The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-08-19
Red Cross Man Tells Of Evac-
uating Hospital in Dark
in Ten Min
uteS.
WHILE GUMS THUNDER
sheIIs Fall All About When Sausage
Balloons Signal for Artil-
lery to Sprinkle
Death.
Thy An American Red Cross Driver,
Written for the United Press.1

lBy An American lieu CToSs bIlfei,
Written for the United Press.1
WITH THE RED CROSS OVER
SEAS, July 30.-(By mail.)-There
were six trucks in the convoy that 1
took w to the front when the Ger
mans were advancing toward Paris.
We left Paris at midnight, the trucks
loaded with food, medical supplies and
blankets. Although there was heavy
movement along the roads, we plugged
along all night without many delays
until o'clock in the morning, when
we came to a dead stop.
Artillery, transport camions. SOL
diers and refugees blocked the way.
We couldn't go a yard farther. Our
orders were to go to NJ with the
supply stuff; but we couldn't have
done It without an airplane.
The army was moving and the little
space It left in the roadway was occu-
pied by the refugees. They came
streaming back In every sort OF con-
veyanoe or on foot, pushing their be-
longings in barrows and hand-carts.
Up ahead somewhere the guns were
drumming q long, ceaseless roll.
With N off the map, as It
were, I speeded back to A where
there was q hospital In an old cha
teau. In this were sixty wounded
American soldiers and about 200
French. There were two American
army surgeons and a few French and
English nurses.
That afternoon we evacuated the
Americans from the hospital and
made them all comfortable In their
new Judgment at c.. After that
we drove back to A and turned
In, because we looked forward to a
hard day.
Quick Work Ahead.
But at a. M a French general
walked me up with the announcement
that the Germans were advancing and
that the hospital had to be COM
pletely evacuated in ten minutes. He
made it very clear it would have to
be done in ten minutes or we'd find
ourselves in No Mans Land. So /
turned the men out and we went to
work in the dark.
As matter of fact those ten min
utes stretched until after o'clock.
when we carried the last Of the
wounded men out. Some Of them
were in a bad way, and had to be
handled very slowly. We put them
in our camions and took them to the
Disc canal, whence transferred to
barges, they were conveyed to Paris.
That left the hospital with only two
American army surgeons, the Red
Cross personnel. and a French chap
lain. The American surgeons looked
about the place rather lonesomely,
but one of them SAID he felt some
thing was going to happen, and that
before long there'd be plenty of work
for everybody. The guns laundering
all around us seemed to bear him out.
And he made no mistake
Plenty Of Wounded.
The very next afternoon several
American army ambulances wheeled
up with loads of English and French
wounded. They had hurried down
erom the advanced dressing stations
and most Of them were in bad shape.
Although there was but a handful
OF US, we hustled about and got the
hospital going again somehow, and
started to take care Of the wounded.
There were no nurses about the
place, none in the town, so the driv-
ers of the Red Cross camions volun-
teered. There wasn't one who had
ever done nursing and the stiff part
of 1t was that SO many of the wound
ed were in such condition that opera
ton without delay was vital.
The two American surgeons started
operating at 1880 and were at it at
in the morning. We say
I'VE" because everyone had to do his
bit-performed seventeen major oper.
ations, and every one successful!
Only one set Of instruments had
been left behind, and as there wasn't
time to sterilize them by boiling each
time, we had to pour alcohol over
them. Six candles stuck in their own
wax to a board furnished the only
light for the surgeons. l held the
board AS they worked. | moved II
around so they might have the most
light on the probing, or setting OF
sewing or whatever there was to be
Zone Three of the operations were
.rephanning of the skull. Another oil
he soldiers had flfty-nine pieces oil
hell in him; and every one wa,
coated and taken out by candle-light
Il was busy night. Luckily at mid
hight another American surgeon ar
lived and relieved at the operating
able. The worst part Of It was thai
lther knocked out most of our driv
,rs so that at last there were only
wo of us left to bear a hand.
Hospital Evacuated.
In the morning we evacuated thu
hospital, taking the wounded to C
There there were ample facilities.
Then we were out right to worl
letting out of town the refugees who
lad accumulated tbere for cavaro
lays. C was subject to air-raiC
very clear night, so we had to sleeI
the cellar of the great chateau
The bombs bursting about the pIac,
aade rest almost impossible.
When the last of the refugees haC