The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-12-21

cunning liouI MY mug, WIZ -
dead bodies still lie prone in the mud,
TO the easv-chair atmosphere of Wash
mgton, Congressman Porter II. Dale :
message to the people of the United
States is:
For God 5 sake wake MP and real
i've what this war means,
American troops without guns, with
out enough blankets, without neeessa-
nv equipment and wholly unprepare0
for the terrific struggle which the>
must face is a situation that sends NJ,
Dale back to this country with but
one desire-to impress on Washington
and Vermont the tremendous peril and /
responsibility that faces this nation. +
Talk about short war, seid NJ.
Dale in New Yorl, this week, I'VE snail |
he mighty lucky if we get through this I
war ina two years, at such an expense |
and with such a loss of men rs Will |
run into hundreds of thousands.
II wish | might say TO every depar
mcnt head in Washmeton; Wake
| up | wish l could take them with
NE to Nimy Ridge. where the guns d3
not crash or dctouate, but Just explode
in one continual roar.
| - did not 90 into the front line
/ trenches don Z think it is amy place
for ci1ilian-but / walked among tho
stark. dead bodies of gallant English
men and Canadians. some of their faces
crushed into the ooze and somc-hoi-
/ Il,
to the sky
'.Why unhmied' Because men are
50 precious and the German ayiatels
so vigilant that even huying party
I'M the open is Immediately marked amt
cut down by their quick-frin@ guns.
eyes. | wish | had some Of those
ca,v-chair Washington department Tel
lows at Nimv Ridge. men who, after
eight months of war, and not enough
guns in France to equip our men, are
still telling the newspapers that ev-
crythiug is Ill right,
They seem to think we have don,
, great things. Let me say that unless
we begin cutting red tape, eliminating
lost motion. doing away with iHcom-
pcteut suryiyal> Of a vorn-out military
system. stopping this foolish tails about
- ~libll W 1T anu -Nt 'tt'Nf ttNiiiit- =
supplies. guns and munitions to our
troops in France, - men, more men
and men by the millions. we are aot
going To win this war.
. You can I pat the appalling peril
that confronts this nation, too strong
~.
At Why Ridge. the party was q
close to the firing line that they were
l. ly.I
NETS.
Mr. Dale showed some signs Of tn,
1 ordeal OF storm and stress that he and
1 the other passengers and crew cndui,o
/ on the return trip from France.
i The city newspapers did not say
| much about il. as only a few paSsen-
/ gers were aboard and only one sea
1 man was lost in the gale, bat the N,s-
| mont congressman SAYS the big liner
| had her bows stove in by hcad-sea~-
| a ragged, gaping hole being actually
torn in the heavy steel plates hv .
/ wicked smash from a huge comher-
her aftcr-cabin-door stove in and the
I smoking room cabin and everything els
l between decks flooded.
One-half of the bridge was torn
| away bodily, the officer IN charge and
/ the wireless operator being swept from
their stations and rescued by the crew
almost by a miracle One seaman was
I swept overheard ana drowned III plain
| sight of everyone before boat could
be launched IN the heavy seas.
This was the same storm which fol
' lowed the Halifax disaster and Nj
Dale S ship was then about 500 mile.
from these coasts.
Il | HIN al
| The congressional party was deeply
\ impressed with the speed and ability
/ of the destroyer, which conveyed the
/ liner.
/ ..Our boat used to be considered
\ fast, said Mr.. Dale. "'but the destroy
\ ers actually ran rings around her. They
\ are tremendously fast-about - or Il
\ miles an hour. ! believe and when
/ they sight submarine they chase neI
/ like hawk
\ II understand the U-boat crew,
4 dread these speedy quick firing boats
4 more than anything else
4 We are making great effort ia
/ turn out airpIanes-and airplanes arc
4 greatly needcd-but If we can build
| and commission enough dcstroyers w
4 shall soon rid the seas Of the subma-
4 rine menace.
/ Mr.. Dale 5 description of the vov-
4 age to and through the war-zone is rs
i dramatic in some Of its details as the
tcmpestuous return voyage.
The huge steel shuttle of a boat runs
absolutely dark at night. The ports
are closed from the outside and steel
clamped beyond the power Of a rassen
ger to open them. Every necessary
light is carefully shaded, 50 that No
faintest CLEAN can be seen a hundrc,
feet away.
| Blind, almost dumb and with ever1
human nerve strained TO the breaking
J point, the big shuttle huns througi
the night. II door slams, hatcl
falls or heavy object is dropped, til,
\ whole ship is alarmed. Running feet