XIII.

Here the 15th April 1507 hasbeen printed the "CosmographicIntroduction" where, for the firsttime the New Continent hasbeen named "America."

Leaving St. Die we began a trip of more than fifty miles along the battle front. This trip required two days, and we were never beyond the sound of the guns.

Our first stop was at the battlefield of La Chipotte, where was fought one of the most sanguinary of the earlier battles of war, resulting in a great French victory, but entailing terrific losses on both sides. In the greater part of this region we saw forests which had been stripped by shells and the trees of which were only beginning to grow again. In some places they will never grow, having been stripped of every leaf and limb and finally burned by the awful gunfire.

The battle of La Chipotte was fought in 1914. Sixty thousand French drove back a larger army of Germans after several days of fighting. The French loss was thirty thousand, and no one knows what the German loss amounted to. The woods are filled with crosses marking burial places, where often as many as fifty bodies were entombed together. The French buried their dead separately from the German dead, but the community graves are all marked in the same way—with a simple cross. Some of these crosses recite the names of the companies engaged, but few of them give the names of the dead. Most of them simply record the number of French or Germans buried beneath.

At a central part of the battlefield the French have erected a handsome monument, with the following inscription:

"They have fallen down silentlylike a wall.May their glorious souls guideus in the coming battles."

After leaving the battlefield of La Chipotte, we next reached the village of Roan Estape. It was full of ruins and practically deserted. Beyond this village we passed for miles along roads lined on either side with the crosses which indicate burial places of soldiers. The battle front here extended for a long distance and the fighting was bloody along the whole line. Much of this righting was done in the old way, trench warfare having only just begun.

[Illustration: Battlefield of La Chipotte, Showing Monument and Markers on Graves.]

Next we came to Baccarat, where nearly all the houses and the cathedral were utterly wrecked. For twenty miles beyond this town we passed along the battle front of the Marne, within three miles of where the main struggle had taken place, and saw everywhere graves and signs of destruction. It was surprising how the country had begun to resume its normal aspect and green things begun to take hold again. Our next stop was Rambevillers, where we had luncheon at the Hotel de la Porte.

AFTER luncheon at Rambevillers, we drove to the famous village of Gerbeviller—or rather to what is left of it. This little town is talked of more than any other place in France, and is called the "Martyr City". Its story is one of the most interesting told us, and to me it seemed one of the most tragic, although the residents of the town all wanted to talk about it with pride. While on the way to Gerbeviller we had to show our passes, and it was lucky they were signed by General Joffre, since nothing else goes so close to the front. We were made to tell where we were going, how long we meant to stay, and what route we would take coming back.

Prefect Mirman, of the Department of Meurthe and Moselle, one of the most noted and most useful men in France, escorted the commission on this trip.

Gerbeviller is located near the junction of the valleys of Meurthe and Moselle, and occupied a strategic situation at the beginning of the war. This and the heroic defense made of the bridge by a little company of French soldiers, was, the French believe, responsible for its barbarous treatment by the Germans. In the other ruined towns the destruction was wrought by shell fire. Here the Germans went from house to house with torches and burned the buildings after resistance had ceased and they were in full possession of the town. The French say it was done in wanton revenge and it looks as if that were true. Here is the story as it was told to us in eager French and interpreted for us by one of the party.

A bridge leading from the town crosses the river to a road which goes straight up a long hill to a main highway leading to Luneville, five miles away. We passed over this bridge and were asked to note its width—only enough to permit the passage of one car at a time. Two roads converge at it and lead to the little town.

During one of the important conflicts an army of 150,000 Germans was sent around by way of Luneville to cross the river at Gerbeviller and fall upon the right flank of the French army. The French had been able to spare but few troops for this point, but they had barricaded the streets of the town and posted a company of chasseurs, seventy-five in number, at the bridge with a mitralleuse. This was an excellent position, as there was a small building there which screened the chasseurs from view.

[Illustration: Ruins of Gerbeviller.]

At 8 o'clock in the morning the German advance body, twelve thousand strong, appeared at the intersection of the road near the top of the hill across the river. They advanced in solid formation, marching in the goose step and singing, to the music of a band, their war hymn, "Deutchland Uber Alles." It was a beautiful morning and the sun glistened on the German helmets as they came down the slope, an apparently innumerable army. In this form they reached the end of the bridge opposite to where the chasseurs were located. The captain of that little band of French ordered them to halt, and they did so, the rear ranks closing up on those in front before the order could be passed along by their commander.

In a moment, however, the column began to move again and then the captain of the chasseurs waved his hand and the mitralleuses opened on the advancing host. The range was point blank and there was absolutely no protection. The hail of bullets mowed down the Germans and they broke ranks, fleeing back up the hill and out of range.

All was quiet for half an hour and then a detachment of cavalry, evidently ordered to rush the bridge, came down at a gallop, having been formed in the shelter of a road branching off the main highway a short distance from the bridge. They were met by a hail of bullets and nearly all went down before they reached the bridge, while the few who did so fell on it or tumbled, with their horses, into the river.

The whole German force was delayed until a battery could be brought up from the rear and trained on the small building sheltering the chasseurs and their machine guns. For some reason, the gunners could not get the range on this small building, and after firing a few shots in its direction, turned their guns on the magnificent chateau, a short distance down the river. At this point there was a small foot bridge, and the German commander evidently meant to try to rush it. Before doing so, however, he was going to make certain that the Chateau, which commanded it, did not conceal another band of defenders. This seems to be the only explanation for the bombardment of the Chateau, which was one of the finest country homes in France and entirely unoccupied. At any rate, they fired shell after shell at the building. I secured a picture of this which shows the work of the guns.

But, as the French tell the story, no effort was then made to cross the foot bridge below the town. A battery was swung down the hill to the end of the bridge, apparently to shell the defenders from that point. The machine guns barked again and every man with the battery fell. Scores more were killed before it could be withdrawn and the way cleared. Owing to the steep banks it seemed hard for the Germans to locate a battery in an unexposed position, and they considered again. Finally they shelled the Chateau some more and then sent a detachment to take that bridge, expecting to get around in the rear of the chasseurs. A machine gun had been sent to the footbridge in the meantime, and the Germans did not get across it until the ammunition ran out and two hundred of them were killed. When they did cross, the little band at the main bridge, of whom one had been killed and six wounded, retreated to the main army, and then the Germans crossed in force and started to burn the town.

The heroes of the bridge had held the German advance guard, numbering 12,000 men, from 8 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon, and in the meantime the great battle they had expected to win had been fought and lost.

Naturally the Germans were angry, and apparently they vented their spleen upon the village. The great Chateau, its pride and chief attraction, had been destroyed, but the conquerors at once begun to burn the little town, evidently determining to reserve only enough to make a place for headquarters for their general. They did burn it, but not so completely as they had intended.

[Illustration: Sister Julie.]

Here is where Sister Julie comes in. Sister Julie is the most popular woman in France as well as the most famous. We heard of her long before we got to Gerbeviller and long after we left, but we were not fortunate enough to meet her, as she was away at the time the Commission reached the town. Although a member of a religious order, she has been decorated with the grand cross of the Legion of Honor—the highest decoration France confers upon her heroes. To pin this on her habit President Poincaire journeyed all the way from Paris with his suite, and now Sister Julie will not wear it. She says that religeuse do not wear decorations—they are doing the work of the Lord.

In describing Sister Julie and her work the people of Gerbeviller are even more enthusiastic than in recounting the manner in which seventy-five Frenchmen stopped twelve thousand Germans. It seems that when the German forces crossed the bridge and began to burn the houses they met with little resistance until they came to the convent where Sister Julie and her companions had a house filled with wounded, including the wounded chasseurs. The sister met them at the door and defied them to burn her convent. She ordered them off and made a such a show of determination that they went. No, they will tell you, these French people, Sister Julie is not an Amazon. She is a little woman. Her voice is usually mild and sweet and she smiles all the time. But when they tried to burn her temporary hospital, it was different. She scared them off and they did not come back.

Not only that, but she made the Germans carry water and put out the fires they had started in the neighborhood, and made them fill wash tubs with water and leave them in her hall, so they would be handy if more fires threatened.

Besides that, she organized the men and went to the barns where cattle had been burned and had these dressed and the meat prepared for use. Then she made great kettles of soup and fed the people who had no homes and nothing to eat. In all of this she defied the Germans and told their commander to mind his own business—she was going to attend to hers. When some of the German soldiers came and wanted to take the food prepared for the homeless people, Sister Julie ordered them away and made them go.

There were five other nuns in this convent. Under the leadership of this heroine they did a tremendous amount of good in the stricken community. They used the building next door to the convent for a hospital and there cared for hundreds of wounded soldiers. They assumed charge of the demoralized town and kept the people from starving. No one gives them greater credit than Prefect Mirman, who has also done great work in his department.

We were shown through the convent and hospital under the care of these sisters, and saw many places where bullets had penetrated the walls, these were fired by the Germans after they crossed the bridge. In this hospital the sisters cared for the German wounded as tenderly as for the French, and they won the respect of the invaders in this way, otherwise it would have probably been impossible for them to do the work they did. We saw the camp chair on which Sister Julie sat all night in front of the hospital and kept the Germans out.

The Commission spent the greater part of the day in Gerbeviller, visiting the bridge where the seventy-five chasseurs held up the German advance, as well as that where one lone chasseur—a regular "Horatio at the Bridge", kept back the attacking party at the Chateau.

We went through this chateau, which is owned by a resident of Paris and was one of the sights of the village. It is seven or eight hundred years old and is a very large building, handsomely finished in the interior. Before the bombardment, which was a ruthless and unnecessary piece of vandalism, it contained many fine tapestries and countless precious heirlooms of the Bourbon times. The great strength of the walls resisted the effects of artillery, but the interior was entirely ruined by fire. The grand marble staircase was splintered, but the Bourbon coat of arms above it was not touched. Strewn about in corners and on the floors were fragments of vases and art work that must have been priceless. Even these fragments were valuable. We secured a number of small pieces, some of which I brought home as relics.

While viewing the ruins of the chateau we could hear the guns booming. It was while we were still here that we received news that bombs had been dropped on Belfort that morning, twenty-four hours after we left that place, and that a number of persons had been killed, among them some women and children.

Gerbeviller is an almost complete ruin. Beyond the convent and hospital, and a few buildings saved for headquarters for the commanding general by the Germans, all the rest of the town was destroyed. The people who remain there are living in temporary buildings or mere sheds built on the ruins of their homes, which they do not want to leave under any circumstances. This little town, which has won its place in history, was one of the most interesting and melancholy sights we saw in all France.

On the following day, Saturday, October 7th, we visited the villages of Luneville and Vitrimont. We were now in the "devastated region" for sure. On every hand was evidence of the ruin wrought by shells, with long lines of trenches that had once been filled with soldiers. Some of these were green again, but the trees presented a woeful appearance.

The next stop after leaving Rambevillers was the little town of Vitrimont. This is a small village in France, almost wholly ruined by the Germans in 1914, preceding the battle of the Marne. We found there Miss Daisy Polk, of San Francisco, a wealthy, young and attractive woman, whose work is being financed largely by the Crockers, of San Francisco.

She is living in one of the small houses untouched by the Germans. She has undertaken the rebuilding of the village of Vitrimont as a modern sanitary proposition and to serve as a model for what may be done in rebuilding all the destroyed parts of France. She is the great-granddaughter of President Polk. It is a splendid work and should receive support.

I have since received the following letter from Miss Polk:

Vitrimont, par Luneville, Meurthe et Moselle, France.October 18th, 1916

Dear Mr. Butler:—

Your note, with the Commission booklet, received and I want to thank you for remembering me. The visit of the Industrial Commission was a most delightful surprise to me here in the midst of my ruins and it is very nice to have a souvenir—especially such a nice souvenir, with all the names and photographs.

Vitrimont looks very much as it did when you were here except that the work is a little more advanced in spite of the rain. We are not hoping any longer that the war will end this winter—so we are sad. Especially when we have to see our men go back to the front after their all too short leaves. This has happened three times since you were here, all three going back to the Somme, too, which they all say is much worse than Verdun ever was. However, they have the satisfaction, as one of our men said today, (a fine industrious farmer) of hoping that if they don't come back, at least their wives and children will have their homes rebuilt. This is my hope too. Thanking you again for your letter.

Very sincerely yours,

(Signed) DAISY POLK.

Miss Polk is a most charming young woman, filled with enthusiasm. She lives in a small house with but two rooms.

WE arrived at Nancy October 7th, at six o'clock P. M. and spent the evening at a reception given by the Prefect L. Mirman. We met here Madam Mirman and her two daughters. In the entrance to the prefect's residence were several large holes which had been blown out by the German shells. During the reception we were shown an embroidered sheet, filled with holes. This was taken from the window of a hospital, fired on by the Germans, July, 1916. The name of the hospital was Point Au Mousson. The sheet was hanging in a window when the shrapnel was fired into it. This was considered ample proof that the hospital was fired upon with the full knowledge that it was a hospital.

This visit to prefect Mirman's home was a red letter event in our trip. He is one of the important men of France and is devoting much of his time to the care of refugees and other good work.

As we stopped at the entrance of Nancy, we saw an aeroplane flying over the town. This aeroplane was intended to convoy us to our destination.

Next day we were driven to the village of Luneville. At this place, as in nearly all the towns of France, there is a public market house, with stalls usually presided over by women. Late in September the Germans dropped from aeroplanes a number of bombs on this market house. The entire building was destroyed and forty-one women killed, besides a number of children who were playing about. We saw the ruins of the market house. This sort of battle waging is called "German terrorism", otherwise, a "stepping stone to kultur".

There is an immense palace in Luneville called the Palace of Stanislaus, occupied by a former King of Poland.

Our headquarters were at Nancy, where we remained for two days. We were shown every possible attention by the prefect and under his guidance visited various parts of the city. Among other places "The Golden Gates" of Louis XVI and the gate of the old town erected in 1336. We visited the park and were shown a hole where a German shell had penetrated, the hole being fully fifty feet deep. We visited the cathedral of St. Elme and were shown where the beautiful stained glass had been blown out of the windows. We visited the Ducal Chapel, which dates back to the Tenth century, where the princes of the House of Hapsburg are entombed. Sand bags were piled up everywhere to prevent further ruin to this ancient place. We were shown the ruins of the cooking school reported by German aviators as a military building and for that reason destroyed.

[Illustration: Cathedral at Nancy.]

Practically one-half of the town is in ruins. The military barracks are now used for housing and caring for refugees from all over France and this is done with great system. The expense is figured down to one franc per day for each person. We saw there a children's school, playground, orphanage and Cinema show, and attended church services at which were present several thousand refugees. We could hear the cannon booming during the entire services. Many of the refugees were at work making bags for the trenches and embroidering. We visited the museum and were shown tombs and urns dating back to the Second century. During a luncheon at the Cafe Stanislaus an impassioned address was made by the prefect.

We left Nancy at 2 P. M. for Chalons on the Marne, one of the three important military supply centers of France. En-route we passed a number of ruined villages with scarcely a house left and with but few inhabitants. We passed through Bar Le Duc also, another distributing center. On this memorable part of the journey we skirted three battle fronts, Verdun, Somme and the Marne. We noticed numerous trench soldiers in squads, enroute to and from the trenches.

The discipline of the French army is very much different from that of the English and Germans. The officers and the French soldiers are comrades. The German and French soldiers have no tents, they sleep in their overcoats. I expected that when we got into the war zone we would see tents everywhere, but there was not a tent in sight.

The distance from Nancy to Chalons on the Marne is 108 miles. All this distance we travelled close in the rear of the French army and much of it near the German army. In the early part of the year this ground was occupied by the Germans, being afterwards retaken by the French. We were closest to the trenches when passing St. Miheil, where the famous German salient was still held.

We reached Chalons on the Marne at 10 o'clock on the evening of October 8th, after a busy and most interesting day. We were quartered here for the night and remained part of the next morning. During our stay we could hear the booming of guns continuously, and saw many evidences of military occupation. At this time the Germans had been forced back about thirty miles from Chalons on the Marne, and their shells were no longer feared in this immediate vicinity. The cannon we heard along the greater portion of the route after passing Bar Le Duc must have been French guns, although the German big guns can be heard for fifty miles under favorable circumstances.

At Chalons on the Marne an incident occurred which made a deep impression on me, although it was in itself simple enough. It was my custom to go about much seeking to see whatever was to be seen at all of our stops. Usually I had a companion, but sometimes went alone. On this occasion Mr. Warren, of the Commission, was with me. We had entered the Cathedral of Notre Dame, to inspect its interior and arrived just as a funeral service was ending. It was one of those pathetic funerals, now common enough in France, at which the body is not present, in this case being that of a young man killed in the army and evidently an only son.

The services ended with a procession around the church and this brought the mourners to where we were. We fell in with them, this being our natural impulse and also, we believed, the proper and courteous thing to do, rather than to rudely retire. When the party reached the main aisle, the friends gathered around the father and mother and two daughters, weeping with them and kissing them in the demonstrative way the French have of showing both grief and affection. Before we knew just what to do, the mourners melted away, taking with them the mother and daughters. Mr. Warren also had disappeared and I was left practically alone with the father of the dead boy. He approached me and extended his hand, having perhaps read in my face something of my feelings. He knew no English and I knew no French, but the language of human sympathy is universal. We grasped hands and the only word uttered was my crude "Americaine." None other was needed. I could tell by the pressure of the hand holding mine that my sympathy was appreciated, even though I was from across the seas and an utter stranger, and any doubts I had felt about the propriety of remaining were thoroughly dispelled.

[Illustration: German Trenches Captured by the French.]

Funerals such as this are very frequent in France. Scarcely a family but has suffered its loss, and in some cases several sons have been taken from one home. Among the hundreds of personal cards brought back with me from France, an astonishing number are bordered deeply with black. These are the cards of the most prominent people in the places we visited, the members of the Commission having met few others, and the mourning border on so many of them shows that in France as well as in England, the upper classes have borne their full share of the terrific toll levied by the war.

Before leaving Chalons on the Marne we visited the canal, the banks of which were lined with flowers and ivy. We crossed here a bridge built in the Seventeenth century and still in good condition.

SOME time during the forenoon of the day following our arrival at Chalons on the Marne we left in the military automobiles for Reims. This city is on the south branch of the river Aisne, on which the Germans made their stand after the battle of the Marne, and had been within reach of their guns constantly since they stopped retreating after that battle. It is about ninety miles from Paris. The city was at that time less than two miles from the actual battle line, trenches extending close up to its edges. The Germans were very busy and there was abundant evidence of the fact in the sound of cannon. It was here that we were to be allowed a visit to the trenches.

On the way we passed a large number of Hindu-Chinese and Russian soldiers. We saw two captive balloons, used by the French to direct artillery fire on their enemies. Thousands of soldiers were coming and going between the trenches and the encampments behind.

On this trip we passed through and stopped briefly at an aviation camp, where the aviators were tending their machines and waiting to be called for duty in the air. A short stop was also made at a large encampment, where there must have been at least twenty thousand French soldiers. This was the largest number we saw at any one time. Here we were shown concealed trenches and batteries so skillfully hidden that they could not be seen until you were right upon the guns. We also saw on this ride several illustrations of how bridges and other military works can be hidden from aviators by painted scenery and the use of trees. By 11 A.M. of this day we had come within five miles of the German trenches, behind which, we were told, were more two million German soldiers and across from them at least an equal number of French. Of this vast number of warriors we saw at no time more than twenty thousand. Many were in the trenches and others in encampments on both sides, within easy reach of the lines but secure from gun fire.

We came to the top of a ridge near Reims, and just before reaching the summit orders were given by the sentinels to separate the automobiles and run them half a mile apart, as they would be within range of German guns and might draw the fire if seen in a company. At this point two members of the Commission suddenly lost their interest in the scenes ahead and refused to go any further. From this time until we entered Reims, batteries, many of them concealed, with other signs of real war, became more numerous.

[Illustration: The Reims Cathedral Before Its Destruction.]

At 11:30 A. M. we entered the famous Champagne district, known all over the world as the locality where grapes for making champagne can be raised better than anywhere else. We saw here farmers and women working in the fields and vineyards within a mile of the actual front. They were within range of German guns and in great danger, but they worked on, seemingly careless of the fact.

We passed many "dugouts" occupied by soldiers, and saw soldiers digging trenches. All the time the guns were roaring, apparently just beyond the city of Reims. This ground had all been at one time in the hands of the Germans.

We reached Reims at noon and were taken direct to the City Club. Here the Commission was entertained by Robert Lewthwaite, the head of the great wine firm of Heidsick & Company. At this luncheon we met Col. Tautot, chief of staff under General Lanquelot, commander in the Reims sector. Col. Tautot represented his superior, who could not be present, probably because of more important engagements with the Germans. We also met Captain Talamon, a staff officer, and Jacques Regnier, sub-prefect of the Reims district. Col. Tautot had been invested with the ribbon of the Legion of Honor and within a week of our visit had been in active service. Out of fifteen members originally on the staff, he alone survived, all the others having been killed in action or died of wounds.

In the room where luncheon was served at the City Club was a great hole, made through the wall by a shell and not yet closed. We were told that this shell had arrived a few days before our visit. This was quite appetizing information, but our hosts assured us that we were comparatively safe, as there had been no firing for some time. I took their word for it and enjoyed the luncheon after the long and keenly interesting ride. At this luncheon a curious toast was offered by the host—"I looks toward you." The proper response was—"I likewise bows."

After the luncheon Colonel Tautot and the sub-prefect led the Commission to inspect the ruined cathedral. This was a pitiful and fascinating sight. This once famous cathedral is practically a wreck. I doubt very much if it can ever be restored. We were taken into the interior and were shown how wonderful stained glass windows had been blown out. We picked up a number of the pieces of fine glass from the ground. The making of this glass is a lost art and the coloring is most beautiful. I brought home some of the glass and had it used as settings for a number of rings which I presented to friends. The sub-prefect presented me, as a relic, a bone—the front part of a forearm. This cathedral was the burying place of number of archbishops and ancient royal personages, and all these tombs were blown up.

[Illustration: Ruins at Reims. Upper and Lower Plates—The Cathedral. Middle Plate—The Archbishop's Palace.]

Adjoining the cathedral was the archbishop's palace, famous the world over, and its contents priceless. This was utterly destroyed. One of our party, in looking about the ruins, picked up a large sized key, which proved afterwards to be the key to the archbishop's residence. He was given permission by the sub-prefect to retain this, and I subsequently acquired it.

We also visited the market place and the old Notre Dame church built in 1149 by Charlemagne. This was a most beautiful church, the windows almost equalling those of the Cathedral of St. Elme at Nancy, but inferior to those in the Reims cathedral, said to have been the most beautiful in the world. In this church we saw a statue of Jeanne D'Arc, and a very fine painting of the "Ascension".

We were taken to the city hospital at Reims, which had been fired upon and almost completely destroyed by the Germans while occupied by French wounded. The range was obtained by the aviators, and then incendiary bombs were fired. These bombs set fire to the buildings with which they came in contact. We were told that hundreds of French soldiers were killed with this mode of warfare. We could hear the bombs on the Aisne front exploding while we were visiting the ruins of the hospital. We were next shown around to view the ruins of the town. Twenty-five hundred acres of houses were almost blown to pieces. We were told that thousands of bodies of men, women and children were still under the ruins. In an isolated part of these ruins, absolutely alone, we found and talked to an old French woman, still occupying her house. She had refused to move and insisted upon staying in her little home, one or two rooms having been left.

Following this visit to the ruins we were permitted to enter the trenches. A number of the party did not go to the end of the trenches. However, I concluded to see all there was to be seen, and with Deputy Damour and Mr. MacArthur, went, escorted by a staff officer detailed for that duty, to the extreme limit. We went through the trenches to within one thousand feet of the German firing lines. We could see the German sentinels through periscopes, and were told to be careful and not show our heads, which admonition was religiously obeyed.

This visit to the trenches was one of the most interesting parts of the trip, and in spite of the danger, I was very glad that I had gone and had nerve enough to go to the limit. We entered what is known as a "communication" trench, leading from the edge of the city toward the front. This was necessary, as the terrain was open and under range of the German guns. Going down through this long trench we encountered a network of others, apparently leading in all directions. Our guide knew them well and led us forward until we could, by means of a contrivance for that purpose, look over the top and see the German trenches, less than one thousand yards away. We saw few German soldiers, although occasionally we were shown where a sentinel was on duty, carefully concealed to save himself from French bullets.

The trenches in this section are irregular in width and depth. As a general thing they are not more than three feet wide at the bottom and about five feet deep. The earth is thrown up at the side next to the enemy. At short intervals along the trench holes are scooped out, into which the soldiers can go when fighting is not actually in progress. Some of these caves were quite large and had in them straw and sometimes a bench. There were cooking utensils and buckets for water. The bottoms of the trenches are generally dry, or were when we saw them. In some places they have boards on the bottom. The sides are steep and are constantly crumbling.

Some of the trenches we entered had been made by the Germans, others by the French. Those close up to the front seemed to have been dug but a short time, but farther back they were already beginning to look ancient. In some places grass was growing in the sides and here and there flowers. Some of these trenches had not been used to any extent during the summer. They are so arranged that each line is connected with the one in its front and rear by cross trenches, and it is through these that the soldiers enter and leave the actual fighting zone.

[Illustration: Key of Archbishop's Palace at Reims and Bone from Twelfth Century Tombs Opened by German Shells.]

We saw many French soldiers in the trenches. They seemed to be well fed and comfortable. At the time we were there there was no actual fighting, of course, but an occasional shot rang out across "no man's land," when sentries on either side thought they saw a chance to do execution. The ground between Reims and the battle line is a complete network of these trenches, and years will be required to level it again after the war is over.

From the advanced trench toward the German lines, at the points where we looked, there was no sign of war except an occasional shell hole and the barbed wire entanglements. The country was green and seemed to be at peace, except for the sound of the guns. It was hard to believe that we were looking across a narrow strip, on the other side of which were millions of armed men and every form of death and destruction that has been invented. Yet all this was there.

Upon coming out of the trenches we were unable to find our automobiles, the military authorities having ordered them to separate, so that they would not prove an attraction to the German aeroplanes, otherwise they would undoubtedly have been fired upon.

[Illustration: Trenches Visited by the Commission]

Following this visit to the trenches, we were taken to the famous wine cellars of Heidsick & Co., containing twelve miles of underground vaults. A few days previous to our visit a German bomb had struck the Heidsick wine cellar and destroyed forty thousand bottles of champagne, believed to be the largest number of bottles opened at any one time in the history of the world. These vaults, during the bombardments, which were numerous, are a safety place for the inhabitants and thousands take refuge in the wine cellars. We were told that there was not a single bottle of champagne missed, a testimony to the honesty of the French people. This visit to the wine cellars was intensely interesting.

While driving about the ruined town, the automobile in which I happened to be was guided by a chauffeur unfamiliar with the location, and he drove us across the German lines within three minutes ride of the German headquarters. The major in charge of the automobile squad discovered the error. We were told afterwards that we had a narrow escape from being made prisoners. While at Reims we were at all times within twenty-five minutes walk of the Germans and within ten minutes ride in the motor.

The population at Reims before the war was one hundred and eighteen thousand. It is now reduced to eighteen thousand, the other hundred thousand having become refugees, soldiers and "missing". We visited a Twelfth century cathedral which, strange to say, had not been touched. While in this cathedral we could hear the guns booming.

We returned to Chalons on the Marne the same evening, arriving there at 8:30 P.M., it being considered unsafe to remain at Reims. After our dinner at Chalons on the Marne, Dr. Mailloux timed the firing of the cannon and announced that for a space of half an hour there was one fired every two seconds.

We left Chalons on the Marne at 11:30 A.M. on the following day by railroad. The train was filled with officers returning from the front. We saw a number of Red Cross girls on this train. One had a double decoration. As we passed along we saw thousands of soldiers enroute to the front, among them one full regiment. We also saw a large detachment of German prisoners being transferred, with the letters "P. G." quite large on the back of each prisoner. "P. G." means prison garb.

In the railroad trains in both England and France appears the following:—

Be Silent!Be watchful!Hostile ears are listening to you!Issued by the Minister of War.

WE arrived at Paris at three o'clock P.M., October 17th, and here received our first news of the submarine work off Nantucket. In the evening we met Antoine Borrel, deputy from Savoy, on six days' leave of absence from the Alsace Lorraine district. He entered the war a common soldier and now has the Legion of Honor on his breast.

On Wednesday, October 11th, we visited Consul Thackara and arranged about our passports.

I succeeded in securing some fine war relics and a partial line of French war posters which I brought home with me.

On Thursday, October 12th, with Mr. Weare, of the United States Steel Corporation, I called upon Consul Thackara, Charge d'Affairs Bliss, and other friends at the Embassy. We also visited the general offices of the Schneider Company.

On Friday, October 13th, a meeting of the Commissioners was held and, although our passage had been engaged on the Rochambeau of the French line, it was decided to cancel the passage and return to America by way of the American line. This was a disappointment to some of the Commissioners, although the change appeared to be inevitable. The secretary of the Commission then set about to get us safely across the Channel. We were told we would be convoyed by a British vessel, usually used in carrying soldiers. We were fed on this information for three days, telegrams were sent to the American Embassy in London and a lot of valuable time wasted. The whole scheme proved to be a myth, and we were obliged to content ourselves with getting to England the same as ordinary mortals.

On Friday, October 13th, Charge d'Affairs Bliss gave a luncheon to some of the members of the Commission, and this was an enjoyable affair.

We were informed in the evening that accommodations had been secured on the steamer "Philadelphia", of the American line, sailing October 21st, from Liverpool. Deputy Damour was greatly disappointed, as he had planned a farewell dinner at Bordeaux and great preparations had been made by the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce for this event.

An informal supper was given Deputy Damour at the Hotel de Crillon at which some of the members of the Commission were present.

King Albert's address to the Belgians

A neighbour haughty in its strength without the slightest provocation has torn up the treaty bearing its signature and has violated the territory of our fathers because we refused to forfeit our honor. It has attacked us. Seeing its independence threatened the nation trembled and its children sprang to the frontier, valiant soldiers in a sacred cause. I have confidence in your tenacious courage. I greet you in the name of Belgium a fellow citizen who is proud of you.

Notwithstanding the war, we noticed some signs of gaiety in Paris. On Saturday evening I visited the Follies Bergere, where there was fine music and some dancing. The audience contained principally soldiers on six days' leave of absence from the front.

On Sunday, October 15th, we had a joint meeting with the American Chamber of Commerce and discussed the tariff question, credits and other things too numerous to mention.

On Sunday afternoon I visited the American Ambulance for the third time. I paid particular attention to the pathological department. I was shown a piece of spine with an imbedded bullet visible, and other specimens entirely too realistic for me to look at. I was shown an electric apparatus for locating bullets and shells, without X-ray treatment, I saw a badly wounded soldier undergoing the Carrel treatment. Dr. Sherman, chief surgeon of the Carnegie Steel Company, had spent two months in France investigating this treatment. He was most thoroughly imbued with its usefulness and enthusiastic about introducing it in the hospitals of the Steel Corporation in the United States. My own belief is that this is an advanced stage in surgery and, in fact, is an epochal discovery. It will no doubt be adopted, not only in the military hospitals of the world, but in other hospitals. A description of the treatment was furnished me by Dr. Lee, of the University of Pennsylvania, who had spent several months in Paris hospitals, and also by Mr. Bennet, who was the superintendent of the American ambulance. These descriptions follow in later pages, the subject being of vast importance to those interested in the cause of humanity.

On Monday, October 16th, we met, at the Hotel de Crilion, the Belgian Chamber of Commerce. This was a notable gathering. The president of the Chamber of Commerce, Rene Nagelmackers, made a passionate and forceful address, thanking all the United States for the aid and assistance rendered the Belgians and setting forth their needs. He said a line of vessels had already been arranged for and financed, and that it was the intention of the Belgian Government to bring to France and deposit where they could be quickly reached, machinery, tools and everything needed to immediately rehabilitate Belgium. The intention was to have these in readiness so that restoration can be promptly effected and all Belgians returned to their native soil. The president and other members of the Chamber expressed a belief that all Belgium will again be restored to its rightful owners. On materials and machinery they will want fair prices, but they will be in need of large quantities of these and the United States will, on equal terms, be given the preference. A number of other members of the Belgian Chamber of Commerce spoke, some of them in English and some in French. Victor Haardt, a member residing temporarily in Paris, suggested that the meeting was important and should be brought to the attention of the Belgian Government. When it became known that I was a personal acquaintance of King Albert, a number of the delegates suggested that I write to him and give an account of the conference and they would in turn write an official account of it. This I proceeded to do, the King's military address having been furnished me by one of the members. I gave the King in my letter full particulars of the meeting and in response received the following letter from his secretary soon after my arrival home:

[Illustration: Photograph of King Albert of Belgium, with the Royal Autograph.]

La Cambre, Belgium, October 29th, 1916.Office of the Secretary to the King and Queen.

Mr. J. G. Butler, Jr. Youngstown, Ohio.

Dear Sir:—

I was particularly pleased to read to his Majesty your good letter, and to receive the pamphlet.

I am charged by the King to thank you for the sentiments which you have expressed and for your sympathy for Belgium.

Our Sovereign wishes you to know that he recalls with pleasure the meeting with the Directors of the American Iron and Steel Institute at Brussels.

I beg you to accept, dear sir, the assurance of my highest regards,

J. INGENBLECK, Secretary.

I spent a good part of the following day in buying war relics, many of them made by the soldiers in the trenches out of such material as exploded shells, buttons from the uniforms of dead soldiers, etc. I purchased some unique postal cards, painted by hand in the trenches by soldiers who were artists. Other relics consisted of hat pins, napkin rings, bracelets and finger rings, all made as before stated, from war material.

A copy of an English publication was brought to my attention during the Belgian conference, and I was struck by a paragraph which is quoted:—

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