New-York tribune., 1919-03-03
W Orse Places
Than Brest,S
Chaplain Ayers
Of Course There's Mud. but
Men Living in Tents Are
Better Off, He Declares
Barracks Too Crowded
Writes Secretary Daniels
He Was There at Worst,
and He Knows Conditions

WASHINGTON, March 2-Secrctary
of the Navy Daniels to-day made pub
he letter received from Chaplain w
L. Ayers, L. S. ~, who has just re-
tHrnea from Rrcst, where ne served
ut months. denV wing the charges be-
ing made in this country that the
cream sailors and soldiers at Brest
Hcre compelled to live under intoler-
able conditions.
Sin Aycrs's letter confirms the in
formation published by The Tribune
from It's special correspondents in
Brest to the effect that while the men
vi Brcst had to put up with certain
natural discomforts everything posi-
Bile WAS being done for their safety
and welfare.
Mr.. Aycrs's letter, in part, follows:
Upon my return to America from
France find the newspapers filled
with rccrimination and widespread
criticism concerning conditions at
HrcSt. happen to have personal
interest in Brcst and some knowledge
concerning the condition of both the
army and the navy at that base
There at Its Worst
II maintained an Office in Brcst
through the worst period both regard
ing climatic and military conditions. |
made 1T my business to acquaint my
sell, so far as possible, with all mat
tcrs OF welfare pertaining to the army
and the navy. Being a clergyman not
connected with regular military scr
wee, have naturally no reason for
covering up any of the mistakes or
the military.
"Our boys were splcndidly cared
Tor, not only in Brcst, but in all the
bases and training stations in France.
clothed, adequately fed. In Brcst
some form of entertainment was pro
vlded for them practically every night.
Most of them were enthusiastic for
the service.
Some folks seem to ahink that it
is terrible because our boys are living
in tents ON the hills around Pontane,
zen, yet those of US who have had
their wollbcing in mind have thanked
God that the boys had the tents in
stead of wooden barracks. The ten
dency always is to crowd the barracks
and invite disease thereby. Influenza
s crowd disease. We saved the
lives of thousands Of boys by getting
them into the tents. or the boys
who slept in tents we lost very few.
The hcalthicst men were the occu-
pants Of the tents.
"Of course there is mud in pontanc-
zen as there is all through the district
we have fought over in the rainy sea
son. There is practically no frost
in Brest, no blizzards. The winter is
a time of rain. 1t will rain dozen
times in day and often tho sun
while another part is being drenched d
with the downfall Of rain. have lived
in lots worse places in America My
work was with the men in France,
particularly in Brcst, and my health
never was better.
"Condtions are not half so bad as
they have been painted not half so
bad as they seem in retrospect.
In September, October and Novem-
ber, 1918, there were many cases Of in
fuenza among the soldiers. We lost
probably 1000 men in that district
alone, and in practically all of these
cases these men were brought ashore
with the disease from the transports
We saved many thousands more in
these same hospitals and tents that
have now become the objects of such
condemnation.
Kind of He'll There"
"In the midst of the influenza in the
6
and the streams of the wounded began
to flow in.
"ln very special sense Brest was
the place where these two fronts met
We had a kind of hell there, but it
was only because death stalked every
where and in so many cases we did not
seem to have fighting chance"
Chaplain Ayers defends the Kerbaun
base hospital at Brcst, and replies at
length to charges made by Red Cross
worker that the bodies of soldiers who
died in the epidemic were dumped into
the ground and buried without cere-
mOny. He admits it was not possible
to provide coffins for all, but asserts
the dead were buried in most rever-
entail manner. He tells how he and
the Catholic chaplain stood side by side
and invoked the divine blessing as the
bodies were lowered into the graves.