The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1918-08-01
Marvin Smith
Writes of Life at
Camp Merritt

tary contingent at Camp Merritt.
New Jersey. IA miles from New York
city, waiting transport to France. has
written fhe following interesting let
| ter to his mother. Mrs. Emma A
Smith. of 531 Macon avenue. He
says:
Nothing further ras developed in
! relation TO our leaving here for over
seas service. Today a lot of new med
ical men are coming into camp and
we may not ''go over for a long time.
Yesterday. went by the casualty in
Urinary and by the door was a cap
tain's name and who do you suppose
! 1t was? 1t read:
Captain Hart Goodloe.'
"At Fort Riley, Mr.. and Mrs. c. A.
Biggs and Lieut.. Clyde BiSgs came to
see me and / remember IL with pleas
ure. They are the only ones of the
old life l have seen since leaving
Canon City. Our company has been
increased again and we now have 244
men and "a officers. Fifty of US were
recently invited to a dance and We
had very nice time. have been to
Brooklyn. Newark, Jersey City and
Philadelphia. but probably will not
get to go to Washington and Balti-
more.
"Our camp has a capacity for 10000
men. but the great transports are
coming and going daily. and conse-
quently, the camp is quickly emptied
and as quickly filled up again with
new men. The navy seems TO have
perfected a method OF protection that
is practically ''air tight. so please
do, not worry when / go for / shall
be absolutely all right. Be as brave
as you can for l surely will come
home again.
I'VE are getting frightfully tired of
this place. No one knows where hi
is at and a change will put an end to
the present suspense. We are being
taken care of to the last thing: plenty
OF good. wholesome food and the whit
est bread you ever saw.
Il have been issued all new cloth
ing; two wooien suits. three pairs OF
shoes. two wooden shirts. five suits
of underwear. an overcoat. six pairs
of wooden socks. three wooden blank
cts. a $3.50 safety razor. hair brush.
tooth brush. comb. mirror. two bed
ticks. tent. pole pine. kpapsack. belt.
etc. and then some more. When
move I will sure have some load to
carry.
Last Sunday I took n boat down
the Hudson river. thru the harbor to
Coney Island. We passed the Statue
OF Liberty and Forts Jay. Hamilton
and Wadsworth. Two airplanees
were sailing over Coney island all
afternoon. occasionally doing some
fancy stunts. a concoy with 10000
soldiers aboard was in the harbor.
ready to go out. probably. when dark
ness set in.
Il have been taken out of the hos
pital here and have been sent to the
Rockefeller Research institute and
hospital. II is wonderful place.
They have every apparatus and con
venience known to medical science.
The buildings are located on the East
river and are marvellous in size and
beauty. ! am taking instruction in
fractures and the treatment of them.
/ am assigned to the accident ward
and the cases demanding attention
are of many kinds and degrees Of seri-
BUSINESS. / had the case of child
who fell from a fire escape and who
died on the operating table. To-day
had to sew up few lacerated
scalps and faces and worked in the
fracture ward for awhile.
when reached camp tonight the
sergeant met me with the order to be
ready at 7:15 to go to New York and
remain there until embarking for
France, and as result. my connec-
ton with the hospital here was ter
minated. suppose am doing all
right. for | am being treated splend-
idly ! will write you more about II
all when an opportunity is presented
to do SO. Am well and feeling fine"
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