Cottonwood chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1917-current, 1917-10-26
Letter From Hawaii.

/ youngest son Of the editor of this pa
per, enlisted in San Francisco last
May as volunteer in the army in
the ambulance corps. A few days
later he sailed with several thousand
other volunteers for Schofeld Bar
racks in the Hawaiian Islands the
best equipped and greatest army
training camp in the world.
A letter just received from him
contains news that may be Of interest
to some of our readers. In part his
letter says:
Hawaii part of Uncle Sans
domains group of eight large is
lands in the Pacific ocean a little over
20OO miles southwest of San Francisco.
The largest island is named Hawaii
and is about 300 miles in circumfer-
ence or 100 miles across, being about
as long as it is wide From this is
land to the farthest of the group
northwest is about 400 miles.
The next island in size is named
Oahu and is something like one hmm
dred miles in circumference or 80 miles
across-being a little longer than it
is wide. On this island is the city of
Honolulu, a beautiful and modern
city of about 10000 people-about
evenly divided between the native
Kanakas, American, japanese and
Chinese.
Honolulu is by far the largest and
most important city in the entire
group and has one of the finest har-
bors and naval bases in the world.
The islands also enjoy the finest and
most equable climate in the world,
there being no cold or extremely hot
weather. The average temperature
is something like IS degrees all the
year around-making surf bathing,
fishing, etc, most delightful sport and
amusement every day in the year.
This is why thousands of rich people
from America and Europe spend the
winter months here
Scho6eld Barracks is also on this
island Of Oahu, II miles distant from
Honolulu and which is connected by
rail as well as water. This, as most
people perhaps know, is by far the
cleanest, most sanitary and best
equipped army camp in the world
and covers 5000 acres of ground.
Not so many soldiers are in training
here as in some Of the new army
camps in the glorious old United
States "back home," but this is con-
sidered the best and most complete of
any Of them.
This splendid training camp is run
with the precision and regularity of
clockwork, and the many thousands
of young men who are in training
here realize that no better schooling
and real practical knowledge can be
had in any schooFor college-at least
no more useful knowledge. 1t is a
common saying among the boys, eff
he is any good or any pep" in him
this army training will make man
of him every time. This kind of
work is making real men out of
thousands Of fellows that never would
have amounted to hill of BEANS"
etc, etc.
The vigorous outdoor exercise in
marching and drill work about five
hours each day keeps the boys in per-
feet health, hard as steel and all of
them athletes, 1t also gives them an
appetite like a sawmill, and the way
they tear into the grub is amazing.
But there is plenty of it and the best
that money can buy. Uncle Sam ex-
poets a great deal from his boys and
he sees to it that they are we'll fed
and well clothed.
Much time is devoted to heavy
artillery practice, and Judging from
the splendid scores made, all of the
boys will be gunners of the first rank.
Our target for cannon practice is a
high mountain cliff five miles away,
and we generally manage to hit the
"bulls-eye' about 8 times out of ten
shots.
The boys play all kinds of games,
and we have some crack ball teams
that could knock the famous Boston
Red Sox" into cooked hat. They