Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1918-11-15
MARKING GRAvEsIs
TASK FOR HEROES
MEN IN REGISTRATION SERVICE
WORK CALMLY UNDER FIRE
ON THE BATTLEFIELD.
COL. PIERCE IS THEIR CHIEF
Avfators Driven by Storm Land in
Florida Everglades and Are Rescued
by Seminole acknowledgements
Gets Many New Hospitals.

washington. - Announcement from
France that all American dead are to
be returned to this country for per-
manent burial adds interest to the
story of how the graves of these heroes
are marked and recorded. This work
is done by the grave registration serv-
ice, which is cooperating with the Red
Cross in photographing graves and,
when practicable, in distributing these
photographs to the families and rela-
tiyes of the dead.
The graves registration service is a
unit of the quartermaster corps. Each
unit of this service is composed of one
captain, one lieutenant and so enlisted
men. There are now IA Of these units
with the American expeditionary
forces in France, under command of
Lieut.. Col. Charles c. Pierce. Colonel
Pierce is a retired chaplain, a major
of the regular army, and was pastor
of an Episcopal church in Philadelphia
when the present war began. As he
had been in charge of similar work in
the Philippines, he volunteered for
ton of the graves registration service.
He has been awarded a promotion for
his jealous performance of the duties
falling to him.
In a letter which Lieutenant Colonel
; Pierce has written to Maj. H. R. Lem
/; ~, chief of the cemeterial branch,
Quartermaster corps, and which is
quoted in part here, is to be had
glimpse of work that blends mercy
and heroism.
"Al1 that the censors will pass in
the way of news concerning this furi-
Gus drive in the vast triangular arena
between scissors, Chateau-T -Thierry and
Reims has already been given you in
the papers," writes Colonel Pierce.
'Rut the work that has befallen my
department is one of the unpublished
chapters of history. Suffice it to say
that my men have displayed splendid
sort of heroism-worthy of the red
dest blood stock in the world-and
that have had occasion to recommend
a number of them for promotion, and
some of them for the bestowal of the
Distinguished Service cross. j..
"Can you fancy a lot of men going
calmly about their duty under burst
ing shells and bombs that excavate a
.cellars every time they strike the
ground-gOing about to minister to the
dead, laying out cemeteries and put
ting up crosses over the graves of their
valorous and fallen comrades as fast
as the grenades of hate tear them
down? Then you will know the place
of these brave lads of mine, who worry
when they see me, lest 1 may have it
In mind to move them to safer place.
And the men who are going over the
topl All, you will need rapid transit
to keep up with them! For they have
the crusaders spirit and they fill the
gaps of the fallen and move on with
rush that the Hun cannot under
stand. :. =. They will win and
they have no other thought. Often 1
have the privilege of preaching to them
as a layman; and l give you my word
| that ! never looked into such faces be-
fore. Perhaps have seen as comely
| features, but there is a fire in all these
eyes and the light of sublime conse-
! rcration such as the world has never
seen save in the faces of martyrs who
deemed it an honor to die for a cause. "
The department Of agriculture has
lnaugurated a campaign to increase
the use of dehydrated fruits and vege-
| tables, which compare 5favorably for
| ordinary consumption with the fresh
article. AS indicating the need and
value Of this campaign, the food ad-
ministration calls attention to the fact
4 that about 100000 pounds of Irish po
tatoes were thrown to the dump" in
New York city alone last January, af
ter having been frosted and then per.
mitted to rot in transit.
The war department has already rec
ognized the Importance of dehydrated
produce. The army has purchased anG
used 100000 pounds Of dehydratet
foodstuffs, costing about $3,000,000, an6
In the last few weeks has placed or
ders with Canadian and American de
lhydrating plants for more than 10000,
900 pounds to be manufactured and de
livered between now and July 1, 1919
These orders represent about $4,000,
BOO, and include principally potatoes
carrots, onions and small supply OF
soup mixtures. There are eight differ
ent vegetables in the soup mixtures.
il39a
H.. On a single day recently the board
of review in the office of the quarter
master general approved orders ant
contracts aggregating $20,621. .176
Among the items purchased were crow
bars, axes, trench mirrors, cloth, mo
tortrucks, motorcycles, ginger, bacon
ham, cheese, nails, salmon, flour, shov
els, butter, horseshoes, typewriters
paint, hay, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg
sugar, beans, catchup, evaporatet
milk, flannel shirts, tomatoes, screw
drivers, wooden wheels, tires, tents
/ razors, baking powder, pencils anC
meat saws.
- Chauffeur R. w. Bottriell of the On,
Hundred and FOrty-ffth air squadron
recently made a successful leap in ,
parachute from an airplane nearly ;
mile high at Kelly field, San Antonio
There was a strong wind blowing from
the north at the time, but Chauffeu
Bottriell judged his distance NIGEL.
and landed safely in the field. The pi
lot of the plane stalled the machine TO
an instant just before the jump wa
made, banking to the right SO as t.
get the tail out of the way of the para
chute when Bottriel went over th
side.
A large American flag attached t
the parachute during the drop wa
flying and fluttering in the breeze a
Bottriell descended.
In one week three big American
plants turned out IA complete locomC
lives of standard guage for operatio
in this country and in France. Thi
number is twice the average week.