The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-10-09
Letters Written by Two keokuk Boys
Tell of Fine Quarters and the
"chow' Camp Dodge
Men Have.
ENJOYABLE
Men Get Meat at Every Meal and
Pies, Cakes, Ice Cream
and Fruit as
Extras.

There has been one very noticeable
| thing about the new national army.
The men composing it are we'll con-
tented with their quarters, their food,
and treatment generally, although
some of the idle gossipers are trying
to spread all sorts Of rumors about
the fare, and the like. Nothing tells
better how the boys in camp 1eel'
than the letters they write. Here is
one from w. J.. Ingram, who Is with
the medical corps, and who was one
! OF the first twelve to go from Lee
county, in which he tells OF the bar
racks at Camp Dodge:
To the Editor Of The Gate City,
w. Moulton and son Richard of this
city and Mrs. Dixon of Akron, Ohio,
and Mrs. w. j. Ingram motored to
Des Moines Friday in Mr.. Moulton's
car, paying a visit to Camp Dodge
and returned Sunday, bringing with
them the writer and it is my desire to
tell the people OF Keokuk through
your paper something of the life OF
drafted men of the new national army.
/ have been assigned to the medl-
cal corps and am pleased to say that
was very agreeably surprised with
the condition of affairs and the civil
treatment received at the hands OF
the officers at the camp from the
time we entered the receiving bar
| racks up to the present time. The
quarters are clean and comfortable
and every care has been exercised to
make things convenient for the men.
There are excellent bath houses for
each building, containing showers
| with both hot and cold water. The
meals are excellent, having some kim
of meat, several kinds of vegetables,
bread and butter, dessert and coffee
or tea at each and every meal. The
barracks are electrically lighted and
heated by hot air furnaces
Streets are completed also, the sew
ers and water system being wherever
the barrack buildings are occupied.
The camp is also supplied with very
efficient fire department, in general
the whole camp is laid out like mod
ern city.
l want to say to the men who are
yet to come to camp that they neeu
not worry as to whether they will be
made comfortable on arrival
w. J. INGRAM,
Provisional Ambulance Co. No. 1,
Medical department, U. S. N. A.,
Camp Dodge, Iowa.
From Sergeant Griffin.
Charles Griffin, sergeant First COM
pany mounted police, 8Sth division,
also one of the first to go, writes the
following letter:
we are all well and happy, but /
am quite lost without some of my
home town friends. / was put in the
Cd ISE 10
best branch of service; all the rest OF
the boys were put in the field artil-
lery and depot brigade. They are go
ing to make a transfer this week,
and ! will get some of my friends
with me. My old pal Whitley Mayer
will be with me. He said he wasn't
made for those big guns, that he was
a policeman, and I believe he is as
/ called on him the other night to
lhelp me with a couple of fellows and
he just naturally picked one up and
carried him to the guard house. To-
morrow will be a big day for the
mounted police, as it's pay day and
we have 800 head of horses to break
in that just arrived from Nevada and
have never had a halter on.
They are feeding us just fine in
our company. We get pie and cake
three times week, and fruit and ice
cream Sundays Here is today's menu
| for dinner:
! Pork chops, sweet potatoes with
gravy, creamed peas, mince pie, ice
cream, peaches, coffee, bread and but
ter.
Now I don't think We'll starve on
such meals as these. And as for our
homes, we are all nicely fixed. We
have our uniforms now and all of our
heavy underwear.
Tell all our friends to write US
cheerful letters, and We will answer
! them for We want to hear from home.
| Yours truly,
CHARLES H. GRIFFIN,
Sergeant lSt Co M p SSth Div,