250 - HISTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY derly Bryan, 'Get on a motor cycle and warn those people as quickly as the Almighty will let you! The storage dam has broken !' I then ordered Trumpeter Culbertson to go to the river and sound a recall for the guardsmen on both sides of the stream. I do not know who started the rumor." Nobody could be found in Columbus last night willing to assume responsibility for starting the cry "The dam has burst !"—A cry that converted Columbus into a stricken Messina, with its inhabitants fleeing before the path of an avenging fate. Immediately following the flood came a general demand for protection for the future. There had been floods in other parts of the state, notably at Dayton, and the General Assembly enacted a law providing for the formation of conservancy districts on a scale applicable to large areas affected by high waters. A commission, under this act, was appointed in Franklin County. Engineers were employed to make a study of the problem and recommend plans for the approval of the common pleas judges, as provided by law, and ten alternative plans were prepared, but none approved. Faced with the possibility of indefinite delay, the city council, backed by a preponderant public sentiment, determined to proceed on plans developed by the City Engineering Department, of which Henry Maetzel was the chief, estimated to cost three and one-half million dollars. R. H. Simpson, of the Engineering Department, was placed in direct charge of the flood protection work and in that capacity and afterward as city engineer, carried the work through to a successful conclusion. The project, in general, consisted in widening and improving the channel of the Scioto River, from the confluence of the Olentangy River to the municipal bridge, near the site of the city sewage pumping station, a distance of four and one-half miles. Through the congested district of the city the channel has a minimum width of 580 feet, measured from points half way down the levee sides. Five railroad bridges were lengthened, and eight highway bridges lengthened or entirely reconstructed, as was necessary in the case of the Broad and Town Street bridges destroyed by the flood. The levees were raised, strengthened and, wherever subject to excessive water wear, were faced with concrete. Spill-ways, reinforced with con- HISTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY - 251 crete, were provided so that in the event of a flood of even greater proportions than any in the past, any excess of water beyond the capacity of the channel will flow over the levees at these fixed points and repeat the experience of former floods when little or no damage was done. As a part of the work of widening the channel, it was also cleared of obstructions and deepened. From an engineering viewpoint, the people of Columbus need not fear a repetition of the damage and disaster of 1913—and they have learned that the storage dam cannot break and, even if it could, the extra flow of water would not raise the level of the flood enough to rock a stout canoe. At a special election on May 5th, 1914, the people of Columbus adopted a municipal charter under the provisions of the constitution as amended in 1912. The immediately apparent difference in the form of government was the change in the city council, an abandonment of ward representation and a substitution of a council of seven members, elected at large, for a term of four years. The term of the mayor was also made four years. The manner of electing the mayor, city attorney and auditor presented a novelty, commonly known as the "Mary Ann ballot," by which the electors are able to express first, second and other choices of the lists of candidates submitted for their selection. The inclusion of provisions for the initiative, referendum and recall bring the form of municipal government quite up to date and leave little for the most progressive to desire, except possibly an easier and more expeditious method of realizinng the sometimes manifest need for the recall. The Ohio National Guard was mobilized in Columbus in the summer of 1916 in preparation for services on the Mexican border. A periodical revolution was in progress in the republic to the south ; some irresponsible raids had been made across the border and others were feared, with the possibility of intervention on the part of the United States looming on the horizon. Camp Willis, now occupied by Upper Arlington, was prepared by the state military authorities, under the direction of Adjutant General Benson W. Hough, and here 11,000 men were soon in training. Eight thousand of these were mustered into the federal service and by September 6th all were on 252 - HISTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY their way to El Paso for a possible Mexican War. The Fourth Regiment, headquarters at Columbus, was brigaded with the Eighth and Fifth, under command of Brigadier General John C. Speaks. However, the war did not materialize, but the experience added much to the efficiency of the Ohio National Guard and went far toward preparation for the sterner services that soon came. A "Mexican Border" badge was authorized by the General Assembly March 29, 1917, and one struck for each man in the Ohio military organizations. CHAPTER XVI PREPARING FOR WAR. THE DECLARATION OF WAR-WAR GARDENS-FOOD CONSERVATION-GASLESS SUNDAYS-SHORTAGE OF FUEL-HEALTH MEASURES AT HOME-DOCTORS AND NURSES-Y. M. C. A. AND KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS-THE RED CROSS-THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE-THE HOME RESERVE GUARDS-COLUMBUS KHAKI CLUB- AMERICANIZATION DAY-FRENCH WAR MISSION-CAMPAIGNS FOR MONEY- LIBERTY LOAN DRIVES-THRIFT STAMP SALES-THE COMMUNITY WAR CHEST-OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY-U. S. BARRACKS AND STORAGE DEPOT- THE DRAFT REGISTRATION AND BOARDS-THANKSGIVING FOOTBALL GAME-OFFICERS' TRAINING CAMPS-ANTI-GERMAN SENTIMENT. While the war clouds were gathering in Europe during the first half of 1914, the sentiment in the United States was strictly neutral. Germany, Austria, France and Russia were preparing for a probable conflict, while Britain waited and hoped. When, during the first days of August, the Imperial German Army invaded neutral Belgium in contemptuous disregard of treaty obligations and the forts at Liege delayed its advance for the hours needed by France to meet the shock, there was developed in this country a strong feeling of resentment against the central powers. However, it was not our war—yet. During the first year of the war there was more or less interference with our foreign commerce, but losses in some quarters were balanced by the purchases of munitions sold at our ports and shipped in English vessels at the buyer's risk. There was nothing to focus the average American mind on the thought of entering the World War until, on May 7, 1915, the Cunard line steamship Lusitania, en route from New York to Liverpool, was sunk by a German submarine off the coast of Ireland, entailing the loss of 1,152 lives, 114 of whom were known - 253 - 254 - HISTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY to be American citizens. This was the slaughter of non-combatants, wholesale, and not provoked by any military necessity—a thing unheard of since man's emergency from savagery. The war spirit assumed proportions, but the Nation did not lose its head. President Wilson, with untiring patience, during the remainder of his first term sought to avoid war without the sacrifice of honor. Repeated assurances were given by the central powers and as often broken. American vessels on the high seas were sunk without warning or seized and their crews treated with less consideration than is usually accorded prisoners of war. On January 19th, 1917, the country was shocked with positive proof that the German ambassador to Mexico had submitted proposals from his government to our neighboring republic that the latter should form an alliance with the central powers for the coercion or conquest of the United States. From this time the action of the drama was rapid. On February 3rd the President addressed Congress setting forth the status of the various negotiations so far had and on the 22nd he again appeared before Congress and asked for authority to use the armed forces of the United States for the protection of American commerce on the seas. On April 6th came the declaration of war : "Whereas, The Imperial German Government has committed repeated acts of war against the government and the people of the United States of America ; therefore be it resolved," followed by a formal declaration of war couched in fewer than a hundred words—the most momentous folio of American history. In the meantime public sentiment had developed in advance of presidential recommendation and congressional action. Washington put in words what the nation thought and felt. On April 2nd a great mass meeting was held in Memorial Hall, filled to capacity, with thousands gathered in the street. The situation was fairly stated by Mayor Karb, ex-Governor Campbell and others, and resolutions, pledging the patriotism of the community, adopted and forwarded to Washington. The state began to recruit the National Guard to war strength. Immediately after the declaration of war Governor James M. Cox appointed the members of the Ohio branch of the Council of National Defense—an organization that had much to do with harmonizing HISTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY - 255 civilian activities engaged in producing food and supplies necessary for the use of an army in the field as well as the army at home. Branches of this work were taken up with enthusiasm in Franklin County. War gardens began to sprout wherever a vacant lot lay ; back yards were transformed into truck patches, and even front yards took on an agricultural aspect, tomatoes supplanting geraniums on many lawns. The Board of Education supervised the activities of a thousand children, who exchanged the baseball bat and the tennis racquet for the hoe and the rake, while the City Recreation Department gave aid, with plows and seeds, to more than 3,000 lot and back yard gardeners. This war garden work was continued during the summers of 1917 and 1918. During the latter summer the city Recreation Department added greatly to its previous season's activities, supervising the cultivation of 5,783 lots. The Godman Guild conducted community gardens for 350 families, while 9,000 school children enlisted in the war garden army. Not only were plans laid and executed for food production to capacity in the county, but very early attention was given to the matter of food conservation. Means were adopted to popularize the substitution of corn, rye and oats for wheat for bread making purposes and the sale and consumption of sugar was restricted. The Columbus branch of the Patriotic League, organized in January, 1918, devoted much of its efforts to food conservation. The Franklin County Food Administration Committee, well officered and managed, added the weight of its official power to the enforcement of conservation edicts wherever lack of patriotism or ignorance demanded their assistance. A striking instance of conservation methods was afforded by the gasless Sundays in the autumn of 1918. With the possibility that the war might last another year, with increased requirements for motor fuel, the people were requested to refrain from needless use of their automobiles on Sunday. On the five Sundays of September and two in October High Street resembled the Deserted Village and the county roads were safe for bicycles and pedestrians. While the winter of 1917-18 was unusually cold there was a short supply of coal, and the prices advanced correspondingly. At times the schools were closed for lack of heat and public utilities were 256 - HISTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY operated almost from hand to mouth. While there was plenty of coal in the Hocking Valley and the West Virginia supply was available, the railroads operated by the government, giving preference to the shipment of war materials, were not able to furnish sufficient cars and motive power to move coal to Columbus. Transportation by truck had not then been developed and there was great inconvenience amounting almost to suffering. Indeed the local situation would have been distressing had it not been for the supply of natural gas which, usually considered a convenience, proved to be a necessity. Related to the subject of supporting life is the importance of preserving it. Early attention was given to health measures at home. The Columbus Academy of Medicine offered its services to the National Red Cross headquarters at Washington and was commissioned to organize a Naval Hospital Unit, consisting of six medical officers, ten nurses and a non-medical personnel of twenty-nine. The medical officers were Drs. V. A. Dodd, Fred 0. Williams, Arthur M. Haver, Jonathan Forman, Philip J. Reel and Carl C. Hugger, with Miss Carrie Churchill as chief nurse. This unit was ordered to duty in charge of the hospital at the naval operation base, Hampton Roads, Virginia. Later the doctors of Franklin and adjoining counties were organized into a volunteer medical corps for the purpose of taking care of medical duties at home and relieving those who were eligible for service in the army hospitals. Dr. Charles S. Hamilton was commissioned major in the United States Army and assigned to duty supervising the organization of Medical Advisory Boards for the draft machinery. Dr. Starling S. Wilcox and Dr. Edward C. Ludwig were commissioned as captains ; Drs. Charles J. Roach, James H. Warren, Jeremiah E. Kerschner, William N. Taylor and John D. Kessler, first lieutenants in the Medical Corps ; and Drs. Edward N. Cook, Walter A. Knoderer and F. W. Fenzel were commissioned as first lieutenants in the Dental Corps. Dr. Philip D. Wilson, who had served in France during 1916 as a member of the Harvard Ambulance and Hospital Unit, returned to France for service in the American Hospital, commissioned as a captain. HISTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY - 257 Dr. O. H. Sellenings joined the station of the American Red Cross in Paris, assigned to special duty with the Children's Bureau. In October, 1918, there was organized a well directed campaign to save the babies at home. The Child Welfare Committee of the Franklin County Women's Council of National Defense distributed -literature containing needed information as to the care and protection of infants and tested over forty-seven hundred Franklin County babies, and furnished medical advice and treatment where needed. Trained nurses began, to enlist for hospital service immediately after the declaration of war. One hundred and fifty were on duty when the Red Cross called for 150 more from Franklin County. At the end of the first week 203 graduate nurses had been enrolled and 126 young women volunteered for training in the city and camp hospitals under the supervision of the surgeon general of the United States Army. A little later the call for recruits to the Student Nurses' Reserve Corps was responded to by 111 Franklin County women. Miss Augusta M. Condit, of the District Nurses' Association, was the first Columbus nurse to see foreign service. She spent seven months in the Belgrade, Serbia, hospital during the early days ; during a part of the time the city was under fire from the invading Austrian army. In the Red Cross Nurses's service there were 401 from Franklin County, of whom 275 were in active service either in American camps or hospitals abroad. Many others went directly into the army service. Five Columbus nurses gave their lives to their country : Aurora E. Parry, at Camp Taylor, Kentucky ; Garnet O. Peck, at the Great Lakes Naval Station ; Nelle E. Lathrop, in Cleveland ; Elsie M. Davis, Government Ship Yards, Philadelphia ; and Mary Holtz, after returning from foreign service in December, 1918. Louise A. Dildine, Red Cross, and Minnie A. Meyers, Army Nurses' Corps, were cited for meritorious conduct under fire in France. The epidemic of influenza that ravaged the entire country in the summer of 1918 reached Camp Sherman at Chillicothe in September and soon after appeared in Columbus. When, in October, 516 cases were reported to the health authorities, with more than a score of deaths, orders were issued for the closing of the schools, colleges, theatres, dance halls, etc., and public meetings of all kinds were tern- 258 - HISTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY porarily stopped. When at its height, over three thousand cases had been reported, while the deaths numbered 265. The Young Men's Christian Association and the Knights of Columbus began their work during the first month after the declaration of war. The earliest plan of the local Young Men's Christian Association was to support three outfits in the field, each with a building, five workers and the necessary equipment. In May $40,000 was raised for this purpose. In November a campaign for $260,000 raised $354,000, out of which $25,000 was turned over to the Young Women's Christian Association and a like amount to the Women's Auxiliary for use at Camp Sherman, Chillicothe. A branch Young Men's Christian Association was established at the Columbus Barracks for religious instruction, with reading and writing rooms, and entertainment was furnished for the thousands of soldiers who were coming and going constantly. A little later the Knights of Columbus erected a recreation building at the U. S. Barracks. The Elks of Columbus joined with others of that order in the erection of a $40,000 Community House at Camp Sherman. The local chapter of the American Red Cross was organized in Columbus July 3rd, 1916, with 375 members. In June, 1918, when Columbus was called upon for $250,000 for Red Cross work, the amount was raised promptly in a spirited campaign managed by H. J. Schwartz. General headquarters were established at 471 East Broad Street. Branches were established in Westerville, Groveport, Harris-burgh, Plain City, North Columbus and elsewhere and working units in many of the churches and at the Ohio State University—six auxillaries and eighty-seven working units ; and 6,067 workers were pledged to give from one to five days a week in the production of hospital clothing and surgical dressings. In October the chapter was reorganized, the management being placed in the hands of a committee of eight as follows : George W. Lattimer, E. L. McCune, B. Gwynne Huntington, James E. Hagerty, H. J Schwartz, James L. Hamill, Mrs. Samuel L. Black and Mrs. M. J. Caples. Mr. Lattimer was elected president, Mr. Huntington treasurer and Mr. McCune secretary. When the second National Red Cross drive for $100,000,000 was made, the Columbus quota was paid from the Community War Chest. HISTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY - 259 A canteen service was inaugurated, with headquarters in the rooms of the Columbus Art School, East Broad Street, the special function of which was to provide refreshments at the Union Station for soldiers on troop trains passing through the city. Although no information as to the movements of such trains was available to the general public, the Red Cross workers were able to contribute greatly to the comfort of the soldiers. A report of the military relief work from May 1st to September 1st, 1918, shows that there had been shipped 754 cases, containing 555,524 articles besides many garments for Belgian refugees and articles for convalescents at Camp Sherman. The Civilian Relief Committee, of which James E. Hagerty was chairman, rendered a peculiarly valuable service at home by giving medical, legal and other assistance to the dependents of soldiers and sailors. This committee had a corps of trained welfare workers who performed their duties with intelligence and consequently with success. No record, however complete, can possibly exaggerate the accomplishments of the Columbus Chapter of the Red Cross during the war period and immediately afterward. Unstinted praise is due to the host of patriotic workers who got no medals and whose reward can be only the satisfaction that comes from unselfish labor well done. However, the members of the organization united in giving praise to their secretary, Edward L. McCune, on the occasion of a dinner given in his honor on March 24, 1919, and in so doing they honored themselves as well. During the war period the Chamber of Commerce again proved its value to the community. Its splendid organization was made available in aid of every patriotic movement. It aided the Federal authorities in recruiting ; helped in the Red Cross campaign for money and membership ; was invaluable in the creation of the Community War Chest ; furnished men and methods in the sale of Liberty bonds ; and at all times provided a center through which patriotic activities of all kinds were coordinated. President Henry A. Williams and Secretary George W. Gillette were untiring in their services. 260 - HISTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY There was so much war work to be done at home that there was room for all the organizations and persons who wished to help. Among the many were the following especially to be remembered. The Catholic Women's War Relief Association, Mrs. W. P. Anawalt, president, had a membership of 500, with a branch in Zanesville with 300 members. They cooperated with the Red Cross, the Needlework Guild and others, helped supply Catholic army chaplains and made comfort kits for the soldiers at Camps Sherman and Sheridan. A committee of the Navy League started to knit sweaters for the crew of the battleship Ohio and when that was done, continued their work for others as long as there was need for it. The Needlework Guild began in 1915 to send clothing to the Belgian refugees in northern France. In addition to this work during the year ending April 1st, 1918, it had shipped abroad 31,724 articles of hospital supplies. The Daughters of the American Revolution cooperated with their national organization in providing funds for the entertainment of soldiers in the various camps and furnished relief to sufferers in Belgium and France. The Columbus branch of the Patriotic League enrolled a large membership of young women who, being unable to fight the enemy-abroad, did the next thing and fought the enemy in every guise at home. They cooperated with the Red Cross wherever possible, spread the sentiment for food conservation, held patriotic rallies in aid of all sorts of war work and everywhere added the enthusiasm of youth. During the second year of the war, with the entire National Guard in France and the remainder of those eligible for military duty either in camps or preparing for call, there was a feeling of defenselessness, periodically added to by rumors of outrages by enemy agents on our own soil. To meet this situation Mayor Karb proposed the organization of the Home Reserve Guards. There was a popular response. The Columbus Rifles, the Elks, the Knights of Columbus, the Automobile Club, the Engineers Club, the Sons of Veterans, the Knights of St. John and other organizations furnished companies until there was a regiment of 600 men, organized in nine letter companies, with Signal and Medical Corps. W. B. Hammil was the first colonel, succeeded by George L. Chennel ; E. A. Selagi, lieutenant colonel ; C. W. HISTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY - 261 Wallace, W. H. Fisher and W. W. Mowery, majors. The Home Guards were armed and uniformed by private subscription. The companies held separate drills, but once a week the entire regiment appeared on the streets and it inspired confidence and respect. The Guard was composed of men who had no chance of getting into the army, but most of them had had military experience of some kind and they looked more like fighters than anything Columbus had seen for many years or did see until the veterans returned from France. There were 1,529 Boy Scouts, belonging to fifty troops, who distinguished themselves on the home field. These youngsters in khaki uniforms were everywhere their help was needed. They sold bonds and savings stamps amounting to almost half a million dollars ; they distributed war literature, collected books and magazines for the camps, helped handle the street crowds during parades, and incidentally demonstrated the worth of the Boy Scout movement to the satisfaction of the public. The Columbus Khaki Club, at the corner of Fifth and Broad Streets, was opened June 1st, 1918, for the use and entertainment of any soldiers who might happen to be in the city. Rooms were furnished by the Altrurian, Kiwanis and Rotary Clubs and the Art League loaned pictures for the walls. The club served a useful purpose until after the return of the last units of the army. The headline feature of the Fourth of July, 1918, was a parade of foreign born residents of the county in honor of what was called "Americanization Day." In the morning some four or five thousand sons of Italy and Greece, with many others representing the four quarters of the globe, each group under the banner of its own nation displayed with the American flag, marched to the State House yard where a vow of allegiance was taken in the presence of a capacity crowd. In the afternoon, at Memorial Hall, Paderewski, famed first as a pianist and second as a statesman, addressed a great audience of the foreign born and infused something of the spirit of Poland into all who heard him. The French War Mission visited Columbus May 8th, 1917. Rene Viviani, minister of justice, and Marshal Joffre, who had played the hero's part at the Marne, accompanied by Vice-Admiral Chocheprat, the Marquis de Chambrun and their aides were received at the Union 262 - HISTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY Station by an automobile escort and conveyed to the State House where Governor Cox and Mayor Karb delivered short addresses of welcome and pledged Columbus to provide for the care of 500 French war orphans. This brief visit added tremendously to the general sympathy for the people of France. One practical result was the organization of a committee composed of Mrs. B. Gwynne Huntington, Mrs. Hermon Hubbard and Mrs. Philip Wilson, who raised $22,000 for the partial care of French war orphans. The local committee of the American Fund for French wounded, in November, 1917, had a membership of eighty-five, with headquarters at the Trinity Parish House. Mrs. Alfred Wilson was the chairman and Mrs. A. W. Mackenzie secretary. This committee was one of 500 similar organizations in the United States, cooperating with the Red Cross, but directing its efforts particularly in aid of the French war hospitals. Miss Louise Brent representing this committee went to France in 1915 as secretary of the board having charge of the distribution of supplies ; Miss Ruther Casparis went to Paris as director of the organization's motor service and Miss Lucile Atcherson became secretary to Miss Ann Morgan, in Paris. By November, 1918, this committee had shipped to France 148,000 articles for hospital use, valued at more than ten thousand dollars. The Countess Madeline de Bryas spoke in Memorial Hall June 27, 1918, on behalf of the sufferers in devastated France. In response to her appeal a committee of representative citizens was formed and money raised by conducting a bazaar and by personal donations for the relief of distressed refugees from the battle zone. Wars are fought by men but they are won with money. When the United States entered the World War in April, the government began at once to provide the necessary money for its prosecution. In May there was an issue of three per cent certificates convertible into liberty bonds later. The Columbus banks and building and loan associations took $1,000,000 of them, greatly exceeding the city's quota. Then followed the first issue of two billion dollars of Liberty Bonds. Franklin County was asked to buy $5,140,000. The Chamber of Commerce and the banks, through the Clearing House, cooperated in forming a committee, of which Philip L. Schneider was HISTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY - 263 chairman and John A. Kelly, secretary. William G. McAdoo, secretary of the treasury, made one speech in the city and local volunteers made several hundred speeches at noon meetings during the sharp campaign, at the end of which the county had bought a total of $7,519,900 of bonds, the subscriptions coming from 11,312 persons. The second loan of three billion dollars was offered in October, the Franklin County quota being $6,421,050. More than twenty-three thousand Franklin County citizens subscribed for $12,553,500. The campaign was directed by the same committee with somewhat wider publicity. The speaking campaign was aided by Secretary Daniels, of the President's Cabinet, and United States Senator Atlee Pomerene. The third Liberty Loan came in April, 1918, and the drive was inaugurated by a mass meeting in Memorial Hall, at which Dr. Frank W. Gunsaulus, of Chicago, formerly pastor of a Congregational church in Columbus, was the principal speaker. The committee augmented its organization by the appointment of ninety vice-chairmen representing all trades and professions. The subscriptions amounted to $7,780,300, by 19,753 persons—a million and a quarter above the quota. Franklin County's quota of the Fourth Liberty Loan was $13,070,550. The commitee was organized with Fred Lazarus, chairman and Edwin Buchanan as secretary. The army was in France and almost daily death lists were coming across giving the names of Franklin County boys who would not come back. This was the heaviest call that had been made upon the county and extraordinary efforts were put forth to meet it. On September 28th John Philip Sousa, with his band of 300 pieces, came to the city and paraded the streets. Always a favorite in Columbus, Sousa was given an ovation, a fine demonstration of some of the enthusiasm he, himself, created. Another great meeting in Memorial Hall was addressed by Ibram I. Elkus, United States ambassador to Turkey. On September 30th, Colonel Roosevelt spoke to a crowd in Broad Street and helped add to the enthusiasm of a thousand bond salesmen at luncheon in the Masonic Temple. The total sale of bonds amounted to $16,929,350, the subscribers numbering 55,143. 264 - HISTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY The Victory Loan campaign, in April, 1919, after the war was over, resulted in the sale of bonds amounting to $12,773,450 to 35,909 subscribers. Again the county had bought more than its quota, the excess being approximately $2,500,000. Money for war purposes was also raised by a nation-wide thrift campaign. November 29th, 1917, a state executive committee in this behalf was organized, with H. P. Wolfe, of Columbus, then a director of the Federal Reserve Bank, as chairman, John Y. Bassell, vice-chairman and John A. Kelley secretary. This committee organized the eighty-eight counties of the state and each county committee thoroughly organized the municipalities and townships within its borders. Government stamps, at twenty-five cents each, were put on sale. These stamps were exchangeable, in five dollar lots, for certificates bearing four per cent interest. The stamps were sold at all post-offices, banks and by mail carriers in the city and on rural routes. Another great campaign was put on to make a success of this offering. E. A. Reed was chairman of the general committee. Probably no home war activity was better organized or more consistently forwarded. In the 1918 campaign stamps were sold amounting to $7,750,000 and during 1919, after the war interest had passed, an additional $780,000 was realized. Franklin County's total investments in the five bond issues, certificates of indebtedness and war savings stamps amounted to the staggering sum of $65,341,100. The first year of the war emphasized the need of the closest possible cooperation of all home interests of a patriotic nature. There were constant demands for money, not only for the purchase of bonds as outlined above, but for the various relief agencies abroad and the support of necessary institutions at home. To meet this situation the Columbus Chamber of Commerce proposed the consolidation of all drives for war work purposes and the creation of a community fund from which appropriations should be made to the various worthy objects in proportion to their needs and importance. Mayor Karb was asked to appoint a general committee of citizens representing interests of every sort, and he complied by naming 123 persons not only of high standing but having the will to do the thing desired. This committee resolved itself into a permanent organization and chose an executive committee as follows : S. P. Bush, chair- HISTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY - 265 man ; Frederick A. Miller, vice-chairman ; George W. Gillette, secretary; Lee M. Boda, treasurer ; the other members being John G. Deshler, Robert F. Wolfe, Simon Lazarus, W. E. Bird, S. D. Hutchins, B. W. Marr, A. T. Seymour, John Briggs and George V. Sheridan. William H. Hartsough was put in charge of the office management. This committee inspired immediate public confidence by raising a fund of $36,000 among themselves for the purpose of paying campaign and administration expenses and thus giving the people to understand that every dollar contributed would be used for patriotic or other necessary public purposes. Everybody was solicited. Wage earners were given a change to pay their contributions in monthly installments. There was a pretty general impression that any income earner who did not participate to some extent was not exactly in sympathy with the flag and the boys "over there" and the best interests of "good old Columbus town." The first day of the big drive was about as cold as February ever brings to central Ohio, but the war chest army, organized with colonels, majors, captains and lieutenants, overran every inch of the territory and left but little to be done during the remainder of the campaign that closed February 9th, 1918. After it was all over it was found that more than ninety thousand persons had made subscriptions amounting to $3,374,526. The original estimates contemplated raising three million dollars. By November 1st, $1,843,192 had been paid into the treasury of the War Chest. There had been paid out for soldiers' and sailors' relief abroad and for domestic purposes $620,811. A reservation of $427,000 had been made for the city's quota for the United War Work campaign, and the general committee announced that the acceptance of subscriptions would stop with December, each person being asked for but seventy-five per cent of his pledge. However, the work of the committee was completed, satisfactorily in every respect, with but forty-eight per cent of the amount originally subscribed, the individual differences being returned to the subscribers ; and even under these circumstances, the final report of the treasurer showed a balance of $52,009.87, which was turned over to the local chapter of the American Legion as an endowment fund for soldiers' and sailors' relief in the future. 266 - HISTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY The Ohio State University gave valuable assistance to many phases of war work. In April, 1917, an Aeronautical Ground School was opened where preliminary training was given to a number of candidates for the air service. This instruction continued until August, 1918, when the development of army plans rendered it unnecessary. Members of the faculty from the department of physics and the school of engineering gave liberally of their time and talents and contributed greatly to the success of the course. To this was added a course for the education of adjutants and officers for special duty. Frame barracks were erected on the campus for the accommodation of the military student battalion, averaging about one thousand. The College of Agriculture was of especial use in coordinating farm activities throughout the state. All of the graduate schools were actively engaged in preparing men for special service or complying with requests for information from governmental and other organizations. When war was declared the university dismissed, with full credits for the year, all students who wished to engage in agriculture, enter one of the officers' training camps or enlist in the military service. Twenty university students who had shown ability in the cadet corps were commissioned as second lieutenants in the United States army and four in the Marine Corps. During all of the war period President W. 0. Thompson was indefatigable, giving all of his time and much of himself in aid of everything designed to promote the national welfare. The United States Barracks was the center of federal military movements, locally, during the period of preparation. Additional buildings were erected and the accommodations of the Post expanded to care for 8,000 men, the normal capacity having been but 1,600. The construction of the United States Storage Depot, begun in June, 1918, was entirely due to the availability of Columbus as a central distributing point as demonstrated by the military work in this area. In this depot nine large warehouses, with fifty acres of floor space, were built by 3,000 men in one hundred days, at a cost of $4,000,000. For a time vast quantities of military supplies were handled through this station but, on a peace time basis, it is merely kept ready to serve on a moment's notice. HISTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY - 267 The war with Germany brought to the fighting men of America an almost novel experience. The numerical strength of the regular army was insignificant, compared with the probable requirements, and the militia of the states could not promptly furnish the force thought to be needed. The War Department, following the example of England and France, proceeded to draft the youth of the nation. The first day of registration was set for June 5th, 1917. The machinery of the Board of Elections was used for the purpose and regular election officials presided at the voting booths, where the young men between the ages of 21 and 31 appeared and were duly registered. Non-residents in the county on that day were registered either at the office of the city clerk or the sheriff of the county. The whole affair was conducted quietly and with dispatch. A futile display of interference on the part of some Socialists got two of them into the Federal penitentiary at Atlanta. Others holding individual opinions not in sympathy with the Government wisely suppressed them. The registered lists were turned over to the Draft Boards, charged with the duty of making an examination of the men and selection of eligible lists from which calls for service were made. The Draft Boards were : No. 1. John C. Dougherty, chairman ; Dr. Sterling S. Wilcox (succeeded by Dr. W. I. Towns), Theodore Leonard and Edmund A. Cole (succeeded by Frederick Shedd). No. 2. Karl T. Webber, Dr. E. J. Emerick (succeeded by Dr. W. E. Edmiston), Edward Woolman and Randle Baker. No. 3. Rutherford H. Platt, chairman ; Dr. Hervey W. Whittaker, Lott B. Burke, and Edward W. Swisher. No. 4. Edward B. Gerlach, chairman ; Dr. J. A. Van Fossen, H. M. Van Hise and Edward L. Weinland. No. 5 (County outside the city) W. J. Kinnaird, chairman ; E. E. Pegg, Dr. Frank C. Wright and Frederick N. Sinks. These boards had their headquarters in Memorial Hall, where registrants were summoned and their place on the lists determined. Appeal to a district board was provided for. The county's quota for the first army was 1,178. On September 5th the first group left for Camp Sherman at Chillicothe and by the end of October all were in training camps. 268 - HISTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY August 24th there was a second registration of about five hundred who had reached the age of twenty-one since the first enrollment. On September 12th there was a general registration of men between the ages of eighteen to twenty-one and thirty-one to forty-five, at which 36,938 men reported for possible assignment to war duties. In December questionnaires were sent to all the remaining registrants and from the replies to these the men were divided into classes, number one being subject to the earliest call, and the men advised of their standing. June 5th, 1918, there was another registration for all young men who had reached the age of twenty-one years since the previous registration. The Franklin County list numbered 1,864. Including those who belonged to units of the Ohio National Guard, Franklin County furnished 15,000 men in response to the Nation's call. During all of the war period soldiers were to be seen in Columbus every day. On Thanksgiving Day, 1917, a thousand of them, from Franklin County and central Ohio, came up from Camp Sherman, paraded the streets and proceeded to the Ohio State University where they gave an exhibition drill and then joined with the civilian spectators in witnessing a football game between teams representing Ohio State and Camp Sherman. The gate receipts amounted to $20,000, which were turned over to the Camp Sherman trust fund for the benefit of those in training there. National training camps for the preparation of men qualified to become officers were opened at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana, and Camp Taylor, Kentucky. The first class at Fort Benjamin Harrison included seventy-three Franklin County men : nine captains, ten first lieutenants and fifty-four second lieutenants. The second class, graduated November 27th, including eighty-six from this county : ten captains, thirty-four first lieutenants and forty-two second lieutenants. Among the large German population in Franklin County there were some individuals who sympathized with the "Vaterland" and gave expression to their opinions before we entered the war. When the break came, the great mass of those of German descent accepted the situation as a matter of course and joined in whatever was to be HISTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY - 269 done. As a general proposition it should be remembered that the German in America came to this country of his own accord and because he preferred it to any other, thus placing himself on record even more definitely than some others who were born here and had no choice in the matter. At the outbreak of the Revolutionary War it was a German Lutheran preacher at Woodstock, Virginia, who concluded his sermon by throwing off his sacred robes, displaying beneath the uniform of a Colonel in the Continental Army and raised a regiment, while the church bells were still ringing, to fight for American independence. During the War of the Rebellion, all through this part of the country, almost every night some German citizen disappeared. Inquiry always disclosed that he had gone "to fight mit Sigel" for the preservation of the Union. In the excitement of war preparation some of these things were forgotten. Some of our fellow citizens with German names were not as tactful as the situation demanded and a few belonged in the class of alien enemies. The number of these and their activities were exaggerated; but they gave some ground for rumors and uneasiness. In the midst of all this Stuart R. Bolin, the United States District Attorney, acted with calm, good judgment. With the power at his command, he gave protection to those who needed it, pointed the way to those inclined to stray from the path of safety and, in a few instances, removed would-be enemies to places provided by the government for war-time internment. Robert E. Pfeiffer, Assistant District Attorney, in charge of the United States Bureau of Information, assisted by the local branch of the American Protective League, not only aided in this work, but in the other branches of the secret service, of which no public record is made and for which no credit is given. The Anti-German sentiment was most prominently displayed by the action of the Board of Education in barring the teaching of the German language from the public schools and by the City Council in changing the German names of several streets and substituting Washington for Schiller in the name of the South End park. As this is written (April, 1930) the City Council has restored the German poet to his former place in the public esteem, without any apparent injury to the memory of George Washington as the Father of His Country. CHAPTER XVII FRANKLIN COUNTY IN FRANCE. THE FOURTH REGIMENT-LOCAL COMPANIES AND OFFICERS-COL. BENSON W. HOUGH-MUSTERED IN AS 166TH-ARRIVAL IN FRANCE AND EARLY TRAINING- THE BACCARAT SECTOR-THE FIRST GREAT BATTLE-THE SECOND BATTLE OF THE MARNE-IN THE ARGONNE-PART OF THE ARMY OF OCCUPATION-RETURN TO COLUMBUS-THE 37TH DIVISION-THE 134TH FIELD ARTILLERY-COL. BUSH- THE 136TH FIELD ARTILLERY-THE 9TH BATTALION-ARMISTICE DAY IN COLUMBUS. There were more than a million American soldiers on the battle line in France and Belgium when the armistice was signed on November 11th, 1918. With the One Hundred Sixty-sixth Infantry, the One Hundred Thirty-four and One Hundred Thirty-sixth artillery and the ammunition and supply trains units there were more than two thousand Franklin County men in the combat area when the guns ceased firing and the world's greatest silence fell. There were others in France with the still larger army preparing for the front and there were thousands in American camps or on special duty in many places. They were in the Navy as sailors or marines and in both the English and French armies there were boys who knew vastly more of High Street than they could ever learn about the Strand or the Champs Elysees. The story of this county's share in the war can be told only in part—the part relating to the organizations that had headquarters here and concerning which there are records at hand. The 14th-4th Regiment O. N. G. has already figured on many pages of this book. Returning from the Mexican border, the regiment was mustered out of the Federal service at Fort Wayne, Indiana, March 3rd, 1917. Service on the border had been a period of inten- - 270 - HISTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY - 271 sive military training; it proved to be anything but a holiday. The Fourth came through it all, including a seventy mile march through the desert, in such manner as to attract the attention of those regular army officers who are forever writing things down for future reference. After the declaration of war the important step was to get soldiers to France. The regular army and the marines were ready, but they could furnish only a small part of the host needed to insure American success. The militia came next. As a matter of military expediency the War Department determined to form a division of militia to be composed of regiments most nearly fitted for immediate service and, as a matter of policy, it was decided that this division should be composed of units from as many different sections of the nation as the plan would permit. Out of this idea developed the 42nd, or Rainbow, Division, composed of National Guard troops from twenty-six states and the District of Columbia. Major General William A. Mann, the Chief of the Bureau of Military Affairs, was largely responsible for the idea in the first place and for its successful development and was placed in command of the division during its formative and training period. The honor of representing our state in this famous division fell to the Fourth Ohio Regiment of Infantry. Using the State Fair Grounds for headquarters, mobilization began in July. Local units of the Ohio National Guard were rapidly recruited to what was then war strength. On August 5th the whole National Guard was drafted into the Federal service and the Fourth regiment became the One Hundred Sixty-sixth U. S. A. It was ordered to Camp Perry, on Lake Erie, where its numerical strength was augmented to 250 enlisted men in each company, making a total for the regiment of 3605 officers and men, the equivalent of the French infantry organizations. Until early in September these troops, a brigade in numbers, were drilled and drilled until they became regiments and until battalions in numbers were remoulded into companies. On July 15th the officers of the regiment from Franklin County were : Colonel Benson W. Hough, then a resident of Delaware, but since the war a citizen of Columbus First Battalion Adjutant, Lt. Henry S. Grave ; Second Battalion Adjutant, Lt. John S. Bailey ; Supply Company—Captain, Oscar O. Koeppel and Second Lt. Harold D. 272 - HISTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY Woolley; Machine Gun Company—First Lt. George W. Graff and Second Lt. Thomas E. Hardman ; Company B., Captain Frank L. Oyler and Second Lt. Earl W. Fuhr ; Company F., First Lt. John S. Stevenson ; Company I., Captain Robert Haubrick and Second Lt. Charles A. Watson. Other companies in the regiment were from Cardington, London, Marion, Marysville, Circleville, Greenfield, Chillicothe, Delaware, Lancaster and Washington C. H. While this regiment, as finally made up, contained soldiers from every quarter of Ohio and, in the course of time, from other states, this county was more numerously represented than any other single section. As the regiment won great distinction in every test to which it was put, it is well to understand something of the reasons for its achievements as a fighting machine. In the first place, the rank and file were in the National Guard for the love of it. They were of the material of which soldiers have always been made. They would have acquitted themselves with credit under any worthy leader on any field ; but they were fortunate in having a colonel whom they understood—almost revered—and who understood and fathered them. Benson W. Hough was born in Delaware County March 3rd, 1875. He graduated from the Delaware High School in 1892 and then attended the Ohio State University where he played football, baseball and tennis while carrying heavy work in the Arts-law course. He graduated in 1899, began the practice of law at home and met with encouraging success. In the meantime he was pursuing his military training. From 1892 to 1897 he was a private in Company K. of the Fourteenth O. N. G. In 1902 he became a First Lieutenant in his company and in June of the same year was commissioned Captain. In June 1905 he was a Major and the following month became Lieutenant Colonel. In 1915 Governor Willis made him Adjutant General of Ohio. After a year and a half of this experience, he resigned, re-enlisted as a private in Company K and was shortly commissioned as Lieutenant Colonel of the Fourth Ohio. On April 9th, 1917 he became colonel of the regiment—forty-two years of age, with education, experience and knowledge of men and with a sound mind in a sound body. HISTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY - 273 Of course pages have been written and published about Colonel Hough. When a lawyer goes to war he usually makes good—the arena is not so different from the forum—and there are things about Hough worth writing. The author of "Ohio in the Rainbow" paints the best portrait in the fewest words : "Crivillier—where Colonel Hough was wont to come in the late afternoons to limber up his arm by playing ball with the mule skinners. How they loved him ! Big, powerful, silent man, who seemed to know everything ; he seldom issued a verbal 'order,' but he often quietly 'suggested' ; he could harness and drive a team of mules with the best of the skinners, and sit his horse like a cavalryman ; he knew when a man was giving his best and he regarded that best by a full confidence and freedom of action—a man who commanded, not men, but the love and respect of men by his example of coolness, courage, adaptability, self-assurance, and above all, a deep respect for the ability of those who served with him." This, then, was the Colonel and the Ohio regiment that proceeded to Camp Mills, near Minneola, Long Island, on September 9th, 1917, on the way "over there." Here the other regiments of the 42nd Division were gathered, and here there was grinding drill day after day until October 17th. That night a portion of the regiment leaving tents standing in the camp, silently boarded trains and proceeded to Long Island City. From there ferries carried them to Hoboken, where two ships but lately engaged in the South American fruit trade, the Henry S. Mallory and the Pastores, engulfed them and shut out the past. These two ships with five others, convoyed by the Cruiser Seattle and two destroyers, were quickly gotten under way and, after an uneventful voyage, landed at St. Nazaire, France, on November 1 st. The remainder of the 166th, consisting of the Third Battalion, the Machine Gun and Supply Companies, left Camp Mills on the 29th of October and embarked on the newly christened Agamemnon, formerly the Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse, appropriated by the government for service in war with the Kaiser Wilhelm der Kleine. On the 15th of November this portion of the 166th disembarked at Brest, the convoy being unable to make St. Nazaire on account of submarines in that vicinity. After memorable excursions across central France, enjoying all the lack of luxury afforded by the French box cars labeled 274 - HISTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY "40 hommes-8 chevaux," the two contingents of the regiment were at last united in the district known as the First Training Area, some seven or eight miles southwest of Toul and within a short day's march of the battle front. At this time the only other American troops in France were the First Division of the Regular Army and the 26th Division, made up of New England militia, which had preceded the Rainbow by only a few days—indeed all units of the 42nd Division reached France before the 26th was wholly assembled. The regiment remained at this station, engaged in intensive preparation for the future until the morning of Christmas when it began the march of its life over a hundred miles of ice and snow, through sleet and storm, to another training area, in which regimental headquarters were established at Perrogney, which is merely another name for "somewhere in France." Here was a battlefield for practice purposes. The area abounded in trenches, handgrenade pits and every facility for training in the arts of destruction. There was constant drill in every little detail, much of it under the watchful eye of the Division Commander, Major General Charles T. Menoher, and his staff, and final polishing off under the instruction and inspection of veteran French officers. The middle of February the Division moved again, moved toward the front, a thoroughly disciplined, trained, hardened American army ready and willing and anxious to do what was to be done and do it soon. The headquarters of the 166th regiment were established in the wreck of a little town known as Domjeveir, between Luneville and Baccarat on February 20th. It was but two days to Washington's birthday. That anniversary was celebrated by the First Battalion of the 166th marching through the mud to a front line trench and relieving a front line battalion of the 14th French Infantry Division. Then the war began. After a short period in this sector, the 42nd Division took over the Baccarat sector, the first American division to be given the responsibility for a complete divisional sector. This was held by the 42nd for one hundred days, the longest continuous period that any American division held a sector. The 166th Infantry was in the