Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1918-05-26

and perhaps some glory, and hard
work and isolation is their lot
But what they are doing, tedious
enough day by day. is IN the agsre-
gate splendid and Invaluable to the
success OF our army The like OF 1t
was rever done before BY any army
in The world When the Germans
see it. as they will some day through
their newspapers they will be aghast
at the hugeness of II.
They had sneered at the idea OF
the Americans sending a large army
to France. How could they send an
army2 An army can't swim, nor
can it fly and the Americans had
no ships Even II they found ships
and sent men enough, how could
they feed. clothe and equip them?
How could they keep up their sup
plies?
remember one big aviation camp
which was built in a few months out
Of short lengths OF boards because
the colonel and his staff couldn't
get any better lumber. They were
told that they couldn't buy any lum-
Der at all. that there was none avail
able In that part OF France. But
they did get It, and they built the
camp. The men lived in tents dur
ing the coolest weeks OF winter with
icy winds blowing over the barren
plain All aviation camps are built
on big plains
Their Conduct Epic.
In spite Of the cold the men had
no stoves furnished them. No doubt
cto,,,z ,rcra onntar,nIat.a 49,, ,has,
did not reach the camp. But you
can't freeze pioneers, These boys
just went to work and built stoves.
built them out of mud. brick and
stones and biscuit tins and any other
old Junk they could find lying
around They made stovepipes out
Of tin cans. and they kept warm.
l met and talked with a half doz-
en- OF those engineers who were
caught in that German counter drive
near Cambrai last November. The
men. 1t Will be remembered, were
engaged in peaceful labor behind the
British front, linking up railroad
communications and forwarding
supplies needed by the English SOL
dier farther up the line. No one
supposed that the engineers were
in any danger, and the squads went
out without guns or revolvers
But Unexpectedly the Germans
swept over the British lines and the
American engineers suddenly found
themselves in the middle OF a bat
tie Some of them seized arms from
fallen men and sailed in to the fight
| like seasoned soldiers Others had
no chance to get hold Of firearms.
but did they retreat? Not so that
| you could notice II. They went for
| the Germans with their pick and
| shovels, and what they did 10 them
was epic, In describing their work
/ the British general in command SAID
| 1t was futile 10 bestow praise on the
/ Americans What they did was be
/ yond praise.
When l met these men they were
! just finishing up a piece Of construr-
! tion work at a camp in central
france. II was not an especially IN
| teresung work. lust day labor Blu
| when the big push began in March
| these men. being free to move, we're
sent up TO the front to build more
railroads.
Pick as a War Weapon.
Aren't they the lucky s,tts2"
| groaned a man in another labor
! group. But our turn viii come,
I'll bet you"
Whats the matter with p good
| sharp pick when you meet MO With
! Heinie? He knows what a In " ~.
/ do to him and he IS game Fu' y
/ Yankee guy withq5 pick has got h|m
backed off the map. - Jim here
/ killed two and chased TWO more with
nothing in his hands bug ~ novel /
! had a pick and was bet ~ off than