The vidette. (Iuka, Tishomingo County, Miss.) 1912-1967, 1919-07-10

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rock-bound valley OF st. Goar lie the
center OF Rhine beauty.
My travels to this date end here
going up the river and l am only
endeayoring to tell few of the
many things which | have had the
pleasure OF seeing myself.
Only one thing will mention
going down the river from Coblenz.
At Urmitz, one mile down the
stream from Coblenz, Julius Caesar
built bridge in the year So b. c.,
and described it for the vexation OF
generations of school boys in his
Commentaries Book " chap. III {.
Although this bridge has been re-
built, yet there remains to be found
to this day pieces Of this first bridge.
One of his latest victorious sue
cessors on the Rhine, the command
er Of the American army Of occupa-
ton, now makes his headquarters
at Coblenz.
Just few general statistics con-
corning the Rhine:
The Rhine is 1142 KIN. long.
The width of the stream varies, at
Aszmamshausen, $50 meters; above
the Lorelei, $50 M; at Born, 377
meters at Cologne, 394 m. The
source OF the Rhine is at st. Got
chard, 2344 m. above sea-level, 1t
flows through the Baden Sea. At
Strahsburg the Rhine is 1872 m.
above the sea level at Mainz so M;
at Coblenz, SO M; at Cologne. SO
m. The average depth of the chan
mel is 21a-3 IN. From 1S31-1908
261 million marks was expended in
improving the channel Traffic on
the river is as old as the knowledge
{. the stream itself. There are at
present IL 900 boats on the river
200 steamboats, and $500 sail
boats and tow-boats. As a water
way it has been of much service to
the Netherlands large sail-boats,
which, with cargoes of mineral
water pass down the Rhine through
the channel to England.
Friends back home in this short
story | have ATTEMPTED to. tell you
small few OF the many things of in
terest in this noted Rhine valley,
which we boys in the Army OF
Occupation have the opportunity of
seeing. We have the opportunity
of seeing free of charge what thous-
ands of people have spent thousands
of dollars to see. However boys in
the army of occupation don't grasp
all the great and historical features
that cling to this famous Rhine val
ley. We are living everyday in the
midst of many ancient history
topics which, when we read them in
high school or college, we were SO
enrapped in them that at that time
we would have almost been willing
to give five years of our lives to
visit them and see for ourselves.
Now that we are actually living
among them every day we pass
them by unnoticed as tho they
didn't exist. We don't stop to
think for an instant that there is
appearing before our eyes every
hour of the day that we had spent
hours absorbed in the history of in
happy days past and gone.
Why do we not get every single
bit of knowledge that is in them
for us? For our loved ones back
home know the army of occupation
is composed of the highest of Amer
ica's young manhood. The answer
is just this, the thought is ever
present with everyone of us to a
man to get home "toute suite"
They are too busy thinking about
the future and the possibilities
, awaiting them in dear old U S. A.
Now just a few words that you
all may know who | am. | am a
buck private in the 1st Sanitary
Train Of the LIST Regular Army
Division. Am stationed in a small
German village (Hillschied) in the
foot hills of the Rhine valley, about
10 KIN. from Coblenz.
| am Mississippi boy. my home
being in Bonneville. | was in
Belmont, Tishomingo county five
years and have number of close