American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1918-08-16
LETTERS FROM W
COUNTY SOLDIERS.


who is en- route TO France for service
in the ambulance corps:
Camp Mills. Long Island, n. Y, Aug
ust 8th, 1918. Dear Father and ALL
/ will start on a few lines this morn
ing but don't know how long I'll get
to write.
/ arrived at this camp Tuesday at z
p. m. n I'm just sticking around
camp now, getting ready for the over
seas trip. We don't have to drill any
and as yet we haven't had any exer-
! else. / don't think there is any drill
field here. It's just a stopping place
for the men going over. We got here
In time 10 hit the hot spell. Marching
with our packs from the train made
our clothes %wringing wet and yester-
day we almost roasted. Last night
there was a thunder storm and rain
which has cooled the air some. | be-
lieve the temperature ran over a hun
dred yesterday. We could hardly
stand II. There are people dying in
New York City.
This camp Is about IS miles above
the city on Long Island. There are
/ several thousand here and a continual
T string OF them leaving all the time. |
, guess that a week here will be about
our limit. Our stuff Is being taken
from us and new outfits will be issued
A soon. We will get some head piece
. instead OF our hats. It's just a little
0 cap so we can wear our steel helmets
over them. There are dozens of air
Y planes flying over this camp and the
a city. New York harbor and all along
. the coast. Sometimes | can count
about two dozen over camp at once.
. They are practicing and trying out the
+ machines and also guarding against
{ submarines. etc. There are some big
g ones. one just passed over low down
3 that makes as much noise as a freight
n train. The whirr of the engines make
n a continual roar.
our trip from Camp Kearney was a
long one. We came on rather a
70 roundabout way. Counting California
,r we passed through 10 states n one
r. province Of Canada. II was awfully
Y hot through Arizona, New Mexico.
Texas, Oklahoma. Kansas and plenty
warm through the states farther north
We were in Kansas City at midnight
N August 3. In Chicago on Sunday
about l p. m. Stopped there about
hours. had a bath there and also one
10 at Emporia, Kansas. We went
through Indiana and Michigan to Port
ID Huron. From there We went under
TX the river into Canada.
There we're very few young men In
o aCnada that we could see. The crops
10 we're good all through there. could
r tell the difference in he way the rail
road was kept up, too, In some places
the steel rails had cut down about
two or three inches into the ties and
l. there was no one along repairing them
either.
We stopped for two or three hours
in Niagara Falls. Canada before eros
sing over into the states. The falls
and river. bridges. etc, were some
g. thing worth seeing. We would have
a enjoyed ourselves better II it had not
been quite so hot there. From Buff
r. falo. n. Y. we made pretty good time
Is through New York and Pennsylvania.
arriving at Jersey city about p. m
Tuesday. The steamer. Lakewood, was
,r waiting for us and as soon as Ne lead
" ed our grub and outfits we started up
the Hudson. We could see the Statue
4 OF Liberty down in the harbor. We
e. passed under the Brooklyn bridge. al
~ 49,. a.. NNI1t....H.- hrtIr. cold ~
be the largest In the world. 1t was
a short ride but going up the river be-
A. tween the cities and the other things
OF interest made IL a good one. We
l.. landed at a station on Long Island
he aud again changed our outfits onto
lie the cars for the ride up the island to
D. camp We were kept under very close
4 restrictions from the time We left
Camp Kearney. We had 20 take our
turns at standing guard at the ends
OF each car. two to each end of the
car. I was on three times. three hours
r each time. No one was allowed TO get
"a off nc the stops except the sergeants.
officers. guards, etc. unless We were
taken Off in company formation for
exercise. We we're not allowed to go
II from one car TO another without per
mission. At first We could shake
Is hands from the windows with the girls
aud people along through the towns,
"a but later that was nedied US on &C
le count Of SOME OF the soldiers would
u jerk the girls too near he a while
n moving out and endanger their lives,
Is so we're not allowed % shake
< hands unless We were on the outside.
We could write letters, cards etc. but
n they had to be turned in unsealed to
u our officers for censor. Il was an
n offense TO throw out mail and il was
le censored by the postmasters, anyway.