The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1918-01-26
WAVELAND RESIDENT
WRITES ECHO LETTER
FROM CAMP SHELBY
Camp Shelby, Hattiesburg, Miss,
Jan. ID, 1918.

| July 3lSt last, l naQ nlgn hopes OF
gaining admission to the second Off
GERS training camp, which for Mis-
sissippians was to be held at Leon
Springs, Texas. I had worked and
worried for weeks in preparing to
face the examining board and as a
consequence was apprehensive that
might be found lacking in avoirdupois.
It did not reasure me any to glance
at the plump figure of my fellow
candidate, Robert Taylor, as he sat
opposite me in the coach, but his
ready-fow of cheerful conversation
dispeIled any system of gloom which
might threaten to gather and allowed
small chance for my thoughts to
dwell for any appreciable time on my
possible infirmities. When the hour
arrived | appeared before the board
and in short order was found to be
deficient in the matter of physical
requirements. | was pronounced
just 16 ounces underweight, but the
principal obstacle which barred my
further progress was my teeth or
rather my lack of them. | was bitter
ly disappointed and did not fail IN
my first letter home to admonish my
growing sons and daughters to prot
by my experience and diligently and
daily cleanse and care for their own
good grinders against possibly
similar time Of trial. When | left
home at Waveland | cast an anchor
to windward by taking with me my
chest Of carpenters tools so th . III
case I was denied the opportunity to
nrove myself a good soldier might
find an opportunity Of enlisting ii
The industrial army that was then
nobilizing for the great purpose OF
constructing a great camp Cor the
training of soldiers on q range Of
hills near Hattiesburg.
Upon my arrival at the camp site
seeking employment l was very muck
Impressed by the feyerish activity dis
played by the crowds Of men whC
fort to align themselves with some
foreman who might possess the will
ingness and necessary authority tC
have their names duly engrossed on
the pay roll.
The contractors on their part
through their managers and super
Intendcnts, seemed quite as anxious
10 avail themselves of the services Of
al able bodied apnlicantss ah aftel
viewing the spectacle for anime J
Felt positive that if they VINO c3ntro
the destiny Of the Central Empires
could have witnessed the determined
energy and enthusiasm displayed b.
all concerned they would have hasten
ID 20 request their Uncle Sam to re
ell his dogs of war, ere they @ot
their teeth firmly set in the Teuton
.r0users. | was not long in realizing
however that this was but beginn-
iug and that the crowds Of workmen
would be multiplied many times both
in numbers and enthusiasm before
many weeks had passed. My employ
ment number, 2299, indicated that
1898 persons had been given WORK
n advance Of me, which was verJ-
ow figure when compared with the
,otal number enrolled before the
work covered by the original ca
ract was completed, Besides the
men, there were hundreds Of teams
employed as well, IS Il large number
3f motor trucks. The idea OF those
u charge seemed always to be to
ouild everything straight and strong,
@ut 30 build it quickly, little time
vas wasted in smoothing the re Il
21aces, they being left to be polish
ed By use. Taking into considera-
ion the great number Of men en-
9lcyed, the newness Of the organiza-
ion, the distance and manifold diff
culties met with ii the prosecution
Of the work, one cannot help bu
wonder at the excellent time mad>
n the erection Of the thousand anc
more buildings which now adorn th6
Camp Shelby hills. The water sup
aly Of the camp was very good ant
is cooking and distribution, especial
" during the months OF August an0
september, taxed the executive
ability of a number Of water super
ntendents and the endurance O.
many men. Trucks and teams. Wat
9r was obtained from spring creeks
Oh the grounds and pumped by gaso
| Inc engines to 2 great number o.
distributing stations and centers OF
| 1se.
The grading ard graveling Of roads
| through the camp, which work ke
| ace with the building, was Of it
| salf a stupendous undertaking. Many
| hundreds Of carloads Of gravel were
| lsed and now many miles OF the fnest
| drives in the state traverse the camp
| The road conditions between Hat
| -iesburg and the camp was included
n the work and hundreds OF motor
,ars now pay tribute daily to ths
result achieved.
| The camp was erected for the us'
of troopers from Indiana, Kentuck.
and West Virginia, and with the ar
rival of the first contingents from
hose states the Mississippi boys wh'
lad been doing guard duty for man.
| weeks folded their tents like tn,
Arab, and silently CD stole away
And it also can be said to thei
| credit that they stole nothing else, a
least not from me.
We felt like kin to the Mississippi
boys and regretted to loose them
but we soon learned that real so
diers were not less than 100 pc
| .ant human and that If treated a