The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1918-11-21
MARKING GRAVES IS
TASK FOR HEROES
MEN IN REGISTRATION SERVICE
WORK CALMLY UNDER FIRE
ON THE BATTLEFIELD.
COL. PIERCE is THEIR CHIEF
AVlaters Driven by Storm Land In
Florida Everglades and Are Rescued
by Seminole -Indlans--ooVernment
Gets Many New Hospitals.
Qr0n COMMITTEE % Pnbllc Inf0rn.tIon.l

Washington. - Announcement from
France that all American dead are TO
be returned to this country for per-
manent burial adds interest TO the
story Of how the graves of these heroes
are marked and recorded. This work
is done by the grave registration serv-
ice, which is cooperating with the Red
Cross In phOtographlng graves and,
when practicable, In distributing these
photographs to the families and rela-
tives Of the dead.
The graves registration service is a
unit Of the auartermaster corps. Each
unit of this service Is composed OF one
captain, one lieutenant and so enlisted
men. There are now IA of these units
with the American expeditionary
forces In France, under command OF
Z Lieut.. Col. Charles @. Pierce. Colonel
1 Pierce is a retired chaplain. a major
of the regular army. and was pastor
OF an Episcopal church in Philadelphia
when the present war began. As he
had been in charge Of similar work In
the Philippines, he volunteered for
this important task upon the organiza-
ton of the graves registration service.
He has been awarded promotion for
his jealous performance of the duties
/, falling to him.
In letter which Lieutenant Colonel
! Pierce has written to Maj. 81. r. Lem
ly, chief OF the cemeterial branch,
j quartermaster corps. and which Is
| quoted in part here, Is to be had a
| glimpse of work that blends mercy
! and herolsm.
"An that the censors will pass in
the way of news concerning this furi-
I Ons drive in the vast triangular arena
: between Scissors, Chateau-Thierrya and
Reims has already been given you in
| the papers," writes Colonel Pierce.
| "But the work that has befallen my
4 chapters of history. Suffice 1t to say
that my men have displayed splendid
sort of heroism-worthy Of the red
| dest blood stock in the world-and
! that have had occasion to recommend
/ q number Of them for promotion, and
some Of them for the bestowal OF the
! Distinguished Service cross. .
"Can you fancy lot of men going
calmly about their duty under burst
! ing shells and bombs that excavate a
! cellar every time they strike the
ground--going about to minister to the
dead, laying out cemeteries and put
ting up crosses over the graves Of their
vaIorous and fallen comrades as fast
as the grenades Of hate tear them
down? Then you will know the place
| Of these brave lads of mine, who worry
when they see me, lest I may have 1t
! in mind to move them to safer place.
And the men who are going over the
top! All. you will need rapid transit
I TO keep up with them For they have
. the crusaders spirit and they I'LL the
gaps of the fallen and move on with
a rush that the Hun cannot under
stand. -. They will win and
! they have no other thought. Often
I, have the privilege of preaching to them
as a layman; and give you my word
: that never looked into such faces be-
! fore. Perhaps have seen as comedy
features, but there Is fire In all these
eyes and the Hight Of a sublime conse-
Grafton such as the world has never
seen save in the faces Of martyrs who
, deemed 1t an honor to die for cause"
| The department of agriculture has
lnaugurated a campaign TO increase
! the use of dehydrated fruits and vege-
tables, which compare fayorab,v for
ordinary consumption with the fresh
article. AS indicating the need and
! value Of this campaign. the food ad-
ministration calls attention to the fact
! that about 100000 pounds of Irish po-
! tatoes were thrown to the dump" in
New York city alone last January, af-
1 ter having been frosted and then per-
( mitted to rot in transit.
The war department has already rec
ognized the Importance of dehydrated
produce. The army has purchased and
used l4.0O0000 pounds Of dehydrated
/ foodstuffs, costing about $1,000, 900, and
In the last few weeks has placed or
uCiS Win Sdhdulhn dnu alneTlCdu ue-
MIGRATING plants for more than 10000
900 pounds to be manufactured and de-
llyered between now and July l, 1919.
These orders represent about $4,000
600, and include principally potatoes,
carrots, onions and small supply of
soup mixtures. There are eight differ
emf vegetables in the soup mixtures.
On q single day recently, the board
OF review In the office OF the quarter
master general approved orders and
contracts aggregating $20.621 ,1I6,
Among the items purchased were crow
bars, axes, trench mirrors. cloth, mo-
tortrucks, motorcycles, ginger, bacon.
ham, cheese. nails, salmon, flour, SHOW
els, butter, horseshoes, typewrlters,
paint hay, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg,
sugar. beans, catchup, evaporated
milk, flannel shirts, tomatoes. screw
drivers, wooden wheels, tires, tents.
raEors, baking powder, pencils and
meat saws.