The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1918-11-21
FROM RED CROSS
CAPTAIN ABROAD
CAPTAIN MATT S. MURPHY, FORM.
Err BRookiNGS BOY, WRITES
FROM FRANCE
GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION Of THE FRONT
Story OF The Work Sizing Done Under
The Rain OF Shot And Shell To
Relieve Our Soldiers

The following are selections made
from private letters written by our
old friend, Mathew S. Murphy, a Red
Cross captain in service in France.
They are part of a private correspond.
ence with his brother, NJ. j. Murphy,
OF Minneapolis, and which he kindly
sends to the Register believing that his
many friends in Brookings will be glad
to hear of his work over there:
Dear Brother: On June 81, 1918,
| put on the uniform of my country's
army, and boarded the good ship Lap
land for Somewhere in France" On
board / found twenty-seven other Red
Cross workers, men and women, and
we formed a very jolly party. In the
party were DR.. Arthur Moulton of
Lawrence, Mass, Denny Wheeler of
New York, Ward Of Boston, H. w.
Butz of Chicago, Alkali Ike Atwood of
New Hampshire, Dean Hicks OF Spo-
kane, n many others. not to forget
Mrs. Parsons Of Texas, Miss Ander.
son of Livingston, Montana, Miss
Thomas Of New York, and Misses
O'Neil and Cullen of Ireland.
Several of the party remained in
London, Butz went to Italy, and the
rest of us are scattered over France.
Wheeler and myself are the only ones
| know of to be in the active fighting
area. They were as fine a class of
men and women as has ever been my
plea Ire to meet and l shall always
remember and treasure my conrad
ship with them. There were also on
board a party of Y. M. c. A. men and
a large number Of officers and enlist
ed men.
The passenger list included a num-
Der of we'll known civilians, Of whom
l remember Lady Paget. returning
from Red Cross work in Russia; Sir
James Mckenzie. the. noted heart
specialist; Sir John Lane, and Pres
ident Shurmann Of Cornell Universe
ty. Shurmann and Mckenzie l found
to be very charming and companion
able men, very democratic and l en-
joyed their company very much. There
was also on board a japanese com
mission of high rank, very impressive,
except that their leader played the
flute.
Our passage out of New York har-
Dor into the deep blue sea was most
impressive, as we formed part of a
convoy of fifteen vessels, and the first
couple of days were guarded by bat
tleships, cruisers, ~destroyers, subma-
rine chasers and h%ydroplanes. After
that we only had a cruiser until we
came close to the Irish coast, where
a great army Of similar craft Joined
us and escorted us into port.
For days we plowed through the
waves, with the cruiser in the lead,
and our own. good ship on the left
flank as leading convoy. l shall never
forget the pleasure of watching those
great ships blowing silently along,
with the smoke from their tunnels
fading into the gray horizon of ocean,
and the gloomy silent nights, when
the wake ships formed great phos-
%phorescent ribbons. The decks were
dark and silent, lookouts constantly
on guard, life boats stripped for i'm
mediate action and everyone wearing
his life belt, day and night.
We left New York harbor in the
midst of Americas first submarine
scare, when the German U-boats were
hampering our shipping along the At
lantic coast and sinkings were occur
ring daily.
The atmosphere on board was tense
and subdued, and everyone was in
wardly nervous, but outwardly CHEEKY
and calm. One dark night u cruis-
err found a Swedish merchantmen run
ming steadily parallel to our course,
with all lights blazing, a fine signal
beacon for the subs. The cruiser
crossed over and advised the Swede
to douse it's lights, abandon our course
or take the consequences. Our un-
welcome neighbor left in high dud-
geon.
We passed several large conveys
and an occasional lonely tramp steam
err, but for days and days u ships
we're alone on the great expanse of
water.
We celebrated July 4th with patri-
otto exercises and speeches in the
morning and evening, with music by
the enlisted men.
Chaplain Moulton, my room mate,
and myself spent many pleasant days
exploring the engine ROOF and drink
ing tea with ]. Russell Mackay, chief
engineer, in his state room, during
the day and often in the still watches
of the night. He is a man Of great
intellectual and cultured training, a