Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1918-05-15
OLAF QUEAL WRITES
FROM CAMP PIKE
Is IN the Machine Gun Battalion.
Says the Trenches and Dugouts
are Real Interesting Places
BASEBALL FAVORITE
SPORT AT CAMP
Camp Has a Lot of NegrOs, Says
1t is Great Sport to Watch
Them Drill.
Camp Pike, Ark.
May Z, 1918.

Dear Editor:
/ thought l had better write you
la line to let you know / received
the Public Opinion and of course I'm
glad to get it for we all like to know
whats going on in the old home
town and the Public Opinion sure
has about all the news.
Well | am still at Camp Pike,
and in the machine gun battalion,
don't know how long we will stay
here, but its likely we'll be here for
a month or two yet.
This battalion will be equipped
with truck and motorcycles in place
of wagons and mules, which we had
at first. We are not sorry for that
less work and those mules can sure
kick some too.
The weather down here has been
| fine for the last two or three months.
| 1t gets quite warm in the daytime
but it's nice and cool at night I
don't think it's near SO dusty in
this camp as at Camp Dodge.
The meals here are fine and
plenty of it, and a good variety;
they have especial good Sunday din
ners.
At present We are having gas
drill and believe me you have to
make every move count. There
you must be able to get the gas
mask on and adjusted in six seconds
before you qualify to go through
the gas house where you get a
touch of real gas.
Each company in camp gets q
day at the trenches about every
three weeks. The trenches and dug
outs are a real interesting place to
lgo and see; there lots of visitors
out there. The dug-outs, there's
quite a few of them, and owing
to the fact that there is so much
rock here it was some work to dig
them. They are about forty feet
deep, have electric lights and also
hunks for the men to sleep on; of
course they are somewhat damp.
There certainly lot of negros
in this camp and it is great sport
to watch them drill. They are a.
bout as awkward as they make EN-
at first, but they sSon get so they
drill right along. They seem to
enjoy army life fine when they get
their new khaki suits on and thirty
bucks a month is sho huff doe to
keep them in spending money.
White officers have charge of the
darkies, drilling them, etc.
Baseball is about the most favor
lite sport in camp at present. On
la holiday afternoon you can see
more baseball games than you can
shake a stick at. There are about
thirty-five or more teams competing
for the Division League champion
ship. There are some very good
players in camp so that will mean
some clore games toward the end
of the season. So far our company
nine is playing good strong game
for the penant. The mines all
have regulation base ball uniforms,
shoes, etc
The Y. NJ. C. A. puts on some
real interesting entertainments "a
bout every night, movies a couple
times a week, lectures and speeches
by various prominent people and
boys out of various companies are
always willing to help entertain
with music, singing, etc. Also
have some good darkie quartets and
clog and buck and wing dances,
Boxing and wrestling matches are
quite often seen, but of course
they never have a knockout match,
but just long enough to make it
interesting.
Well l reckon I've written quite
a line so will close for this time.
Best regards to ALL
Private o. M. QUEAL.
Co. B. 334, M. G. Bn.
Camp Pike, Arkansas.