South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-03-26
DANIELS LIVES
WITH SOLDIERS
At BREsT CAMP
Navy Secretary Spends Two
Days Watching Life in Big
EmbaTkatiOn Point.

BRE~ST. France. March 24.-Sec'y
Of the Navy Daniels, after his inves-
ugation of camp conditions at Brest,
gave the following statement:
II have spent a portion Of two
rainy days in the camp at Pontan-
Czen and il rains $50 days out Of
the year here. 1 have seen more
than 10000 American troops en-
camped here waiting for embarka-
ton home and nave conferred with
scores of officers and many men Just
from the front.
This morning I walked for miles
on a solid board walk from tent to
tent in which the marines are quar-
tered and in the wooden barracks
where the soldiers sleep. 1 visited
the modern kitchens and dining
rooms and saw where dinner for
5000 marines was prepared in one
Of the II kitchens. This large num-
Der Is fed in 30 minutes, and just
as many are fed in the IL other
Kitchens.
IT sat upon the beds OF the sol
diers, and ate my midday meal with
them. The meal was we'll cooked,
palatable and plentiful and tasted as
good as any meal j ever ate in ny
life. The midday meal consisted Of
large helping OF roast beef
mashed potatoes, stewed carrots,
rich meat gravy. bread pudding with
raisins. two large slices of white
bread ana a large cup of coffee.
over the entrance of each of the
dining halls is a large sign in
French which freely translated
means that you can have as much
food rs you want and go home right
away. Few asked for a second help
ing, for the first helping was more
than most of the soldiers could eat
at one time.
Il noticed a few rosy-faced young
chaps VINO came for another help
ing just as they mad been accus-
toned to do with the Good that
mother used to serve them. 1t was
hard TO tell at the mess hall
whether the most popular phrase
was AS much food as you want Or
Home right away but when spoke
20 the soldiers 1 found no difficulty
in understanding that home right
away was the note that touched
their hearts, brought the most
beaming smile and the heartiest
cheering.
The soldiers were happy when I
told them that Rear Admiral Hal
stead had just received message
that the first of the German trans
ports TO carry American troops home
had been commissioned with a navy
crew and that others would follow,
the navy personnel already having
arrived on this side to man them.
II heartened them TO know that in
the hsrbOr of Brest was the mighty
Leviathan, READY 10 carry 1900
soldiers home. and that four battle
ships were being coaled prepara-
tory to taking soldiers back home.
The bigness of Pontanezen camp
is hard 10 understand until you see
the tented and ibarTaCk-covercd city.
Speaking of tents. I went into a
score of them. Not u drop of water
can fall into any of them. The tents
are we'll drained and each one has
stove and IS warm and comfort
able. The men come and go by the
thousands. 1t is a city Of move
ment, certainly as far as the popu-
lation is concerned.
As an illustration of the masni-
tudc of its operation, as many as
5000 troops are received some days
and as many as 7,0OO are embarked
in a single day Twelve thousand
VIII embark on Wednesday on the
Leviathan alone"