Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-08-09

with the departure of over 1000 In.
1antrymen who for the past two weeks
nave been at Camp Reyes for their an-
nuai two weeks tour of duty. and with
the arrival of approximately 900 ar
tillerymen for their two weeks sum-
mer camp, the muster field was very
busy place saturday. Trucks and men
were scurrying about the field and
neld guns and caissons were hauled
into the area near the stables all at
one time. the confusion, to the civilian
at least. being maddening.
Awakening under wet, sogev can.
vas the men of the 1G3rd began their
work of breaking a,mp even before
morning mess was blown. Cots were
folded and hauled to the supply house.
bed sacks were emptied and carried to
the same place, company supplies were
packed up and hauled to the baggage
cars. packs were rolled and the men
made themselves ready for their re-
turn to their home stations. A train
load of the men left the city for Wa
terville and points east shortly before
noon. while others left for Lewiston
and places in that direction on nine
big open cars and one baggage car of
the Androscoggin & Kennebec electric
road. The last few outfits departed
On special cars which were attached
to the afternoon express going west
at o'clock. Because of the wet can
vas. the tents were not struck as is
usually done.
Arriving here at about 100 o'clock
Saturday morning. the special train of
the 152nd Field Artillery was run in
np rtr r;I
men at once detrained. Lunches had
been served to them on the train and
Immediately they reached this city
the work of unloading horses and
guns was begun.
In the artillery the horses receive
attention even before the men, so it
was not until noon mess that the
boys had a chance to eat real meal.
In the meantime they had gotten their
equipment to the camp and were well
settled. In the afternoon they were
kept busy with the many duties which
fall to them when entering a new
camp.
On Sunday they had no regular pro-
gram, being allowed what time they
could get between the periods of sta
BILE police and other necessary work.
During the day Capt. Chapman, supply
officer for the 103rd Infantry, and who
has been with that regiment for the
past two weeks, gave the supply SER
geants and cooks of the 152nd F. A. n
talk on their work, which was most
instructive to them.
Today they will take up their rou-
tine of drill. the entire first weeks
program being almost a replica of
that of the first day. which will in
clude standing gun drill and mounted
drill for the firing batteries, and work
in communication with wireless, tele-
phones and visual apparatus for the
headquarters battery. In the after
noon a period will be devoted to sports
and mass games under proper super
vision.
On Monday of their second week
in camp Battery c will go to the
gun range at Sidney bog where they
will fire four hundred rounds in tar
get practice. Of this, 100 rounds
will be of high explosive while the
remainder is shrapnel Batteries Is
and A will follow them with like
program. The officers of the Head
quarters Battery will be divided into
groups to work with the other bat
teries on the practice and all officers
of the battalion will have problems
in fire control to work out under
actual firing conditions. The Head
quarters Battery will maintain lines
of communication for this work
Major Malcolm s. w. DingWal,
commander of the battalion, on Sun
day sent Battery B. of Caribou, ana
the band section of the newly formed
service company of Old Town, 70
Newport to conduct a military fu-
neral for Louis Smith OF Caribou,
a member of Battery B who was
killed when the automobile in which
he was coming to Augusta for the
encampment left the road In Pitts
field. Sgt. Solomon of the battery
is now In the hospital In serious con-
dition as a result of the accident.
The outfits in camp for the next
two weeks are, Headquarters De-
tachment and Combat Train from
Houlton: Battery A OF Pressure Isle;
Battery B of Caribou, Battery of
Fort Fairfield, the Service Company
with band section which was organ
lied last spring at Old Town and Is
now attending it's first camp, ana
the medical detachment.
Besides the 300 men at the camp
there are about 215 horses for use
bv the four batteries. OF this num-
Der about so per cent are horses
which are regularly kept at the
home stations of the batteries, while
the others are secured from the Mas
sacbusetts National Guard through
a reciprocity arrangement. whereby
each battalion borrows from the
other for the term of camp. This
Gives the Maine guardsmen veteran
horses instead of many green ones
as has been the case in previous
Years and greatly reduces the
chances for trouble. The first two
or three days at previous camps
have been wild and woolly'' until
the new horses were broken in and
cot used to their work.