Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1898-08-03
LIKE THEIR new CAMP.
First Wisconsin Now Has SAM =
tary Quarters.
BOYS HEALTH GOOD.
Water Supply is Good and Drainage
ExceIIent-SiCk List Has
Been Large.

Camp Cuba Libre Jacksonville, Fla,
July 3O.-[Special.l-Th officers of the
First Wisconsin express themselves as
greatly pleased with the new camp,
which is now established, and the daily
routine of duties once more taken up. 1t
is hoped that the fever cases VIII rapidly
lessen, as the drainage, water supply and
general arrangements are admirable from
sanitary point of view. There are
now sixty eight men of this regiment in
the division hospital and the sick list
each morning has been around the 100
mark. The regiment is completely iso-
lated from all others and has by far the
best camp of all.
Ihe baseball team met the players of
the Fourth Illinois this afternoon
Mrs. Stearns of Monroe, wife of Mai
Stearns of the Second battalion, is here
on two weeks visit with her husband
A messhouse and practice room for the
band will be built as soon as the new
camp is established. The officers of the
First battalion will also erect dining
hall. The number of frame buildings be-
ing put up around camp removes the last
ivestige of doubt as to what the men
think about moving to the front. The
soldiers are expanding money freely to
build wooden shacks and to put floors in
the tents. Some of these structures are
built high up between two convenient
trees and the boys ascend through a trap
door in the bottom. They are clean and
airy and well out of the way of the
floods. Privates Cole AMI Wellman of
Go. e have put up tight little building,
Z by feet, at an expense of only 500.
which is made of fine Joined lumber and
is fitted up with a table, cots and house
hold utensils in swell style. Two Mil
waukee boys, Rupert Smith and Charles
Peterson, have had a like building put
up in Co. rs street. The rainy weather
sorely tried the boys who have been liv-
ing in the shelter tents. There is no pro-
vision to close the end of these fimsy
affairs and the canvas leaks badly in most
of them. The boys lay with their heads
but a few inches from the roof and the
water comes in like fine spray from an
atomizer on the upturned faces of the
sleepers. Getting wet in Florida, how
ever, is not as serious a matter as 1t Is
under Northern skies, however, and
when inspection comes Ill the morning
everything is dry, warm and arranged in
orderly fashion in the tents.
Keeping an Eye on the Boys.
DR.. Evans receives letters almost daily
from the anxious mothers Of the boys
from Milwaukee and other towns, en-
quniring how they are getting along and
beseeching the doctor to keep an eye on
their youngsters. They want to be in
formed Immediately if any sickness be-
pathetic inquiries as to their welfare
If the undutiful son fails to write regu-
larry, the folks at home instantly jump
at the conclusion that some insidious
Southern malady has him in its clutches
and start an investigation at once Maj
Evans always makes it a point to hunt
up the alleged victim, finds him alive and
kicking and replies to the letter adding
any little cheering news that might allay
the maternal misgivings. There is an in
tense desire among the men to prevent
any news of their illness reaching the
folks at home for fear of the worriment
it may cause them and it is tacitly under
stood among the boys that they will send
nothing of the kind in their personal let
1erS.
A Corpora1's Box Trousers.
There is a spruce young corporal in
Co. | who is always neatly attired, but
has no end of trouble with the negro
iaundresses who do up his clothes. He
sent pair of blue trousers to be washed,
giving the black ''mammy'' full instruc-
lions as to how they should be treated.
He wanted them creased, and after many
Understandings on the part of the mys
tilted old negress and protestations that
she 'nebber done put cracks in any
gemmen's pants befOh," she departed
with the bundle. The trousers came
back, ironed hard and fiat as a board
with the creases on the sides, and
Auntlc S DoamlnS smile turned TO a look
of perpleXed CONSERVATION when she met
the young mans expostulations. She in
sisted on righting the matter, however,
and carried them off with a look of deter
animation in her eyes. The next day she
presented the garments with the Cracks"
in front all right enough, but she didn't
iron out the others and each leg of the
young mans pants looks like an oblong
box with well-defned corners. These
Washerwomen throng the streets every
morning, looking for clothes. There are
all sorts of them-pretty, pert young yell
low gals" who generally want to en-
phasize the fact that they are only carry
ing home the goods for mamma" stout
old mammys, wide of girth and decked in
t1oWery calico gowns and balancing bas-
kets on their heads, generally with one
or two pickaninnies tugging at their skirts
and dignlied old darkiess with patriarchal
boards an strange assortment of
clothes-and they furnish endless amuse-
ment to the soldiers The older darkies
never seem to understand why they are
debarred from crossing accustomed roads
and will stand arguing with a sentinel
for half an hour and then turn away with
puzzled headshake