Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1907-01-02
DRAW RATIoNs FROM UNCLE SAM"

Below we publish a communication
written to the CENSOR by Cassius NJ.
Campbell, who together with Hugh
Glenn left this city some months ago,
to enlist in the naval service. They
are at present stationed at the training
station at Newport, Rhode Island.
EDITOR CENSOR: AS today is a legal
holiday and we do not have to go
through the usual daily routine, | will
drop you few lines in regard to the
training station here and life in the bar
racks in general. 1t is nearly two
months since | arrived here and like
it better every day. There were some
thing over a thousand men in the bar
racks when | first arrived. but of late
different drafts of men have gone 1ut,
which reduces our present numbar to
about three or four hundred Par. of
the men went on the Illinois, some
on the Missouri" and still oth RS were
sent to the transport ship, 'Glazier y
| do not know how soon our battalion
will be drafted, but hope it will be be-
fore long. | will say one thing about
an enlisted mans daily lie here and
that is, it is very heathful one. Ev-
erybody turns out at O'Clock sharp
every morning when revielle is sounded,
and go down to a fine shower bath
which is taken after a bowl of cocoa
served every morning the first thing.
After the bath is taken call is sounded
for quarters and every man falls to
and helps clean up the various parts of
the large building before breakfast, or
what we call mess. After mess we
are called to quarters again and indulge
in the physical drill with and without
arms, which is the best thing in the
world for q person having weak lungs.
We also go through the 'semaphore,
a naval signal code by which certain po-
sitions of the arms signify a letter.
These signals are of course, used on
board a man of war, but we have to
learn here. When all the morning drill
is over we have a ten-minute recess,
after which the different classes Of mil
ltary instruction go to their respective
places of practice, either in the shoot
ing galleries, the ranges or the class of
tactics, which include the manual of
arms and the two different signal codes,
semaphors and Sigwag. the latter a
code in which the figures one and two
made alternately, signify the letter of
the alphabet |, with the others of the
working party, or class of seamanship,
worked on the famous old ship, Con-
stellation, last week, which is now
used as training ship at this station.
She a three-masted ship with four
decks and in looking through them the
difference can readily be seen between
the life the sailors of her time, ITS
1860, and the sailors life of today on
board our modern floating forts A
fine box of stationery and pencils was
presented to every man at the station
last night, and we had as fine . dinner
today as anybody could wish for. so it
will be seen that the men are not used
bad at all, as some people represent
them to be- AS q rule, especially along
the coast towns, a sailor is regarded
more in the light of a tramp than as
one who is in the service of one of the
most powerful nations in the globe.
Here in this fashionable city of New
port the people are especially careful
that they do not touch their purple ana
fine linen against the blue of Uncle
Sam. But the sailors consider the
source and have inst as good a time
without them.
CAssIUs NJ. CAMPBELL.
December 25, 1906.
MISS NINA SULLIVAN