Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-12-06

point blank range. They call them
sacrifice batteries because some of
them are wiped out every day. This
officer said our battalion that morning
had been supported by an entire divi-
sion Of artillery and that on our front
of 400 yards the eighteen Founders
alone, In curtain fire which lasted
thirty-two minutes, had discharged
1900 rounds Of high explosive shells.
was impressed BY his statement, Of
course, but told him that. while this
vas ansastonishing lot Of ammunition,
It was even more surprising I'd have
noticed at close range, AZ ] did, the
number Of Germans they missed To
ward the end Of our trip to Contay we
were much exhausted and pretty badly
shaken up. We were beginning alss
to realize we we're by no means out
Of the woods surgically. Our wounds
had merely been dressed. Each Of %
faced an extensive and serious opera
tion. We arrived at Contay silent and
pretty badly depressed. For twenty
four hours in the Contay casualty
clearing station they did little except
feed us and take our temperatures
hourly. Then we were put into q hos
pital train for Rouen.
Germans Bomb Hospital Train.
Right here would like to tell lit
tie story about hospital train leav-
ing Contay for Rouen-n0t the one we
were on, but one which had left q few
days before. The train, when 1t was
just ready to depart with a full quota
of wounded men, was attacked by
German aeroplanes from which bombs
were dropped upon it. There is moth
ing apparently that makes the Ger
mans 30 fearless and ferocious as the
Red Cross emblem. On the top Of each
Of the cars in this train there was 4
Red Cross big enough to be seen from
miles in the air. The German aviators
accepted them merely as excellent tar
gets. Their bombs quickly knocked
three or four cars from the rails and
killed several Of the helplessly wound
ed men. The rest Of the patients, weak
and nervous from recent shock and in.
Jury, some Of them half .delirious and
nearly all Of, them absolutely helpless
and In pain, were thrown into near
panic. go
Two Of the nursing sisters in charge
Of the train were the coolest .individ-
uals present. They walked calmly up
and down its length, urging the pa
tients to remain quiet, directing the
male attendants how to remove the
wounded men safely from the wrecked
cars and paying no attention whatever
to the bombs which were still explod.
ing near the train. did not have the
privilege Of witnessing this scene my
self, but know that have accurately
described 1t, for the details were told
in an official report when the king
decorated the two sisters with the Roy.
al Red Cross for valor in the face OF
the enemy.
The trip from Contay to Rouen was
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS hours travel.
ing $50 miles on a train which was
forever stopping and starting, its jerky
and uncertain progress meaning to rs
just hours and hours of suffering. ]
do not know whether this part of the
system for the removal of wounded
has been improved now. Then, Its in
conyeniences and imperfections must
have been inevitable, for in every way
afterward the most thoughtful and
tender care was shown US. In the long
rows Of huts which compose the Brit
ish general hospital at Rouen we
found ourselves in what seemed like
paradise.