The Republican journal., 1917-09-20
A Letter From France.

r A. s. Merrill, now in France, has
-.strn interesting letter to his faith
.N. " Merrill. Both ia her and son
-ve.D remembered as former residents
t.fs city. We have been permitted to
~r,sa aNtracts from the letter as fol-
Ne are so far away from the war that
74 don know it is going on. We would
8slo be nearer because our cases would
+ more acute and the work more
,-srestng. However, we may not stay
4rt ptrmanently, as we are entirely sub
ri n orders from army headquarters.
'7dsy are not doing very much X-ray
zoT, he hospital. The French Roent-
qnoogst seems a decent chap, but
raaks no English and as | speak no
7ench We don't talk things over much.
If is DONG only ten or twelve cases a
3y and his outfit while good, is very
mall expect they will take it out
.r-n they leave. | don't know how
sgth Of an outfit am going to have, but
We run a large hospital l will need
much more than he has.
AS soon as we left New York harbor,
mrautonS were taken against attack
Ma Dor were all closed tightly at night
md NOT a light was shown outside after
.sh even smoking on deck in the
aaug was forbidden. All the boats
rs5 swung outward and lowered to the
3vsi OF he boat deck. When we enter
!. The slbmarine zone, three days from
England the boats were lowered to the
sgel Of the upper passenger deck and for
1e rest Of the trip everyone was obliged
q aa his life belt with him continually
nd The asst two nights most people slept
sj5e'. olothes. | took mine off, but you
nav believe my coat and breeches were
-gt far way. Every day from the start
gs had fe boat drill and everyone was
assigned his place and given orders what
ad5 4 we had to. The ship carried one
.-B aft The gun crew practised at a
s.s-, at a range of 1000 to 1000 yards
md F.ade some crack shots.
" mad much larger passenger list
Ian expected to see. Our unit con-
ge Of twenty-nine doctors, siXty-four
,GISes eight clerks and some over one
31dred and fifty enlisted men. There
gs,e quite number of civilians, making
.,es aandred and ninety-six in all. AS
7r 3rg0 was said to be worth in the
.agnbarhood of a million pounds eng
isl money! we would have made nice
wm for Fritz if he could have gotten
IS I course there was more or less
4ITsAeuslon among the passengers, es-
7cay The last two or three days, but
.oJ2ly ,h0wed it and you wouldn't have
Gown nut we were a load of ordinary
,assel gers on pleasure or business.
W. met our convoy little west of
ls 81. coast and as l told you, we were
l.gaed to see Yankee destroyer. She
al along with US, zig-Zaging back ano
.]rh re- front of US and cutting circles
runi US, about a quarter of a mile
lgsy reminding me of little terrier
alerl- about, nosing after rats. She
saved ny US four hours and then turneC
Sever TO another, who passed us on to
DgAr, so we were constantly escorted
'-srts Of the way.
VI stopped at Queenstown half a
2y BIZ, no one was allowed ashore. Their
gsslpped across the Irish sea under con-
'o along with a big freighter, landing il
liverpool, July Gath. We Immediately
VEN aboard a train and were hustled
sos, England, arriving at Southampton
RE n Inc evening.
w shfted from our train to another
boat where we stayed until the mex
HsnHg before crossing | had Away.
heard Of the roughness of the channel
5-t went to bed soon after we started
AGAIN hugging my life belt, and awoke OF
lie 0ticr side without realizing that WI
bad crossed,
W. stayed in Havre two days. 1t is q
I'y UNPLEASANT town.
Again we took a train and for nine
Zen hours rode across France.
All The time we were going farther
tEay from the war zone and meeting les.
people who spoke English, until almos
lo0ody speaks it at all.
Personally | like the French countr!
letter nan England. England was pref.
" very neat and well-kept looking, bu
lie French landscape presents more vari
Fly and looks more like home, only thrift
ltI and better cultivated than New Eng
End. The crops all looked very good ex
.tp' a short distance in the north, wher
-5 gEound looked dry. There seems t.
good supply of food.
We haven't settled to work yet. W.
lie gong to take over a French hospita
Where The staff had very late orders t.
move out and they have not wound VI
.ler business yet. We hope to move in
= lhe hospital very soon. The enliste
a VI. are living there under the comman
VI captain dr. Holmes, who is keepin
mem busy cleaning up the place.
Bordeaux is good sized city, said t
e between three and four hundred thou
''aG 1t IS as crooked as can of angle
soIms Boston is a checkerbord com
elea with this town. The streets wer
''ll out by throwing up a handful of ha
'le marking the places where it cam
""n 1t is a prosperous looking tow
5 ~ has number of interesting places
!Atfe are good number of trolley line
qua the fare is less than at hon. but tn
VI I.uhy little cars look like mouse-traps
.ae signs inside say they seat twent
Eope There are few straps in them
w the platforms are wide and fifteen Q
Henty more stand on them. They most
~ !, jan IN pairs, one trolley and traile
aug aug are run by girls and few men nc
'0aIllied for military work.
BARS and cafes are numerous an
%s',tfybody drinks something, but nobod
Fss% drunk. Indeed doubt if any of tn
,at ever drink enough to feel the al
,uloi They will sit in an outdoor caf
s ,Ga mix drink of a little of the chea
nae, syrup and water and spend an hou
y Two drinking it. We were forbidde
rink water the first two or three day
a.. rance, because there was typhoid
NY ~wn and we all sopped up the commo
n'ne like sponges and it had no stimulat
IT, re elect at all. OF course we could hav