The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1917-09-12

spare parts that come with every car.
| The majority of cars were left IN
very good running order by the
French section from which we are
taking them and fortunately ours
was one of these and required little
work on it.
We have taken over Sanitary Sec
ton No. SO, French Ambulance Sec
ton, which has seen much hard SER
vice at Verdun. The men have left
for other work in the trenches most
likely. but we have had no indication
that we are disliked for taking their
less dangerous work away from them.
Wherever we have gone we have been
given hearty welcome by the French
people.
Early Wednesday morning we left
the Pare as SANITARY Section Unit
No. SO" with 20 ambulances, two men
to each car, two mechanics, two cooks,
our American Red Cross Chief Sim
mons and sub-chief Milburn, French
Second Lieutenant and a Sergeant.
Simmons and Milburn practically run
the camp and the French Lieutenant
rarely enters into our life except as
a mediary between the military au-
thorities and the Red Cross. He is
in supreme authority, however, and
is on, who can make things very
pleasant or unpleasant as he desires.
II looks at present as though he were
going to be neutral
Castle Moore. whom ] have men
toned before, is on the car with me
and as he is fraternity brother and
very agreeable fellow, the arrange
ment pleases me greatly. Willsey is
also in the section but none of the
other Minneapolis men are with us,
having gone out of Sandricourt with
section No. 60 few days ahead of US
given the responsibility and is termed
the driver. l have been given this
responsibility but it is position with
no advantages so far as | can see.
AS far as driving is concerned, Castle
will undoubtedly do as much of that
as l, which is no more than right.
AS l started out to say we left the
Pare early Wednesday morning, but
drove only twelve kilometers to a
town of about six thousand inhabl-
tants, where we are resting until we
receive further orders to move. Our
sojourn here is due to the fact that
the army division we are attached to
is now on repose here. We will not
leave until they do and that date is
quite uncertain. We are quartered
in what was once a Brewery, on the
main thoroughfare Of the town with
our twenty cars lined up to the side
of the road.
With the exception of Sunday and
one other day we have been required
to remain within the bounds of the
first and last car. There has been
little to do and it has been rather irk-
some lying around idle. But I have
books to read, French Grammar to
study and letters to write which oc-
cupy much of my spare time.
Moore and l took advantage of the
liberty given US on Friday afternoon
and went over to the aviation grounds
two miles distant We were royalty
treated and had a very interesting
time. A French Lieutenant who is
in charge of the camp there and who
speaks English, showed US about the
place.
Most of the machines are of the
small flying type with but one seat
and capable of making 230 kilometers
an hour or approximately lao miles
They are beautiful little machines.
The Lieutenant showed US his machine
or what there was left of it. He had
got bullet in his motor and had hit
the ground going at a rate OF 2OO
kilometers an hour.
His machine had finally landed up
side down with him in it, his knee
had broken the magnetic from its base
and his feet had gone through the
wooden contract to which they were
strapped. Miraculously he escaped
with a slight injury to his knee. There
are several aviation escadrilles around
here and the planes constantly fly
overhead. AS yet | have not tirec
looking at them.
We had our first taste of war thai
same evening. The German planes
fly over every clear evening from
about s o'clock on and Friday was al
ideal evening. Soon after eight we
heard the crack, crack of the anti
aircraft guns and saw plane so higl
up that it semeed mere speck.
was certainly interesting to see tn,
little puffs of smoke near it wher,
the shells from the guns had exploded
They seemed close at times but afte
about fifteen minutes the plane re
turned towards Germany. Later il
the evening more returned and unit
eleven o'clock the guns were kept il
action. The exploding shells witt
their flashes of light, the signal rock
; cts going up now and then and tn
big search lights presented quite
spectacle as we stood in the doorwa,
of our two-story mansion watching ii
!, One plane flew over this town but w
knew it when we heard the guns fir
not more than 800 yards from us
shaking the entire building.
I am writing this under dificultie
sitting in our car while Moore i
scratching and jigging around tryin,
to shake the fieas from their death
like grasp on his body. They wer
reported the first night to be in