Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1918-10-30
pKAFENED BY BIG GUNS.
Former Ellsworth Girl Now Red
Cross Nurse Near Front.

troSs Nurse Near Front,
Miss katherine Cronin OF st. Louis,
formerly OF Ellsworth, is now Red Cross
nurse IN France and stationed at an ad-
vsnced dressing station. only eight miles
from the front line trenches, and on a
sector now occupied by the American
forces. In 4 letter to her cousin, airs. J..
A. Calnsne, of st. Louis, printed in the
Globe Democrat OF that city. she writes:
big battle on to-day and the roar OF
the guns is terrific. The barraging is like
heavy thunder. just think, all this fear
full business was preceded by a beautiful
concert last night. The soldiers sang and
gave funny Rotations. To- day they are
risking their lives for America and
democracy.
"We expect to oe awfnlly busy for the
next week. Ours is a real front hospital.
We are only eight miles from the firing
line. We keep the boys twenty-tour to
forty eight hours, then sead them to the
hospitals. Americans are guarding this
base sector.
snow for some facts about our hospital.
Our tents hold fifty patients. As fast as
we pass one bunch TO the rear, another
batch of wounded takes their places. One
nurse to fifty men; this will give you an
idea of the amount OF work we have as
signed Us. / have to etherize my boys
many a night by lantern light, and when
the danger signal is sounded, we turn off
all lights and squirm around as best we
can in the darkness.
"Tbe wounds are terrible, but the pa :
thence aud fortitude OF American and
French soldiers are simply wonderful. The
French love to talk to American nurses.
We had nothing but wounded French in
our hospital for months. All the nurses
agree that the poilus are the most grateful
chaps In the world.
al have had patients so badly shot up
they could not move hand or foot, but
they never forgot to smile when you did
something for them. have seen men
suffer excrucistiug pain for hours at q
time aud never even whimper. Our
people back home can't realize what these
French have gone through.
by the way, we were located in forest
where the Germans mounted one of their
biggest guns and shelled Paris during the
great Hun drive last spring. The Yankees
captured one OF these big cannon when
they swept the Huns out OF this sector.
have just seen the base or emplacement OF
this gun. II was moved around on an i'm
provised railroad track. The gun was
camoufisged with fake trees. The crew
that operated this gun lived in a cave.
1.-THE size OF the gun can be better APP
preciated when / tell you that the ball
bearings on which it slid back ana for
ward are bigger than footballs. l saw
over 100 bali bearings taken out of this
big monster.
ave have just been INDUCING in a won
derful luxury. The American boys found
the remains OF an old bath-tub in a
shelled French chateau, and resurrected 1t
for our benefit. Until it was patched up
and placed at our disposal we had to battle
in wooden wash tubs, or sometimes be
content with a shower bath OF water from
on ordinary bucket.
"rhe constant cannonading has affected
my eardrums and / am as deaf as the
famous Egyptian Sphinx. Can hardly
hear a word.
1.-THE water over here is SO hard you
can't get a Iather. After dissoiving the
soap 1t looks like a scum OF grease float
ing over the top.
"a attended mass in a French church
the other morning. 1t had been all shot
up by the Germans, and looked like it
might tumble down any minute. All the
priests in France are in the army. Some
are non-commissioned officers-sergeants
and eoporals. The French priests say
mass in their uniforms, then go out and
fight like demons. No wonder the
natives love them.
mo wonder the French are the
wealthiest people in the world per capita.
They live on practically nothing. The
custom over here in time OF peace is no
real breakfast-just coffee and black
bread. Can you imagine an American
doing without his or her ham and eggs,
bacon, buckwhest, etc?
"The American soldiers located an old
apple orchard the other day and we have
just had apple pie. The dough boys
made it themselves and furnished US
nurses with a treat"