The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1918-12-26

injured planes have been brought for
salvage and repairs. Some of them
are only riddled with bullets, and need
only few other minor repairs, but
many are mass of wreckage. I
have even seen them ship from this
Post one smashed Liberty plane that
had part of a pilots brains and con-
siderable of dried blood spread around
the cockpit. When this field was new
and the ground soft there were
frequent bad landings, a few men
were injured or killed. Later after
they had done much rolling and
smoothing out of the field there
seldom was an accident though of
course so many planes are landing
here all of the time there are bound
to be some bitches. At first we would
run out to see what damage was done,
but later the accident had to happen
very close to me to get me to go over
to see it. At times when it appeared
that those in the plane should surely
be killed they would be miracuously
saved and come out with hardly a
scratch. One time when on the truck
at neighboring camp pilot flying
back from over the lines with valuable
photographic plates had trouble due to
having had his plane hit with anti
aircraft schrapnel and this plane took
smash into the side bank of the
road ahead of me little ways. Many
were soon there and started to pull
the fiier and observer out, but the
first thing they got was the camera
with it's plates. 1t took nearly half an
hour to chop the plane sufficiently to
get the pilot out, the motor had to be
moved from his too. They rushed
them to hospital, but both died the
next day of internal injuries.
have wandered way off my subject,
I meant to tell you more about life in
this camp and something about the
cities around here. When we first
pulled in here there were very few
ahead of us, what few barracks there
were here had lots of camoufiage in
line of paint and brush. We could
hear the heavy guns barking too and
sure but we thought that we were go
ing over the top the next day or
something like that. Then all of the
older fellows in the camp strung US
with stories about air raids and while
we did not know what part of them TIC
believe, we knew that there must
have been some such events and were
leary. remember how it was tbs
first night that they sent US out for
an air raid, there were some leary fell
lows, because they did not yet have
any helmets or gas masks. We have
since made trips to barracks wher'
new fellows were located in order tc
scare them ard one night, there was
an excuse for it too, got an entire
barracks to put out their lights as
theirs was new barracks withou'
any curtains up as yet. They had
Just pulled in from the States and you
can only imagine what a difference
there is bet veen such fellows and
some who have been over here awhile
by seeing them; it is surprising how
much there is. They just don't seem
to have confidence in themselves and
are more than timid, part of this be-
cause they do not understand the
French customs which they see.
It has been only since the armstice
was signed that we have been allowed
to let the lights in our barracks shine
before that it was always the black
curtain over the window, doors quickly
shut and no light to shine through any
cracks. 1t is fine to be able to go
out any time before nine p. m, and
see the lights in this young city OF
our shining as welcome as ever did
Sank Centre after a long trip in the
car. Now the Boche prisoners have
cleaned up all of the brush and we
have lights every night and feel quite
citified.
We had air-raids off and on during
the summer, but it was not until just
at the time before hostilities were
called off that we got our little old
raids regular, from one to three times
a night and while you hated to run it
seemed that those old trenches were