The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-11-26
AMERICAN DEAD MAY
REMAIN IN FRANCE
Proposal to Create Central
Cemeteries Where Shafts
May Be Erected.
MORE THAN $4,000 NOW
About 800 Plots Established,
Chiefly in Neighborhood
Of Hardest Fighting.
RAYMOND G. CARROLL.
Specia, Gable Dsspa,eh to TIE srS and the
Public Ledger.

Special Gable Dsspateh TO The srS and me
Public Ledger.
Copyright. 1915: all rights reserred.
WITH THE AMERICAN ARMIES IN
FRANCE, Nov. 25.-Scattered through
northern France from Alsace to Flan-
ders are graves Of thousands of Amer
lean soldiers who fell in battle or died
in hospitals. The maintenance, mark
ing and listing Of these last resting
places are lodged In the Graves Reg
lstration Service OF the American
Army. headed by Col. G. G. Pierce Of
Philadelphia, and including Capts.
Stanley L. Muckleston, Waukesha,
Wis: Homer Il. Mccormick, Phila-
delphia; Wilbur l.. Smith, Washing
ton; Z. w yesterday, Springfield. Ill,
and Lieuts. Charles J. Lennox, Potts
Vile. Pa; Frank p. Stewart. Butte,
Mon; Charles w. Starr, Philadelphia,
and Verge r. Ekins, Provo. Utah.
An effort Is under way TO condense
these graves SO far as possible, bring
ing them together. Roughly put there
are about one hundred and fifty GEM
eteries OF Americans in the valleys Of
the Meuse and the Aire, fifty more in
the vicinity OF Nancy. Toul and Lune-
vile, another fifty north of Chateau
Thierry. twenty-five south OF Mont
didier. in addition 10 some cemeteries
In the Vosges. In rear areas. base ports
and at points around Amiens, where
our soldiers fought with the British.
About $4,000 Graves Recorded.
More than fifty thousand American
graves have been recorded and a pro-
posal is under consideration to create
central cemeteries commemorative Of
various phases OF American effort in
France. and where shafts can be put
up containing the names of the dead
whose bodies were not recovered from
war that often destroyed every
vestige of the human form. To these
cemeteries in France relatives can
make pilgrimages, for it is simply out
Of the question longer to consider the
plan OF digging up all the American
dead and sending the bodies back to
America.
a Red Cross man is passins through
| cemeteries taking photographs of
every grave which might go to the
soldiers family, for as many hundreds
were buried in blankets or in burlap
and not in collins II is easy TO compre-
bend that elimination is impossible
How Graves Are Marked.
When a soldier dies his grave is tenn
| porarily marked with his name on a
! peg, which is sort OF a shingle. Later
| come the men of the Graves Registra-
! ton Service putting up a small wooden
| cross OF olive drah color with a small.
aluminium name plate, 5 inches by 2h
! inches.
| A level lawn is chosen for a soldiers
| cemetery, each grave being Ga feet
| lons and feet wide. The graves are
one foot apart, with two rows head TO
! head and with 30 inch path between
! the rows. When there are 500 graves
! in q cemetery a Flagstaff is provided.
! Part of the work OF the Salvation
! Army Is putting a small American
! flag upon each American grave.
| We have buried many Germans and
| treat their lfeless bodies the same as
| We treat our own soldiers. only we
, bury them apart.