The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1918-11-25
= CITY FOUND IN
ST. MIHIEL WOOD
Camp with All Comforts Built by the
Germans

Camp with All Comforts Built by the
Germans
The Forest of the Lovely Willow |
is the somewhat misleading name of
a young wood in what was once the
St. Min. el salient, says The Stars and
Stripes, and there, laid out like a
modern suburb on a development
company's blue print, is an attractive
and surprisingly elaborate German
camp, capable of absorbing thousands
upon thousands of German soldiers
and a striking example of German
aptitude in the fine art of being COM
Portable.
The Germans who laid down its
pretty walks and reared under the
trees it's myriad warm and cozy
houses back in 1914, would have
laughed themselves sick if any one
had ever told them that that camp
would one day be occupied by SOL
diers from America. The Amer
leans involved, then engaged for the
most part in pursuing nimble dollars
across a continent several thousand
miles distant, would have laughed
even harder.
Yet, for a time last week (previous
to Sept. :27l passing American di
vision did put up for several nights in
that very camp. Though the roads
were like pcrridge, and though every
tree dripped from the equinoctial
rains, that division was never more
comfortable in all its days in France.
| This camp in the Forest of the
Lovely Willow resembles nothing SO
much as cne of these rustic amuse
ment parks in America, where they
have band concerts in the summer
and where basket parties can supple
ment the sandwiches Aunt Ellen
made if you care to buy (at prohibi-
tive prices) ice cream and sarsaparilla.
| There is q network of substantial
walks with rustic ratings, and every
where the German sign to guide you
through the maze. At certain cen
trail points-clearing in some cases
THE doughboy on his tour of inspec-
ton finds such camp institutions as
a quite marvellous rifle range, with
! spiele or movie house.
In the next clearing is the Offizier-
iKasino, 3r Officers Club, a mighty
snug little retreat, with inviting set
Etees bolstered in red, pretty wall
paper, brightly globed electric lamps,
a buffers pantry, and luxury Of lux
uries,> an electric push button to sum-
mons things therefrom.
Next door stands what appears to
have been & rest house for the SOL
Ediers, a pretty little chalet with its
walls all p]astered with picture poste
tcardes One shows the entry of the
German army into Brussels, and you
would gather from that picture that
lno guests were ever received more
cordially il any city since the world
lbegan.
! Another shows London being rap
idly destroyed by a giant Zeppelin.
1t is only too apparent from the pic
ture thar poor old London had just
about one more day to live before
; it crumbied into the Thames.
When the Yanks passed by, this
: rest house was appropriated imme-
, diately by the Salvation Army, and
, there was then enacted a most in
congruous scene-a Salvation Army
, lassie way up near the front selling
t candy to doughboys just out of the
: line. And the confections she had
) to sell were those rare and exquisite
candied fruits which cannot be had
for less than six francs a box! The
doughboys having decided that they
were worth it, bought up the whole
stock in q few minutes
Then come rows upon rows of off
GERS billet5 and rows upon rows of
}, little squad cottages, each a thatch-
rooted, well floored, moss walled
bungalow Of the sort you see by the
7 hundreds dotting the shores of Adj
, rondack lakes. Next is the bowling
; alley, next the power house, next the
, hospital, text the central kitchen and
so on and on and on, model city
where German divisions could re-
cuperate and where support bat,
talions could keep comfortable anC
alert at the same time.
All thi; patiently perfected camp
: the Germans left so hurriedly OF
Sept. II that they did not have time
to cut single wire, fire single
4 cottage or plant a single mine.