The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1916-07-13

How an aeroplane killed a calf and
the truck drivers exchanged empty
gasoline cans for chicken dinner, are
among the anecdotes related by Geo.
Kimball, motor truck mechanic re-
Gently returned from Mexico. Kimball
is one OF the shop men sent to Mexico
by The Thomas B. Jeffrey Company
with the second contingent of fifty
four Jeffrey Quad trucks. He arrived
at Ell Paso, Texas, on March 21st last
with trainload of trucks, drove over
land with the Quads to Columbus, N.
M, and was assigned to a truck train
leaving for Mexico.
Along with the other civilian truck
drivers, Kimball was rugged out with
a new army uniform, a rife with fifty
rounds of ammunition and Colt auto.
matte with one hundred cartridges, but
was given strict orders not to do any
shooting except. in self defense. In
over two months Of service in Mexico,
not even sniper fred at Kimball 8
truck train, and the only exciting ex-
perience with the Mexican inhabitants
was in dickering with the native
peddlers who sold food at famine prices
to the American soldiers and truck
drivers.
The first trip was to Bocas Grande,
thirty-three miles across the border,
passing, on the way, the grave of
Mckinney, one of the Americans MUIR
dered by Villa 8 bandits a short time
before the raid on Columbus. The
trucks were unloaded and returned 70
Columbus, where the Jeffrey men spent
two days instructing the soldiers in
the art of driving motor trucks. Mean
while, another shipment of ffty-fou
Quads arrived at Columbus, and kim
ball was assigned to truck No. 10 in
Jefery Truck Train No. 4, leaving for
an eighteen day trip into Mexico.
A Waterless Desert.
The first days run covered eighty
FIVE miles through desert country. AS
cencion, small army camp, was the
first stop. Eight of the Quads unloaded
supplies and ammunition for the
soldiers, and the following day the
trucks proceeded to Big Bend, twenty
seven miles further south. At Big
Bend the empty trucks were assigned
to passenger duty, transporting soldiers
between camps. The return trip, to
Ascension and back, was made in four
and quarters hours, which was
quick work considering the heavy 60
ing. This run was mostly over prairie
land, badly cut up by the transport
vehicles, and including one rather
steep mountain.
The eight truck drivers waited un-
der orders at Big Bend for six days,
expecting to transport soldiers to the
scene of a rumored attack ON the line
of communications. But it was false
alarm. So the trucks were ordered to
Oasas Grandes where they rejoined the
rest of the train which in the mean
time had made trip south to General
Pershing's headquarters, 6 somewhere
in Mexico" At the latter place it
"oS WHY COlQs uG IduIdUOTS were
drained of water, to prevent damage
from freezing, and in the morning the
water in the buckets was covered with
one and one-half inches of ice.
Famine Prices for Pie.
During the early days of the expedi-
ton, before the commissariat was fully
organized, the men often went hungry
and thirsty. The native Mexicans and
Cinnamon reaped fine harvest during
this period. They would come into
camp with seven or eight burros hitch
ed to a little wagon, and bake pies to
sell to the men cat seven different
prices" as one of them put it. The
prices charged were outrageous, and
half of The stuff was not fit to eat.
Much of the country covered by the
expedition is practically worthless at
present. The only trees are cotton
woods growing along the rivers. There
is good grazing land within a mile or
so Of the rivers, but the rest is desers,
sparsely covered with mesquite aud
cactus. There seems to be no fish in
the streams which usually dry up in
the hot seasons. For miles and miles
the only birds are buzzards which live
off the dead animals and men that line
the trails and various battlefelds.
Where irrigation is practiced, as on the
Corralitos and other American-owned
ranches, the land is productive.
The people appear to be dazed most
OF the time. Their adobe houses arc
often in ruins as a result of bandit
raids. They seem to have had all the
ambition crushed out of them. At first
they used to hide when the truck trains
passed through. Later, when they
found the Americans did not modest