Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1917-12-21
Letter From Alabama
william HI. Smith Tells of Army
Lie In the Mountains al Camp
Mcclellan, Where the Tenn
perafure was Down TO 10

The following letter was received by
the JOURNAL from William H. Smith,
the carpenter, who resides on Pine ave
nue., in Wildwood. His son Ernest, of
whom he speaks, was a Wildwood
school boy aud was recently employed
at the J Journal office:
315 East 10Th street.
Admission, Ala, Dec. II, 1917.
Mr.. DUBOIS,
Dear Sir:-My wife and l have come
to Admission, Alabama, to be near our
SOD, Ernest II. Smith, Company H,
114thGRegiment N. q. u. s, Camp
Mcclellan, Admission, Ala, formerly
the Sd Regiment Company G., of Ocean
City, We intend to stay rs long as he
Is stationed here. AT the present time
the whole of company H are qnaran-
tined, as there are several cases of
measles, n being young Douglass,
Of Cape May Court House. We visited
the camp Monday, Decem Der Sd, and
took dinner with the company in their
mess hall. Everyone was glad to see
us aud gave us a cordial welcome, and
we were also glad to meet several of the
boys we had met at Ocean City aud Sea
Girt, one of them being Chris Hands
son, OF T0ckahoe, N. J.
Ernest wishes us to extend bis
thanks to all the friends in Wildwood,
who have SO kindly remembered him
in camp. He is looking fine, but like
the rest of the boys, sorry to be in quar-
antine, although they are making the
best of it in his tent, saying they are
enjoying a vacation.
The camp itself lie beautifully situa-
ted 10 the heart of the mountains,
l6, 900 acres, situated between Jackson
vile and Admission, and as clean and
sanitary as it is possible to make it.
But, dreams of the sunny south were
rudely shattered last Friday when a
cold rain fell and heavy winds blew.
Saturday and Sunday were SO cold no
work was possible hardly at all; but
Monday 1t was ten above zero. Tues
day snow fell and oil awakening this
morning, Wednesday, a most beautiful
picture presented itself. Every tree
was loaded down with %icicles, every
where the eye looked was gli-teuing
ice. All the jitneys, which run be-
tween Admission and the camp, six
miles away, for which a charge of 25c
holiday, as it is a very dangerous road
and the way being so slippery and icy
not many cared to risk it. One man
who walked from the camp in, eaid be
counted twelve cars overturned In the
ditch on his way in.
1t was cold in the tents of the quar-
antined men, as they had to leave the
wooden floors and electric lights be-
hin0 them when they were moved
awsp from their company street. /
managed to enter the tent of my son OF
Sunday, taking him a hot chicken din
ner, which all the boys of that tent
helped him to enjoy. They were tell
ing me ho the water in the fire buckets
bad frozen over and how cold it was.
One boy said he bad slept with all his
clothes and poncho on, and where he
had perspired Under the covers, around
his neck, when he came to take it off
it was frozen; but on the whole they
are a jolly crowd and are making a
picnic out of it.
My wife received a letter from Ernest
asking her to bake him a big chocolate
cake, just as she used to bake, and send
some apples. So she has baked a large
chocolate cake and will take it out to
them. You can imagine how those
boys will enjoy that, some picnic.
Ii any of the boys relatives up north
would like US to visit any of their boys
for them, we shall be only too glad to
do so. We intend to visit the sick boy
Douglass, or any others we know, as
we feel an interest in all for our own
boys sake. L picked this cotton in the
fields myself and thought perhaps You
would like to have it as a souvenir of
Camp Mcclellan where it grew.
With best wishes for a Merry Christ
mas and a Happy New Year. Kindly
send paper to US here until further
notice or we return.
L am sincerely yours,
VIM. H. SMITH.
-~SO