The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1917-09-24
VERMONTER IS
DROWNED AT
CAMP DEVENS
Young Man From Chelsea
Was Out on a Raft
DRILL BEGINS TODAY
Recruits Have Been Supplied With
Blankets But Are None Too
Warm at Camp Devens.

We want eats was the battle hymn
Of the draft recruits from Springfield,
Pittsfeld and other Western New
England cities when they hit Camp
Deyens at Z O'Clock tonight. Other
than the fact that they were mighty
hungry the boys announced that they
were feeling fine, had nice long ride
on the train and could lick their
weight in wild cats, but they certain
ly were hungry lot, according to the
chiefs in the depot brigade who had
to supply them with supper at 8
o'clock. The Springfield, Pittsfeld
Lee and Ludlow divisions were the
only ones reporting in today with
exact quotas. This was highly pleas
ing to the officers at the receiving
booth after wrestling with the Boston
divisions. which ran from 26 men
over to IL men short each.
The first thing the men did was to
line up for the distribution of their
tin mess kits Then the line moved
along past the kitchen counter. Each
plate was heaped with roast beef,
gracy, potato, two slices of army
bread and each had a steaming hot
cup of coffee, which tasted better
than anything else
They gathered around tn tables
in the mess hall of their various bar
racks and as they downed the food
they were busy chattering crowd.
Most of them went back for second
helping Of everything and they had
the chefs worried incidentally the
cooks emphatically state that West
tern Massachusetts men eat more
than men from any other State. They
don't know why.
After supper they were given a nur
ried lesson in dish washing, each
man being required to clean his own
tin mess kit. Then they received two
blankets apiece and were told to 20
upstairs and make their beds. The
efforts at bed making some of the
young men made would bring tears
OF laughter and compassion to the
eyes of any woman There's vast
difference between the way mother
makes bed, and the way they do II
in the army, and many of the recruits
had not even been taught now tc
make 1t up mothers way. But the
veterans of two weeks training and
ofiiceres showed them how it's done
They were all tucked in bed at IL
O'Clock, when taps" sounded from
the various company streets all over
| camp.
The program of work for the depot
| brigade men tomorrow Is not a heavy
one. They will be "bugled' out of bee
at 6 o'clock in the, morning and vii
| get their breakfast after half an boul
OF setting up drill, They drew theil
mess kits and bedding tonight so al
that they need TO, secure is their uni
forms and army clothing. which vii
be drawn Monday or Tuesday Th,
new recruits win be taken in hand b,
heutenants after breakfast and vii
be told how they are expected TO oc
port themselves here Then they vii
be taken out to drill.
Such heavy drafts have been mad
within two weeks on the depot brI
gade here to fill out other organiza
tions at Westfield and Boxford tha
the ranks of the veterans" of tw
weeks training are thin. But the
| will be filed with the new boys, an
the early arrivals show how thing
are done In the army when they star
drilling in the morning. II has b,
come quite evident to. the observer
here that the depot brigade will
constantly changing as the men ar
shifted from place to place to n
ranks of other organizations. not ol
ly here, but throughout the Fast. an
these men probably will have
chance to see active service soont
than the men in other regiment
here in camp.
This was a record day for visitor
at camp and gate guards estimat
that more than 100000 persons wei
through the grounds today. Near
every person carried a bundle or bt
full OF good things to eat for son
one
The first death in the division o
Cured today when Private GeorI
Delzil of Battery b, S02d light fe
, artillery, fell from raft in Robbil
pond, on the outskirts OF the canto
ment, and was drowned. lie was
years old and came here from Ne
bury, VT, Wednesday. The body W,
recovered by a medical friend.