The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1918-06-05
MOTHER Tells OF
HER TRIP TO
CAMP MERRITT
MANY TOUCHING SCENES ARE
ENACTED IN BIG MILITARY
CITY, CAMP MERRITT, N. j.

impressions OF camp Merritt, N. j..
to which both herself and Mr.. Cowles
went some time ago to see their son,
Charles, who enlisted early in the
war and who, after being stationed
for q long time at Douglas, Arizona,
was being sent to France, by way Of
Camp Merritt, N. j.
AS / stated before Camp Merritt is
situated upon the very crest of q
steep hill, an ideal site for an army
camp but it does not remind one Of q
camp; it is more like a great city
going up. There was building after
building that had all been erected
Mrs. Beverage, informed me, that
on the first Of September there was
not sign of camp and on Thanks
giving day there were already 5000
men stationed there. At the time of
our visit there they were erecting a
hospital to accommodate 5000 wound
ed men. We were also told that all
our BOYS wounded that could pos
sibly be brought over would be trans
ported there and cared for. This
hospital is being built right on the
very edge of a cliff where the rocks
slope steeply down distance of about
800 feet and below there used to be
stone quarry; there used to be an
observation tower upon thid cliff,
from where one could look over this
ridge into three different states,
New York, New Jersey and Connecti-
cut, a most slightly place. truly an
ideal spot for hospital. This hos
pital is also to be equipped with sun
parlors and X-ray appliances, in fact
every conceivable appliance that the
medical science has invented will be
installed here to be used for the rec
storation of those brave boys and
truly it is not too much when we
stop to consider the great sacrifice
our brave soldiers and sailors are
making. But, oh, indeed this was
busy place; we could hear the ham,
mers from early morning until night
and small army of carpenters at
work the morning that we left Camp
Merritt there were three coaches of
just carpenters who got off at the
buildings. The Red Cross is erect
ing its building; we never can con-
ceive the great merciful work this
great organization is doing and mo-
theirs and fathers of America, wives
and sweethearts, let there not a day
pass but what we give a prayer of
thanksgiving TO think that this great
arm of mercy is established that will
go among the din of the battle roar
to care for our wounded boys and
to stand by them perhaps in their
last struggles in life; so let us give
all we possibly can; let's not do our
bit but our utmost and indeed we
cannot do too much to help support
this grand order. Then there is the
Y. M. and Y. w. c. A. which are
also doing a great work and worthy
of all the support we can give it and
the X. of c., this noble order is also
foremost in it's zeah for the welfare
of our men and is not doing its bit but
its utmort; also the Jewish and He
brew Mission; all these organizations
are striving nobly together for the
purpose of helping to bear the bur-
den of this cruel war to help provide
comforts for our brave men and what
an inspiration it must be to our fight
ing forces. How inviting the Chris
tian Science rest cottage looked to
US, weary and tired as we were, with
the words "Welcome" all over its
sumably so all could see and take no
tice and avail themselves of the OPP
portunity. The sad recollections of
the hostess house were so deeply i'm
pressed in our memory that / think
they will always remain; one sweet
faced little woman who asked me if
| had found my soldier boy told me
in her soft southern accent that she
had come from southern Kentucky
In response to a telegram from her
boy that he could not get a furlough
and was leaving for France. She
said, came yesterday; / have had
my boy for just two hours; today he
is doing guard duty and tomorrow,
/ must return as | have six other
children, baby of two years among
them that she had left for the father
to take care of. She stated that
when they received this telegram the
father says, you go. mother, you are
the nearest to the boy and she smil-
inglv informed me that she thought
the brief time she had spent with her
boy was worth it indeed, faithful lit
tie mother. We wondered how they
could have sent 10000 men from this
camp to France the Friday before we
reached there on April but that is
nothing out of the ordinary when
there are troop trains coming in all
tnc Wnlle lllieu viii SoiuleTS ITOm Ill
directions to refill the vacancies if
any; the governments truck are
steadily trucking in supplies to this
great cantonment. When our boy,
Charles, came from Douglas, Arizona
there were two batteries aboard his
troop train, Battery b and Battery
G Of the 10th Field Artillery; each
battery consists Of 100 men besides
their officers so there were soYne-
thing over 400 men aboard; he said
they went along fine until after they
left Kansas City; that as they were
making a down grade the brakemen
tried to apply the brakes but discov-
cred that some miserable spies had
pulled the brake screws SO they were
unable to set the brakes and conse-
quently had to run at the rate Of about
81 miles per hour; he thought that
this must have been done at Kansas
City where they ran on an elevation
to take water. No one knew how this
could possibly have been done when
THAR fr~oon trains are vary c1oooIv