The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-03-03
CHAPLAIN TELLS OF
SAD DAYS AT BREST
The Rev., w. B. Ayers Denies
"Horror" Reports; Explains .
Abnormal Conditions.
WHERE TWO FRONTS MET
Disease Stricken Boys From
Ships Met Wounded From
/ Trenches.

WASHINGTON, March 7,-Denial
many reports OF bad conditions at q
army debarkation camp at Brcst, coupl,
with graphic description Of the terrib
lays there when, despite the ravages ,
he influenza epidemic, American trool
were being rushed to France to he
1url back the German army. 10 contsint
n q letter from Chaplain w. B. Aye
n the navy. who served eight months |
Brest. -.
The chaplain's letter saysi
Upon my return to America from
France I ind the newspapers filled
with recrimination and widespread
criticism concerning conditions at
Brest. happen to have a personal
interest In Brest and some knowi-
edge concerning the condition of
q both the army and the navy at that
base.
Had an once There.
1T maintained an ONCE In Brest
through the worst period both re-
earding climatic and military con-
ditions. / made II my business to
acquaint myself. so far as possible,
with all matters OF welfare pertain
ing to the army and the navy.
Being 4 clergyman not con-
nected with regular military service
! have naturally no reason for COW
eripg up any Of the mistakes Of the
military. Being vitality interested In
the welfare work In behalf Of both
civilians and soldiers I think I can
be trusted to discriminate as be-
tween what 10 for their benefit and
their Injury.
when the army moved into
France It did SO as a huge. new or
ganization. breaking virgin soil. We
were as much prepared to go into
France as the French were prepared
to receive US. At this time France
was calling for our soldiers. We
realized the need OF haste In getting
the men across.
Some folks seem to think that Il
Is terrible because our boys are l,y-
Ing in tents on the hills around
Pontenazen. yet those of us who
have had their we'll being in mind
have thanked God that the boys
had the tents instead of wooden
barracks. The tendency always IL
to crowd the barracks Influenza IL
a crowd disease. We saved the
lives OF thousands Of boys by get
ting them into the tents. or the
boys who slept in tents We lost
very few.
Dosen Rains q Day,
"Of course there is mud in Pom
tenazen. There Is practically no
frost In Brest, no blizxartls. The
winter Is time OF rain. II will
rain a dozen times In a day.
! In September. October and No.
vember. 1918. many cases OF influ-
enza were among the soldiers. We
lost probably 2,o0c men IN that dis
trict alone, and In practically all of
these cases these men were brought
ashore with the disease from the
transports.
"One case of influenza aboard will
Infect half a ship Of seasick men.
such cases went aboard, of course.
Men who were brought ashore dying
told me that they knew before en-
barking in America that they had in
fiuenza, but that they hid the fact
and pretended to be we'll for fear of
losing their chance to get to the
front.
I'VE lost about 1000, but we saved
many thousands more in these same
hospitals and tents that have now
become the objects of such condem-
nation.
'Kerbaun, a new base hospital.
was In process OF construction when
the influenza reached us. II was
not designed as a hospital for the
sick and for contagious diseases, but
II had to be dressed into this service,
Denies Horror Story.
I'm one OF our American news
papers recently I saw q bitter attack
on this hospital in an alleged inter
view given by a Red Cross worker.
Many of her statements were utterly
inaccurate.
After accusing the surgeons Of
neglect. heartlessness and indifYer-
ence. this Red Cross worker, who
was not a nurse. sasserts that our
dead were loaded onto trucks, car
ried out into the country and buried
without ceremony, without religious
services Of any kind. just dumped
into the ground and their coffins
taken back to the hospital to be used
again.
This is one thing I happen to
know something about, At the first
there was no chaplain at Kerbaun
Naturally / offered to help. These
boys have been minIstered to when
dkFfN AHEt h.s ~ - ~,
navy, Catholic and Protestant, whom
we sent out there whenever they
were called for.
at is true that bodies were placed
on trucks the only available means
Of transportation. and at the time
when the influenza ragged most ter
ribly there was not a coffin to he had
In that whole district. nor the lum-
Der to build Them of. -
No Caskets OF Lumber.
1T became finally necessary for
the army to face the prospect of
burials without caskets. There was
no other way; that very day about
900 bodies in the Brest district
awaited burial. They had accumu-
lated there while awaiting caskets.
Each body was swathed In canvas
or sheeting. completely covered.
The army had purchased a field
outside OF Brest at Lombezelec,
where perhaps a thousand OF our
boys lie. Two hundred and fifty
negroes were detailed to dig the
graves.
The army chaplain was himself
sick ! took his place and was In
the cemetery all that day. all night
and all the next day.
when the graves were dug the
negroes lifted the caskets to their
shoulders and marched to the indi-
vidual graves. Tenderly they low
cred them. and I have never seen
such reverence. Then, with hats off,
beside each grave two negroes stood
at attention while friends and fell
low officers stood near as the fu-