Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-07-07
D. c. MEN CROSSING
OKLAHOMA TODAY
Guardsmen Have Covered
Nearly TWo-Thirds of Jour-
ney to Bisbee.
ALL IN GOOD HEALTH
IN SPITE OF HARD TRIP
Soldiers Are Receiving Instructions
Daily About Duty on Border, and
Discipline Is Strict.
BY J. CROSBY MCCARTHY,
Staff Correspondent of The Star.

Staff Correspondent of The Star.
| SHAWNEE, Okla, July 7 (on
board the District National Guard
special train). Nearly two-thirds
of the distance from the mobiliza-
ton camp at Fort Myer, Va, to
the concentration camp at Bisbee
Ariz., had been traversed by the
first contingent of the District
militia when it reached here at
o:o7 o'clock this morning.
Revolvers and cartridges are being
distributed. with instructions to be
ready for border duty. The officers are
emphatic in warnings not to load the
| revolvers while on the train. They are
issuing strict instructions regarding
what the men are to do when they
| reach Bisbee
Men Are Being Instructed.
Iney are DelnS ADVISED tHdt lHey
| must be prepared to go on duty imme-
diately, that while they probably will
not be called upon to fight OFF any raids,
| they must be vigiIant. In other words,
| they are having it impressed upon them
that they are to enter Bisbee ready for
serious work. and that the camp is not
to be the scene of an outing, but that
they are there to perform specific and
serious duty for the government The
camp discipline is to be very strict.
None of the more than 500 men COM
prising the Field Hospital. Signal
Corps and Est Separate Battalion (col-
ored), which are on this special train,
despite the hot. dirty trip and the close
atmosphere of the crowded train. They
are all in excellent spirits, which are
rising constantly as they come nearer
to the end of their train journey.
Weather Ideal, Everybody Happy.
So far the trip Of the Signal Corps
and the Field Hospital unit Of the Dis
trict National Guard to Bisbee, Ariz,
has been as enjoyable as could be ex-
pected under the circumstances The
weather is ideal and everybody seems
to be happy.
The country through which the train
is passing is new to the majority of
the members OF both units. and most
of the time is being spent by the
guardsmen looking out of the car win
dows.
A lot Of letter writing is being done.
and since the train pulled out of Ross
lyh, Va, hundreds of post cards have
! addressed
point the train stops bundle of mail
matter is thrown off to the station mas
ter or some other person on the plat
form with the request that it be placed
in mail box.
The coaches in which the guardsmen
are riding are quite antiquated, and
they careen from one side to the other
like. ship at sea. This makes it very
hard for the cooks and those assigned
to help them. Cooking Is dangerous
work under the circumstances, for one
has to be extremely careful to avoid
being thrown against the cooking
ranges by the lurching of the train.
Often the contents of the pots and pans
on the stove splash over. and the cooks
have to jump to keep from being
| scalded.
Have Difficulty in Shaving.
Some of the wiser members of the
bunch" wait until the train stops at
some station to take on ice and water
before attempting to shave. Some
have cut their faces in their attempt to
shave while the train is in motion.
P. E. Padgett of the Field Hospital
Company is an expert barber and he
| has had plenty to do for the last few
| hours. No matter how much the train
| rocks he has no difficulty in shaving
| his comrades. When the train stopped
at Knoxville he rugged up a chair on
| one Of the fat cars bearing the wire
| reels and transport wagons and shaved
several militiamen. He had an audience
of a hundred or more persons who
| were waiting to board local train.
| Members of the signal and field hos
| pital units are mighty sorry to have
| been forced to leave the Fort Myer
| camp without their pay. Just how long
it will be before their pay reaches Bis
bee no one on the train knows. Some
| Of the men are far from being flush"
and they are getting bit anxious
about the situation.
| This afternoon surgeons Of the field
hospital company are busy giving mem
! bers of their unit and of the Signal
/ Corps their second shot" of the typhoid
! prophylactic. Some of the surgeons
/ were in readiness to take their third
shot" Capt. William B. Hudson. Capt
G. NJ. Dollman and Capt. J. b. Began
/ handled the needles
! Administering the anti-typhoid vac
! cine was no easy task on the train.
! one of the sections was temporarily
! transformed into a miniature operat-
ing room. An alcohol stove was set
up on a chest to heat water in which
| TO sterilize the hypodermic syrinees.
, The surgeons could not make the
speed that characterized their work
| when they yaccinated the men at (amn
I Ordway.
Glad of Chance for Exercise.
At several stations the men have filed
out of the train to take a little exer-
else. The stretch your legs" order