The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1917-09-24
1O3D STILL At
WESTF|ELD At
LAST REPORT
Regiment Sent Out on Short
Hike Yesterday
MANY GUESTS IN CAMP
Bennington Boys In Ammunition
Train Could Not Get Home Be.
cause Of Measles Quarantine.

Camp Bartlett, Hampton Plains,
Sept. 23.-With the exception of the
enormous crowd which visited camp
Bartlett on what was known as Fare
well Sunday" few weeks ago, the
throng which surged up and down
through the regimental streets this
afternoon was the largest since ethe
soldiers first established their quar-
ters on Hampton Plains.
Where there were about $4,000 who
descended on the encampment that
first Sunday today there were more
than 100000 There were three rea-
sons for the larger number Of visi-
tors today. Foremost was the fact
that the men were not allowed leaves
of absence. The lines of liberty have
been tightened and while there were
few who obtained the coveted
passes, the great majority stayed in
camp. This brought thousands of
friends and relatives to the company
streets. On other Sundays they have
seen the boys in their homes. Today
they came to Westfield.
The routine of a camp Sunday was
broken tonight by the arrival of the
second draft quota from Camp De-
yens at Aver Two hundred recruits
from the National Army marched in
at 715 o'clock tonight. They are 10
be assigned to the 104th Infantry to
fill the ranks. Those who came
earlier have been divided among the
Ammunition Train. Supply Train.
Machine Gun Battalion and the 104th
Infantry. or those who came to-
night, $50 will go to the 1O4th In
fantry and so we're consigned to the
Eighth Massachusetts. These latter
will, in all probability, be required
for the 1O4th Infantry when the trans
fers are completed. II is expected
the number will be large enough to
lill the complement Of the Massachus-
etts regiment. fli
| Unlike their comrades who arrived
| earlier in the week, the drafted men
who came in tonight were fairly we'll
| equipped. The majority had uni
forms. Only few were in citizens
| clothes. All carried small hand
| satchels They were without over
coats, but they we're happy just the
same. AS they hit the regimental
street of the 104th they were cheered
heartily. The welcome did them
good.
There was another thing the
| drafted boys were without, and that
was supper They APPARENTLY did not
| expect any at camp, but when they
were told that supper was awaiting
them the front ranks broke into dou-
Bile time, there was a calling OF
rclose up toward the rear OF the
column and the drafted men were
swallowed up in the swarm of
brown-clad figures which rushed
from company streets to look the
final arrivals over. The appearance
OF the camp. the huge campfires and
the groups OF singing soldiers around
each interested the Aver men. and
all echoed the remark of one chap
when he said, This looks like the
real thing"
| Perhaps the greatest show which
accompanied the crowd of visitors
was the automobile parking space.
There we're thousands of cars OF all
shapes and sizes, ancient and mod
ern. Anything that had four wheels
and something that passed for an en-
gine was used today. License tags
showed machines from every one of
the New England States. Boys from
Maine. New Hampshire, Rhode Island,
Vermont and Connecticut had large
numbers of friends as we'll as the
men from Massachusetts. No one
was left out in the cold.
There was a quicker exodus tonight
than usual The weather was TO
sponslbe. After the sun goes dowr
| on Hampton Plains, the site Is some
distance removed from Florida
! | climate This morning there was ic,
, on the waterbuckets and frost on tn,
I | ground. and stoves we're set goinl
: this afternoon at o'clock TO keel
I out the chill blasts which started
4 somewhere near the Arctic circle an,
never stopped until they hit West
field. Then they camped with tho so
Q diers. However the troops are get
A ting accustomed to the cold and ar,
: equipped to meet II.
/. The 1O3d Infantry was taken on
3 for five.mile hike this morning II
!. light marching order. Col. Franl
3 NJ Hume had about S4OO men trailing
along the roads. taking his entir
command. except those needed 70
guard duty Il was just limborinl
up process after a week passed II
getting shaken down an din issuinl