The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1917-10-12
LETTERS FROM THE CAMP
SHOW BOYS ARE DOING WELL
From Fridays Daily.

from Lieutenant Philip F. Comstoch
of Company 8 of the 337th Machine
Gun Battalion at Camp Dodge, Iowa
at seems about time to let you
know how we are getting along. have
neglected writing to anybody. have
been pretty busy looking after the new
men. There is lots of work.
"They kept us moving around con-
siderably for while but we are nicely
settled now in our quarters. There is
heat (when they get it,, mess hall
and kitchen right in the building, so
it is o. X. -....
1.-THE men have good accommodate
tons, two two-story barracks, we'll
lighted, and plenty of room, as we will
have two barracks to a company when
We are filled up, with 172 Jnen to a
gun company. There will probably be
some extra all the time. We now have
143 in our company. They will be
heated by four large furnace-type
stoves q mean the buildings.)
1.-THE camp is quite sight. There
are rows and rows of buildings. We
can't see either end from here. 1t is
about four and half miles long and
about a mile and half wide. The
main streets are paved with concrete.
| There is separate lavatCry for each
| barrack, with closets, showers, etc.,
all the best plumbing. There are COM
| plete sewer and water systems
throughout the camp. There is a big
conrete reservoir, as large as the one
in 'Kato, for one end of it. There are
eight deep wells. ..
Transportation is drawback.
There is interurban trolley line serv-
| ice. A bum town is Des Moines any
| how. 1t takes about an hour and half
| to make the ten or twelve miles at the
| best. ....
81 surely consider myself lucky to
get into the gun battalions. l would
not consider the engineers now. 1
never had any idea before what ma
chine gun amounted to. It's the only
dope. 1t makes nice work and keeps
the men interested too.
1--WE haven't our guns on mounts
either. We are trying to make soldiers
of the men first. We have foot drill
and squad movements. We get about
twice as much physical drill as the
other units We need strong men
and have to Keep them in the best
shape possible.
"You ought to see our lineup. There
are machinists, farmers, railroad men,
etc., most all huskies. They all seem
to enjoy it. They work like devils.
There is no grumbling or lying down
on job as l expected. They are COM
ing faster than any recruits that ever
joined the regular army. -.
1--WE have four regular sergeants
in our company from the Philippines,
all long service men and crackerjacks.
Two of them are expert gun men.
| They could have a commission, but
don't want it.
II have been overseeing the mess
among other things and say, if you
want real feed, drop around to Com
pany at mess time.'
George A. Hodson, local barber, is
in receipt of the following letter from
Irving L. Day, carpenter, once of Man
kato, now of Kansas City, but at work
at Camp Funston, Kan:
Camp Funston, Kan, September
| 24-Dear sir and brother: l am here
in charge of buildings for the army.
Some city we have put up here this
summer to house $4,000 drafted men.
There are 10000 laboring men here be-
sides soldiers. No women are allowed.
| We have put up 2,400 out of the 5000
| buildings to go up.
1--WE have bakery for the camp
with a capacity of 100000 loaves per
day, laundry that washes $4,000 uni
| forms a day, an ice plant of fifty tons
| capacity, and twenty-eight boiler
rooms four horsepower boilers to
supply heat for the camp and all mains
are hung on telephone poles. We have
central Y M. G. A. with four more
smaller ones, and several lodge and
club buildings and officers quarters.
Yes, and an electric light plant for the
town.
1.-THE camp is eight by twelve miles
with the best water works, sewerage
and lights, but not a sidewalk and
no women or liquor allowed. No
smoking outside building and we
civilians go to bed when the lights are
out at $50, the same as the soldiers"
Charleston, S. c. September 3d.
To The Free Press: Through the kind
ness of one of your patrons and per-
sonal friends of mine, Mr.. N. E. Ben
nett and his sister of R. F. D. No. Z,
l have received several copies of The
Free Press. Will say enjoy them very
much. l have seen many notes in your
paper from the boys in the army but
have noticed none from the boys in
the navy.
arrived at the Norfolk Training
Station August 10, with forty-seven
other rockies. We all shipped from
Minneapolis. We had Pullman sleep
ers and enjoyed the trip very much.
There was big bunch of men frors
Omaha and another bunch from Okla
homa City that got in about the same
time we did and more came about
that time. In those two days they made
up about four new companies of one
hundred and twenty-five men each.
The biggest job was to get these
men into uniforms. They were all eX-
amined, vaccinated and issued ham,
mock with mattress and two heavy
wooden blankets, bag to keep clothes
in, two suits of blue, blue hat, three
suits of white and three white hats,
underwear, socks, handkerchiefs, tow
els, soap, toothbrush and paste, hair
brush and comb and other small arti-
Giles of use, also a pair of leggings
and pair of shoes. This clothing had
to be tried on and then each mans