River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1919-01-02

happiness. Ihey expect TO be nome
by Christmas.
miss Ensign returned to Base AZ
at Bearrne, Nov. Is, and the follow
ing notes are written from there:)
Nov. % Thanksgiving day 1t
is three O'Clock in the morning,
and | am writing by the light of
lantern, which is my constant COM
panion at night. There are electric
lights but they have a bad habit Of
going out quite often. Even when
the lights are on, we use the Ian
tern in the ward in preference, as
/ we disturb the patients less by so
doing. | am sitting in little room
about ten feet square which we use
as a diet kitchen. There is a min
iature range in here which really
keeps the room very comfortable if
one makes it his sole business to
give it undivided attention. | am
told that it is a charcoal range, and
suppose the reason it acts rather
badly, is because it is not getting
the kind of food it wants. The fire
box is about the size of bowl.
Hospitals Accommodate 10000 Pa
tientS
"The original plan of this hospi
tai center called for ten bases, but
up to the time the armistice was
signed only three were complete
and now construction has ceased on
the balance of it. Before this war
l could not have conceived of hos
pital big enough to accommodate
twenty thousand patients. Now it
seems very real, for that IS not un-
usual at all.
I daresay that we over here have
been receiving more or less sym
pathy today throughout the United
States. Speaking for myself l can
truthtully say [ have really needed
none. We perhaps didn't have as
many-extras as you people, for our
Thanksgiving dinner was very
plain, but the French cook certain
ly did herself proud in cooking the
turkey, and it was done to a turn.
Surely we have much to be thank
full for. The war is over and while
it has wrought much havoc and
brought much sorrow to many
homes there will be no further raw
ages"
Sees Chateau Thierry and Paris
Dec. /, 200 a. inf I remem-
Der rightly l haven't yet told you
much about our trip here from the
evacuation hospital where our team
did good work, if do say it as
shouldn't After the armistice was
signed we kept expecting our orders
to return. but they didn't come till
| ten days later. We left there one
afternoon about one O'Clock and
rode by truck about twelve miles,
where we loaded onto freight car
for another squirt. Wilbur won't
have anything on me, as far as trav-
cling by freight is concerned. From
freight we changed to Sd class for a
time. Finally at midnight we found
ourselves comfortably located in
first class compartment built to ac-
commodate six persons, and six
were in there. For two hours we
were very comfortable and happy,
bat it was too good to last, for
about that time eight Frogs as the
French are called by us, piled IN.
| They stood up, sat on the floor and
ragged edges, and made life gener-
ally miserable for us. Needless to
say we were packed in like sardlnes
| in box, and there was no rest tor
the rem ainder of the night. Be-
sides other inconvenience every
| time an American opened window
Frog shut it. 1t was a ragged
surgical team that stepped off from
the train in Paris the next morning.;
but there were some advantages in
being unable to sleep during the
night, for we passed thru the fam
Gus Chateau Thierry district, and
fortunately there was full moon,
and we could see almost as we'll by
dav.
Contrary to what the Paris of war
time was, the city now is the seer e
of great activity and almost gay
with its JOY of again being free.
The city is crowded and we spent
several hours trying to find place
to stay. A diIigent search with
little good luck thrown in. finally
brought US to fine room with a
real bathroom attached to it. BY