Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1917-04-24
AMBULANCE CORPS Or
GAN|zED LIKE AN ARMY


Paris, April 24.-When Americans
return to Paris after the war they
will probably have pointed out to
them the former headquarters of the
American ambulance army during the
big war. Today these headquarters
are extremely active and busy.
It is the American Ambulance
Field Service. The COMMANDMENT
Chief" directing the work of humid
reds of American youths who drive
small American Ambulances on all
French battle fronts is A. Piatt And
rev, formerly of La Porte, Ind, late
of Gloucester, Mass, and former As
misunderstanding of the U. S. treas
ury in Washington.
None of the commanders-in-chief
of the big field armies know more
about their forces every minute of
the day than does the former HOES
Ter about his little American army.
I He knows, by daily reports, every
important move made by the humid
reds of cars in the field; how many
cars are in and out Of commission;
how many have been wrecked or de-
lstroyed by shells: how many cars are
enroute from America and how much
|he!p the American service can give
the French army next week or next
month.
Almost every part of America is
represented somewhere in the ramb-
ling old Eighteenth Century mansion
(which houses Andrews headquarters.
Aside from contributions from many
sources. more than seventy American
Universities and colleges have sent
Their students to save French lives on
the battle fields. Never less than 800
are engaged in active
service but over 600 have crossed the
Atlantic and have been put into COM
mission since the war began. Be-
tween seventy and eighty have been
destroyed. The first car to leave
Headquarters for the front is still
partly in commission.
Two big garages and workshops at
tached TO the Paris headquarters re-
pair and re-equip the American cars
when the damage is bad. If it is
trivial, the work is done by moving
repair shops on the field.
The American cars are known in
almost every scene of campaign on
the French front--on the User,
Aisne, Somme, in Champagne, at
Verdun, in the Argonne, Woevre,
Lorraine, Alsace and in the Balkans.
The young American college men
who enlist in America for the amDu-
lance service have to date received
rs citations in French army orders
for valor. The decorations include
two Military medals and &c Croix de
Guerre. Two drivers have been kill
ed by shells, some have died of pneu-
monia and many have been wounded.
Among the latter is William Barber,
of Toledo, Ohio, who has recovered
and returned to the front.
There is an American atmosphere
about the headquarters of the Service
in Paris. Located in Passy, one of
the oldest parts of the city, on the
Seine and within shouting distance
of the famous Eiffel tower, the build
ing is surrounded by ten acre park
in which Benjamin Franklin first
made his test with the lightning rod.
The structure contains the Offices of
the executive service in the upper
portion and below typical college
dormatOries where the young Amer
leans rest and sleep while in training
for sterner duty at the front. Not
withstanding the German submarine
blockade more of these young Ameri-
cans and more cars arrived here III
February than during any other |
month. The number of men was liz,
from states as far west as California,
and the cars were 140.