The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-01-18
TO REBUILD
y FRENCH TOWN
Two American Women Undertake
Task Which Will Cost Them
Small Fortune.

by Henry Wood. United Press Stan
Correspondent
WITH THE FRENCH ARMIES IN
LORRAINE, Jan. 3.-(By mail.)-
Two American women are rebuilding
a whole town in France. They are
Mrs. VIM. Croker and Miss Daisy
Polk Of San Francisco. The town
is Vitrimont. 1t will cost them right
row 100000, Of which 100000 will
eventually be repaid them by the
French government.
Vitrimont will be the flrst town In
war-torn France to be rebuilt-and II
will be rebuilt from the humblest
home to the town hall by these two
American women, after special per-
mission obtained from the govern
ment.
Vitrimont is one of score Of
towns in Lorraine destroyed by the
armies Of the crown princes OF Ger
many and Bavaria, who burned and
destroyed more villages than all OF
the other German armies in France
com bined. Before the war 1t contain
ed about seventy houses. OF these
thirty-flve were RACED by fire or bonn
h.-amect Al! houses :s.c.s5. some.
The complete restoration OF the
by Mrs. Croker and Miss Polk. 10
begin with, it was first necessary to
come to an understanding with the
French government, for France has
promised that an indemnity will be
paid after the war, to every family
whose home was destroyed. The
"after the war" payment meant that
none of the hundreds of farmers and
the little home owners could possibly
begin rebuilding their homes until
after the war-and the indemnity
promised only sixty percent Of the
construction costs.
But In rebuilding Vitrimont, Mrs.
Croker and Miss Polk will advance
all of the money for immediate con-
struction. The sixty percent immun-
ity from the French government Will
revert to them whenever it is paid
but the forty percent remaining 10
the gift of the San Francisco women
to Vitrimont.
Plans for the reconstruction have
been drawn by the government arch1-
test and fully approved by the min
lister of the interior. They include
the most modern ideas as to santa
ton, ventilation and Identification,
while preserving the general style
of previous architecture in the town.
The cost of reconstruction for
each house has been placed at about
$4,000. This includes cost of grain
airy and barn.
The reconstruction of the village
brings with it moral help to the
villagers almost as great as that of
material aid. Like most French
towns in the path of the German
l~A arNYnYod fnr-
ribly. In the first bombardment, a
German shell struck the little mar
ket place, killing eight Of the women
of the Village who were meeting to
sell their produce. One Of the women
was the wife of the mayor. Later
the mayors cousin was shot by the
Germans on his front porch, while
his only son was killed at the front
the day after he reached there.
In trying to help other villagers
escape with their household belong
ings, the mayor lost all his own.
With his previous sufferings, there is
nothing left in the world to him, as
he puts it, but the little slip Of paper
from the minister of war = praising
him for heroism and sacrifice.
His story is the story of many of
the other villagers, OF whom only
about $50 remain out Of the original
ESQ. 1t was into this atmosphere of
despair that the project of the two
San Francisco women brought new
hope and new life. The morals of
the village has changed. Wives write
their husbands and the husbands as
soon as they can get their six days
permission. hasten back, to lend a
helping hand.