcrs.
Another member of the section, a fey
weeks after they haI been moved up I
A, the lines. writes AS follows
LAS soon as IL is dark those on dut.
have their cars ready for instant use
An orderly approaches and says to on
of the men, car Wantei for poSte al
secours No. l. and on somebody star,s
Suddenly YOU feel tho car swing, fire
to the right and again to the left, II
only "A partially Allied in 'marmite' hole
and hy the light of tn" trench rockets a
,starlighis' you can see in front of 20
round black spots. They are place
where German shells have found IN
ROAD they are spots hat you mus
avoid ayo!d.eometimts by running int
n ditch or up a bank. All night, as lon
az darkness shelters us from the Gel
man guns We make our way over road
like this"
Following is "A copy Of "a letter wriI
ten by ,;en. Putt to tn" ambulance "
spector at the American hospital. II wa
| called forth by tn. sections work durin
Aprll last and was IA recognition hight
mized by the committee and by eac
member OF the section:
"My attention has been drawn TO I'll
valuable services rendered to M M
tachemcnt d'Arn,ee lie Belgiaue' by I'll
American Automobile Sanitary Section
which is attached to il, This section ha
had, in conjunction with h BIRTHS
section, to assur the evacuation froi
Elyerdlnghe to ~POperinghe OF III
numerous soldiers wounded during tn
recent fighting.
'Tn sDito Of the bOmba rdment {