Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1918-01-02
FROM CAMP KELLEY.
Trip from Aver, Mass, to San Antonio,
Texas-A Sand Storm In Camp.

| Irfp from aver, hASsss 10 Sdu Ahtohfo'
Texas-A Sand Storm In Camp.
Bernard Cook, son of Mr.. and Mrs. c.
| f. Cook of Worcester, Mass, formerly OF
| Ellsworth, now at Camp Kelley, San An
tonic. Texas. in a letter to his mother,
writes interestingly OF his trip there from
Camp DeveDs, at Aver, Mass, and OF in
cidents OF training camp life. The follow
ing extracts are from his letter, published
in Worcester paper:
.swe arrived here about O'Clock We'd
nesday morning, after a wonderful trip.
We left Aver at 2.25 Saturday afternoon,
going through Fitchburg. Shortly before
going TO bed we passed through Schen-
ectady,s near the General Electric Co.
plant, and ii sure is some plant. We
passed this place about 1890, and after
passing it got ready to go to bed. Not
being used to. sleeping on the train, and
because of the steady rumble, could not
get much sleep.
SUNDAY morning, when We awoke, we
| we're in the middle OF New York state.
| We stopped at Salamanca. Here we got
off the train to run around and get little
1 SAeECisS tue SbSth "oS cSs1S hAkto
| with water. Then we passed through
jamestown, N. Y, and into Pennsylvania.
'sOur next stop was at Kent, o., where
we took on more water and repaired the
| generators on one OF the cars so that the
! fellows could have lights, as the lights
were out in all the cars except the first one
nearly all the way. We stopped at Marion,
-
gas, out could not get any.
"Monday we passed through Illinois, and
then our train stopped at st. Louis, Mo.
St. Louis is some place, and it has one OF
the biggest railroad terminals have ever
seen. We stayed in the cars long time
before we were called out for exercise, and
thtn We got out OF the cars, went out OF
the station aud ran around the streets OF
st. Louis in column formation.
ave lett st. Louis about 2.I5 and passed
through st. Charles and Sedalia. / stood
on the rear platform part OF the time, and
saw some pretty queer sights in the line
of scenery. The river seems to run down
between two hills, and the side we were
on seemed to be very queer. In some
places the side OF the hill shot up per-
fectly straight, and again it seemed to be
dug out in the center, the top hanging
away out almost over the tracks. Then
there were places where the hill seemed
almost separate that is, ii seemed as IL
wide path had been dug out, separating
one part of the hill from the other. All
along the line we saw bonfires on the
banks OF the river, and the conductor told
me that they were built by tramps.
Tuesday morning we were in
Oklahoma, and our next stop was
Muscogee. Here we got our first treat.
Women from the Red Cross met us and
gave us apples. cookies and postal cards.
When the train started we sure did cheer
the lady who gave them to us, and we
could tell by her smile that she knew
that we appreciated what she and the
Red Cross had done.
I'VE crossed the Red river and arrived
in Denison, Texas, at n.30, and liked
around until IL, every hike being in
formation. Then we started again. We
passed through Texas, arriving at our
destination, San Antonio, Wednesday
morning at $50. AS we were all asleep
when we landed in San Antonio, we were
allowed to stay in the train until o'clock.
We had to get up then and clean up and
get ready to leave the train.
"We were taken to the camp at O'Clock,
and as we were coming into camp some
one saw an aeroplane, and we all leaned
out of the windows to look at it. A
little further along we saw another
machine flying, and more leaving the
field, so after watching them a little
while we got acquainted with them, and
now We never notice them. They never
fly at nigbs.
81 hace never seen any of the ayiators
get hurt, and it seems wonderful, as there
are fifteen or twenty machines in the
air all the time. They tell me that only
one fellow has been killed here, and that
he was to blams himself, in a way. He
was making his last trip before receiving
his commission, and going too high, he
tainted and fell to the earth, being
killed instantly.
latter being anioaded from the cars, We
were marched around one of the aviation
fields, but were not allowed on it. AS We
were marching along saw The band COM
ing toward US, and / recognized Harry
Joubert and Harry Eaton, but as they
were in formation and was, too, had t.
keep on going. We we're all examined be-
fore we were shown to our hunks, and as
We we're finishing our inspection, Harry
Joubert and fellow named Davis from
Shrewsbury came up to the crowd. saw
them before they recognized me, and
called them over to me, so they came
over and were mighty glad to see me, and
we had a long talk.
"After we were inspected we were taken
to the field kitchen and fed. After our
mess, and it was mess IN every sense OF
the word, but everything tastes good now,
we were taken to the tents where we are to
stay until we are assigned to regular
squadron.
"a squadron is made upof lbs men