Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-04-15
COL. CUMMINGS
TELLS OF WAR
AT COLISEUM

oo'oos ditet HooH ny tHOSe anxious 70
hear some first hand word from the
boys at the front, and not a man MO
man or child present was disappoin,aa
in the least. Prof. w. I. Guild got raaI
music out of the audience for 20 min
| utes, after he had announced that Tho
| train was 40 minutes late. Then I,dpa
Harold c. Cook, man who always in
terests an audience, spoke on the Third
Liberty Loan and was interrupted nv
frequent applause. and on the arriva,
| Of Lieut. Col. Cummings introduced hin,
as the man with a message straight
from the loved ones at the front.
| Col. Cummings opened with the re-
mark that he was pleased to come r.
Gardiner and said that the last time
he was here he was on the same plat
form with bunch Of boys to arouse an
interest in the Second Maine He has
put recently returned from France and
had much Of interest to relate regarding
transport and trench life, as we'll 40
many souvenirs of the equipment used
! by the boys. His story was as he stat
! e: at the commencement, without
est as the breathless interest punctuat
ed by bursts of applause attested
RE began with the leaving of the bows
tot the Second Maine last August. wheu
Maine sent 1000 as fine lads into the soy
wee as ever came from any state. After
arriving at Westfield some 1900 New
Hampshire boys We're amalgamated
with them. OF this number GOO were "a
jected and per cent. from Vermont
put IN to take their place. Thus the
old Second Maine became the 1n9d and
New England regiment instead OF a
Maine one
Col. Cummings told Of life on the
transports. about which little has been
said thus far. He told us that the
crossing was not in the least like otbar
crossings. The first change that ono
noticed was the blue lights which were
turned on at P. NJ and remained till
morning. You can't see to read nv
'nein or TO play cards by them. and
they are enough to make any fellow
ieel plue Then came the abandon
snip drill, and this is preceded bv =
call that is narrowing This drill is M,
calculated 10 raise ones spirits in the
ieast' but as result of the drill twice
q gay each man knows just where his
boat is and just how to get to it.
on entering the danger zone each man
IS required to wear his lifebelt and thess
40 not add to ones comfort not the
least bit. Following this he told Of tb,
iaDOelr3nca nj
the horizon which finally turned out T.,
DE torpedoboat destroyers coming 70
convoy the fleet Of eight steamers
Ihey were a glorious sight, with every
other wave breaking entirely owe,
tnen, said he. The speaker exhihite
the lA-inch shell which is used nv the
destfoyers and explained the use of the
! depth bombs with which they are all
, equipped.
me troops are taken across for the
most part in converted German cr,,i :
erS Whlch had been put out of com
MISSION for good according to the
pellef of the German officers ana
crews aboard them. But" said h,
We put some good men at work on
getting some two knots per hour NOR
out of them than the Germans ever
did. The Vaterland had her pushing,
destroyed and the German captain
remarked that he would take his hat
on TO the man that would run her
again. IF he kept his work" said .he
speaker. he has been going barehead
ca, for she has made the trip acroe
in five days and carried 1900
troops
The American army in France are
DONG more work Il day and more
Gays in week than ever before in
the history Of our country and they
are all In excellent condition phvs,-
cally. He laid especial stress on rne
nigh moral condition of the boys in
France. which couldn't be better.
Several changes had been made in
the uniforms. the principal one be-
ing the shortening of the overcoats to
one inch below the knee and The
betting in at the back, making ii
much more natty. A cap. called the
go to hell cap, shaped much like
the paper soldier cap of our child
hood, is a favorite with the men. He
exhibited and put on the steel he'll
met, "the tin hat" as the boys call it.
Ii is made of pressed steel and pad
ded heavily on the inside, and is b.
no means as uncomfortable as one
might we'll imagine. When used IL
the rain the effect is much like hear
ing the rain fall upon tin roof.
| Col. Cummings exhibited the two
types Of gas masks. the French and
the English. The boys have no great
faith in the former but have in the
latter. These are worn slung around
the neck and hang at the hip. The
French mask contains medica Ted
cotton which smells like castor OIL
and which neutraliZes the effect Of
the gas. In the English mask the air
passes through various chemicals
The gas is sent across in two ways
the cloud gas and that which is shot
across by guns. Frequent applause
was given the speaker and a hearty
burst of applause at the close told OF
keen appreciation of the address by
the audience.