The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1918-07-29
CAPT. Il. D. HfhDfNHALL
BUILDING UNE OF
BIGGEST HOSPITALS
IN THE WORLD; HAS
1000 Men UNDER HIN

letter from their son, Capt. ii. ID
Mendenhall, who with Mrs. Menden
hall has been in France for about a
year. Capt. Mendenhall writes very
Interestingly of that country, and the
friends of both him and his charming
wife will be interested in his letter,
which follows:
U. S. p O. 7O5, Bordeaux, France,
To start with you will note that we
are now permitted to put the name
Of the city in which we are stationed
on the address. So when you want
to from now on you can address us in
Bordeaux.
We have received several nice let
tiers from you since last writing.
When your letters come, they general
ly get here in punches, perhaps one a
day for two or three days. Just now
they are all at the house, though. and
| am writing at the office, so I may
not answer any possible questions you
may have asked
Since the last writing, my duties
have changed appreciably I lave
been put in charge of hospital con-
struction, and so am an engineer once
more. One of my hospitals will be,
if carried through to its full size as
contemplated, the largest in the world.
As it is now, it will be the second
largest, surpassed only by one in Eng
land. In addition to it. I have the
enlarging Of another existing French
one, and then several smaller Jobs of
one kind and another. In all J have
about 1000 men under my direction
right smart of crew. Jumping
right into the middle of it as have
| am kept pretty busy picking up the
lines where the other officer left off
have a good automobile at my ey-
elusive disposal which makes travel
ling little easier, but even now,
have not yet visited all of my jobs.
Clara, as you no doubt know, il
now permanently stationed here. She
worked her rabbits foot some way
with the Paris headquarters, and got
detailed to this department. Her du.
ties are pretty heavy, but very agree.
able, and so she is quite satisfied. She
at present goes on at II a. m. unit
p. m, and from to 1880 p. M, and
then, If she is not too worn out, from
$3.50 to H. But If she gives out, ,ol
wants to go out at night, she has thu
privilege of doing so. There is a sore
of camaraderie between her, Miss
Hartman (now Mrs. Russeln ant
Mrs. Vincent Aston, and so they pull
together very nicely. They are splen
did women. and so Clara is happ.
with them. The work is very intense
With the men coming through as the!
do, there are swarms of them in Their,
all the time to be fed. imagine tina
today they will have fed nearly fou
thousand before the day is over
There Is an immense building and |
is packed all the time with soldier
and sailors.
, We have moved to another roon
where we can get meals in the house
. tt is better for Clara, as eating out |
/, too firing on her after the work sh
r Goes. The mother and daughter spea
2 no English and so we have to tai
French all the time OF course ! hav
! no trouble now, but Clara stumble
3, along painfully. But still she
r learning rapidly now, and is very Ell
@ thusiastic She takes lessons tire
: times a week from a teacher VIII
8 comes to her room. She is losing he
timidity and so will be all right yer
: soon.
The French officers are being yer
!. nice to us. We have been invited
dinner with their families sever;
times, and still have some engage
! ments ahead. Last night a capital
and his family entertained us and Il
! morrow night we shall dine with ii
| son of one of the most celebrate
/ scholars in Franco Lieutenai
, Halevy, whose father, among otht
I books, wrote the abbey Constantine
! with which you are familiar. fBeir
, lieutenant in the French Army do'
not convey the impression of Gallo
immaturity that it does in the Anne
I lean and British armies). The Frent
! are elegant hosts, and have the art
! eating completely perfected. OF cour'
! the ever present wine always CO..
\ tributes to the gaiety of the occasion
I and they do have elegant wine! No
! that we are free to tell where we ar
we are also free to describe some
the wonders of the beautiful regiol
We have made some interesting tri
nd around, and naturally in nil
months have seen more than we sh'
bIo IN tal1 ahout In many letter