Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-07-13
AS THEY LOOK TO TEXAN EYES
Husky VermOnters First to Ar
rive at Eagle Pass.
Tired, Dusty md Travcl-Stained, They
Nevertheless Lose No Time in Get
ting Down to Work under n
Tropical sun.

Vermont infantry, now at Eagle Pass,
Texas sends the Free Press a copy of the
semi-weekly Eagle Pass Herald, dated
July 6. which contains an account of the
arrival of the Vermont regiment. and
which will be read with interest by the
friends Of the boys. Under thrce-column
heading Vermont Regiment First to Ar
rive" the story reads as follows:
THE first troops of National Guards
to arrive in Eagle Pass were the Ner-
monters. They left the Green Noun
tain State Tuesday afternoon and
without stop anywhere along the
| route of more than 80 minutes made
it into Eagle Pass Sunday afternoon.
They were tired. dusty and travel
stained. and the task of unloading
and pitching of camp and making
! ready for the first night was not "A
welcome task. but they tackled the
job. Heavily loaded trucks were soon
dumping the equipment at the site To-
Gated for the Ncrmonters and while
streets were laid out and the as
semblng of company stuff was under
way. the boys got their first taste OF
a tropical sun.
| There was certain novelty in the
game to many of them. and the fact
that they had landed on the border
and were putting in within a few
hundred yards of the land of the Mon
tezumas added considerable spice, but
speculation was laid aside and the
camp site. which had only been
cleared and cleaned off. and water
connections laid, demanded all of their
time for there must be some hustling
! when a new camp is pitched. Tents
must go up pits dug, rough and UNI
slightly places removed and such
things done as would make sanitary
conditions as nearly perfect as possi-
BILE. for soldier never know
when camp of this kind is struck
whether it is for a week, year or the
entire enlistment
by night everything was in such a
shape that making it by in fairly
good style was possible. The water,
delivered from the reservoir in pipes
laid on top of the ground reached
camp at near the boiling point and
this was the most disagreeable fea-
ture.
ITO these men from section where
big trees and shady groves abound the
mesquite brush was indeed a curiosity
and many comments were made upon
the absence of shade.
The visitors from town were asked
many questions and the Nermonters
We're surprised to learn that Eagle
Pass. a little city of 10000 people. &C
per cent. of which were Mexicans. had
never been raided and had never had
a disturbance of any kind, and that
the Mexican population across the
river at Piedras Negras came across
the foot bridge daily, securing theil
4 food and transactng business as Il
there was no such thing as horde,
= troubles. They couldn't realize It, Al
the way down there was heard al
kinds of war talk and they were in
. frame of mind to expect any but
= peaceful situation
/ Hundreds of Mexican children anc
= women watched them unload, and
Mexican boy riding a burro into cam
= was made the center of attraction.
t big husky Vermonter taking a try a
:. whether the little mule could bea
= his weight. When the little ANNA
d trotted off. ears Topping and tai
e switching, the crowd cheered and be
X came more curious. Somebody fount
r a horned toad and then the snak
question was uncorked. and there wa
d some disappointment noted when the,
q many snakes anywhere near camp. an
= to find them they would have to go on
70 In the cactus and in the hills.
% After supper a dust storm swep
G through the camp. giving them tn
= first taste Of an exceedingly disagree
able feature Of all dry sections. Man
- OF them were under the impressio
:, that. like the tide. these winds cam
about that time every evening, an
+, were greatly surprised when inform
. ed that another might not come 70
=, months, while on the other hand, on
was liable to come in the morning. a
- noon, or any old time that condition
- were exactly right. They all drew
picture of themselves trying to pu
~ down a portion of beans during on
80 of these little blows.
" ION Monday the work OF straighter
u ing out and getting camp in shar
. was continued and splendid hcadwa
s. was made.
H. THE regiment is composed of mo
~ of all professions and trades--or
ne company having many skilled machr
Ell lists, most of them from one machir
shop. Among them will be foun
IN newspapermen, stenographers an
ne employees of big manufacturing firm
err To land them right out in the sun c
EN- marches and drills would be tortur
w and for a time they will do only tv
hours drilling each day. which. addt
to camp duties. will soon put an eds
&c on them. There has been no sickne
is yet and they are all we'll pleas,
with their camp and location"