Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1918-03-13
Left Fort Riley, Kansas, for Utah the
Middle of February and Writes
About His Trip
TAKING INSTRUCTIONS
in GAS DEFENSE
Will Perhaps be Kept i'm This Country
to Teach This Subject to the
Men of the National Army.

Yesterday Major Woole, who is
the new CommarIler over our
whole Sanitary Train, and to
whom | reported at Chief Sur
geon's Office on coming here from
Fort Riley, seris his orderly wishing
me to report at once to his head
quarters. He told me to report at
1:15 p. IN. to Lieut.. Ba1e at Division
| Headquarters for post graduate
course il Gas Defense" / complied
with orders and found another med
ical officer reportirly under like
orders. We asked Lieut.. Bane what
| it was all about. He said you are a
| school of two to take a special course
of instruction, following your course
at Fort Riley, in Gas deferpe' at
other posts This will take us from
35th Division and consequently will
not go lover seas at least for some
time, aad probably we will be kept
in this country to teach this subject
to the conscript army as they are
drawn. While this work is not in
the line of my life's preparation it is
most important feature of training
to the army and is an assignment
which offers good opportunity for ad-
vancement.
After arriving at Salt Lake City
Feb. "a, he writes of his trip from
LawtoIt Oklahoma as follows:
After many delays because of poor
train connection, am at last in the
historic city of Salt Lake. The train
pulled irto this depot nearly five
hours late, will explain the reasons
later.
Until we reached Pueblo, Colo. we
saw nothing but the vast, bleak
plains of Texas which are interesting
in their vastness.
On leaving Pueblo, which is situ-
ated at the foot of the Rockies, the
train plunges right into the noun
tains and continues to go deeper into
the rugged scenery; the farther we
go until darkness shuts out the view,
just before reaching the top of the
earth" at Tennessee Pass an altitude
Of 1O26O feet or nearly two miles.
\ When we passed the summit it was
while at dirner and for few minute es
/ had slight sensation of oppres-
sion, but did not have the ringing in
my ears that several complained of.
If l had not been thinking about it
don't think that l would have motto
ed it.
At Caryon City, an hours ride
from Pueblo, we passed the state
penitentiary. II is watered by a
pipe line leading down from rIearly
the upper end of the great Royal
Gorge. The pipe is in sight of the
train for nearly the whole distance
squirting its little streams of water
from tiny leaks here and there along
its lerIgth. About four hours out OF
Pueblo we reached Salida and il one
hour from this place we plunge into
the Grand Canyon of the Arkansas
river, it is beautiful and indeed grand
but / was somewhat disappointed.
There is to my mind much a!ore
magnificent scenery on the western
slope of the divide. After eros jilg
Tennessee Pass we slid down tie
western slope through Eagle River
Canori aid on to the Canon OF the
Grand River.
Shortly after l retired for the night
the train came to an abrupt stop.
very sool was lost iri slumber and
awakened five hours later by snow
scraping the side of the car and a
humping as if over stones; then, we
ran smoothly along as before. In
the morning l learned that the train
ran into or up to a snow slide over
the track that delayed us five hours
aid | slept soundly through it all.
Was rather glad for it gave us five
hours more this morning of the finest
mountain scenery on the trip that we
would have missed but for the delay.
We would have missed all those
beautiful red sandstone mountains,
that are wonder.
About noon we went into the
Wasatch mountains which are more
beautiful to look at than anything
that We saw in the Rockies. We
reached an altitude there at Soldiers
Continued on Page Five.