New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-09-22

IN an ever increasing stream. AS we
w.rcb. Cd into our site the list gave US yen
Of welcome. Company - staggered 10 ir'
feet and sent back one OF our songs hsii'
Hail, the Gangs All Here" Then we ui-
rolled packs. Each man carries III 'hiS
shelter half; two men, each with s"ei'e.
half. together make one dog tent. our heA.
Job was to clear a space large enough 10 pu'
nm tn. tent. as the field was entirely COW
cred with a peculiarly tough form OF e"e'I =.
that had to be cut away With bayonets. /,
was no easy task, but it had TO be done, and
done quick. that we might get out OF the
sun At last all tents were pitched, and the
men crawled in, painting like spent hounds.
That first day is day we all wish 10
forget. The hospital tent was full to over
flowing. You could see a man stagger from
his tent half blinded with heat, pitch forward
and 20 down in an inert heap. The stretcher
would come and away he would go 10 the
hospital. At o'clock God was good to u.s.
il began to cloud up, and in a short time
heavy rain was falling. 1t was hfesaver'
and we crawled out to let it drench us AT
o'clock revived lot of men lined up Tor
mess of hash, bareback and coffee.
The Soldiers Menu.
Here l might say that it isn't my remark
six weeks ago-the reason | know so well is
that for the first ten days our menu was
composed of beans, bareback corn beef and
coffee Later to this was added canned to-
matoes In the last two weeks our mess mas
been much better. Yesterday We had break
fast-rce, prunes and coffee; dlnner-soup
and coffee; supper-potatoes, meat, pudding
made of rice and cinnamon, with tea. HARD
tack was also served at all meals. GIVE US
meals like this, and we won't KICK, Dut 1or
the first three weeks my greatest desire was
to walk into a Broadway restaurant, order q
plate OF corned beef hash-when 1t came 70
cover it with cigarette stumps and other
refuse, then order real meal and make the
corned beef sit there and watch me eat.
While am enumerating our woes, might
as we'll tell you of one that the government
has no hand in-ran. ! didn't know so much
water could fall as has been coming down OF
late. The 10Th are in hard luck, as our camp
is on low ground, and when the water comes
it floods US Compar les - and -- were
two feet under water a few days ago. As
we sleep on the ground, and the rain as a
rule starts about midnight, we get II good
and proper If you have followed the 18th
in the papers at all you know we have new
colonel; his name is j, big man, with a
soft Southern drawl. He is regular army
man and has the reputation Of being willing
70 charge hell with bucket Of water. lie
superseded Colonel - two weeks after our
arrival, and might say that there was not
man in camp that did not directly feel his
influence within twenty-four hours.
A Deluge at Night.
Let me tell you my first experience with
him. 1t was around 1 a. m; the camp was
sound asleep. Suddenly | awoke; something
wet was in nv bed. let out yell. "All up"
shouted, "the tent is flooded" Owe sleep
in larger tents now-eight men to tent
II was pitch dark, the rain was coming down
in bucketfuls. | put my hand on the ground
beside me and found three inches of water
BY this time the squad was awake; one man
laughed, another swore. | found my matches
but they were wet and would not light. The
water seemed to be coming in on my side
alone; the rest were taking it as joke. 1t
was the first experience of being flooded, and
they didn't know what they were up against.
At last light was struck. Ny words were
all too true; we were being flooded. Outside
was lake of water and it was pouring in;
men were beginning to pop out of their tents
the icy rain would drive them back for a