The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-08-12
c. F. {. TELLS CAMP
NEWS OF AccOT|Ak
Interesting letter OF Soldier Now In
Traini" Who Relates Many
Experiences.
BUILDING RIFLE RANGE.
BOYS Are Anxious to Complete Their
Discipline and Get Away to the For
eign Trenches for Active Ser
vice.

Especial to The Richmond Virginian, y
camp HUMPHREYS. Va. Aug. Ii
since last writing you. the camp has
oeguh TO assume an appearance of &C
iVlty which leads one to believe that
IN rev months it will be a regular
pace. The water supply is improv-
ing slowly. Some of the barracks
nave lavatories and showers installed
and working, but those occupied by
the Richmond men are not among
those completed. We are still suffer-
ing from lack of these facilities Some
or our men went home last Saturday
on their first week -end passes and il Is
to be hoped that they took advantage
or this opportunity to take a real
bath. Previous to this we had only
averaged about one bath in two weeks.
ana this was obtained by being
marched down to the Potomac river.
about two and half miles distant.
where we We're allowed about thirty
minutes to wash ourselves and any
clothing we might desire to cleanse
'this was only attempted by the ex-
tremeiy ambitious). AS we had TO
march back through dusty roads not
much improvement was discernible on
our return.
About four hundred men from our
y
composed of Virginians, were ordered
down to the rife range, near Acco-
INK, on Monday morning Each man
carried the regulation pack, contain
ing haif pup" tent, two blankets.
mess Kit, tent pegs, etc, the total
weight being seventy pounds. At
least that was the weight when thew
started out, but your correspondent
mas u on reliable authority that at
the end OF the first mile It weighed
eighty pounds, at the end OF the sec
ono ond mile ninety pounds, and so on.
The distance marched was about five
country miles. The men on leaving
were joyful at the prospect of going,
as they thought at last to be armed
with something other than pick and
shovel. They began to discuss the
care or the rife, ranges, scores, and
all the other details Of what usually
goes with practice shooting. When
they arrived the grim news was
broken to them that they were to build
a rifle range. and not to practice on
one Great were the walls of dis
appointment, and when stragglers be-
gan to drop under the heat Of the sun
the boys who were still on their feet
began to envy them. Our supply SER
geant, who Is an anaemic youth of
ESQ pounds, was sent back yesterday
in an ambulance. 1t Is from him that
we obtained the tragic details
Eight hundred and fifty negroes
from southwest counties came in this
week, along with about fifty additional
white men from Richmond. We have
also received men in lots OF twos and
threes from Ohio, Missouri, California
and Maryland. There must be nearly
$4,000 men in camp at this writing
The negroes have been very easy to
handle, compared to some of the draft
from New Jersey and New York. for
many OF the latter had foreign names
which we could not pronounce and a
large portion could not speak English
They all have short names, for the
most part. and are very cheerful lot
A few nights ago they put ON a show
at the r M. G. A. tent, which was yery
enjoyable. 1 am sorry that + cannot
give full account Of 1t here, for It
was most amusing in parts. One ne
gro gave monologue which was
worthy of "big-time'' vaudeville.
This terrible hot spell OF the last
few days was broken last night BY i
cooling thunder-sfower. muciit % our
great relisf. Tor the Scarcity 4 k1rater.