Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1918-06-21
IN The WOODS
Harry Gambler and Roscoe Bachman
Tell How They Work for Uncle
Sam in the Forests of Washington
Donkey Engines and Big Logs.
Wynooche, Timber Co., Monte.
sano, Camp 3, Wash. June 4.

sano, Camp 8, Wash. June 4.
Dear Friends and Relatives:
We will try and write few of our
experiences after we left Wauseon.
We left Wauseon at $40 a. m, and
arrived at Vancouver cantonment at
% p. M. Feb. 16. We were kept in
barracks until the Goth when we were
transferred to the Sixth Casual COM
pany. The men were transferred to
these Casual companies to await their
turn to be called for service in the
woods. There were nine different
companies. Our daily routine was
drilling, fatigue and police duty. Po-
lice duty isn't true to its name, for
the guy that got the job had to keep
all chips, papers, and cigarette stubs
(snips) picked up around the COM
pany streets. Fatigue duty was usu-
ally with the pick and shovel gang.
That's what we got if we failed to
answer roll call in the morning. K
P. (kitchen police) was the most
hated of all. You had to be at the
kitchen at 6:30 to cut wood to get
breakfast with. From then on till
1880 at night, you were busy peeling
spuds, cutting wood, or carrying wa
ter. Usually there were enough fell
lows who oversight to keep it flied
For oversleeping you usually got T
days K. P, or 5 days fatigue. Our
drilling would commence at a. m.
with physical exercise, and that last
ed until 8. We would get Is minutes
to ourselves; then they would put US
through the infantry drills till II. We
would go out again at 1 p. n. and
drill until 4.30. At retreat we would
have to answer roll call and then
stand at attention while the bugIer
played "To the Colors," and the flag
was lowered. From then on until 9
p. m. we were at liberty to do as
we pleased. At 9 p. m. all lights
we're put out. We privates had can
dies, so there wasn't much trouble,
for they seldom last that long.
. That was our daily life until the
goth of March, when we got word
that we were to be transferred to
the woods. We left on the morning
of the 21st at 1926 for we knew not
where. We had to march about a
mile to the depot in the rain; so we
were well soaked for the trip. We
changed trains three times in the
forenoon and finally reached Monte
sano at 80 p. m. We didn't know
where we were going until about five
minutes before we arrived. We un-
loaded our traps from the train and
waited on the platform like a bunch
of lost sheep till our lieutenant re,
turned with enough autos to take us
to camp. We arrived at camp al
2:30 feeling little blue, for the coun-
try didn't look very much homelike
on the way out. Things have
changed now, since we have gotte1
, settled ard are working every day
Our camp is built beside sinai
mountain stream back in the hills
!, about five miles from town. Th'
railroad will pass wi5hin 20 feet o.
the kitchen when we pet it completed
There is a large pond alb )ut 20a, fee
back of the camp. The pond is uset
for slowing logs till they are loaded
on cars and shipped to the mills. Gu
here, logs are not drawn by horse
. as .insthe east, but instead they US
r engines they call "donkeys." Thes
! donkeys are two-cylinder steam en-
o gines with two drums of cable; on
, main line and one haul-back. It i
puilt on skids and will pull itsel
, over any hill. It is placed on a hi
. above the pond and the haul-bac
line is taken by four or five men ou
in the woods about quarter of
mile, run through big pulleys an
brought back, hooked on the mai
a line, which is pulled out where tn
! logs are. They fasten a log to thi
line and it is pulled in and and sli
i down a chute into the pond. Frol
d the pond they are loaded on cars an
e taken to saw mills. It is mostl
T douglas fir that is being cut her,
:; and that is used for shipbuildins
q The railroad engines in use here ar
q about the size of big threshing Ell
e gine. If they were much larger the
o couldn't get around some Of thes
u hills. The logs are from 6 to IL fet
y. across, so one log is pretty goc
y load.
y AS this is all we can think of ;
present, we will close for this tim
Il Hoping we can be with you next yea
u we remain
n, HARRY V. gambler
r, ROSCOE G. BACHMAN.
=. SAVE, AND LEND-FOR VICTORY