The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1916-02-02

avenue, this city, now in the rear of
the French lines making radiators,
has written a letter to Business Agent
Baumgartner of the International
MoIders' Union Of North America.
Since he arrived in the war zone,
Mr.. Clampett has become imbued
with an added sense of the desirable
ity of the United States a place to
live.
Mr. CIampett left this city several
years ago, for Detroit, whence he
went to Europe. He is a brother of
William C1ampett, known in Bridge
port as a singer, and the son Of Mrs.
Margaret Clampett. The letter fol-
lows:
Dole, France, Aug. 20, 1915.
Friend Fred:
No doubt you were quite surprised
to learn that I had crossed the big
pond and came to France at this par
ticular time, but then you we'll know
that I have the happy faculty of do
ing the unexpected. After leaving
your fair city roamed, as has been
my custom, at will over Uncle Sans
great and glorious domain, and even
tualIy arrived in the city of Detroit,
where I secured employment with the
American Radiator Co. After work
ing for about month I felt as though
had served the company long and
faithfully (Which is another bad hab-
it of mine). and was thinking of seek
ing pastures anew when the PROPOSE
ton was offered to me to come to
France. to work in the factory that is
situated in this wonderfully large city
of Dole. I became imbued with the
spirit of a Napoleon (n1ore worlds
to conquer), SO accepted the offer,
so here I am in Dole, a city of about
ten thousand souls Chat is, counting
dogs, horses, cats etc. This is one
Il 10
that you would like to read about, no
doubt, full of ancient history, if
were but able to speak the language
to find it out. In fact, it was at one
time occupied 1.-THE Romans, and on
every side you can still see the work
Of the Roman Empire of the old days,
when Rome was the world. so to
speak. -
We-are about thirty miles from
Switzerland and as write I look out
of my window and see that wonder
full mountain, Mt. Blanc, and the ad-
joining peaks in the distance. Believe
me, Fred, it sure is a most beauti-
full sight.
Before dwelling more on the beau
ties Of France I must give you brief
story of my trip over. sailed on the
good ship Patria from New York on
the 18th of June, and everything
went well until just before reaching
route), where it was reported an Aus
trian submarine was seen. ITnmedi-
ately the ship was shrouded in dark
ness at night, and continued so until
the end of the trip. We had fifteen
hundred italian reservists on board,
all going back to fight Austria, so you
see we would have been a very nice
target for a submarine.
In passing into the Straits of Glib
ra1tar we saw in the distance war
vessel and for while we all held our
breath, and believe me it was with the
greatest of pleasure we saw that she
was English. ~
It would be most a, crime to pass on
at this time. without saying a word or
two about Gibraltar. Believe me,
Fred, the English sure have some
thing to be proud of there, to see that
great big gigantic rock standing there
on guard, so to speak, between the
Atlantic and the Mediterranean, and
facing the coast of Africa-it certain
ly is "a wonderful work of nature.
The first stop was at Naples, Italy,
where we unloaded the gallant fifteen
hundred, and such cheering and yell
ing you never heard as when that
bunch was turned loose. The dock
was lined with people to welcome
them home, and they set up such
cry that L am sure you could almost
hear it in Cleveland. We spent the
day sightseeing around Naples, visit
ing such places as the National Mu-
scum, MT. Vesuvius. also the Lost City |
of Pompeii. Pompeii, as you know
was completely destroyed by a volca-
no in 10 A. D.. and lay there com |
plete1y submerged in lava and cinders
until the year 1857, when it was acct
dentally discovered again. An Ita1- |
ian engineer started in to excavate it,
and the work is being continued, lit
tie by little each year, until now they
have more than half of it reclaimed.
It certainly is the most wonderful
sight it has ever been my pleasure to
behold. You know, Fred, it came on
with practically no warning and the
people were caught like rats in a trap,
SO to speak They have dug out
the bodies of men, women and chill
dren. Also of dogs, cats, horses, ETC.
all in different positions-some kneel-
ing, some sitting, some even lying IN
bed. They have all been dug out in
their original positions, encased in
solid lava, and win be preserved I'M
til the end of time. In fact, | would
need the pen of Jack London or
Mark Twain to properly describe 1t as
it should be.
1t was with the deepest regret that
1 left the city of Naples, for it just
abounds in historic lore.
My next stop was Marseilles, where
we spent a day, and from there to
Dole by easy stages. taking in all 20
days, so you see it was quite trip.
The city of Dole is, as said before, !
about thirty miles from Switzerland
and about sixty miles from the firing
line, so the town is being used as a
base for the army at the front.
Every available building has been
conf1scated by the Government for
hospitals and barracks, and believe
me, Fred, those Dutchmen must be
pretty good shots judging from the,
sights I have seen.
Z visited one of the hospitals last
Sunday, and was in the operating
room just as the wounded were being
dressed, and, oh. what a, pitifu1 sight
it was to see those poor fellows, sick
and bleeding, caught in that hellish
me that statesmen call war. and to