Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1917-10-25
western university campus.

western university campus.
When the company football team
lines up in the evening, clad in blue
denim suits and perky blue hats, one
wonders if there is such thing as
death within few hours distance. The
forget their worries, their fatigue and
Loneliness and chit the line'' as they
did when their old coach in the days
gone by signalled for the crucial run
that put the pigskin snugly between
the white goal posts.
| Across the Continent
After leaving the training camp at
American Lake the company made a
irapid cross country trip. The regiment
Travelled in three sections and under
strict censorship. No letter writing or
| telegram messages were allowed For
that reason many of the fellows who
had nlanned on meeting friends in the
various middle western and eastern
states were disappointed.
With but one stdp of any length, and
that at a middle western lake, the trip
was accomplished in a comparatively
short time. Each man had an honest to
goodness berth to sleep in and the
meals were served la cafeteria style
only the food came around to you in
stead df you having to slide along the
counter.
The lurid advertisements stating
that those in the arng get to travel
and see the world, could be greatly re-
vised and yet tell the truth. We did
not stop at any town in the United
States for a sufficient length of time
to even count he important smoke
stacks. We would be taken around most
large cities and our presence would be
unknown. Where we did stop we de-
trained only long enough to let the
fellows stretch a wee bit before con-
tinuing the tiresome jaunt.
Sailed From hew York
As is already known throughout the
United States, we sailed from New
YORK city. Our trip across the sound
was made via ferry and our presence
again concealed. We were lined up in
"a covered dock and marched single
file on our transport.
The day was misty, and rather chill
ly. No one knew of our expected ar
rival excepting the friends of few
of the men high in authority. The boys
had expected at least a few hours in
New York. All we saw was the dock
and a few moats in the harbor.
We were slowed below, in the place
where, during times of peace, horses
and emigrants had been accustomed to
travel. That was bad enough, but when
we found that the trip would probably
be about twice as long as we expected,
,ur hopes went down to the bottom
of the register.
Late in the afternoon Of the same
day of our arrival the transport was
loaded with her precious cargo. The
whistle blew and the gang plank was
drawn in. Not one of US saw face
that looked familiar on the dock. There
could not have been more than fifty
people there. The fellows did not cheer.
Each one Of us felt peculiarly like
wanting to go below and be alone. We
knew that our duty was across the wa
ter, yet when the final moment came
which severed US from all we loved
and all we knew, our first realization
of the meaning Of foreign war was
brought vividly home to US.
Leaving the Harbor
The boat slid slowly from her berth,
pulled by two smoky little tugs We
had all planned on giving one last good
shout as we passed the Statue Of Lib
erty. Hardly had the boat left her
moorings, than we were ordered be-