Gunnison news-champion., 1919-05-16
GRAND JUNCTION GIRL IN
vERDCN DESC CRlBES
THAT HISTORIC AREA

Miss Alberta Rogers. a war worker
in France has written another eater
tanning letter home She Is well
known here as a former instructor ins
the c. S. " s Miss Rogers Is sta
toned at yerdun. The letter. vas
written from that city March IS and is
as follows.
Dearest Home Folks:
Yesterday morning ve left Paris
We arrived in Nerdun At IL O'Clock
last night. We had an interesting
trip. Wanted TO see as much of the
devastated area as possible so We
drove thru Meaur. Chateau Thierry.
Rheims. Argonne wood and then To
Verdun
Words can never describe the wreck
and ruin-especiAlly around Rheims.
IL is terrible. terrible For miles and
miles the hills and plains are one
mass OF trenches. barbed wire. etc
There were in one sector near Rheims
three tanks. Everywhere one sees
graves and many are marked with the
stars and stripes. The country IL
beautiful country-or would be II IL
had not had its beauty destroyed By
trenches and shell holes.
One sees much old clothing and
ammunition and shells galore. One
could pick UP many souvenirs but II
is unsafe to traverse the battle ground
proper The road we came over was
directly between and in the midst OF
the fighting area Everywhere dug
outs and all of them wet and boggy.
Ny. what the soldiers have been thru!
II has been awful We saw many wo-
men in the helds. IL Is not an un-
common sight to see an o- and horse
yoked together. We noticed In every
ruins, on every door was marked the
number OF oTicer. and men they
could accommodate. Chateau Thierry
proper is not blown up a great deal
II is directly west that the damage
was done You see the Germans
came in here from the north. A lit
tie village directly west of Chateau
Thierry was utterly in ruins. not a
stone standinE--as also were many
dozens OF little villages which We
passed thru. One place east OF Cha
,cau Thierry and near Rheims, there
was whole train in ruins. wreckage
and trash: IL was a terrible sight
| The French are trying to get things
I In shape again. but II takes long
time. This region Is very rainy and
/ can well imagine what the boys
went thru When one secs the ruin
and devastation one can almost i'm
agine seeing the dead lying about
There are so many graves. II Is about
as one magines IL to be from what
one has read. The country Is rolling
-sometlmes like Iowa or Illinois.
The roads over which we Travelled
were very rough in stretches. as the
French have not yet had time TO re-
pair them. German prisoners are
working everywhere and much Is be-
ing done, bu, ii will take years
We stopped about an hour at
| Rheims and went hru the once beauti-
full cathedral. do not see how this
/ wonderful building ever withstood
those immense shells. II was even
burned. but the shell Is still standing
and many workmen are busily engag-
ed in reconstructinr II.
When we reached verdun II was
/ late: we had some trouble tFord)
/ was unable TO see Verdun until this
morning arose at 1880 and went
/ down stairs to see what II was like
Ruins. ruins. nothing but ruins. The
"Y" have the only two whole build
| ings here and these had to be prac.
| tically made over The ~" has done
I all this. That Is II has been done un-
I der their management. The verdun
secretary has done wonders here.
yerdun is on a hill. on a hill and
| in valley Part OF II Is surrounded
by an immense wall. The citadel Is
underground. and q real city. This,
II course. was unharmed by the Ger
mans. The rest OF the city Is in
ruins The ''Y" is in two buildings,
The "Y" personnel mess with the Of
flcers and soldiers.
wish you could see where am to
sleep. There are three OF US In one
room: Miss wyman. Miss Daggett and
myself We sleep on army cots. No
dressers, no closets. no cupboards
But we have a fireplace and plenty
Of wood II is cold and rainy up here,
We do have electric lights. The hoor
is bare and the color OF the adobe soil
such Is Is around here. Our shoes
are white with the mud
was sent up here as social enter
tainer. I will be very busy rs am
the hrst Of this class Il workers here.
The work Will be practically the same
as 1t Ak. only on . smaller scale
The French civilians are returning
to verdun this month and the city. is
in charge Of both French and Ameri-
can soldisvs.
Mr.. Grey. the diyision secuttary,
said I was to write my own ticket
as to what should do. They have
French theater here where We dance
once . week II Is quite a good noor
but slanting. Imagine.
When I Was cent to Paris for re-
assignment, there were I'VE different
requests IN for me from differeat
leave area1, both In France and Ger
many. I chose veraun. much to their
surprise. am happy to be IN this re-
marnuble territory. and shall see
a great deal Of the desastAfed country
as I an to help the religious director
who moves about all this region.
I'm sorry to have to close. but I'll
A. 49, Is