The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1918-07-03
LETTERS Y
COME TO THEM
IN BIG PUNCHES

Continued from Page One)
and writes as follows of life in the
service as he sees it:
Tafts College, Mass, June II, 1918.
Dear Mother and Dad:
Well, here am, all safe and sound.
We arrived here yesterday. all tired
and dirty and of course, hungry. We
were taken to the mess hall and were
given something to eat, then took
a bath. changed my clothes and felt
like q king. We started from VAL
praise Friday night at $3.50 and were
on the road about two days and two.
nights. We went on the Grand
Trunk and went through Lansing,
Flint and crossed over into Canada ct
Port Huron. After we went through
Battle Creek went to sleep and woke
up in Canada We went through Lon
don, there is where Herbert Noble Is
and also Hamilton We stopped there
an hour and we marched up town and
saw the town what little time we
had. We saw some pretty country
there; it was quite hilly and some
places you could look quite a long
ways. We met some Canadians who
had been on the road week; they
came from Vancouver.
We also passed an aviation camp,
and there were about Is aeroplanes
in the air. They raced with the train,
waved their hands to us and did some
fancy stunts in the air and we were
sorry when we left them. We stretch
ed our necks all out of shape watching
them.
When the Canadians got off at
Hamilton we all shook hands with
them and wished them good luck.
We saw Niagara Falls. They are
quite a sight; and stopped off at Buff
falo about three hours. At Hamilton
and Buffalo the Red GROSS ladies gave
us coffee, candy and cigarettes.
We left Buffalo at 5:45 and went
through Rochester and Syracuse.
wished could have seen Hazel but
did not know we were going through
there. We had just got to bed but
rolled out quick when some Red Cross
ladies came with some cake, candy
and gum. We had five Pullman cars,
two fellows slept in the lower berth
and one in the upper; we matched to
see who would have the upper and /
was the lucky one. A fellow can
sleep better in the upper berth. The
first night all the windows were open
and we almost froze to death.
We saw lots of large hills in Massa-
chussets that are not good for farm
ing and went through some noun
tains; one tunnell was five miles long
it was darker than the dickens; had TO I
turn the lights on; we arrived in, Bos-
ton at IL o'clock and had until 1870. |
Tafts college is at Medford, suburb |
of Boston. / saw the Atlantic ocean,
also Bunker Hill monument. Fri
day is a legal holiday in Massa-
Bunker Hill anniversary,
but the captain said seeing we were |
not from Massachusetts, we would |
not observe it. We were given three |
blankets and assigned to our rooms; |
there is a squad to each room.
The captain gave US a talk last
night and he said we would be here
two months and then be sent to some
other camp or we might be lodging /
bullets for all he knew. There are
ESQ here now. we start to work to-
morrow morning and work to $3.50,
then drill till $3.50 SO you see we will
be busy so to not get lonesome
We are not allowed to leave the
grounds which are surrounded by a
nign wire fence and no civilian is al
owed inside the grounds unless they |
come to see some of the soldiers. The
captain said we would not be allowed
any furloughs as we were there for
business. When ! left Valparaiso,
Wells left for st. Louis and Lester
mad not yet been assigned to any
place Wells felt pretty bad when
we parted because we were bunch
IF nuts, he said, and felt sorry for
him. Well, we have got to go and
lrill this afternoon so will close. Am
feeling fine. So long,
Alvin Davis.