The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1919-04-24

right in their assertion that the best
wav to get them would be TO send the
Navy in and take them. The Germans
are "A queer lot. II we ask them In a
nice manner for these things they were
slIppOsed 10 deliver as soon as the ar
mistice went into effect they don't
seem 10 take Us seriously but if we de-
liberately take them In a rough man
ner they seem 10 appreciate us as vic
tors Whipped as badly as they were
when the armistice was signed they
never act like the vanquished but the
victors II Is "A pity that the war stop
ped when IL did for one month more
and the Kaiser would have been ours
for "A fact But they knew the only
step 10 take To save their necks and
they took il. For once in their lives
they used their brain. ! was not on
the front when the big day came but
/ was on my way with load of Fritz
exterminators" but | got there with
them too late.
/ have been unfortunate In meeting
old friends from home over here. I've
Grained my neck hundreds Of times
gazing nj the boys marching by bur
never a familiar face could / distin-
guish. In my travels over France /
came IN contact with nearly every di-
vision but some how or other I was
never lucky enough 10 strike the out
tit that the Hickman boys were In.
came over as a part of the 57th Engrs
"a pioneer outfit and we were engineers
until January when we were changed
10 Transportation. our regiment was
quife proud Of its name and activity
during the war and it hurt us when
they changed us to 4. &. But we are
hoping 10 get our old name back when
they discharge US. We We're marine
engineers and had men from every
country in the world and everything
from Masters down 10 ordinary sol
diers from every ocean and river on
top side Of this earth. Our regiment
was composed of five companies and
we did everything from build boats. Ca
mails. ran docks (inland) and operated
large steam tugs and canal boats
when we first arrived, the early part
Of last July we were sent out with the
French. English and Belgians to learn
the system of European canal boating
/ WIS with the whole of them for
about month and then ! took charge |
of a large canal boat myself. II surely |
was the most interesting thing / ever
did in my life. The system of water |
ways In Europe is wonderful and the |
people depend on IL the same as we do
the railroads in America If IL hadn't |
been for the efficient waterways the
French surely would have been help
less for with all the rest of the Allies /
depending upon French transportation
IL was taxed to the limit even with the /
rivers and canals being used as they |
we're I made one trip where / went /
through 2G0 locks I'm going 262 kilo-
meters. Can you picture boat going
right up the side of n mountainF II
was a wonderful piece of engineering
and must have cost thousands of dol
lars TO build that canal In some places
the locks were only 400 feet apart. SO
you see IL was pretty steep. When
within about 500 feet Of the top we
entered a tunnel and came out on the
other side. little more than kilo-
meters from where we entered The
boats OF Europe are quite different
from our type at home. They have no
such thing as Mississippi river type
If boat and expect such a thing would
.xcite the French something awful
But / must admit that so far as eff
.iency Is concerned we aren't i'm il.
This is getting rather lengthy so !
will close. With best regards To all
md hoping TO see you soon, Yours
cry truly,-D. w. Reid,