El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-03-28
J0FFRE KISSES
BIC BLACK HERO
Ambulance Driver, Who
Says 'Flivver' Good Gas
petector, Sees 1t Done.

yes, the French are quite kissing
I nation all right" said Pvt 2. II.
I Curry, and the funny part Of 10 Is
/ they don't even draw the color line
Z in their kissing It's not hard 70 see
I why they kiss US fellows but can
you imagine anything more comical
| than to see fat little Gen Joffre stand
] On tiptoes 70 kiss q big negro SOLDIER
Yet I saw that very sight one Gay
shortly after one of the big battles
{ on the scissors sector in France.
The French custom in awarding
I decorations is to stand the candidates
at attention, and as the officer
awarding the decorations passes
down the line, he hands the medal
or ribbon. or whatever il is, TO the
soldier, and then, taking his face in
both hands, kisses him on the cheek,
and sometimes on both cheeks The
French have considerable number
OF black warriors. known as clngalese
troops, in their army, from the French
colonies in Africa They are splendid
fighters, and naturally in the battles
on the French front a lot OF them
were recommended for honors So
when the day came to award the
decorations. I strolled around to see
IL done There were several Of the
big black boys In the row OF Candi-
dates, and Gems Joffre himself gave
the decorations and the honor kiss to
each. A big husky black was num-
Der one"
sees Action with AmbuIances.
Pvt Curry. now in the quarter
masters corps, recently at Maria and
FL Paso, was with the American am I
bulance corps in France for III
months. and took part as ambulance
driver N several considerable battles ]
on the French front He returned to
America last November, and enlisted
in the United States army imme- I
diatcly. He has been in FL Paso about ]
q month, coming here from Florida, I
where he had been training with the /
national army He was born In B0s-
ton. Mass, went 70 France IN the tall 4
OF 1916, as an ambulance driver, and I
until November, 1917, was a regular /
" enlisted soldier in the French j
army He served on the Malmaison I
and Scissor fronts, and saw consid- !
cradle action in both sectors When i
the American members OF the French /
ambulance corps were organized IN
der American officers Pvt Curry was
among those who came back
Carbureters Gas Dectntor.
eAn ambulance driver has a sure i
was Of detecting gas in the battle
areas OF France" said Pvt. Curry.
Every one now knows that the
poison and asphyxiatinE gas OF thei
Germans derives much Of its terror
from the fact that It is heavier than
air, and is thus hard to disperse I
suppose every one knows also that
in the battle areas every man OF all
the armies is required TO carry gas
masks all the time
so an ambulance driver, pelting
his way 20 the field hospital with q
load Of three or four wounded men.
often runs into a cloud OF gas. and
as much OF his work is done at night,
he can't possibly see it But be has
a sure way OF detecting the presence
OF the slightest quantity Of gas. and
that is when his engine begins to
ohug kind Of chokingly, and as
though il wanted air.
F1ivTers @SmeIP II First.
The small cars that are used al
most entirely in the ambulance SER
vice in France are as sensitive TO gas
as q human beings lungs, and VIII
positively refuse 20 run in any con-
siderable quantity OF Il. 50 when the
ambulance driver, coastLng down one
o. the French hills TO the loWland ana
level, hears his engine suddenly
splutter and stop, the first thing he
does is put on his mask. He usually
has plenty OF time. and adjusts the
done it already. All he can 90 then is
70 sit around and wait until the wind
blows the gas away. Then he blows
the gas out OF the csrbureter with
few twists OF the crank and away he
Coasts Through Nile OF Gas.
During one OF the Malmaison bat
Ties c0asted through about a quarter
OF a mile OF gas with the engine
stopped The enemy. land By the
way, they never say Germans over
-here-its always the enemy had
made a raid that developed into quite
q tidy little offensive, and We had %
bring up several reserve regiments
70 stop it. Most Of the fighting was
IN the front trenches, and thar was
where he had to work The stretcher
bearers brought the wounded out to
the dressing stations and we loaded
hem into the cars and beat IT as fast
IS We could About nv second trim.
IS I was going down the hill at q
considerably faster clip than any
American traffic laws allow. heard
he old engine snort and subside.
wounded save Themselves.
] slipped my mask down over my
ace ana had one fleeting thought
II stopping to protect the men In the
ar. But j was making a good sol
niles and g little sniff OF that gas
through my mask told ne that Il was
pretty strong stuff I figured tnati
{ kept going I might get through
he whole cloud In time TO prevent
my injury TO the men, so I let her 60,
and fervently hoped the men would
rave sense and ability to use their
masks themselves. t seemed as i
was 10 minutes getting through
hat cloud OF gas and along toward
ne last the old boat was scarcely
'reeping Finally she stopped dead
iLill and hurried around TO see how I
ny wounded were. They all had [
heir masks on but one and one OF the
more slightly wounded was fixing
hat So I beat it around TO the I
ront OF the car, and twisted her tail
About the fourth time she shifted /
md choked and finally began TO hum
5elisve me- that sounded good
went on the the field hospital
md when turned the men over to
he nurses, I found that he gas hadn't
lurt any Of them much, only the Door
unconscious lad with his chest torn