The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1918-11-01
FROM RED CROSS NURSE

Mss nafjofie ncrhersol. urll0
iron France Of ner Wefk 4
Base Hospital.
Following Is the substance Of .
letter received by Mrs. Will Allen
from her sister, Miss Marjorie Mo
Pherson. one Of our Milbank young
women who recently arrived IL
France in company with . large num-
Der Of other red cross nurses:
Sun. Sept. =, 1918.
Dear folks ct home: Well here I
am in France, feeling fine and glad -
have reached the end Of my journey.
Just three weeks. ago since | left New
York. So you see we have covered =
good many miles and had . varlod
experience for so short time. you
may think 1t sounds queer, but really,
l do not feel near rs far from home
as expected | would, but | think II
is because we have so many OF our
own boys in khaki every place We 60,
and because they met us here IN
groups; already have seen several
who we're In Camp Travis, and II
seems like home. We landed here
yesterday evening, and ] tell you 10
were . tired crowd. The last three
nights we had not been undressed,
and two OF the nights we we're travel
ing by rail now we are here In the
base hospital, where we shall be To-
Gated for some time at least. Il 10
the reserve center and will be the big
hospital center for ell southern
France. There are 20 base hospitals
located here, and while they will al
be under one management. each base
will have it's own doctors and nurses
and will work independent Of the
other. 1t will mean . capacity OF
40, 900 beds, over 1000 nurses, 500 doc
tors, beside all the corps men, and
other help. 60 you see it will be Q
city of good size. 1t is still In the
building stage, and will be for long
time yet before it is complete, for
they work under great disadvantage,
on account of shortage of material.
much of which has to be manufactured
as they GO along. Then too labor is
scarce and unreliable, for most OF the
men are refugees from Belgium and
Northern France. The officers work
right along with the men, and they
are so surprised because the Ameei.
can men work so fast and keep asking
if they work that way all day? and II
they don t get awful tired? Its q big
undertaking and looks impossible
under the circumstances, but its won.
derful the way they accomplish things.
We are in q beautiful part of the
country, right in the grape region,
and every where are vineyards and
blossoms, and it's grand. Oh, but
you should see the people, and the
way they live, especially the peasant
class it terrible, but suppose they
are happy in their way. The villages
are queer, the houses old fashioned,
and streets like our alleys at home.
In most places the family live in one
end OF the house, the stock in the
other end, and the poultry In the loft.
| imagine after America gets through
here they will have q different view
OF thihgs. We are one hundred miles
south Of Paris and $50 miles from the
front. As soon % | can I will tell
you what large town We ere near.
Well we had On interesting trip, would
like TO tell you some things but OF
course that would not pass the censor,
but was sure glad whom Is was over;
No more ocean trips for mo when 9es
back TO good old u. y. A. Everyone
vas lovely 10 10 and whom We march.
ed thru the streets people crowded the
walks and buildings 10 eee us. We
landed In Liverpool and crossed En9-
land BY rail 70 Southampton. meyer
imagined . country 20 beautiful -
England. We he'd two days in South
ampson then croseed the English chen.
mel bv night - that 10 the most dan.
gerOue pAFt Of the 1rip. We came
ocross ina British hospiAakdhfp and
u wes grsnd. A. Harve 10 aot our
first look that made 10 realize - were
nesr the frort. Il tekes rood hour
for . large ship % dock and while 70
we're on deck waiting, three hospital
trains came from tbe front, never will
] forget Ne sight, otrotchsr AFTER
etrotcher tabon from No trains. until
the ground spaCe Tor woblocks square
was solid hospital floor. All kinds
OF ceses, bus the worse ware the men
who had been gassed. Then 10 lefe
Harve and landed ID Paris the next
m0rning. T. SCENE queer 70 have %
travel % much IN No dark, but IL
safety hrst. One Of The boys said,
when you ore on the water they arc
SITTER you from below, and when you
are on land, they IRE after you from
above, ana you oro not safe any
place. Well, now Il means . lot of
hard work, but when 10 look g the
boys and think OF I'll thoy are doing.
nothing 10 can do will seem enough.
Al town yesterday when 10 clan9ed