The Oakes times. [volume] (Oakes, N.D.) 1906-current, 1916-10-05
LETTER TO HIS FOLKS

LETTER TO HIS FOLKS
Parts of a letter from W. t. Whit
! field. who is with the North !..,l:0'a
h'ys in Texas:
THE nights are cooler here now
We don't roll our tents down but
woolen blanket is comfortable to-
wards morning. We haven't had any
hot weather for quite Il while. 1t
rained all day yesterday and nearly
all night and there has been a gentle
cool breeze blowing all day. When
the weather is nice here it is nice.
Yesterday was the big inspection
day. The regiment was inspected by
regular army officers. There were six
| OF them and II took them about five
hours. Everything was gone over,
from the personal articles such as a
toothbrush TO the four mule army
wagons. We. the supply company had
our hands full.
| We got up in the morning at four
and fed and harnessed the mules,
which of course had to be cleaned
spotless. and equipped the wagons.
then made over our blanket rolls and
fitted out in general, as We would
were we to go a hundred miles.
We drove over to the companies
and they loaded on the wagons the
kitchen cooking outfits and headquar.
ter stuff
The machine gun company had
f1k 0nkN all
about three hundred and fifty pounds
apiece. The whole regiment was out
on the ground lined up in their
places. and the third cavalry band
played some music, then our band
played.
After the supply company, mac' inc
gun company and headquarter COM
pany stood inspection they wcr~ dis
missed and went back to camp and
the drills began. The companies were
put through all the drills. then battal-
lion drills. then regiment drills were
gone through with. These took about
three hours. The officers were well
satisfied with the equipment and
thought the drill performances We're
4
demned.
This is about the third time i, has
been condemned. This is the lowest
camp on the border You may imar
me Texas swamp as a large wet
grassy moray as always did This
could hardly be called a swamp but
it is the next thing to it, There are
| nf CT
here. some covering large areas. All.
many little creeks.
The officers built a mess hall On i've
west side of the camp soon after they
got settled. After IA few heavy rains
they found their mess hall standing
III loot OF water and no place to
drain the water. They had TO move
the mess hall ard the water is t;r;
standing there and is simply rotten.
hlied with all kinds of insect, ana
snakes. There is water STANDING on
three sides of the camp now.
south of here there is a larrr i;ri-
cation reservoir that covers about
tour hundred acres. This water i.
pumped from the Rio Granda and sup.
plies the irrigation system Tl!;
slough is the Mecca of all the wat,i.
fowls YOU can imagine So is the can
Il thai Is by our camp. The water
was condemned and they were order.
ed To boil it before it was used for
drinking. They boiled it for a while
and then threw chunks Of ice from II"
very same water into the water bar
rel. They got tired OF boiling it and
we drink it from the canal or any one
OF the taps on the grounds.
Today the blacksmith of the suppy
company was down to this slough and
caught a gar. brought it home and
skinned it and when I was over there
was looking for a gallon pail to COOK
il in over his forge
There is lot of malaria here now
Since the rains there has been 50
much water around our camp which
is no doubt responsible for it, Yes,er
day they took thirty-four from thi,
regiment to the base hospital at Sar
Antonio. They took thirteen men a
random from the regiment today ant
gave them the blood test and twelve
Of them had malaria bacteria in theil
blood and were sent to the hospital.
They are going to take us out o.
here soon. We may make camp some
whore in Texas but think we will g'
TO Omaha. Neb. have only missed