The Elk Mountain pilot. [volume] (Irwin, (Ruby Camp), Gunnison County, Colo.) 1880-19??, 1919-05-08

the steel deck. but I was able to crawl
on to the turret door. Just n was
about to enter the gun was fred. That
particular charge happened to be de-
fective. The shell split and caused q
back ire and the cordite. IRE and gas
came through the breech, which the
exploaton had opened.
It must have been q piece Of cordite
which did II, but whatever It was. 1t
hit me In the right eye and blinded It
The ball Of the eye was saved BY the
Preach surgeons and looks normal. but
It pains mo greatly sometimes and
they tell me It win always be sight
less.
was unconscious Immediately from
the blow and from the quantity OF gas
which I must have swallowed. This
gas did me q great deal Of damage
and gives me dizzy spells often to this
day. I do not know what happened
during the rest Of the engagement, A.
did not regain consciousness until
three days later at sea. But heard
In the hospital that the French super
dreadnaught Jeanne d'Arc and the
light cruiser Normandy were in It a.
well n ourselves, though not at the
time I was wounded, and that We had
all been pretty we'll battered. The
Cassard lost e8 men In the engage
ment and had - wounded. Some Of
our turrets were twisted into all man
ner Of shapes and part Of our bow
was carried away. Ono Of our Lieu
tenants was killed in the engagement.
was told that both the VERT and
the Kaissrliche Marine were sunk in
this engagement I have seen pictures
Of sailors from the VERT who were
prisoners at interment camps.
When We arrived at Brest the
wounded were taxed from the ship in
stretchers and after We had been rest
ed for about fifteen minutes on the
dock put Into ambulances and rushed
to the hospital On the way those who
could leaned out a the ambulance and
had . great time with the people along
tho streets. many Of whom they knew.
for the Cassard was q Brest ship. And
Of eourss the women and children
yelled, "vlvs Ia Trancei" and were
glad to So the boys again, even
though they were badly done up.
Some Of our men were bandaged
all over the face and head and it was
funny when they had to tell their
names 10 old friends Of theirs, who
did not recognize them. A. soon n
one Of the Brest people recognized .
friend OF he would 60 to get cigarettes
and other things for him and some Of
them almost beat Us to the hospital
do not know, Of course, Just what
the surgeons did to me, but I heard
that they had my eyeball out on my
cheek for almost two hours. At any
rate they saved It The thigh wounds
wero not dangerous in themselves and
IL 1t had not been for the rough treat
ment they got later ON they would be
quite healed BY this time, am sure.
really think I got little extra at
tent1on in the hospital In many ways,
for the French were at all times anx-
lous to show their friendliness to
America. Every time my meals were
served there was Q little American
nag on the platter and always q large
American nag draped over the bed.
had everything I wanted given to me
at once and when was able to. all
the eiearettes I could smoke, which
were not many.
While was still In bed In the hos
pital I received the Croix de Guerre.
which had won ct the Dardanelles.
TAe peesantstioo was made by Lieu