Trench and camp. [volume] (Augusta, Ga.) 1917-1919, 1918-05-29
CARTOONIST AT
REMOUNT DEPOT
Mr.. Claude Shaefer, of Gin
cinnati Post, Visits 308th A..
R. D. Entertains Soldiers. En-
joys Good Meal. Refuses to
Ride Bucking Mule,

joys Good Meal. REFUSES TO
Ride Bucking Mule,
Perched upon corner post of one of
the large box stalls that receive the
horses and mules after swimming the
gauntlet of the dipping vat, Mr.. Claude
Shaefer, cartoonist of the Cincinnati
Post in a visit last week to the Remount
Station, held on firmly and with huge
grin of delight watched the methods of
Captain Eshalman and his men as they
led, drove, or pulled the animals through
the healing waters of the medically pre-
pared bath. Mr.. Shaefer evinced much
interest and expressed the opinion that
this was one of the most efficient pieces
of work for the preventing of disease
that he has seen. 1t is one OF the many
means Uncle Sam has of taking care of
the vast number of horses needed in the
the service of great army.
To any one who has not seen the dip
ping vat a brief description may be in
teresting, The vat is SIS feet long, four
feet wide, and slopes a few feet at either
end to acentral part seven feet deep ana
about twenty feet long. the whole length
being securely inclosed with a stout
plank fence. A gate enough to admit
one animal leads from the corrais to the
sloping entrance of the vat and the ami
NAL finds at the other end of his bath
an open door which takes him into one
of two box stalls each provided for hold
ing half dozen horses. AS soon as
one stall is filled the animals are turn
ed from the vat into the other stall CIV
ing the men an opportunity to attend tn e
ones that have already passed through
their ducking. Every horse or mule must
take this bath and be covered entirely
with the water Most of the animaIs
take sudden plunge which puts them
completely under, but a few of the moreI
cautious creatures swim through the ~
foot depth with their head held high.
These are rewarded for their pains by
nj a h11faIFn
welded by skillful officer, who sees
that they are thoroughly ducked,
Mr. Shaefer's grin became consider
ably more than a grin when mule THAI
seemed inclined to avoid the bathing
process was driven and pulled down the
slope and forced into the deep water
Making noise that would have silenced
a primordial jungle the surprised mule
splashed and spluttered and brayed her
watery way to the other slope, then
refused OF leave the vat. Her dignity
having been completely upset by being
forced into an uncertain looking bath
by crowd of wholly unsympathetic hu-
mans she decided that they would have 10
take her out the best way they could so,
with a naughty, if not graceful manner,
she law down in the shallow water on the
much as to announce to the laughing on
lockers: Nov, will you expose to such
indignities perfect lady mule?" Cap
tain Eshalman, however was not dis
posed to be the slightest bit dscon-
certed by the idiosyncracies of a mule
The captain knows too much about tho
oddities of mule flesh to be amazed at
any thing one of these creatures does a
quick order here and another there and in
less time than it takes to tell 1t dozen
husky soldiers surprised the stubborn
mule again with the rapidity with which
she found herself swung out of the vat 10
make room for the more appreciative anf-
mails waiting for their bath
| The dipping vat process rs used as
often as the medical officers think neces.
sary This is always once IN not longer
than two months, although it may be
considerably oftener in the same length
of time, especially If any disease is sus-
pected. The object OF such careful at
| tention is to prevent any trouble.
Mr.. Shaefer is following an assignment
from his newspaper to go out to the
camps and put soldier life into cartoons
AS he goes from camp to camp he en-
tertans the soldiers in the "Y' huts by
his rapid drawing of pictures from life
after his drawing at the remount at noon
Mr. Shaefer ate a real soldier mess, and
claimed that he would rather have it than
the meals he had been getting in the
hotels, not that the hotels were not
serving good meals but that the soldier.
were getting high-class food and plenty
of it.
The cartoonist could only with great
est difficulty be gotten away from the
Remount Station. He earnestly desired
to stay. The interesting life with the
mules and the horses. the good meals,
and the excitement of swatting Georgia
flies thrown in as a side issue, were too
much fer him. He tried to enlist. How
ever, he will remain with the newspaper.
He could not qualify for a place with
the 30Sth A. r. p. There Yves one re-
QUiremt mt he could not meet He DEM
on&trated thoroughly his ability to handle
a good meal also satisfactorily exhibited
considerable skill in the art of fIy-swat-
ting, but there is something else re-
CURED al remount depot. He failed
to show any superior experiences IN the
little matter of handling horses. In fact
the opportunity was given Mr.. Shaefer to
ride very innocent-lookng mule and n,
fIstly refused to undertake It, although
every one knew the mule was tired out,
having thrown twenty me during an
hour OF so OF playful pastime.
After all that exercise any one shouiol
H. hIn ridA enrnntrflLl lEcILiIlc. 1rnlala -