New-York tribune., 1918-01-20

group Of sturdy yourg Amcri-
cans. members of the American field
seruice, hare established temporarily
a little "piuagc" of ombulances.
While the relentless pencil of the
mail censor does not permit too M
innate details of camp life TO filter
through, sufficient bits of description
from am inner source hare recently
arrived M America (despitc the fire.
guemcy Of U-bont attacks and other
kimdred pe,ils) to be of vitaI inter-
est to those Vho are doing their bit
IN the U. S. A.
The ambulance boys of Section SO,
American Field Scrricc an France,
7chosc rolicdU includes many Nev
Yorkers, do not hare many idle mo-
mcnts.
The folloaci'g ert1acts Prom tct-
ters ,zVrittcn by Fronk Kneeland, q
Neav York member of this section,
form the beginning Of an absorbing
story of the experiences Of an ombu-
lance driver in France.
<<TNHIS morning We left for camp
somewhere in France 1t is
wonderful spot in spite of
the fact that a battle was fought here
two years ago. We are located in an
old mill, four stories high (thc most
romantic spot you could imagined, and
can hear the cannonading some forty
miles away.
again the rain dcscends. 1t is an
hourly occurrence, and one must be
prepared for it all the time The
peasants say the cause is the great
amount of cannonading nexr here.
Arose this a. m. at $3.50, shouting
my present. to the rollcall, and then
went over TO the little hotel across the
street and had a real breakfast of eggs,
black coffee and bread. Some life, isn't
1t. for soldier?
Right now We arc having a very
quiet spell until our orders come to go
to the front. It's quite different from,
what we had at the other camp, where
we rose at ard spent most of the day
drilling.
Nothing escapes the peasants no.
tce. This morning | saw youngster
about twelve years old equipped with
a scrub brush and piece of soap-op-
Grating on his teeth
Every child old enough to put one
foot ahead Of the other smokes ciea-
rcttcs, and the boys can get the chill
Gren to talk with them all day for a
cigarette an easy way to learn French
cheap.
yesterday child of ten found a
grenade which had been left when the
soldiers were here. and in playing with
1t the thing exploded. nearly killing the
enid. Every one ran excitedy around,
thinking bomb had been dropped on
the town.
we are allowed one letter a dav now.
but when onesworks twenty hours and
sleeps tour there isn't much time for
correspondence.
Last night continued flashes of light
crossed the sky, followed by terrific
c&nnonadlng. Too many Of our light
were displayed in the cars and the chef
ordered all out by Q.
"Rollcall and drill took place at 9
followed by a washing of the cars and
putting things in order.
so many aeroplancs passed over it
was Impossible to. count them. At
VIC were reviewed by the major. Just
as we were finishing n Boche plane
passed over, followed close by three
FRENCH planes. AS they got near tho
lines we could see the guns spit forth
shots by the wholesale. the little white
shrapnel clouds indicating French
shots and the black the German. This
aerial battle continued for some time.
but ended as they all do-most un-
s@slls,factorlly. SGT for we never can see the
Several of the boys saw plane
1aIl as they came from supper, but it
was impossible to tell whether it was
black or red winged.
We sat in the field back of the
camp and watched hundreds of ma
c5lne guns, cavalry and trucks pass up
the road on the way to the front. as
they do every night.
ut is Sunday my diary tells mc-or
| should never have known it.
Friday we received orders from the
front and left the old village at a. m.
we had no sooner arrived at the placa
to which we had been ordered than we
FOUND further orders to proceed to
the front. W
AT p. m. the same afternoon tho
t'rade barrage' or introductions to the
attack began and from then until YES
terday evening it continued at deaf
endhS rate. There is a, battery of four
oou mm cannons stationed mile away
ana everything vibrateS when thew ey.
plode. '"es GA
At five Friday calls began TO coro :,
"n1cn resulted in six cars going to the
postes-de- -secours-first aid stations
"h'le the rest turned out to evacuate
from hospitals here. We went tn y
sortlng station which is located in an
oIo convent. most picturesque spot
III II Dack ot an artificial lake, surrounded
py trees. At one end is chanel IN
wnlch the altar is intact (thoueh ,li
.he windows are broken), but It faces
much different congregation from
which 1t was at first intended w;.b ;tr
rows of beds for blesses who canrot
s'ana the ambulance trips
After staying here two hours we
were loaded with five couches, or living
and proceeded to our no;nt
iust as the moon rose over the hills
remember, the cannon never ceased for
an instant, and ali the time wounded