The Mankato free press., 1917-09-21
Sons Of Joseph A. Lang Filled
| With Right Spirit
STAY AT CAMP MILLS
Trip From Minnesota to the
East Was One of Much
Excitement
From Thursdays Daily.

Joseph A. Lang of $40 North Sixth
street is in receipt of the following
interesting letters from his sons who
are serving in Uncle Sans army:
Camp Mills, L. l., September 8, 1917.
After eighty-five hours of start and
stop rain was here to greet us. Camp
was set by eleven o'clock and we were
wet and nearly frozen. 1t took quite
while to get things out here as no one
expected us yet. The Second battalion
at Fort Riley, Kan, is not here yet
and probably haven't started. There are
, close to $4,000 men here. Ft. Smelling
is just an outpost in comparison.
There are infantry, artillery, machine
gun, cavalry and aviators here. Aero
planes by dozens are flying over us
right now.
Do you remember the trouble they
I'D over the ship Gulf Light about a
year ago? We saw her at Philadel-
phia. 1t isn't any bigger than lake
steamer. That was the only time we
saw the pond so far.
Milwaukee's whistles went crazy
when we passed through there. Pitts
burg and Philadelphia were about the
same. They say Pittsburg is dirty, but
say it's clean compared to Phila-
delphia. Around Pittsburg and Phila-
delphia are hundreds of coke furnaces.
We saw them at night and they looked
swell way up on the hills. They are
built about as high as the ash pits of
your benches and right side by side.
Some times a string two blocks long.
! Pittsburg is a bunch of high hills and
ravines. One place the street we
marched on had bank on one side so
high I couldn't throw to the top, and
l say that is higher than the mill
stack. l have thrown over that more
! than once. There wasn't over fifty
feet slope in the bank either.
We had swell sleepers on the way
and I had a top bunk all the way aud
slept like a log Don't know what Les
had A porter put up the hunks in the
morning and made them at night;
| pretty soft.
| At Pittsburg we went through the
! first tunnel and after that when we
! got in the mountains of course they
were all over. The longest was under
| the Hudson river about four miles. At
Baltimore we had car break a truck.
| That stalled us two hours and at Will
mington, Del, the cook car took fire,
but it just made an air hole in it.
Well I'm all out of dope so, will
| close. Our address is out side Of the
envelope.-As ever, Hub.
Camp Mills, September Swell we
n thrnnOh
| waukee, Chicago, Gary, Ind, Akron
and Youngston, Ohio, Pittsburg, then
through part Of Virginia, Baltimore,
and Bayview, Md, over the Susque-
hama river into Wilmington, Del, and
Philadelphia then through New Jersey.
We were sleeping when we hit New
York state and woke up on the island.
Only got off the train at Chicago
and Pittsburg for walk. In Milwau-
kee we got a real welcome. A thou
sand whistles and bells were on the go
all through the town. The people were
waving and hollering all the way.
Had better chow on the train than we
got in camp. And two slept in a lower
| birth and one in the upper, so you see
we had it fine. Had more fun than any
j time yet. You can imagine bunch
| travelling a long distance and all up
for excitement We waved hats and
] hollered until we were blue in the
| face. I'll say we saw some pretty
sights in the mountains of Virginia
and Maryland. Had twenty three cars
and twice they were doubled up like
horse shoe. All told we had some
! time, will tell more when | write
again.
Now about this camp. I'll say it's
lots bigger than Smelling. There are
$4,000 troops here now, and when all
get here there will be $4,000.
| The Chicago artillery is just across
the street and yesterday guy from
'Kato was here to see us, he belongs
to the Chicago artillery. A little ways
| from our camp is signal corps with
thirty or more airships. They are fly
ing behind the clouds and are using
real speed too. We are not allowed to
leave camp only between six and nine
o'clock in the evening. Was down to
Hampstead last night about two miles
| away. That is like st. Peter and is
full of soldiers and is run by military
police. They make you wear your
clothes right, look over your pass and
so on. We have to have a special
pass to ride trains or street cars, or
to go to New York, from now on we
are going to be real soldiers.
| September I / was made corporal.
AS ever, Les Lang, Battery B, 151st
First Artillery, Camp Mills, Long
| Island