The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1919-07-18
LEWIS NJ. GEIsT GIVES HIS
IMPRESSIONS OF FRANCE
Transportation Won the War.-Peo-
rle Drink Wine Instead of Wa
ter.-Farning Confined to
Trucking.
Yorkviile Enquirer.

Yorkviile Enquirer.
Lewis M. Grits, Motor Truck Com
pany $40, returned to the home OF
his father, Mr.. ". D. Grist, in York
vile, Friday morning after nine
months service with the American
Expeditionary Forces in France. He
arrived in the states in May; but his
earlier discharge was prevented by
reason of the fact that he has been
held for treatment in hospitals-flrst
at Walter Reed in Washington, and
later at the Base Hospital at Camp
Jackson. He is looking quite we'll
and is much heavier than when he
went over. He freely admits that
he is glad of the opportunities he had
and the experiences he gained were
invaluable, although he emphatically
declares that all the money! in the
town of Yorkville would not be much
of an inducement for him to go
through it again unless conditions
were the same as those which made 1t
necessary for the Americans to put
the fear of God and democracy in the
Germans. He said Friday that he
had quite enough of travelling to sat-
isfy him for few years at any rate,
and that the wanderlust is not strong
within him by great deal. "My job
on the Yorkville Enquirer" he said,
t1ooks better to me than any place
know. and / know for certainty that
this town of Yorkville is the finest
spot on the face of the earth-abso-
lutely no EXCEPTIONS"
Speaking of his experiences over
seas and the work of his organiza-
ton, Corporal Grist said: eve fel-
lows in the motor corps didn't have
any chance to especially distinguish
ourselves and we did not have any
fighting to do. Why, we didn't even
have to fight cooties and I have yet
to have the experience of going
through one of those de-cootielzer
outfits, SO necessary and vital to the
phvsical comfort of the doughboys.
It was our job to transport the light
ers to the front lines, to haul them
supplies and all that kind Of thing
and to keep the thousands and thou
sands of trucks, motorcycles and
touring cars in running snaps. We
had plenty to do all the time and
there was comparatively little time
for recreation. If we didn't learn
pretty nearly all there is to learn
about motor cars and their mechan-
ism, it is our fault. We surely had
plenty of opportunity to learn.
Aided Railroads.
"You have heard a good deal about
the efficiency of French railroads" ="
he continued. 'There is no doubt OF
the fact that they are efficiently
managed. During my nine months
in France, l never saw or heard OF
a serious railroad accident. But at
the same time those railroads are
very small and very slow, and it IS
INV sincere belief that had it not been
for the thousands of American and
Allied trucks used IN handling soidl-
ers up to the lines like trains the war
would still be in progress or else
Jerry would have long ago mopped
up. Motor trucks hauled as many
soldiers over France as did the
French trains and most Of the auto
mobile hauling, it seemed to me, was
done by the Americans.
''The French trains are small, they
have not the accommodations of our
American trains. Why, many OF their
engines on the main lines are not
nearly as large as the dinky engines
one sees in use on construction work
in this country. There seems to be
little system about their operation
and vet there is a lot of system too.
They know nothing about air brakes
and the conductor has no means OF
communication with the engineer ex-
cept in person. Many a time l have
seen a French conductor stop his
! train at some little village or town,
20 into saloon and order quart OF
wine and sit for half hour or so at a
table, calmly slipping his vintage. The
passengers had no redress other than
to wait his pleasure to proceed. I've
known the engineers to do the same
thing. It is more than funny as COM
pared with our methods. Yet damage
suits in French courts on account OF
,.o;lrood accidents are almost un-