The Colville examiner. [volume] (Colville, Wash.) 1907-1948, 1918-07-27
OVERSEAS WORK
FOR cR|NsTEAD
COLVILLE ATTORNEY TO CROSS
SEA-CLAUDE CASEY MADE
Y. NJ. C. A. SECRETARY
Return From Training at Seabeck
Where They Heard of Purpose of
Organization Home and Abroad

"To do overseas Y. NC. A. work,
they tell us we must be ready to do
anything and everything" said F. Leo
Grinstead after his return Sunday
from the conference of Y. M. C. A.
workers at Seabeck on Hood canal.
Mr.. Grinstead expects call at any
time from New York for overseas
work, having been passed by the
western department and recommend
ed for this service. Mr.. Grinstead,
who is giving up fine law practice
to enter the service, has brother
who is colonel of the 128th infantry.
About 125 men from all occupations
and professions were gathered to-
gether at this conference, said Mr..
Grinstead, and about three-fifths Of
them wanted overseas work. The
camp at Seabeck, where Y. NJ. c. 4.
men meet every summer; is an ideal
spot for such gatherings, and the
session was an enjoyable and inspir-
ing one. The training there was
along both. mental and physical lines.
Men who had done Y. M. G.. A.
work at the front were there and told
of the scope and purpose of the or
ganization at the front and eastern
men lectured on educational SUBJ
jects. When they We're not exercis-
ing their mental faculties, the dele
gates enjoyed refreshing plunges in
the salt water of The canal, played
tennis. or hiked in the fragrant woods.
Six men from Stevens county were
there, according to Mr.. Grinstead, in
cluding Rev. A. H. Hause of Kettle
Falls, Claude C. Casey Of Colville,
Rev. o. A. Scott of Chewelah, Rev.
E. C. Corn, formerly M. E. pastor at
Colville, Clayton representative, and
himself. Most of the men were min
listers, but great many occupations
were represented.
That the work overseas could not
be organized on the same plan as the
Y. M. C. A. work in the camps here,
was shown by the speakers who had
experienced the work there. A man
cannot specialize SO thoroughly in one
branch but must be able to do any
thing from giving first aid to the in
jured, to making chocolate in the can
teen work or leading the men in sing
ing popular songs.
The value of the work the organ
ization is doing over there is shown
by the report made to Gen. Pershing
by major of his staff whom he had
detailed to make a survey of the Y.
M. C. A. service on the western front.
The substace of it was that 900 men
who had had the privileges of the Y.
M. C. A. service were equal to 1000
soldiers who had not enjoyed the SER
vice. The Y. M. c. A. has taken
over the canteen or post exchange
service at the front, thus releasing
men for other duties.
The men who go overseas in the Y.
M. C. A. work rank as lieutenants,
although they are not commissioned,
said Mr.. Grinstead. They mess with
the officers and wear the same sort
of uniforms. In order that the con-
ference men might have glimpse
of what they might have to come up
against, a man who had seen much
military service and had been doing
Y. M. c. A. work at the front, told
them about his experience.
He was stationed in "Y" hut
within $50 feet Of the front. The
hut was an underground wine cellar
with no light or air except what came
through the small opening for the
stairway. The ground was foot
deep with mud and water. Here he
had four 21-gallon chocolate boilers,
the water for which he carried in two
pals from we'll about 300 yards
away amid the machine gun bullets
which were sweeping the section.
There wasn't much wood and when
the shells hit buildings near and scat
tered pieces of timber these were
brought in for wood. Here he made
the chocolate and served it to the SOL
diers, working night and day, and as
he said, when he got through, all he
did was to begin the same thing over
again. Because he was gassed in
this very cellar, is the reason the
speaker was in this country recover
ing sufficiently to return.
Claude c. Casey, who attended the
convention at Seabeck, reported Mon
day for duty at Vancouver as camp
secretary.