Norwich bulletin., 1919-03-03

 when despite the ravaSes Of the 1n- | 1uenza epidemic American troops | were being rushed 10 France to help | hurl back thr German army. is con tained in as letter from Chaplain W. E. Ayers, 7f the navy who served ! eight months at Brest Chaplain Nyers WnO has just re- | turned from France says Brest has proved a htalthful camp in spite of the mud and almost continuous rains | cxperisnccd during the Tiltcr months | ana that there has been oa i'itial 1T. idemic there. Approximately 2.O0O | soldiers died -here froIh in'lucnza, bu- the chaplain says that "u practically l III or these cases these men wGH i brought ashore with tha disease tlom transports" iron my return 10 At"rica from France" the chaplain's l'tttr says. i find the newspapers file vlth iA- rrunration and widespread criticism concerning conditions at Erest U happened to have a personal interest in Prcst and some knowledge concern ing the conditions Of both the army and the navy at that base "T maintained an office in Brest through the worst period 10th regard ing climatic and mili'3t- conditions ] made it my business 90 aacuaint my self SO far ls possible t-itn all mat ten of welfare pertaining % the army and the navy. 'ReinE a clergyman not connected with regular military service. ] have naturally no reason for covering mp any Of the mistakes of trr military Reinr vitally interested ir ine welfare work in behalf of both c'vihaE' and soldiers. I think ] can he trusted 10 discriminate as between shat is 'sr their benefit and their injury.
 When the army moved .alo France ft did nso as Q huge in large part. new organization. breaking ynLn soil. We were as mUch prcparel tu go into France as the French were prepared .o receive us Al tri- -iLlc France v.s calling i.r our aoid'c~s We real izad tae med Of has-0 !1 getting the .ner across.
 some folks seem .o rh'rt that it is terrible because our boys are living ir tents on -fc hills around Pontena- zen vef those of ms who have had fhel- vol haIrg in mind '.Nc thanked Tod that the boys had the tents in- la1d cd wooden barrat,'ls. The tend ,r-v always -1s 10 crowd Ire barracks. rralevza is crowd disu1rc We sav- cd the lives Of thousands of boys by -ettinr them into the tents. Of the Joys who slept in tents we lost very few.
 VI course ''IfTF a- 'ltl I'H T 'H. .ilfi- rer. There Is practically no frost in BreSt no hiiz1lr5s. Tn. winter is a time uf rain It will raf0 dozen times in a day.
 Tn September. Octohur mi Novem- her. 1918. many cases Of Influenza were among the soldiers. We ios; probably a000 men in that district alone and in practically an Of hose .a-zs these men were brough- ashore wit9 the disease from the transports.
 "One case of influc-za aiss I'd will infect a ship Of seasic'5 men. Such cases went aboard of course. Men who were brought ashore dying. told me that they knew before -mbarking in Americl that they had influenza but that they hid the fact md pretend ed 10 be well for fear uf losing their chance to get 10 the front.
 We lost about 2.o00 uu- we saved many thousands more in these same hospitals aU7 tents that have now become the objects of such rondemna- ton.
 Tn the midst Of the in1uenza in tho rear great drive was on at tho front and tho streams 9t inc wound ed began 10 flow in.
 Tn a very special sense Brest was Inc place where these two f1 1onts met We had a k.rd of a hell there but it was only because death sta,hed every whsrc and in SO many cases we dic not seem 10 have a fighting ,hance
 "Kerhaun. a new base hospital. wa, fn process Of construction when tn, influenza reached us. It vas not de. signed as a hospital for The sick ant for contagious diseases. but it had [, be pressed into this service.
 Tn one of our American newspa psrs recently saw a bi..er attack ol this hospital in an allrre1 interview given by a Red Cross wcrker Man, Of her statements vers utterly inac curate.
 Afte- accusing the surgeons of ne riect, inaccuTateness and Indifference this Red Cross worker who is not nurse asserts that our 6ead were loaded onto .rlcks carried out into th country and buried without ceremon, without rel;~;ous service of any lxinC were dumped into the ground an their oof1ns taken back tu the hos pitai To re used again.
 This is one thing I harpcn 10 kno' something af.o1t. At the hrst there wa no chaplain ct Kerbaum. Naturally offered to hclp. These bows have bee ministcred tO when dying i-st by tt chaplains or the navy. Catholic an Protestant. whom we sent cut ther whenever they were ,sa,'cl for.
 Tt Is true that bodies were place ,r trucks. tiia only available mear of transportation. and at the tin when the influenza ragel most terr bIv there was not a coffin t0 he had that whole district. nor the lumber build them of
 Tt became finally necessary for II army to face the nrospcct of buria without caskets. There was no oth' way. That very day about five hur sred bodies in the Brcst dis yet awai ed burial They had accumulate there while awaiting cas>ets. Fac ipodv was swl-hed in canvas or shoe ing completely covered.
 -rht army had purchascd field ou side of Bres- at Donbeze'ec, whe1 perhaps a thousand of our boys Ii Two hundred and fifty negroes wei detailed to di- graves.
 "The army chaplain vas hinse s'c,S. I took his place End was the remeterv sll that day. all night ar all the next day.
 When the graves were dug the m groes lifted the caskets to the shoulders and marched tn the indivit nal graves; tenderly they lowert hem and have never seen such rc' .rencc. Then. with hats eff. best, 'ach ~rave two negroes stood 9t a ,entiou YhLa friends and fellow of