Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-08-23
LOCAL BOYS IN
MACHINE GUN CO.
Sergeant Shickley Tells How
Badly the Home Paper Is
Missed

The Machine Gun Company OF the
Eighth Pennsylvania regiment in
camp on the border at Ell Paso. Texas.
which was organized the early part of
this month in response to the demand
for such a company from the war de-
partment. has on its roster a goodly
percentage of Harrisburg boys who
were taken from the Governors
Troop, the artillery. and from various
companies of the Eighth Infantry.
Sergeant Shickley has written a let
ter to the Telegraph, in which he ex-
plains that since the machine gun
company was organized. the boys who
compose it haven't had any news
from home through the papers and
that naturally they miss it badly. So
a batch of T~elegraphs is now being
sent daily to the Eighth's machine
sun company in care of Top Sergeant
Russell Kinter, of this city. so that at
least it cannot be said that the Harris
burg boys are starving for want of
news.
What the Machine Gun Co. Is Doing
Extracts from the letter follows
FL Paso. Texas.
To the Editor of the Harrisburg Tele-
graph:
Dear Sir:-As I do not think your
paper has heard of the organization
OF the machine gun company of the
Eighth Regiment, I ask YOU to print
this in your paper TO let the people
know just what we are doing.
This, company was organized on Au-
gust 8 by r. c. Crow. who was in the
commissary for years. The lieutenants
are R. NJ. Biddle, of Fountain Springs,
and J. G.. Carroll. of Carlisle. both of
whom have served quite a few years
as staff officers. The Harrisburg boys
that are with the company are Rus
sell kinter, who is first sergeant, for
merly with Company I; Sergeants
BURNETT, Gerdes, Shickley and Stat
terry, Corporals Murlott and Farrall
and Privates Hopple. Shearer and
bers OF Company D; Sergeant Zim-
norman and Privates Greenawalt.
Brant and Crozier OF Company I.
The machine guns we have are the
latest United States model. n al
though there are no drill regulations
for n Lewis machine gun. that did
not worry Captain Crow, for all his
Officers and men went right ahead and
evolved some drill regulations of their
own for the new gun; and they have
their work down so we'll that il can
hardly be improved upon.
A sergeant and corporal and eight
privates comprise a gun crew; the cor
poral is the gunner, the is in
charge of the crew. n man puts in
the loaded magazines, another re-
moves h empty magazines, two men
carry the empties back to the rear
and bring forward the loaded maya
zines. while the other foul remain in
the rear to reload the empties.
IN the drilling of our machine gun
company we lave it down so speedy
that we can unpack the gun and in
stall it in its position for firing at an
enemy in less than one minute. This
is exceedingly fast work
All n regiments of the Pennsyl-
wanna division are equipped with four
Lewis machine guns each. These guns
were manufactured in this country
Tor the British army, but were side
tracked by the border trouble. They
only weigh 24i4 pounds, have sixty
two parts and can fire 440 shots a min
ute.
We were out on the range TODAY
and the officers and men were very
much pleased at the way the guns
were handled. The general and other
lofficers OF the Eighth regiment staff
were with US and reviewed the work.
These guns are transferred on auto
trucks. We have five trucks. one of
which is used for hauling ammuni-
ton and the extra men to the front.
II you Will send us a few copies Of
your paper, I know the boys will en-
JOY them just as they did before.
ours truly.
SERGEANT sHICKLEY.
Machine Gun Co.. Sth Pa. y. G. L. S.
9TH Division, FL Paso, Texas.