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Show mi raw Mrs. V. K. Vanderbilt Risks Her Life to Hear , Cannon Can-non Boom. I'A !'!., Au;.'. . Details have just icen learned here of a trip made to the J Yejh-fj ( ron t a f"y day.- ao by M rs. William K. Vanderbilt through the special spe-cial pei mission of the miniver of war. She v; as accompanied by A. Piatt Andrew, An-drew, di rec( or of the field sections of the American ambulance. The schedule of the trip called for visits to headquarters, where five field ambulance units are now working. It was Jtb-d with more danger and genuine thrills than are usually the lot of visitors visit-ors at the front. Leaving Paris she told Mr. Andrew she honed ''to hear the cannon.'' He a smi red her that, her ears would ring b'fore thei r return. One night was passed at Pont-a-Mousson, where she declared she had the crowning experi-en.-e of her rather i nclusive career. There was a ht a vy German bombardment bombard-ment of the town and she was quartered quar-tered in a house where the American ambulance drivers were lodged. .She was awakened by exploding shells and ; heard walls collapsing not far away as ! the :-hei!s loosened the foundations, j Mrs. Vanderbilt vi-ited a De Hecours post, from which ambulances carrv the, wounded and where they are within a ! thousand yards of the German trenches. I At one place she was walking in an I exposed position near the French ina-1 ina-1 chine guns. A soldier was shocked j speechless by the sight of a womau where no woman had been since the bat tle lines were estaidisned. lie sprang to her side and made signs to her to get away. She laughed. Then the soldier sol-dier found his voice and explained that only a few minutes previously a man had been killed five feet from where she was standing. Convinced of her danger, she sought shelter. Later in her automobile she traveled a short distance over a road co"r?d by German batteries. One shell, evidentlv aimed at her machine, fell in the road a hundred yards behind. The last place visited was Verdun, where she .lined with the American ambulance Jriv?rs at their mess. She wa the first American woman to enter the citv, the only other women being nurses. Mrs. Vanderbilt wore a white dress on the entire trip, white stockings and white walking boot. The onlv marks of color were her blue veil aii'.l a red cross upon her arm. |