The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-11-17
Major Gedrey Writes Folks
That Military Life Still
Has Its Unpleasant Features
Not Grumbling However, He assures Them, in Inter
esting Letter From Cam Mills-Spends Brief
Furlough in New York-Aviators Become
Comma nplace

lost three soldiers there-two have
arrived. We hurried up town; got
a close range view of the capitol,
the White house, the army and navy
buildings, the Mall, rubbed up
against Washington monument,
around the Congressional library,
took a hasty breakfast and were
back to the B. & o. yards and soon
on the way. 1t was a damp, rainy
morning-but we had a look at
Washington. hope to spend a week
there before l die.
Then on and on through Whining
ton, Elizabeth, Baltimore, Jersey City
and dropped down under the Hud-
son river with the ships of war and
commercial fleet sailing by over us;
up into NJ Yawk, down under the
East river and UP into Brooklyn; we
lay in the yards till morning and
then into Camp Mills which is about
an hour out on Long Island. could
smell the salt air before l saw the
salt water. The first morning was
crisp and as the battalion marched
from the train to the camp we de-
serted a biplane coming out Of the
distance, another and another fol-
lowed until there were thirteen in
formation flying over us. 1t was
a sight for many who had not been
near an aviation field. The first half
day we looked at them with keen in
terest. In the afternoon we had for
gotten them and though there are
from six to dozen overhead all the
time, no one noticed these after the
second day. So do wonders become
commonplace.
/ put in four mighty busy days
and got the camp organized, drew,
aAv F~v. AfnlE 81 elI "a
paper work. established a guard,
published a daily routine, saw the
machine begin to move and then
went to General Coulter, my brigade
commander and told him had
worked hard for about five weeks
and was getting stale. That / want
ed to go to the city. He seemed to
think deserved it and told me to go
for "a hours. l turned the command
over to the senior captain and was
soon on the way to the financial CEN
ter of the world.
l quickly passed through Brooklyn
and down under the great river
again and came to light in the great
Pennsylvania station; stepped out
on the narrow street between great
high buildings and thought to my
self; canyons. made my way up to
Broadway and climbed on a bus.
You know it is an auto with a tiny
stairway up the back end, and an
upper. deck, where you sit ard ride
and rubber. No a real rutJJerneck
car, but good for that purpose. l
went up Broadway for a mile or so
and then over to Sixth avenue. Then
took the elevated road back across
the way ! came; then l passed over
the same ground--or rather under it
a
three levels, elevated subway, sur
face. Next / went out to Central
park and saw a captured German
submarine and went through that
Then down the Battery Place and
Battery park. So forth and back un-
til late in the evening when / went
to the Elks club, the mother lodge
No. /, and slept there, eleven stories
up and looked across the street to
an obelisk of a building, 80 stories
high and about an inch wide. / don't
see how it stands up in a rain storm
arose betimes Sunday morning
and found only porters and hotel
clerks awake for it was Sunday
morning. / thought to have a break
fast in a real dining room and so
went to the Knickerbocker hotel for
breakfast was too wise to sleep or
eat dinner there-bang, s2.25 for two
tiny mutton chops and a cup OF
coffee. Don't you think It was
prudent not to take dinner there? /
then took the Weehauken ferry for
Noboken and passing over the Hud-
son river saw the interned father
land, that great Leviathan which
was caught at the opening of the
war. 1t is being converted into
transport and will carry about or
n ea-A II Il al
by the 42nd ST., ferry and up Fifth
avenue. When called at Andrew
Carnegie's home he was in the
''bawth" so / didn't wait Vincent
Astor was out~on the bride path In
Central park and / regret to have
missed him also. Up to 242nd Street
just for fun: back to the Bowery
and over to Staten Island to get a
close look at the Statue of Liberty;
up in the Woolworth building-I for
get whether it is so or 500 stories
high; a kosher dinner I'm New
Jerusalem, down to the aquarium.
a short stay at the Hippodrome.
Well, III ] tell you all / saw OF New
York In "a hours, you will think /
was there a week But / was get
ting my head so fun OF ideas and
my ears so full of sounds that /
couldn't hold any more; so / start
ed homeward, walking over the
Brooklyn bridge and arrived home
more tired than when / went. But
II was a change and | had seen won
derfuI N Yawk. That Is, had
glanced at some, of its conspicuous
features. 1t was a change and there
fore a rest. am back on the job
and satisfied. I think that ia about
all the fun / will get out OF this
and 1t wasn't really fun because /
was alone.
III / ever have the luck TO see you
again, / can't talk for weeks, yes
months on the things / have met and
seen since leaving home, and not
have to repeat or exaEgerate. /
think we are due for another move
but not salt water-not Just yet. This
isn't military information and i.
suppose / have the right to guess
when my guess is not founded on
military information 1 am well and
not at all lonely. oh. no ! like it,
] have to. II Is my duty and OF course
that comes first.