Semi-weekly herald., 1917-10-17
INTERESTING LETTER
FROM MAYNE PERKINS
Camp Kearny, Calf, Oct.

Dear Father:
Your letter just reached me. We
are now in Camp kearny after q
| trip that took four nights and nearly
tour days. The trains were slow
on account OF having to stop at in
tervals to attend to the horses.
1t was very enjoyable trip as a
whole and no trouble or accidents.
in Colorado, the people gave uS ap-
pies and peaches, and after we hit
titles of oranges and walnuts. Las
Vegas, Nevada, | think, is by long
odds the most patriotic town in tho
United States. 1t is only a little
| desert town of scant $500 popula-
ton. but has already sent los men
| US volunteers to the United States
army The whole city turned out to
welcome US. They provided fres
| moving pictures. free lemonade and
| quantities OF fruit. In town the
Jeweler whom had fix my watch
even refused any payment This all
| sounds very simple, but when you
stop to consider what job it is to
| serve lemonade to three large train
loads of soldiers, you can see it was
| something Of job.
Everyone seemed TO have good
time, even to the various mascots.
The men especially delighted in pass
ing out notes to girls on station plat
forms. Aside from TIC loss of one
bulldog and five or six hats, every
thing went fine. The train stopped
lor some time at a little place called
| Ocean View, where u good many of
| US saw the Pacific Tor the first time.
Some of the men went running down
after receding waves, and got wet by
lore they could get out Of the way.
On arriving here, we at once went
into camp, and have been here ever
since and are just getting settled.
one of the first thing 10 attract our
attention in camp was soaring aero
planes. One could see as many as
three in the sky over camp at one
time.
i Camp Kearny is located about II
miles east Of San Diego, on high
mesa. An enormous tract of land
has been scraped flat and level. The
original thick growth of brush has
! been removed, and all that is left is
a broad expanse of dust. Every
where one puts his foot into an inch
or more OIL dust, unless one is on the
pavement. The government has put
down miles OF roads, and light poles
and multitude OF buildings,-ware-
houses, tanks, etc. Considering the
immense size Of everything, one Won
ders how the government managed
TO get SO much done in such little
time.
Each organization has its own
mess hall and kitchen, bath hall and
wash room, all built and furnished.
We have modern plumbing, electric
lights, big ice box, cook with gas,
in fact all the modern convenien-
ces. The sleeping quarters Of both
officers and men are Of course un-
der canvas. The hardest thing to
express is the size OF it all. A regi
ment is whole lot Of men when
one sees them in body. but d.
vision is something whole lot larg-
er.
This brings me back to the calam-
ity that hit US. We were always
supposed to be cavalry, and brought
enough horses with US for one troop,
and have cavalry equipment for one
equadron. Just imagine our feelings
when, on getting here, we were ad-
yised that there was not going TO be
any First Colorado Cavalry, but we
are To be chopped up into various
pieces. My particular part is now
. 4th Co., LIST Training Battalion Of
the 18TH Infantry of the 40th Di-
vision. 1t is terrible to be nothing
but foot soldier, but had no
choic0 in the matter. The only re-
deeming feature is that we are some
months nearer Europe as infantry
than as cavalry.
Well, l must close. My address
now is Second Lieutenant l.. M.
!, Perkins, d. Company, First Training
Battalion. 157th Infantry, Camp
Keary, Calf.
i Goodbye and love to all,
}, -MAYNE.