The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-11-08
Alabamians Take It Good Naturedly and Have a Lot of Fun Splash
 ing All Day
BULL DRIVERS" IS
 NAME GIVEN TO THE NEW SERVICE SHOES
Boys Who Drew Them on Border Are Now Proud
 of Their Foresight
By NJ. HARVIE

By NJ. HARvIE
 Camp Mills, New York,
 November 4.-(Special Cor Irespondence.) = There has
 been a touch of winter here lin camp lately, with the mercury falling below freez- ling point every night. There
 have been several severe windstorms with heavy rains.
 These continued for hours and gave the camp thorough drenching. In each case they came on almost with
 out warning, lasting all day, and sub- sided as quickly as they came. The last one was on Wednesday, and continued from daybreak until late in the afternoon. Then the clouds sud- denly blew away and gave place to one of the most gorgeous sunsets We have seen since we left Arizona last March. The night after the storm was as clear and calm as if there had never. been the slightest trouble in the world. HAD DELIGHTFUL TIME While the rain lasted the division had a. delightful time. There was noth- ing to do but stay in out of the wet and keep the tents from blowing away. So most of tho men slept, leaving one or two awake in each tent to give the alarm should the waters rise above the threshold.
 In some instances the tents were blown down, descending upon the heads Of the inmates with a eammy sort of splash. The men, being old soldiers, l took the matter calmly, carefully ar ranged the fallen tent to cover their belongings. and migrated to some other squad. The company and reginxental streets hecame flooded early in the morning. Nhe ditches being unable to carry off She water. So we splashed around ankfN deep all day, keeping things in shaRe.
 Several companies of four" regiment suffered considerably. Captain Ravee Norris Company NJ and Capt. Gardner Greens Company\ c were partly drowned out. A large lake formed in Company C's street And quickly rose so high as to drive tle occupants Of most Of the tents out fpto the Gold, cold world.
 Company Ms street paxallels the main road of the camp, and \that por- ton of the road next the company was speedily transformed. The rising waters soon invaded the company street, and then the tents The men remaFned .Q<v.t !. N possible moment then took up tbeir beds and fared forth into the world. PLAIN HARD TO DRAIN The Hampstead plains, on which our camp is located, are so level as to make drainage difficult, and all ef- forts to control the water were fu- tile. One enterprising company com mander undertook to control the flood by turning it into neighboring com- pany street. Before the neighborinG company realized what was happening. the damage was done. They were the recipients of a rushing flood Then they, in turn, undertook to pass the favor on to their neighbors, who. in their turn, passed 1t on. In each case these drainage operations were greeted by most masterful flow of eloquence on the part of the neighbors. It was a wet. disagreeable day. but I cannot recall single "squawlS." The men took it as part of the game and got all the fun and frolic out of it they could.
 The rain and the recent cold weather has brought home to a great many of the men the fact that the quar- termaster corps knows what 1t is about almost as we'll as they do. It is all matter of shoes, and should be told at length, as follows When we reached the border last fall the quartermaster corps began to issue what was called the "field shoe" which was designed for the very purpose of providing a heavy shoe for hard marching and bad weather.
 howl of protest. And one could hardly blame them for it is certainly a fear full and wonderful object. The equip ment experts started out to design a shoe that would resist hard usage, give support on muddy and slippery ground, protect from rocks and heavy brush. and, in wet weather, keep the soldiers feet reasonably dry. They succeeded admirably, burt in doing SD achieved a triumph of ugliness. There never was a shoe that was poorer in looks and richer in usefulness than this same army field shoe.
 NAMED THEM BULL DRIVERSo Some inspired member of our regi- ment when he first went to the SUD- ply sergeant to draw" pair of shoes and was presented with a pair of them, christened them on the spur of the moment It is said that he gazed at them for long time in amazement then sighed and handed them back, saying: "Here sergint keep your durned old bull drivers. What I want is a pair of real shoes" From that been known in our regiment as "bull drivers" This is to distinguish them from the regulation russet garrison" shoe.
 The field shoe is vertically triumph of the lcobbler's art. It has a heavy sole studded thickly with hob nails, ro~ the purpose of enabling the soldier to grip the ground while marching, and also to prolong the life of the shoe Around the circumference of the heel Is set cute little U-shaped steel plate like q little mule shoe, which not only resist wear, but strikegSs most islspIr. ing .'clump-clump" sound from what ever floor or pavement one may be walking over.
 But the most striking peculiarity is
 the fact that the shoe looks as though
 it had been turned wrong side out
 The dressed side of the leather of the
 upper is inside the shoe, and the un-
 dressed leather is on the outside. This
 was designed for the purpose of en-
 abling the shoe to take up q great deal