New Britain herald., 1916-07-11
DRILL, DRILL, DRILL
 FOR LOCAL SOLDIERS New Britain Boys at Nogales Put
 Through Strenuous Schooling FIREWORKS CAUSE SCARE
Nogales Citizens Give Celebration for Soldiers on July and Bombs Give Impression of Sudden Border Att tack.

synonymous as far as heat here is con- cerned. Today we got down to active work drilling and believe me it was the hottest ordeal that any of the boys in Company I, or any of the others, ever want to be put through again. Ina zine standing out in the blazing sunshine, with the mercury threaten ing every minute to boil over and burst the top of the therm ometer, and drilling, drilling, drilling. Then we would drill some more! The drill masters seem to be determined to make soldiers out of us, and if dril- ling is going to do 1t I can see where we make the veteran campaigners look like kindergarteners. The ex- cessive heat put few boys under the weather for awhile, but they all came around all right. The typhoid vac- cinations also help to make them feel a little off color but in a few days all will round out in good shape. But there is no cause for complaint and the officers are considerate and be- cause of the heat are not working us as hard as they would otherwise
 Long Siege Expected.
 Camp Holcomb has now assumed
 
 army camp. Strict orders have been issued regarding the sanitation of the camp and each man is instructed to take extra precautions with keeping his own body clean because of yer min. No dogs or others pets are per- rnitted in camp without permits from the commanding officer and no mili- tary horses are permitted on the camp streets. A number of stray sur dogs that have infested the camp have been dispatched. Dog Warden John Cof- fey of New Britain, whose son Is in Company E, would have been right in his element during the extermination Of these beasts. Every indication is that we are preparing for long siege of it and the boys now believe that we will be here for a long time. Owing to the excitement, the change of air, water, food, hours, etc, it will go rather hard on the boys for awhile but they are already showing signs of becoming acclmated.
 One thing that is causing no end of joy among the soldiers is the con- struction of a shower bath and tub in camp. Heretofore the men have had to bathe as best they could in inn provised tubs. The cooling shower and ample tub will certainly be as welcome as an oasis in the desert.
 Fireworks Cause War Scare.
 In my letter written yesterday (July A I remarked that the fourth was certainly a slow day. It was a slow day, but at night it was far different and we had excitement and then some, though none of it of a serious nature The civilians of the +rsl, . funds enough to purchase a good dis play of fireworks which were set off for the benefit of the soldiers Tn ad- dtiion to having a number of set pieces they had a, number of loud ' bombs and sky rockets. As soon as l the bombs began to explode with l thunderous detonations and the rock ! cts blaze in the air there was a wild scramble along the streets. Soldiers | and civilians all scattered for shelter | and the same was true in Nogales, Sonora, the Mexican side of the town l The impression at first was that there 1 was a skirmish on There were several hundred American soldiers on the i International highway, just across l from the Mexican guard, and 1t was | feared that they had been attack There is little fear of any American 1 soldier being the aggressor, however, l for orders here are very strict. There 1 is also little chance for any American l soldier to cross the boundary line for l if he is caught by any of his 1officers | a sentence of ninety days in the guard 1 house awaits him. And it has been l impressed upon the men that this will 1 be enforced to the letter.
 Amateur Cyclone Hits Camp. The weather here is the most freak l 1sh l ever saw One minute it is hot | ter than Coney Island on a summer s ! cay and the next minute one has to
 double peg the tents to keep some
 amateur cyclone from blowing them l away. At noon today we had minia- 1 ture tornado when a small windstornl | struck Company l.. street. It was a l new experience for most of us Cots, ! trousers, hats, socks, B. V. D.'s, letters l and everything else that was not
 nailed down blew into the air in one
 grand mess. One man, Private Smith l from Willimantic, suffered a double l misfortune. Not only his tent home 1 ruined but his cot bed was blown
 into the air also. Tn it's rapid course
 of flight the cot struck the Williman- | tic soldier over the eye, inf1icting an ] ugly gash It took seven stitches to l close the wound. None of the New | Britain boys was injured
 Praise for N. B. Men.
 The newspapers in NOgaleS in the l other border towns and en route from | Mantle across the continent are all 1 giving Connecticut and New Britain
 boys a good reputation and from their showing both on and off the field they
 certainly deserve it. There is no | more conscientious or hard working 1 bunch of men on the border than 1 these same men from your own home
 town And maybe these same boys