The Colville examiner. [volume] (Colville, Wash.) 1907-1948, 1918-01-26

ried Miss Bernice Winter
The state university has four COM
panies of infantry, and all wear their
uniforms at all times, thus giving the
campus and class rooms a military ap-
pearance. The naval training station
is on the campus, on the edge of Lake
Washington. where training ship Is
used for the 500 boys in the blue naval
Dress
At Camp Lewis. II miles from Ia
coma. the editor found a city of $4,000
soldiers. with all branches except cav
airy represented The camp Is open to
all. but the men are under rigid mill
tary life-and look as though the life
agreed with them. Saturday afternoons
and Sundays find many Of the soldiers
on leave in Tacoma and Seattle, hence
only a few of the Stevens county boys
could be located. Serg. John A. May
was found in charge of his company for
the day. A. o. Woolard and A. C. Bevan
both said they had gained ten pounds,
and they never looked better.
The hostess house Is the social heal
quarters Of the camp where friends
may meet register, and look up SOL
diers and where the boys can drop In
get rid Of any inconsistencies they may
have. A cafeteria caters to the wants
of soldiers and visitors. Dancing is en-
joyed evenings. and wicker chairs make
all comfortable at all times.
The editor visited the barracks, the
kitchens, the bath houses. the officers
quarters, the Y. M. C. A. buildings. thu
library. the hostess house, and every
thing that was working on Sunday. SO
far as health is concerned. the boys are
probably better cared for than Is the
average boy at home, for there Is no
fooishness about their living, and ev-
cry effort Is made to produce and main
tain a perfect condition of health. The
immense base hospital Is attended bv
about 60 trained nurses. Barracks are
Immediately quarantined for any con
tagious disea se with armed guards on
patrol.
According to the censorship regula-
| tions, soldiers letters are not intended
! to be printed by newspapers, and much
information which is really of general
interest Is not put into print. Some
| restrictions seem unnecessarily harsh
| to persons unacquainted with al the
| conditions. but there is an exec lent
| reason for every rule of the censor
ship. and when these reasons are "N-
planned 1t is readily seen that the reg.
ulations are made by officers who know
what they are doing, and that they are
doing it for the best interests of the
soldiers themselves. for the safety of
the army is of first consideration.
Camp Lewis is one of the lG canton-
ments built for the training @: SOL
| diers at a total cost of $l3t.uo0,00O
with a net profit to the contractors of
2.9S per cent II Is laid off INTO blocks,
with streets nance paved roads. 'awns
and future flower gardens. Each man
has his ,bunlS.- and barracks -uccommo-
da tie all the way from 20 men to 400,
| Advancement in the ranks Is based on
| merit, and regardless of the few cases
| in which il is claimed favortism has
been shown, it Is difficult for a man
| without ability to advance. Just as It
| Is difficult for an unfit officer to hold
| his job.
Just as the sleeve chevrons and bars
stars. and Eagles on the shoulder pro-
claim ranking officers. the hat cord de-
notes the branch of service each private
| has entered.
let, artillery; yellow cavalry; buff
| quartermasters corps; scarlet and
white, engineers corps; orange and
| white, signal corps scarlet and black,
ordnace; black and white. field clerk;
maroon, medical corps. black and gold,
officers; silver and black. adjutant gen
erals clerk; green, instructor home
guards green and white home guards.
These cords are worn only on service
hats.
Cadet aviators wear as hat bands
inch and a half white ribbons and on
| coat collars insignia representing the
aviation branch Of the signal corps
| propeller blades
| SO urgent is the need for lumbermen
| and road builders for immediate ser
wise in France that the war depart
| ment has made an exception to its pre-
vious ruling, and will now allow eN-
| perienced men Of draft age to enlist
| under certain conditions.
| At Seattle the editor found VIM. p
| Townsend and L. M. Heifner engaged
| in the real estate business Mr.. Town
| send has bought a home In west Seat
| tie.
| At Tacoma Harry Rice is working
In the ship yards, and o. o. Gardner Is
| In the automobile business. Charles
+, Rogers Is in the officers training
| school
| On the way to Seattle, the editor was
repeatedly warned not to travel over
the Great Northern through the Cas-
cades, on the ground that the roadbed
was unsafe, but some way or other the
| trains got through. 1t is "a fact, how
ever, that the Milwaukee is gathering
| the good business to the coast in the
winter, the superior service perhaps
having something to do with 1t. All
roads have had lots of trouble through
the Cascades. and always will have as
long as melted snow insists on running