The Delta independent., 1918-05-10
Letter From A,ber. chipp.rfield.
Somewhere in France.
January 80, 1918.

January 80, 1918.
Dear Friends:
The Christmas box that you folks
sent me arrived on the 18th of this
month. / was somewhat surprised for
l hadn't been looking for anything like
that, but all the articles will come in
mighty handy assure you, and want
to thank every one of you for remem-
bering guy like me that has been
away from your town so long. That
sounds like very slim way of thank
ing you but never was any hand at ex-
pressing my thoughts on paper, and ]
/ am growing no better fast.
I! Well how's everything in Austin? l
sometimes wonder If could make my
way through your little place and not
be recognized. I'm sure that there are
lots of faces there that I wouldn't rec
ognize. 1t seems to me like a very
long time since I've been there, and
just at present there are good many
miles of water between us.
Yes, I'm over here in France and
| perhaps some of you will be interested
in reading a few lines that have to
write. although it won't be very nue.,
cause you know that Uncle Sam has
shut down on the most interesting
stuff that there is to write about
We left New York on the tenth of
last September and docked at Scot
tish port on the third of October
never will for get that day either We
came in sight of IAnd early in the morn
ing and from then on we were all up on
deck taking in each new view as it
came to us.
You've probably heard lots about
Scotland but that isn't one-tenth when
you compare it with seeing their bon
ME banks.
By noon we had started up the rive.
Clyde and our ship was being towed by
two tugs.
/ judge from the reception that we
received that afternoon that we were
among the first of the American troops
to land there for it was nothing else
but one continuous cheer as we passed
by
But don't know which were the hap
pier. Things looked pretty good to us
/ tell you. But the worst part of it was
that as soon as we had landed they
marched us right to the train and we
didn't have any chance to get any
BLACK and White" or tell the girls
hello
From our Scotch port we went 70
southern England by rail We stayed
there few days just to kind of rest up
for the rest of our trip.
Then we "sneaked" across over here.
Had a nights ride in a channel side
wheeler And after we landed on
French soil we spent two nights and Il
day riding in dinky and dark box cat
with a flat wheel. All the time living
on Johnnie Bulls hard tack, cheese
and jam. Well. at the end of that jaunt
we found ourselves somewhere in
France. and made camp.
For the next three weeks 1t was
chiefly rain and lots of 1t. But by the
last of October our equipment had got
straightened out and the regiment Went
lout in detachments all through France
and set up their mills.
Now We are working like trojans.
putting in ten hours day, and il J
know anything about it. we are max
ing things count too. Our mill is run
ming night and day.
I suppose you folks think I'm over
here dodging bullets and wearing gas
masks or one thing and another. Well
get that out of your minds. We are
quite a number Of kilometers from the
front, and what they call mo mans
land" but on still days we can hear the
continuous roar of the big guns. and
several airplanes pass over us.
But really for myself I wish / was
up there where there was little more
lnction and see how things really went
But we may get there yet. Nobody
tnows what is ahead of us.
For France. Uncle Sam entering the
war sthe best thing that ever could
happen TO her now, according to my
way of thinking. And IL the war lasts
a couple more years. there won't be
any France. it will be a second U. S
Believe me we are taking things over
and running them as fast as we can.
and the rate that Uncle Sam is send
ing equipment and men over here is
not slow either.
For the camp that I am in we are
fixed mighty fine. Are staying r
tents here, all have board floors in
them and the walls raised and boarded
up two and a half feet That gives us
lots of room. There are from six to
eight in each tent We have little
! stove and plenty of wood to burn so