Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-07-12
D. c. GUARDSMEN.
SEE FIRST Poems
Track Workers Wave at Troop
Train on Route in New
Mexico.
SOLDIERS ARE AMAZED
AT THE LACK OF TREES
Men Spend Their Time Wondering
How People Can Live in Such
Country.
STAFF Correspondence of The Star.

! STAFF Correspondence Of The Star.
ABOARD THE DISTRICT NATIONAL
GUARD SPECIAL. SOMEWHERE IN
NEW MEXICO, July S.-We have seen
the Mexicans; not the warlike sort
south of the border. but Mexicans,
nevertheless.
Early this morning when the train
carrying the Signal Corps and Field
Hospital units and 1st Separate Bat
talon of the District National Guard
to Bisbee, Ariz, was nearing Tucum-
carl N. NJ. the first Mexican was seen.
He was a very inoffensive looking
trackworker. who stood on an embank-
ment and waved his dilapidated SOM
brero as the train sped past.
An instant later quite a party Of
Mexican trackworkers was passed. and
, before long the first Mexican women
We're seen. They were standing in
front of adobe huts on either side of
the railroad. The militiamen waved
to them but received no response. They
did not move, but stood there gazing
at the train with blank expressions on
their faces.
First Introduction to Mexicans.
Soon the train came to a stop at
small settlement. There were several
small houses which appeared to be
cupied by Americans and number of
adobe huts. Before one of them were
about dozen Mexican children. Again
the militiamen waved their hands, and
this time they received response. The
children waved their hands in return
and shouted words which those on the
train could not understand. Several
| newspapers and magazines which the
militianen had finished reading were
thrown out of one of the car windows
to the children. Some of the less timid
ones ran to pick them up. The pic
lures in the magazines seemed to make
a great hit with them.
This was the militiamen's first in
PRODUCTION to the Mexicans. Since then
they have seen hundreds. for all day
long the train has been passing their
adobe huts. We have been passing
through rolling waste country. The
greater portion of it is so poor" that
even sage brush will not grow. DC
casionally a small cultivated patch is
seen close to the adobe habitations.
Some dWarfud corn is seen, but that
is about all.
To the District of Columbia guards
men, who are accustomed to green
| country, trees and numerous streams.
| this country is mystifying. They are
| at a loss to know how the Inhabitants
| of the adobe houses manage to live.
During the past ten hours the train
| has passed over the beds of scores of
| water was flowing. We are in a coun-
| try where a stream as big as Piney
! branch is called a river and any as
| big as Rock creek simply doesn't
| exist. Sometimes the train passes a
tree big as the kind seen in three
/ room apartments at Christmas time,
| but they are few and far between.
/ There is very little vegetation over
| We are in open range cattle country
| now. One can see for miles on either
| side of the train. Hundreds of prairie
| dog villages have been seen and many
| cotton-tail hares. Every time one is
! seen some guardsman will shout
through the car:
Gee. but I wish I had a shotgun.
That's a peach of a shot"
Save your fire till you get on the
border. You may need it then" some
| companion will shout back.
Two Trains Join at Tucumcari.
| AT Tucumcari. about o'clock this
! morning, the section of the train car
rying the Signal Corps and Field Hos
| pital caught up with that carrying the
| list Separate Battalion. The two trains
| were Joined into one and probably will
remain so during the remainder of the
| journey. The combined train provide
| a total of two box cars, seven fat
cars, thirteen tourist coaches, two
| baggage cars which serve as kitchens
| and a caDoose for the train crew One
! massive locomotive is hauling the en-
| tire train.
! whenever the train makes a stop at
a siding to allow another train tn rass
| members of the party who have some
knowledge of Spanish flock to the win
dows and try their hand" on any Mex
leans who may be within range How
| to Learn Spanish in Week" and other
/ brought
great amusement is provided for the
Mexicans, many of whom understand
some English but none of the guards
mems Spanish
shortly before noon today the Dis
trict National Guard Special passed a
long string of empty day coaches on IL
siding. They were headed east From
markings on the sides Of the cars it
was learned that they had been used
to carry members of the Pennsylvania
and New Jersey regiments to the bor-
der country; The sight of these
seats has made the District guardsmen
appreciate the tourist coaches in which
! they are riding. Night and day the
Pennsylvania and New Jersey men had
to sit UP in those seats while the Dis
trict boys have been able to stretch out
at full length in their berths every
night since leaving home. For those
six feet in their stockings" type the
berths are not the most comfortable
things. but by lying diagonal1y in them
and letting their feet hang over" they
have made out all right.
Stranger Proved to Be Mayor.
Every militiaman on the train has re-
ceived his second injection of the
typhoid prophylactic and has been vac
cinated against smallpox. This applies
to both the white and colored troops.
AS soon as things are Strengthened out
at Bisbee the third injection of the
typhoid prophylactic VIII be admin
istered.
one of the stops made yesterday after
noon was at Eric. Okla. a railroad di
vision headquarters. There was a large
gathering of natives the station plat
form to welcome the miltiamen. The
usual assortment of letters and postcards
was handed out from the car windows to
be mailed. and the train was about to
| start on it's way again when Sergt. f. A.
| Johnson the top" of the Signal Corps.
called out TO a man who was standing
near the station door
Say, stranger. give my regards to the
! mayor of this burg and tell him | am
sorry ! didn't have time to visit him"