The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1917-11-23
Attacks by Germans Cause Clos
ING Of Many Institutions
in France.
z KILLED IN HARVARD UNIT
Kenneth CASTOR Tells Of Terror and
Ruin Brought on by the Raiders
Exciting Experiences Among
Red Gross Workers

has been experiencing considerable
difficulty in carrying on its work Inn
mediately behind the lines because OF
the attacks by German airmen on the
hospitals, according to a letter from
Kenneth CASTOR, son of Mrs. l.. +.
CASTOR of Somerville, N. j., who Is
member of the Harvard unit. In the
immediate neighborhood where they
are working, he said, 1t was necessary
to close five hospitals within week
and they were finally driven to estab-
fish themselves In the woods. A letter
from Mr.. CASTOR to his mother fol-
lows:
.As YOU see, we have moved. We
had to. The night after last wrote
you our hospital was raided fiercely.
For three hours aviators were over us
all the time, shooting or dropping
bombs. Two surgeons were killed and
five more were wounded, two of the
big tents riddled, some small tents
blown up, big holes put in the roads
altogether 1t was a complete job.
at ended all usefulness of the VII
lage, for next day orders came to
evacuate the entire village, hospitals,
depots, barracks, and all. We and the
brancardiers had to stay on two nights
more while the hospital was taken
down and carted away. We didn't
relish these nights much.
"The first night after supper every
body trafled out into the fields carry
ing their blankets. Some slept under
haystacks, some in trenches, few
went to fort nearby and slept in the
ammunition room so feet underground.
BY the time the big harvest moon rose
there wasn't a sign Of life.
Campaign Against Hospitals.
'4The second night four of us stayed
In the tent. let my bed down on the
ground and we built a barricade of
timbers to keep off small eclats, then
went to bed early and got to sleep be-
fore the visitors arrived. That night
they made special visits to the two
hospitals to which we evacuated our
badly wounded of several nights before,
and as result one of them had to be
closed. They seem to be carrying on a
special campaign against hospitals,
five In this immediate neighborhood
have been closed within week.
I'VE drove In convoy to our new
quarters. AS convoy we are quite
imposing, first the staff car, then 20
ambulances, an enormous truck with
a kitchen trailer cannon, camio-
nette, and the French staff car. We
drove about 20 miles, almost parallel
to the front, so that we are still about
Is kilometers from the lines, but we
are in big forest very well concealed.
There is no shellfire at that distance
in this sector, and the aviators have
little chance to see anything.
'eThis aerial raiding business as
sumes big proportions. We passed
through town on our way here where
$50 bombs had been dropped in one
night.
.If they hit on soft ground they are
comparatively harmless for they pene-
trate ten feet or more and blow out
hole like well, straight up into the
air.
"But the eclats of the bombs are
small, rarely more than an inch or
two long, while big shell will burst
into jagged pieces two and three feet
long that will cut clean through a
house. The dope is to pick out a spot
in soft ground and get flat on the sur
face, then only direct hit can get
you. and there isn't chance in mil
lion of that.
Was Funny Sight.
last night the mechanic, Ed An
thony, and l We're building an abrix
In the woods, for they are always nice
to have around, when suddenly three
bombs went off just below us on the,
road. AT the first one Ed dropped his
pick and tore through the woods like
a startled deer hurdling trees and div
ing through bushes like wild man.
There was no place to run to SO /
crawled under ledge and waited.
"a minute later three more went off,
and then heard a wild rush, and Ed
came tearing back through the woods,
all out of breath, but sprinting his
hardest. He was so funny that for
got all about the bombs-he wears
mutton chop whiskers, loose knee
pants with bare legs, and he had his
tin hat crammed way down over his
ears, and the expression on his face
was that of a man who has given up
all hope, but intends to fight desper-
ately to the end.
IT laughed until was weak. When
he saw me he stopped. struggled for
breath, swallowed lump In his throat
and said huskily, I think they're de-
parts, don't your AS matter of fact,
they were neither bombs nor departs,
but some defective hand grenades that
were unsafe for shipment and were
pprposely exploded by the munitions
yorkers.
"Glad the Italians are proving some
hing at last These drives will give
be German people food for thought
bring the winter-about all the food
they'll get"