Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1919-01-09
FROM
FRED SNOWBERGER
Dear Howard:
Deec. 3. 1918

Il
Received your letter few day!
ago and as l got thru work this ev
en.ng an hour and a half cary
am going Ia take advantage OF it u
} write few letters.
Now that can write more fully
what | have been doing since | have
been over here i can perhaps make
a little more interesting letter thar
usual We sailed from IIoboken Oh
July Is on the George Washington, a
large liner that was formerly a Ger
vessel, 725 feet long and has been
remodeled into a transport and can
carry large number of men. Our
ship was the flagship of the convoy
which consisted of IS transports, one
crusier and three torpedo boat de-
stroyers. Nine days out We we're met
| by 13 more dcstroycrs and On the
evening of July 80 We reached Brest
France.
The next morning we marched out
to Fort Pontigan, an old stamping
ground of Napolean's. It is surround
ed by a large stone wall ard near
the main entrance is another small
gate on inside Ieading into a small
er inclosure which contains a large
store house set in the midst Of
garden. This / presume is where old
Bony used to live. In ths main In
closure ther are numerous low roof
ed stone buildings that were the
barracks which are now being used
by American troops cs well as wood
en- barracks they have built there.
1t serves as a rest camp before pro
crossing on to the front
We stayed there three days and
then boarded a train for "Nevers",
though we didn't know 1t thsn. We
were loaded into horse cars 40 men
20 a car which was labelled on the
outside, "cheveaux s. Hommes 4o"l
which is horses or 40 men.
We passed through a good many
large towns and a great many small
towns and villages and among them
was Toms. We reached Nevers IN
the afternoon of the second day only
to find We were needed at Dijion soi
We laid over there until midnight and
made some real coffee" over a.
fire in the yards. The following eve
ming we reached Diiion in the midst
of a soaking rain. The auty part
of it was that about half of US
left our raincoats in our barrack
bags instead of surplus kits and
couldn't get at them so we reaped
all the ber fits of the shower. We
slept that night in an old German
Mill and bakery which is used as
warehouse end bakery by U. S. ba-E
kers. The next day We marched out
to the bakery camp and set up tents.
We baked only one week, being
on guard most of the time and also
doing some steyedore work of which
| think l wrote you about. We were
lueIR q lew mSShS auu tHtu NoihSt
up here where we have ben baking
steady. We are about a mile from
Is-Sur-Tine and also near Marcily.
The bakery here is the largest in
France and claimed to be the larg-
est in the world under one roof.
We turned out 100000 lbs. yesterday
running normal. The bakery is IN
two buildings connected by cover
ed walk and consists Of S batteries Of
I double ovens each. Most of the
work is done by machinery now tho
at first it was mostly hand work.
Also several field bakeries are set
up outside and We were baking out
side until the last two weeks. We
are still ON IL hr. shifts but we
we're told today they would start
hour shifts tomorrow and / will
have charge of one shift in the
sponge room.
1 think 1 will not give any more
ietails now so as to have a little
news for next time.
THANKSGIVING day brought forth
roast chicken. fruit cake and pump
kin pie (camoflauged carrots) and II
was certainly appreciated by us. We
worked as usual but l didn't mind
hat for we could hardly have had
passes for sufficient time to go to;
my prominent place anyway.
1t began raining again this week
,ut is rather cold too and We have
Jeen expecting snow. The tent ropes
were covered with frost nearly all
lay.
1 think will have to close for TINS
.ime as It is nearly supper time and
| certainly have a healthy appetite
over herr.
Corp. Fred T. Snowberger,
Baker Co. 344
~ - VI