The L'Anse sentinel., 1919-03-14

were especially so. The French peo.
pie will not eat them. They say that
they are poison. It seems that some
years ago French man died for some
unknown reason and the pdiest at.
tributed it to the fact that he had at<
a large number Of blackberries, hence
all the people have been forbidden by
the church authorities to eat them
Therefore we had beau coup for our.
selves.
Our next move was in the beautiful
month Of October, when we moved tc
the Chateau La Rouche, where we and
a hospital company worked night and
day during the terrible influenza epi.
demic.
I don't believe the boys at the front
could have done their bit and better
than we did ours, there, fighting this
terrible, invisible enemy, the "fiu"
germ. The men were just piled in
day after day, until the halls were all
crowded with itters beds having long
since been all filed. Tents were
then set up in the yards and these
were also soon filed with patients.
This chateau wos formerly owned
by a Russian prince who married nc
by a Russian prince, who married q
notable French girl and settled in this
beautiful spot ON the L'Isle river. II
had not ben inhabited for about ten
years previous to the U. 8. army tax.
ing it over and making temporary
hospital Of it.
I worked in a ward for some time
and then in morgue. The best med.
ical care and attention was given the
patients all the time and everyone
worked hard and did all in their pow.
er for the men during the climax od
the epidemic.
In four weeks time the epidemic
was well under control and we had q
much needed and enjoyed relief. Most
Of the men who. died Of the "fiu" and
pneumonia were of recent draft anc
had not as yet become hardened te
the hardships Of army life.
During the last three weeks at ths
chateau I made several trips to Peri
geuex, only nine kilometers away, anf
the largest city that l have visited, a,
yet abroad. ! got real hot tub batl
there, the first time since / left tn,
states. It was some relief, take i
from me.
All the houses here are Of cement
Thy do not know what frame hous.
is. The people, in general, all wea1
wooden shoes. I have seen the fam
lilies eating dinner with ducks, chick.
ems and dogs eating scraps from the
floor under the table.
It is amusing TO- see them make
wine. They gather their grapes, put
them in wooden tub or barrel auc
then take off their wooden shoes anc
press the juice from them with theil
bare feet They wear no socks anc
you can imagine tho condition Of theil
feet. Nix on that kind Of wine 70,
me.
On the eighth Of November, afte,
the work had hghtened somewhat a
the chateau, one hundred Of our mer
wer ordered to go to Montpont, Il
Base Hospital No. for detached
service. The company was then brok
en- and we became casuals, as did al
the Gath division, which was beini
used as requirements for other di
visions, at the front.
| The first three weeks ut Base Hos
pital No. 3 worked in tho surgica
ward, nights, and had about one hun
dred patients, including twelve offic
ers, to look out for. They were al
wounded, in all parts Of the body i'm
aginable, and it sure kept me hop
ping to care Tor their many wants
Many Of them told me Of their exper
fences at the front and Of their hal
breadth escapes, which are thrillin
and surpass all fiction.
This unit here is a Jew outfit fror
the Mt Sinai Hospital Of New Yor
City and l must say that they hav
done splendid work, especially in surg
cry. have sen patients cut all t
pieces in the operating room and it
remarkable what they have done fo
them.
There were some twenty-five hur
dred patients here in November, bu
as they have ben sending them hom