The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1918-07-25
Letter From Lit. Copeland.

from the U. S. Naval Air Station,
Queenstown, Ireland:
"I am personally getting along fine
and was never in better health and
spirits. The work is coming along
much to my liking and is beginning
to show signs of the end. Presume
l will be getting away to another field
in about a couple of months; but at
this time am unable to say where
| or when it will be. 1t would be a
revelation to you to see what we have
accomplished in this country. Start
ing with nothing but bare fields and
barren hills we have constructed some
marvellous stations and are, I think,
justly proud Of what has been ac-
complished. You hear great deal
of German efficiency and rapidity in
getting things done; but feel quite
sure that they have little on what we
have accomplished here. I cannot
tell what we have done in detail, but
I may say that it is scattered over
several thousand square miles of ter
ritory and has been carried out with
out the least fuss and fuming and
that probably not so much as line
about it all has appeared in the pa
pers.
''I travel almost continuously and
visit every part of Ireland inspecting
and laying out the work. At times
it is extremely firing, but all the
while it is very interesting and makes
one feel good to see the results COM
ing in. It is very much like small
boy who begins with a box of blocks
and gradually builds a castle. He
likes to see it grow and when he
finally finishes he feels that he is a
wonder. That is pretty much the way
with us who build. 1t is then for the
other fellow to come and make use
of it. In way I hate to leave it all
and almost feel that I would like to
stay and see what is done with what
I have put in so much time building.
But they need us elsewhere and
would go.
"Have had some wonderful auto
mobile trips in connection with my
work and I know that you would
have enjoyed taking them. However
I am sick Of the sight of machine
and get fearfully tired and bored
with the tours. It isn't a sight see
ing expedition by any means. In
stead it is a case of rising before
daylight and speeding at forty miles
an hour through clouds of dust till
night time to reach the next place.
Then pore over blue print plans till
midnight and tell the assistant on
the job what to do. Snatch bit of
sleep and repeat the dose next day.
"a bit of added interest comes
when some fellow with an enormous
foundation to put in springs the
query: We'll, what am I to do;
the ship that was bringing my cement
was torpedoed?' Go, find some
SOMEWHERE is the answer. And
that is the way it goes on day in
and day cut. Ceaselessly pitting
your wits and brains against those
of the Hun. At times it appears that
troubles will never end, but then
comes the rift and everything is
smooth sailing. At any rate every
thing has gone we'll and we are away
head of schedule
81 see the papers every now and
then and it is a genuine pleasure to
know that the folks back home are
taking the war seriously and that
come what may they are in to stay
to the finish. That the finish can be
but one-in our favor-we have nev-
er doubted; but the recent reverses
in France show that we have a deter
mined and persistent foe to fight and
I fear there will be many an anxious
moment before we are counted, win
ners.
"Just at present we are having a
touch of real winter and have fires
going everywhere. That is not at
all to my liking and I fear that
would never become accustomed to
Irish climate. I am not cold blood
ed animal, and yearn for the warmth
and sunshine of the South. I fear
that I passed too many days in the
tropics ever to become accustomed
to cold weather.
"There is nothing, thank you, that
need. I understand the difficult
ties in sending things here and quite
appreciate your desire to attend to
my wants. However, am we'll fixed