Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-05-03
SWAMP GETSM. G.'S
FROM CAMP MEADE
Patuxent Mud Decimates
Brave Hundred in Dash
at "Enemy."
COLTS BORN AT STATION

Special Correspondence of The Star.
CAMP MEADE. Nd. May 2.-''The
enemy! Take cover! Follow me! One
hundred machine gunners obeyed the
first comma nd with the speed that only
a machine gunner. who does his work
In split-se conds. can display. A mo.
ment later and ninety-hve Of the de-
tachment, oblivious to the Swish
swish" Of the enemy's gunners. were
Patuxent swamps. The men baked;
they couldn't bulge.
Private Lauck of Company b. Dis
trict Battalion, fell face foremost in
the soft mud; Sergt. Santelmann sank
up to his neck in mire; Private George
Ryall tried to swim: Private Lauck
tried to extricate his right foot and
lost a shoe in 80 doing. Private Nc
Williams sank in quicksand until he
threw his gun away. Most Of the rest
of the men were floundering like half
drowned swamp rats, putting and blow
ing like porpoises.
AN you have to do is to follow me-
yelled Lieut.. Jordan again, as he
leaped from hummock to hummock, but
that all was "a-plenty," for when he
emerged quarter of an hour later on
the other side Of the swamp and
dwindled to just Ave men.
"Lost in the Swamp"
The other members Of the detachment
could not see for ten feet in front OF
them for the briars and bushes. and fol.
lowing the lieutenant proved SO dih1cult
job that it was an hour before the last
nj he voo nj fran ND hAo rfpran 4
from head to foot, their uniforms TORI
by briars and bushes, Joined their com.
rades on firm ground.
Lost in the swamp was the only *.
their comrades on theiS return to thsi.
barracks when asked to account fol
their unmilitary appearance.
Meade's machine gunners like war.
practice stunts. but after their expert.
ence today they are of the opinion that
Flanders mud has nothing on the brand
available along the banks and bottom,
of the Patuxent river.
The men of Meade have purchased te
date approximately 100000 worth Of
liberty bonds of the third issue, accord
ing to an announcement made this
morning by Capt. Sidney Herkness, in
charge Of the campaign here.
A reclamation department established
by the Quartermaster Corps here is
keeping garments and shoes in service
longer than the clothes~of the average
man. Capt. w. H. Rupp has charge
of the reclamation and salvage section
of the cantonment. The personnel OF
the department includes about fifty
shoemakers and taiiors, recruited from
the ranks of the drafted men.
When uniforms or other wearing
apparel of the soldiers become TORI
or their shoes run down" they turr
them in and get new ones. The ole
ones are repaired AMI returned to them
Three Colts Are Born.
Three colts were born this week al
the remount station here. Two ar,
horses and one a mule. The latter 1,
the Oldest and has been named Ma
poleon. The horses have been chris
tened Joffre and Foch, after the srea
French military commanders. The colt
will not be put upon the government
property records until they are thre
months old, after which likelihood o
their developing to maturity Ia favora
bio.
Lieut.. Raymond j. Hurley. son o
Edward N. Hurley, chairman Of tn
shipping board. and aide-de-camp t.
Brig. Cen. w. J. Nicholson. has left TO
Fort Sill. Okla. where he will take
four-week course at the Infantr.
School Of Arms.
Lieut.. James H. Truitt Of Baltimore
in charge Of the receiving ward at tn
base hospital, has been promoted to
captaincy.