The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-10-21
Or. 'pH|l|P''C. COLE
y TELLS MEMS NEEDS
Former Resident of Missoula
Writes From Medical
Station on Front.
WHAT SOLDIERS WISH
Tobacco, Literature and Doc.
tors Are Chief Require
ment of Sammees.

.---------------->--
Three of the principal needs OF the
men In the trenches In western Europe,
tobacco. American magazines and
moro doctors, are told In a letter re-
ceived yesterday from DR.. Philip g.
Cole, formerly Of Missoula and Helena.
and now first lieutenant In the medi-
cal corps, with which nc is on active
service In the trenches Of France. The
letter was received BY Iirrnan Gage. Of
this city.
DR.. Cole tells an interesting story Of
the battlefront, which, he says, Is both
horrible and wonderful and u magni-
tudc Of which no ono who has never
been there can ina ginc.
He also echoes the cry of the Amer
lean soldiers for reading material from
America and he states that on one oc-
casion when Il number of magazines
were received, some which dated back
TO 1879. the men fought for pages from
them to read.
The need for American tobacco.
which Is far superior to the French va
riety. Is emphasized by DR.. Cole and
he concludes his letter with plea for
doctors in the medical corps.
Extracts from the letter follow;
Wonderful Vet Horrible.
1T is wonderful. 1t is terrible! 1t
Is awful! You can have no concep-
ton of the magnitude nor the awful
ness of all this mess over here. And
so far have only been on the out
skirts Of the real big doings. am
divided In my attentions between first
uf all the tremendous amount of work
to be done each day land mighty and
Eecondly between q sort OF terror of
all that Is going on only a few kilo-
meters ahead Of vs., and wonder ut the
beauty and apparent peacefulncss Of
the country just behind Us.
I'VE (field hospital No. q are To-
Gated and billettcd In what Ia left OF
q quaint little village where only a
few women and children and old men
arc left To tend the little farms and
vineyards about US. have seen
France once before. you KNOWN
time Of poace--and hope to see it once
again under similar conditions. But
never could I hope to see the life of
the rural people as we are seeing 1t.
Women in Harness.
These people work with their ami
mails and work us animals from sun
up to sun down. Often we see a WON
IN working in the harness side by
side with an OK or horse or even a
dog. They toll all day-often under
the shadows of Boche aeroplanes and
always to the music Of the guns
srl,rpn 10 vca m, NJ mt In,
Also there is much that Is funny
Every morning q little boy with a
great horn Tor rather sort Of flute)
goes footing down the village street
and alkthc cows and sheep fall In be.
hind him. At night he comes footing
back with his herd still following
him. Every few days a little bent ole
man with bright red and blue uni
form comes to town and beats snare
drum up and down the principle street
The villagers gather around and hi
tells them the news of the last few
days. These customs have probably
been going on for centuries in thi:
very town.
camouflags Everywhere.
"Thc war side Of the picture is, o.
course. the most interesting. hut an
not at liberty to so much into detail.
about that. Always we hear and Sc,
and feel the great guns battling. AL
ways there are fresh French troop:
going by us---up to the front trenches
always there is swarm Of wound
ed coming back Always there arr
camouflaged, cannon. @camouflageC
wagons. camouflaged trucks and loads
t>1v, EN1,ovs M hi,
camouflaged both with paint and
TO the Boche.
"The other day got for Il few hour
Into the French trenches. Got as ia
as the Poste de Secours in the thir'
line OF trencbes-which is plenty clos
enough for ME. It Is awful. 1t is hor
rihle. And yet is wonderful, ever
detail is so perfect.
Field hospital No. 2 as I have toll
you is just now in this little village
In short time now we will change I
underground quarters. 1t Is marveloI
what Is done underground. For in
stance in an underground hospital "
have every modern accessory-X
rays, a magnetic machine for locatin
bits of shell and schrapnel. and man
new and wonderful things which Will
interesting to me would naturally nc
interest you so much.
"Boche airplanes We often see.
far have not yet witnessed q re;
battle in the air but have seen sever:
pursuits in the air and several hosii
planes under attack of the Frenc
mitrailleuse. Once some time ago "
came pretty close to being gotten by
bomb but 1t missed US.
Throw Internal Gases.
They throw the most infern
bombs and gases. Gases that mere
blind. gases that catch fire. gases tn,
by their chemical content burn ar
blister every inch Of ones skin. al
gases with no odor at all or no ev
dence Of their being gases until 8