The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1918-05-31
(By Associated Press.)

WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY IN
FRANCE, Thursday. May 30.-German
airmen made a pretentious raid on the
area behind the American lines in
P1cardy last night. Bombs were
dropped on all sides Of one of the larg
est hospitals in town many miles to
the rear of the front. American
and French wounded soldiers were
carried to cellars and caves by Amer
ican nurses and member Of the Amer.
lean Red Cross.
Only few persons were injured by
flying glass as most of the windows in
the hospital had been shattered by
bombs dropped the previous night.
Several private houses were wrecked
and a number Of civilians, including
several babies, were killed and injured.
That the raid was planned on a
much larger scale than recent ones,
over this territory is evidenced from
reports made by many Americans In
villages over which the raiders passed.
The Germans came in wave forma-
ton and then scattered widely. One
squadron dropped bombs few hun
dred feet from an American field hos
pital and at the same time one of the
range guns shelled village few hun
dred yards away. The first alarm was
sounded at IL o'clock. The dropping
of bombs and the firing of many ami
aircraft guns began almost Immediate
ly. Later there was brief pause,
after which the raiders returned to
remain almost until dawn.
A new American evacuation hospital
had been opened only yesterday in a
certain village. A bomb fell in front
of it last night and shattered win
dows, but none of the patients was in
jured.
In some instances the bombs fell
within thirty and forty feet of a hos
pital building but. fortunately, there
were no direct hits. A French nurse,
her mother and two little sisters were
killed in house a short distance from
a hospital. Another nurse was stand
ing on the upper floor of the hospital
ministering to patients when a piece
Of bomb struck her, piercing her lung.
Five American nurses were in the
same hospital. They were Miss Natalie
Scott, of New Orleans. Miss Helen
Spalding Of Brooklyn, Miss Mary Nc.
Cadlish. of Atlanta, Miss Blanche A.
Gilbert of Cleveland and Miss Con-
stance Cook Of San Francisco.
While the raid was in progress they
went about cheering the patients. Al
though many serious cases Of sick and
wounded were aggravated and had to
be moved, the nurses had to carry
them to the lower floors and the eel
lar.
1T was an exciting time" said Miss
II
of our boys actually slept through it
all although their beds were showered
with broken glass"
Ambulance Caught.
Three American ambulances were
caught in the raid. Sergeant Ethan
Wells of San Francisco, who was driv-
ing the first ambulance, said:
Our three ambulances were hurry.
ing to hospitals with patients when a
a bomb wrecked building directly in
front of us, in narrow street. Our
ambulance was perforated by flying
missiles. We were all hurled out, but
escaped with few scratches"
Private Robert A. Bowman of Gal
weston, who was in the same car said:
There was terrific explosion. The
next thing l knew l was lying on the
ground. ! looked around and heard
the patients groaning. pulled myself
together and found the patients I'M
injured except for the shock Our
ambulance was shot to pieces"
The second car apparently received
the full force of the explosion and was
wrecked completely.
Private Roscoe Wiley of Madison.
vile. Tex, was driving the third car.
Sergeant J. w. Nolder of Altoona, Pa,
and three patients were with him.
There was wreckage all around u.s."
said Sergeant Nolder. injured civil
ians in the shattered houses near by
were begging for help. We all pitched
in as soon as We had recovered from
the shock and assisted in the work Of
rescue. We had to dig many persons
from the debris, by the light OF small
pocket lamps. Meanwhile enemy air.
craft were buzzing overhead. The bar
rage was deafening. Bombs continued
to fall. 1t was worse than anything
in the trenches. | would rather have
been in No Mans Land.
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