Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1917-11-23

The following letter from VIM.
Olson will be of interest to his many
friends here.
Somewhere in France, Oct. 20, II.
Editor Essex County Herald:
For the beheft of the Grand
Trunk and citizens of Island Pond, l
will endeavor to give them an ac-
count of the chaps who left there for
France to be published in your paper,
being requested by several of my
friends to do so.
We are all we'll and quite con-
tented in our new quarters, which
the boys have built themselves. We
have been furnished with five blank
cts and there is a stove in each hut.
Only a few are lonesome, and they
were newly weds before leaving and
you cannot blame man being lone
some leaving first-class meal ticket.
We have doctor with us to look af-
ter our welfare, and he entertains
us with a concertina which he is very
proficient in playing. He has also a
great dog for mascot, emigrated
from Belgium, and is a corker killing
rats that are as large as house cats,
which this country is infested with
(made in Germany and imported
by them.
We are located several miles from
the firing line and safe from shell
fire. At a previous camp where we
lived in huts and tents, the distance
but seven miles and quite close to
the great allied guns, the airoplanes
flying over us, the boys were terribly
nervous at first but soon got over it
and nearly twisted their necks out
of shape "rubbering."
I.took a trip with some of the
Sergeants to one of the famous
Hindenburg trenches, which were
several miles long, some parts i'm
bedded deeply in ground, a hospital
included, and we were treated with
the most hearty cOrdlality, eX-
planned the maneuvers and eating
dinner cooked byatwo of the allies
best sergeants, while the big English
and French guns were shelling and
sizzling oversour heads into the Ger
man lines. 1t didn't look good to me
at first and asked the Englishman
what should do and he remarked,
keep perfectly quiet like myself. He
wasa cool actor.
Being interested in electricity, |
was extended the invitation viewing
the operating of the wireless sta
tion, and the big guns. Previous to
coming to this camp was located at
a station repairing captured German
wagons. The only qualification |
could fit in.was keeping time of men,
stoves, screwing and unscrewing
nuts off journal boxes, rather in
teresting..work.
Saw a zeppelin literally shot to
pieces and found an officers Ger
man helmet which | wanted for a
souvenir but decided did not care
for it when finding skull inside of
it. observed several of the great
tanks you have read so much about.
We met many Australians, fine men
and fighters, and are more like
Americans than any we come in con-
tact with /; great many English and
French and they treat us with re-
spect. l met an English professor,
a graduate of Harvard, who stated
the English counted on America as
the coming factor in the air in this
conflict, along with the eminent in
ventive geniuses. That sounds patri-
otic. They have assigned the boys
to many miles of narrow guage track
to operate in different districts of
the New England battalion and some
excellent railroad men included.
(censored) and | have six hours
work in district control. Keep time
and saw wood for physical culture.
The Germans didn't do a thing to
rolling stock and anything they came
in contact with, beautiful palatial
residences grazed to the ground and
material confiscated and the cellars
used for dug outs. Elegant fruit
orchards of no material advantage
to them were cut down and every
thing under those conditions to
them. 1t is really pathetic 10 see