Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1917-06-14
A LETTER FROM THE BOYS in
THE WEST.
FIT. Mcdowell,
Angel Islands, Calf.

II u. NlClJOWpll,
Angel Islands, Calf
Friend Pokey.
We have been planning or
writing you a letter for severa
days, but kept putting it Off
thinking we would know for GER
tain where we would be stationed
We are not quite certain as yet
but we do know that we leave tho
fifth of June for Honolulu. We
may stay there and we may not
We have all enjoyed army life
pretty we'll since the four of us
got together. Cody and Young
We're in TT. Logan week after
the rest of the fellows left for E
Paso, but both thought the other
was gone until the Purcell broth
ers arrived and We're put into the
same company with Young, and a
few days later caught sight OF
Cody, who was drilling with an
other company, and afterwards
looked him up. A few days later
Joe Riley came in and the next
day Fred Osborne came. We hap
pened to see them almost imme-
diately after their arrival.
We spent some enjoyable eve
nings together, but on leaving TT
Logan we had to leave Joe and
Fred behind, much to our regret
We left Denver Sunday eve
ming on a special train, consist
ing of eight Pullmans, a baggage
and kitchen car, over the Santa
Fe railway.
We went south through Colo
RADIO Springs and into New Mex
|ico, stopping at Las Vegas, AL
buquerque, Gallup. On Tuesday
morning we stopped at Needles
Calf, after crossing Arizona dur
ing the night. In California we
stopped at Barstow and Bakers
field, arriving at Frisco bay OF
Wednesday morning.
AT each of the named stations
excepting Colorado Springs we
marched through the principa
streets of the town, giving the
trainmen a chance to ice anC
water the cars, and also to get
exercise ourselves.
The scenery all along the way
was very attractive to us, espe-
cially over the mountains.
After breakfast Wednesday We
boarded the steamship Ell Aquadel
which took us across the bay Il
TT. Mcdowell.
There were 2S2 of us and We
sleep in quarters with a company
that just arrived from TT. Scott
making a total of about 400.
If the mess hall where we eat
were filled to capacity it would
seat 1924 people.
Each man on enlisting has to
be vaccinated for smallpox and
inoculated for typhoid fever He
is inoculated three times. We re-
ceived our last incubation today,
and our arms are very sore this
evening.
TT. Mcdowell is stationed on
Angel Island, about seven miles
from San Francisco. 1t is about
five miles in circumference at
the base and about 500 or GOO
feet high. There are lots of very
pretty flowers over the whole is
land. All the buildings on the
island belong to the government
No civilian is allowed on the is
land without a pass issued by the
commanding officer.
We all climbed the hill to the
very top and sat for some time
gazing out across the bay. We
could see as many as 25 or &c
steamships at one time steamine
around the bay.
The next morning we strolleG
along the shore gathering pretty
shells. We saw several paupas
fish, 8 or 10 feet long, playing
around in the shallow water.
We received instructions to en-
listed men enroute to oversee
stations tonight and are now la
boring under the thought of leav-
ing for Honolulu.
We send our best regards tt
our friends in Missouri Valley.
FRANCIS j. CODY,
GALE A. YOUNG.
DON G. PURCELL.