The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1918-04-05

the advanced first-aid post Here he is
attended by doctor, perhaps assist
ed by two X. A. M. G.. men. Then he is
put into motor ambulance, manned
by crew of two or three. At the field
hospital, where he generally goes un-
der an anesthetic, either to have his
wounds cleaned or to be operated on,
he requires the services of about three
to five persons. From this point an
other ambulance ride impresses more
men i'm his service, and then at the am
hulance train. another corps of doc
Tors IL. n. NJ. =. men. Red Cross nurses
and the trains crew. From the train
ne enters the base hospital or casualty
clearing station, where a good d-Sized
corps of doctors. nurses. etc. are kent
busy. Another ambulance journey is
next in "rder-thiS time TO the hospital
snip. He crosses the channel. arrives
in Blighty-more ambulances and per.
hapS II ride for five hours on I'M Eng
liSh Red Cross train with it's crew of
ked Cross workers, and a; last he
reaches the hospital. Generally he
stays from two To six months. or long
er in this hospital. From here he is
sent to a ConvaleScent home for six
weeks.
II hy wounds he is untitled for fur
thcr service, he is discharged given n
pension, or committed to soldiers
home for the rest Of his life-and Still
the expense piles up. When YOU real
ize that all the ambulances, traias and
ShipS, not to mention the man power,
used in transporting n wounded man,
could be used for supplies. ammunition
and re-enforcements for the troops at
the front, il will not appear strange
that from strictly military stand
point, dead man is sometimes better
than live one Gf wounded).
Not long after the first digging party,
our general decided, after careful
tour of inspection of the communica-
tion trenches, upon "an ideal spot" as
he termed ii, for machine-gun en-
placement took his map made a dot
on II, and as he was wont, wrote dig
here" and the next night we dug.
There were twenty In Ine party. N.Y.
self included. Armed with picks,
shovels and empty sandbags we ar
rived at the Ideal spot" and started
digging. The moon was very bright.
out of sight Of the German lines.
We had gotten about three feet
down, when the fellow next to me, aft
er mighty stroke with his pick. let go
of the handle, and pinched his nose
with his thumb and forefinger, at the
same time letting out the explosion,
"Gott strafe me pink, I'm bloody well
gaSsed. not 'alf / amt" / quickly
turned in his direction with an inauir-
ing look, at the same instant reaching
for my gas bag. i soon found out what
was ailing him. One Whit was enough
and lost no time in also pinching my
nose. The stencil was awful. The rest
of the digging party dropped their
picks and shovels and beat il for the
weather side of that solitary pick. The
officer came over and inquired why the
work had suddenly ceased. holding our
noses. we simply pointed in the drec.
tiOn OF the smell He went over to the
pick. Immediately clappcd his hand
over his nose. made an about turn"
and came back. Just then our cap.
tain came along and investi gated hut
after abcdt minute said we had bet
ter carry on with the digging that he
did not see why we should have
stopped as the odoF was very faint.
but If necessary he would allow us our
gas helmets while digging. He would
stay and see the thing through, but he
mad to report back to brigade head
quarters Immediately. We wished that
we were captains and also had date
at brigade headquarters. With our gas
helmets on we again attacked that hole
and uncovered the decomposed body of
German; the pick was sticking I'm his
chest. One of the men tainted. was
that one. Upon this our lieutenant
halted proceedings and sent word back
10 headquarters and word came back
that after we filled in the hole we could
Knock off for the night. This was well
come tidings to us, because
Next day the general changed the
dot on his map and another empIace-
ment was completed the following
night.
The odor from the dug-up decom-
posed human body has an effect which
is hard 10 describe. II first produces
nauSeating feeling, which, especially
after eating, causes vomiting. This re-
heVes you temporarily. but soon
weakening sensation follows. which
IeaVes YOU limp as dishrag. Your
spirits are AT their lowest ebb and Won
feel sort of hopelesSness and mad
desire to escape IL all, 10 get 10 the
open fields and the perfume of the flow
ers In eighty. There is a sharp
prickling sensation in the nostrils
which reminds nnn NJ hroo,bin,, ,o,I