The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1919-03-08
CAPT. sTEITz WRITES
OF HIS TRIP ACROSS AND
HIS DUTIES THERE
CONTINUED from Page 81

jill UfGI. was PAoSS0 ~
called an Indispensable list and was
held in LeMans awaiting orders, q
good many of our officers were sent
out right away and were scattered
everywhere. Lieut.. Meharg stayed
with me at the same billet, with moth
ing to do but take in the sights. we
were still in LeMans when the Arm
istice was signed and such sight,
the people almost went crazy.
loafed around LeMans from the 2Sth
| of November until the LIST OF Decem-
Der when the End Depot got orders
from GHQ. to organize 20 P. w. Fl
Co. to relieve some on duty that were
| to be sent home They organized
companies 2O1 to 22O and / was sent
to Mulsaine to take command of Co..
2O7. I arrived there about noon on the
End Of December and the next day at
noon had orders to go to st. Gervais
and take PWE Co. POI and proceed
to Vernueil, VIXEN I arrived at st.
Gervais my company was on the train
and l did not get a chance to look
them over until after I arrived at
lVerrueil. Capt. Vestel from Plant
City also has PWE Co. and is at
Nantes, France, Co. 21S, think.
Vernueil is the Motor Transports
ton Reconstruction Park and is GER
tainly an immense institution where
they can make anything that is made
of wood and iron, the blacksmith
shop is equipped with immense drop
FORCES and the best machinery in the
world, almost all machines equipped
with direct motor drivei There is
| the sheet metal shop, the carpenter
shop, wheel wright shop, paint shop,
upholstery shop, tire shop, etc. all
equipped with the finest machinery.
You should see the salvage yard
where thousands Of trucks, limou-
l. sines, Fords, motor cycles, wagons,
: lguncarriages, rolling kitchens, ambu-
= lances and even aeropianes are piled
up of American, English, French and
German make-one can hardly real.
. ize that there is that much rolling
stock in the world, and still 1t keeps
ta-riying every day. Then unloaded $50
= Icars of stuff yesterday, they use trav.
= telling cranes and derricks that pick
= lup big trucks and dump them out on
;" the ground, | tell you it looks like 1t
would take ten years to clean up the
!. lstuff that is on the ground right now
: without any more coming in. There
was an article in the Saturday Even
ing Post of December q that covered
this place and had picture of Col
Hegeman who is in command here
| am in command of the P. W. e.
Group now. We have four companies
= and 1900 prisoners, we are in camI
: by ourselves and don't have anything
n to do with the rest of the works only
furnish the chain guard around the
> works and see that the prisoners are
taken to work and brought back, We
have complete charge of the prison
ers and if there are any complaints
or changes Of details the reques
comes to us and we take care Of that
The work is rather interesting ant
= the prisoners are all classified sucf
as laborers and specialists. Under spe
cialist we have some of the fines
: mechanics. We always keep enough
linen in the stockade who take care
of the work around here, we have {
barber shop, carpenter shop, shoe
I maker and tailor shop in operation
all the time they must keep prisoner
clothing and equipment in shape.
SI The prisoners all seem to be salts
| fled with every thing and we hav,
livery little trouble with them. o
= course they are all anxious to ge
home, but they certainly cannot kicI
! on the treatment they get OF cours,
they are required to work every da,
4 except Sunday. They get the sam,
ration that our own company doe
land they have their own mess sergt
, and cooks who prepare it for them
they are permitted to receive letter
{ and packages, but of course we opel
= all packages to see that there are n
unauthorized articles in them. The,
! can write two letters per week.
| Our P. w. company gives a shoy
s every Sunday night in their mes
I ball where they have a stage an
81 they certainly have some good talen
1.-THE orchestra consists of throa Wiz