Crossville chronicle. [volume] (Crossville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1917-05-23
FROM THE GOLDEN GATE.
Interesting Letter from Paul OeRossett,
Who Is Now a Soldier.

Paul DeRossett, son Of our town
marshal, Sampson DeRossett, joined
the army some months ago and has
just written letter to his parents that
contains much of interest touching his
life as a soldier tor Uncle Sam. In
the following we give extracts from
the letter:
San Francisco, Cal, May s, 1917.
Well, | guess l had better
tell you | am IN the army. When
first came IN dldn like it. but like
it alright now. | am IN the Coast Ar
tillery we guard the entrance to San
Francisco Bay and San Francisco as
we'll.
We have twelve. inch mortars and
twelve-lnch rifles; the mortars shoot
up and come down on ship while the
rifles are direct fire. Our guns will
shoot about six miles. We also have
seven-lnch howitzers and three and
five inch field pieces, also some anti
aircraft guns. We had target practice
the other day and did some good shoot
ing, believe me. We tore two targets
all to pieces.
like the army fine now and am glad
am in it. for if they 60 to conscript-
ing, would have to go anyway.
know my drills and am IN good COM
pany. There are several fellows here
from Tennessee; one from Algood, one
from Chattanooga, one from Nashville.
one from Greenfield, CHATS where En-
nest Burnett is teaching SCHOOL, and
three more fellows from West Tennes-
see. My company commander, that IS,
the Captain IN command of my COM
pany, Is from Lebanon. His name is
Pendleton; he knows a good many peo-
pie that do.
| passed an examination few days
ago, successfully, and the result is that
am hrst class gunner; that pays
me three dollars extra month. | will
enumerate few things that first
class gunner has to know. He has to
know about powders, projectlles,
primers and fuses, aiming and laying
the piece (mortar,) fire control system,
plotting room ths is where we track
the Ship small arms, rifles, nomen-
calture OF the piece, how to antle
it and cut it hack together, (the gun
without the carriage weighs Is tons. }
He has to know packs, gins. shears.
cordage, positions, finders and great
many other things l could mention.
So you see tirst-class gunner has to
know few things that everybody does
not know.
Our rifles are behind concrete rein
forcements. They are disappearing
guys and come up and shoot and then
drop back out of sight. Our rifles,
without the carriage, weigh So tons
twenty two men can stand on the bar
rel, each one just touching the fingers
of the other. It's a pretty good gun,
isn't it? The powder charge weighs
2S6 pounds, the projectle weighs 1746
pounds, so you see if 1t was to hit
person there would be some damage.
No, we don't fire these projectiles at
people, we fire 'em at ships. When
they hit, they explode. The last time
Uncle Sam fired these guns 1t cost him
twenty-five thousand dollars to put in
window lights. The people of San
Francisco thought they were having
another earthquake.
| passed the exam ination for the
radio service and would have been sent
to Fort, Monroe, Va, but haven't
enough service in. have to have a
years service IN before | can go. /
think we will get chance to see &C
tive service In France pretty quick.
We Will be converted INTO seige artil-
ery. Recruits are coming in; two