The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1918-01-02
Somewhere in France Mon.
tana Men Contributing
Their Part in War.
ACTIVITY WATCHWORD
Officer in Interview Gives a
Pen Picture Of Life Of
Those Volunteers.

somewhere In OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
well, ! shall not say where. but IL
is in the thick forest and resembles a
Canadian lumbermcn's camp more
than anything ! can compare it with
our magnificent American engineers
are working. working, oh, how pa
tiently and acknowledgements for
every Kind OF construction necessary
for the American army in France.
They are so far away that no monk
in the middle ages would have turned
up his nose in disdain. Solitude and
far-awayness is what that monk would
have found.
The American engineers have no
time for thinking Of that sort of thing.
The virgin forest huns with activity
and. the Woodlands axe goes 'tup, tup.
tup' all day long and the days are all
long days.
Tells Of the Work.
An officer gave correspondent a
few moments to describe the work of
these splendid fellows. He said: I'VE
are turning out railway ties, supports
for trenches and all forms of lumber
for which we get orders. We are q
forestry regiment and are volunteers
all lumberiacks-all skilled in the Sc
lection of trees for cutting and know
ing how to care for trees not ready
for cutting. so as not to destroy the
growth. We 20 through the entire
process of cutting. milling. trimming
and delivering lumber in every phase
of lumber activity. We are cutting
fir and spruce from one of the most
beautiful forests in the world. These
trees are. practically, hand planted,
grown under the supervision of the
French forest service, which is one of
the most efficient in the world. Our
mills have all come from the states in
pieces. We put mills together. build
them and operate them.
= All Are Experts.
I'm each company of this regiment
the men are recruited as members of
lumber mill units, each man being ex-
;perienced along those lines and having
a particular place to fill, just as in
the lumber camps and lumber mills
managed by the largest lumber cor
sporations~ in the United States. A,
great many. ~. these men ARE college
graduates and several are Rhodes
scholarship men who have turned
their backs on big opportunities and
high salaries to do their little trick
for civilization.
You must understand that the cree
.tion and care of a lumber camp and
mills involves skill of the highest or
der and the most intense efficiency in
every field of construction, mechan-
ical and electrical engineering. We
have not only our own power plants,
but each mill carries with 1t an up-to-
date electric and power plant enabling
these mills to run "a hours each day.
Perfect Physical Specimens.
These out ofrdoor men are the best
developed physically that any trade
or profession produces. Part of the
duty of these forest men is to guard
against forest fires. Our men are
philosophers and take thugs as they
come. with laughing, singing and good
cheer that make them the most Won
derful soldiers and most delightful
companions that anyone could possibly
wish.
This camp is nearly 5000 feet above
the sea level. We are, as you see,
living in tents now, but barracks are
rapidly being erected, the lumber be-
ing provided by the Canadian mills
nine miles away. and all the men and
all the supplies will be soon in we'll
heated cantonment barracks. The mon
have a general recreation room with
goodly supply 'of magazines and
papers and literature. and a very live
wire, up-to-date mans sort of chap
lain is in charge of this recreation