The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1916-08-26

troops were across the river. so that
caused our trip. Wednesday morning
we went to the river and changed ont
posts and sent Mexican over ia oct
information. There proved to be 150
troops, formerly Nillistas deserted from
TOrreon, who were on their way 10 ioip
Carranza s troops. They stopped at
Monal, little town opposite the ranch
and divided into three sections. ono
stayed at Monal, one went to ,Gminez
and the others to Las Vegas. so the
danger was very slight and after Can't.
Shaw of Company l. sent in information
to that effect trucks started after MS.
We left Thursday afternoon. 1t
had been raining hard all the forenoon
and the roads were soft and wheeling
was bad. We put 80 men in each truck,
1t took us five hours to go the Is miles
home. The roads were so narrow =
truck would slide into the ditch and
would have to be hauled out bv another
In one place truck got in badly and a
downpour set in, We GOT under the
tarpaulin until it was over then pro
ceeded to get the truck out. We suc
ceeded after working about an hour
and q half. One section of the roadbed
for quarter of a mile was submerged
from one to three feet, caused bv the
surface water from the plains. The
trucks went through this place as though
it WASH t there. The captain took a
picture of one truck with the water up
six inches on the radiator. The trucks
used here in the army are Packard.
built especially for this work and thew
are wonderful machine.
Captain Shaw of Company L is one
of the leading rife experts in the army.
! He was on the board who wrote up the
small arms firing manual and is instruct
or in this for US. All our instructors
are the officers who did the work last
year at the Plattsburg summer school.
On Friday night a heavy storm set
in and turned i'll to a gale, blowing 60
miles an hour. l kept moving around
my tent from J. to 400 driving tent
Ipins to keep my tent from blowing
away. and as it was, the fly was ripped
to the ridgepole. In the morning only
one or two tents We're left complete.
| Four of them had the flies torn to shreds
and three were completely blown down.
| The men woke up with no tent over
them. One officer was rolled out of his
bunk. He had floor and shelves in
his tent and the wind took mp the tent
and the floor went up endWise. He
landed in the mud. These were the of
ficers' tents. Every cook tent and
men s tent in the regiment was blown tC
pieces aud an average of about fou
Ipyramidal tents in each company were
DESTROYED. The Colonel said the damag
in our regiment would exceed $500
The 3rd Infantry Jared about as we did
but the militia regiments had new can
vas. 1t cot blown down, but was not
destroyed.
All this time Company I, 1st Vermont
was on guard at the international rail
road bridge It was a terrible nigh
for men to get out in One could no
stand up straight without getting ended
over unless he was quite nimble. Their,
is a long trcstle leading to the hridgt
and the boys had TO go on their hand
and knees to cross it. This storm wa
general all along the coast and INLAND
beyond Us. All hands have been drvin!
out the last two days.
There has been quite shakeul
among the officers of the Vermont regi
ment. The Colonel says it is for tn
good of the regiment. Lieut.. Sullivan
of Company b of St. Adams is in com
mand Of Company u SLieut. Holmes o
Company took my place and Lieut.
Spaulding has gone TO Company b un
der Captain Pell. Lieut.. Steele o
Company X went TO Company NJ an
Lieut.. Wakefield of Company NJ wen
to Company X.
The boys have served only two day
: under these new commanders and hay
, not expressed their views as yet. Vel
mont has a good, commodious canteer
) Y. NJ. c. A. recreation room, regimenta
, laundry, new pyramidal tents, new coo
and mess houses with roof and screene
sides, and several officers tents are bC
J ing replaced.
When the school is over here and
have worked ont the routine of tn
; camp and get through recruit drills
+ will apply to be detailed back with tn
| LIST Vermont and make a strong bid t
get back with Company |.
LIEUT.. ROY b. MINER.