THE SUNDAY OREGONIAX, " FOItTEASfD, ' 3IARCIT " 3, 1918.
LETTERS AND STORIES TELL OF THE SOLDIERS "OVER THERE"
10
Texas Climate I Peculiar,
Writes Portland Boy.
(in
F Bred .lie 4milM te See
Sen Ira tm
GENERAL. CHARLES F. BEEBE re
eently received a letter from Prl'
vata Clarence Broddle. who Is with the
aviation ertlon of the Army at Camp
ilcArthur. Waco. Tex. He la the aon
f Mr. and Mr. Albert Broddle. of thla
city. He wrttea:
"Thank a thousand tiroea for the
candy. Believe me. It waa aure ap
preciated.
-We are drilling to beat the Dutch
very day. but 1 do not think we will
receive our finishing touchea here.
-Our Lleuteaent told ua yesterday
that be expected orders to leave for
France In two weeks. Of course, that
1 very uncertain, but la something to
look forward to.
There are lota of aeroplanea above
as every day. We do not pay much
attention to them any more, aa they
have become part of our everyday life.
Only when some dare-devil flyer be
gins to do stunts we take notice.
"One of the machines buried Ita nose
In the parade ground yesterday. The
viator dropped about 200 feet. These
machines are very heavy and awkward,
compared with the French planes.
-They are transferlng mechanlca
from one squadron to another In or
der to complete each one as quickly
a possible. 1 am alated to change, but
f not know when or where, aa yet.
Texas baa one of the most peculiar
climates of any place I. ever aaw. One
day IV la from i to SO degrees and
the next day It drops as low aa to
10 degrees. This weather certainly
keeps us guessing. At any rate, the
Oregon boys get credit for bringing
the first snow they experienced for
many yeara
- -Taps" has Just sounded and I must
close now."
War Training: in Tropic Is
"Perfectly Lovely."
.termaa Watllas. ef . salty. Lesis
fer Server la Frame.
11 o'clock noon, when the ship blew
three short blasts of the whistle and
everyone knew what that meant. By
the time I got up on deck one of the
ships had begun firing on a submarine
In front of ua. She submerged without
firing at us at all. About the same
time another submarine was sighted.
Tbla one was behind us. It fired three
torpedoes. The first one was fired at a
destroyer which waa being used as a
convoy. We had eight destroyers with
u
French Girls' Smiles Help
Cheer American Soldiers.
Parmer Willamette I'Btverslty Stu
dent Writes ef France.
"The destroyer turned so quickly tha
the torpedo missed her by a few feet.
Then It fired at the De Cob. a trans
port, and missed. The last torpedo wa
ftred at ua It went behind us abou
30 yards and Just In front of the Sua
quehanna.
"About this time the destroyers were
getting busy. The destroyer which was
fired at turned and ran after the sub
marine, and when it got to the place
where they aaw it last they dropped
two depth bombs, which brought it to
the top.
"When It rarae In sight they were
ready with the three-inch guns and
they put four shots through her con
nlng tower In less time than It would
take to tell about it. Then ahe went
i.
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A VIEW of war training in the trop
X. lea is given in a letter from Nor
man Walling, of the field headquarters
f the Seventh Aero Squadron, now sta
tioned at Chorrerrs, J'anama Republic,
to his parents. Mr. and Mrs. John Wall
inc. of Amity. Or.
1 don't know whether yon will get
this or not." he begins, "but I will write
It and give It to one of these wild
. truck drivers. There la a chance that
be Will mail It In Empire.
"I am having a perfectly lovely time
here, and woutd like to b out on ma
aeuvers for about two months. This
place looks more like the States than
any country 1 have seen since I came
across. There is plenty of Wide, open
country, and It seems good after being
ao Ion in the Zone, where there Is
nothing to see outside of the town but
the junalrs. 1 keep the sides of my
tent rolled up all the time, and it Is
Just like sleeping in the open. There
are ao roosquttos here. Infantry, ar
tillery, cavalry, engineers, signal corps.
feoepital. and. la (act. every branch of
lb- service I represented here.
"All I have to do is the observing.
which IS the biggest Job of all. and I
bate been getting away with It In
great shape so far. I am in the air
to hours or more every day. working
nh the artillery. Itrheve me. If our
tarsrt this morning had been tiermans,
they would have got their desserts. I
tut the guns on the targrta in two
corrections, which Is very good, and
everybody was well pleased. The com
manding Vieneral for the Zone was here
with his staff, and thev declared It
great. The officers and men here have
never worked with an airplane for di
recting fire before, la fact, two-thirds
of them never had a close View of a
machine before.
-We do everything Just as they do
tn France. Tomorrow morning I am
going out. or rather, up. to map out
an area that Is supposed to be the
hiding place of the enemy, and also to
locate them, which will be to locate
our targets for tomorrow's shoot. I
will get some aerial photography soon.
We have a very fast gun camera, and
1 think we will gel good results. .
"All I want la a chance to get over
there, and t will be tickled to death.
Tin stuff we are having here makes a
fellow Ionia, for real action more than
t'lareace Reed die. Portland Bay.
W ha la W Ilk A vlatloa section at
Casas McArthar, Tea.
under and In a few minutes there wat
an awful explosion. A column of oil
and water shot up In the air for a hun
dred feet and it waa good-night. Frllsle.
"We crippled the other one with tht
fire from our five-inch guna and they
don't know whether she got away or
not. but they say It Is very doubtful."
England's Courage Admired
by Oregon Minister.
Ret. Ds PMag. Farsaeriy of Palk
t maty. rtle ( Isspfi lasje
Packages Again Reaching
Front Promptly.
Lrayd Lee Flxareeaee Tkaaka for
Caad Thlaga Frosa Hesse.
RICKREALU Or. Feb. JJ (Spe
cial. -England Is a broken heart,
but unyielding and fully determined to
go on and not go under. is the mes
sage received here from Ian Follng.
wv:l-kaown pastor formerly of Polk
Ccuntv. now engaged In Army V. M. C
A work ia France.
"London s full of maimed men." be
. "The streets are streams of
wounded soldier: but even these, are
c broken In epi.lt. The British lion la
a marvelous fa Ming aotmal."
I:ev. Mr. J'olina. a member of the
a umnl. I. Dallas College, recalls
with prtde U year when I wl las. bad a
Umliiuhis baeketball team. "1 went
to Camp Mills late in November, and
bad an hour or two with the Oregon
troys." he savs. "I messed with Captain
Mafrin. Company U and took a turn
dt.wn the cnrn:any street with Ned
tin, my old running mate at center.
In the day wh.-n lllae College was
a name to conjure with In the North
west. saw Morton, whose clear, quick
thinking got me out of a "pocket in a
rulllna half-mile race It years ago.
end Carl Frrton. who, when I knew
him first, was Just a big-eyed little
boy."
Itev. Mr. Follng concluded hie letter
by saying: - have experienVed tne
rn4tlon of sleeping la castles of the
utility In Knslnd and of dining with
oTovernmeat l-adsrs, without losing my
tante (oe "mother s cooking and Cade
team's democracy. -
A LETTER received from Lloyd A.
Lee, First Depot Battalion. Signal
Corps. American expeditionary force in
France, indlcatea that the packagea be
ing sent to Oregon men now abroad
are arriving all right, although some
are tn battered condition. Mr. Lee Is
a son of Mr. and Mrs. A. A. Lee. of
Salem, and In a letter to Mrs. Charles
T. Mcpherson, of Portlsnd. he says:
"Your beg arrived In fine condition
and waa enjoyed Immensely. In fact.
It cams through In exceptionally good
shape Many parcels have been broken
or banged up. but yours was not. The
cookies were fine and fresh. How we
did enjoy them! And the candy, too.
was excellent. The wristlets I put to
good use the next day. for the Captain
took a trip over to a division head
quarters and I went along. Traveling
in an open car at 44 miles an hour
Ith the thermometer considerable be
low freestng will test the warmth of
the best. How can I thank you for
these things? Words are next to use-
ess. Those 000 or 000 mi lea would
be a long way but for such remem
brances. We will try to show our ap
preciation by better service here.
Mall la very Irregular. I p to yea
terday I'd not beard from the States
for nearly three weeks. I'm still help
ing In the photo department of the
Signal Corps. On our trips I see many
soldiers from everywhere but Oregon.
Needless to say. I always search for
the 'real boy a' Haw Grosrenor. of Sa
lem, recently though, and it waa good
to see him.
'tin my last trip I saw the trenches'
our men have constructed for training
purposes. They are cold enough in
the snow, but the boys are atanding it
fine, borne, froxen feet and other acci
dents, but the boys have tha spirit.
That ia what counta.
"On one trip we met some of our
troops marching in the anow. They
were shouting and singing typical sol
dier songs. They were holding up fine,
although they had not had dry shoes
for some two weeks. Many things
about my work I enjoy. In fact. 1 tn
pretty well fixed. Of course I do not
sleep in a feather bed aa I did while
on the last trip. That waa tha first
since 1 left home and mother. Let me
thank you again. Our Chrtstmaa was
quite enjoyable, with our turkey, band,
etc.. and your packages from home."
WILLIAM W. KELTY. Company K.
162d Infantry, now in France, is
a former Willamette University stu
dent, who left college to go to the
front. He enlisted last April, and Mrs.
Charles T. McPherson. 861 East Main
street, has just received a letter from
blm. In part it is:
"I suppose I really, should apologize
for not writing sooner, but circum
stances alter cases. Both opportunities
and material are scarce. i-undays
though not always furnish the former,
while the Y. M. supplies the latter,
when they have It in stock, or when
we are in a camp where there Is one.
I had to borrow everything, even the
pencil to write thla. Today is Sunday,
and a very beautiful one Indeed. It is
o warm, quint and peacerul that it is
hard to imagine that a great war is
in progresa only a few hundred miles
away. Last night I was on guard, ana
as I watched the day break I thought
of home and friends, and hummed to
myself "When the Sky in the East
Flames Crimson and Gold." Tonight
will ba the end of a perfect day when
I sit alone with my thought.
Today the people are out prom
enading in front of our camp, soldiers,
civilians and women. . The former gaze
at ua curiously, noting our clothing and
equipment, while the latter give us
friendly glances and warm smiles.
France can well be noted for its beauti
ful women. Nearly all wear black.
The French are certainly an interest
ing people, and so very different from
ua. Some of their ways would certainly
shock some of our staid old maids in
America. The other day I passed a
man driving a pig., I asked him If he
spoke English. 'Yes.' Then I asked
what he was doing. He replied:
'Studying gee-hog-raphy.'
We received mall day Derore yester
day. I had eleven letters your No. 1
of December 12 among them. Believe
me. it waa a day all the boys will, re
member. We stayed up till 11 o'clock
reading the letters. Mall or any word
from home means a great deal to us
now. Though I never get homesick,
there are times when I could be a lot
more cheerful. The boys are all having
a good time tonight. Tonight we got
he best meal since Our Thanksgiving
dinner maabed potatoes, hash dump
lings, bread and butter, pudding and
coffee. Don't worry about me. I reel
better than I ever did in my life. Some
f the fellows are planning to cele
brate Fourth of July at home. It is
not impossible, but I think a year later
a better estimate.
Many tralnloads of French soldiers
nass back and forth, sometimes can
non on flatcars pass, too. Aeroplanes
pass over us every day, and one day a
huge balloon, like a lost cioua, aanea
overhead.
"Some time ago there was a typical
market day In the village. Everything
from roasted chestnuts to beef cattle
was there to be sold.
-We have aome time in "parley
vouxing with the Frenchmen. The
other day I bought some chocolates
from one. I asked him bow much it
waa. He shrugged his shoulders and
said something. I aald 'all right.' and
gave him a franc. Then he said:
'Merer (I thank you). I thought he
meant "mercy, how r.iuch!' or how lit
tle. I did not know which."
less waiting is ended. I am writing
thla by a candle in an old deserted
farmer's hut. - We are fixed up fairly
well. Of course, we are out of range
of any ordinary shell fire. We can tell
that the war's still going on, though.
when the windows keep rattling all
night from the explosions in the dis
tance. "This is no blood-and-thunder letter.
but I Just want you to know that I've
seen more of the first-named article to
day than I've seen before in my life.
Work started off with a rush this
morning, and we were all called - out
in the fog and slush for our first am
bulance work. I had a few rather in
teresting experiences, and, although
they may seem grewsome to you, I'll
take the chaace to be truthful about it.
Though it is only one day's experience
with wounded men, I am already get
ting used to it.
"In the first place, our "waiting-room
and also our dining-room are right
net to the dressing-room, which is al
ways filled with first-aid cases, and
that doesn't give an exactly cheerful
air to the place. The wounded are con
tinually being brought in and carried
out, and, as most of them have been in
the trenches for from 10 to 48 hours,
they are usually in the advanced stages
and are not "nice to look at.'
"Tar gangrene, which blackens the
flesh and puffs out the skin, accom
panied by a raving delirium, are Just
Boys to End War Quickly
and Get Back Home.
Jack Bates, ia France, Expects to
Reform for Christmas.
THREE sons of Mr. and Mrs. D. C.
Bates, Courtney station. Or., are in
the service of their country. Excerpts
from two letters lately received give
interesting data concerning their ex
periences.
"I'll tell you one thing," writes Reese
Curtis Bates, of the Navy, from bn
board his ship. "Home-made candy.
cake or jam doesn't make me a bit sore.
"Donald (Bates) is much stronger
and better looking than he used to be.
About his not being- well, that is not
so." If you were ever in the Army or
Navy you would learn to believe abso
lutely nothing that you hear and only
half of what you see.
' "By the way, one thing I like about
the New York papers and people is
that they look up to a 'gob' as one of
America's fighters, the same as a sol
dier. Out West, it is easily noticeable,
too, that a sailor is not as much In
their eeys as a soldier."
Jack Bates, in France, upholds his
THREE OREGON MEN WHO ARE IN THE SERVICE.
Hymns Heard in Ragtime on
French Front.
Beys Cheerfal, Hopeful aad neter-
sslaed. Says John J. Alexander.
frW $r88araSWfir- S
Ji ' t f - ! " V; r"58
I: Vail l-l 1 y m 1
much of it. Crossed the Channel the
next night and stopped in a rest camp
tdt a few days. Rested and froze at
the same time. We then took a jour
ney in side-door Pullmans and stopped
at an old monastery. They told us that
some of the tombs in the cathedral
dated back to 700 A. D., and that the
Cathedral was built in 1419 and the
monastery in 1619. We were told that
Napoleon used It to quarter his troops
in at different times. Quite a place to
live in. and it looked as if it might last
several centuries more.
"Our next move was in little cars
about 30 feet long, and quite narrow.
Eight are supposed to sit in a double
compartment. The cars are made only
for day travel. We carry our own wa
ter and food. They stopped at large
towns and we had a chance to exercise.
In times of peace they would stop at
every station. We spend our evenings
in camp. The Y. 3d". C. A. furnishes us
with a phonograph and records. Some
times it makes us homesick.
"They treat us finely. Am learning
to speak a little French.
"1 wish you would send me a little
chocolate once in a while. Bars are
best, and in a tin box. Reading mat
ter is scarce, also, so please send some
aviation weeklies and popular mechan
ics magazines."
'France Is Made of Rocks,"
Writes Cove Cadet.
1 " '-
I
I. W. Motley Says Candy and To
bacco Are Always Welcome.
Y. M. C A. Huts Wonderful,
Says Portland Soldier.
Thomas Ward Writes of Life In
Far-Away France.
Submarine Attack Is Made
Upon Transports. .
Letters rrwa I-a Cawarr Lata Tell
Uers-ts lvrlla.
'French Made Easy" Is Aid
to Oregon Soldiers.
laaterlasr Frelers 1-asas
lfcrelared Itlfflrwlt,
la
17CGENK. Or, Feb. 3 Special)
-Lv L.
Letters from two Lane County boys
tie "somewhere In France tell of
submarine attacks made u poo trans
ports. Private Alva L Hills, of Com
pany B. Third Battalion. 20ln Engi
neer, writes to his mother. Mrs. J. R
Hills, that a torpedo missed tha vessel
n which be was a passenger onlv by a
few feet. There were 42u Asferican
soldiers e"4)the steamer, he states.
Forest I'. red. of Pprlngf leld. In a let
ter lo his parents. Ir. and Mrs. R. H.
Heed, deaerlbes a thrilling battle be
tween submarines aad destroyers which
wee convoying the troopship.
"I am going to tell yon a little about
mr excitement with a submarine In tha
Wy uf .Biscay," he stales, "it faa Just
AN Interesting account of tha ex
perlenrea of Oregon lads in maa
tering tha French language sufficiently
lo make known their wanta to the na
lives Is told by Fred W. Barker, mas
ter engineer. llth Engineers, tn a let
ter written from "somewhere In
France" to Miss Alice P. Cornwall.
Excerpts from his letter follow:
!-o far aa conversing with the
French people, Is concerned w ans
able to get along by using the book.
French Made Easy.' Our first bit to
memorise was that which would belp
us In gettlnr something to eat. The
French dinners, such as we have bad.
consist chiefly of meat, which is all
well cooked. The meat holds out
to mum several course, when you
suddenly drop, to nuts and ahniveled
apples for dessert.
"Tha stores are small and the dining
rooms are large and cold. In order
to eat where it Is even comfortable
we frequent a place where we are ac
quainted, so aa to take the liberty of
asking to be seated In tha kitchen. It
la generally smoky there, but that Is
better than eating In the cold.
"Don't think that we have to do this
fon the want of something to eat
Contrary to what you may have heard,
we get sugar most all the time for
our coffee. We are In very comforta
ble quarters and have plenty of coal
with which to keep warm.
"We spent Christmas In a very en
joyable way. We had a programme
which lasted all day aad concluded In
tha evening, with an entertainment by
talent from our- company. For dinner
we had turkey with dressing, wltb
apple pi for dessert."
TOH.V J. ALEXANDER, the son of
(J John J. Alexander, enlisted in th
16th'Engineers at Fort Bliss. Tex., an
went to France with Oeneral Persh
lnga first contingent. He is now a cor
noral and Is attending an officer's
training camp "somewhere in France.
He is a graduate of Lincoln High
School, .of this city.
He xecently wrote an Interesting let
ter to Dr. John H. Boyd, of the Firs
Presbyterian Church, parts of which
are given here:
"I was fortunately over with the first
contingent, and we have seen and don
plenty that waa novel and at times ex
citing, during the time that I have been
here.
"I have seen two very old cathedrals
each tiny hamlet has its tall, im
posing church but these two were
noteworthy famoua for their age and
treasures they contained. The on
thing which seemed to stay with me
and to reflect the whole country of
France, was the color scheme of the
congregation the deep black and the
bright hortxon blue of the uniforms.
"As I look out of the window now a
crowd of 'poll us' are picking up some
of the points of American football from
a husky bunch of youths from the
school. The parade ground is an ac
tlve place at all times. and is given us
to use for our own. with the intensive
work, that amounts to a few minutes
at noon and Sundays. All branches of
sport are represented in full swing
basketball, baseball and football all
on the same big field. Indoor exercises
today consisted of writing letters and
general "policing up.'
"The spirit, 'morale.' Is fine and ob
tains through all the different outfits
I have seen. All the boys know what
they are here for. It is killing work
but they are going at it whistling. Af
first there waa much home-sickness,
but after seeing a bit of f rightfulness
and gaining a better insight into the
Hun and his methods, they are keen
for wiping him out. and 'going back
does not enter Into conversations as it
used to.
"They have not forgotten though,
by any means, one little Incident. When
I was In Mr. Protsman's class, there on
Alder street, we sang a song every
Suiday. Let a Little Sunshine In.' and
we boys used to sing It. too. quality
was made up for by quantity. One very
dark, very wet night last November..!
was plowing along in the mud of our
little rest village. It was cold and
raining hard. As I passed one barn
loft, where some of the boys in the
company are, billeted. I heard that same
hymn. I went In and found about
squad around the little drum heater
one minute It was sung in ragtime, and
the next aa an old hymn. 'When the
Roll Is Called Cp Yonder" was another
favorite. They aang them Just as they
would any other home song and they
knew them, and knew them welL You
cannot beat that anywhere, and that
league the other side of the Meuse
hasn't a chance against them, once
they are started."
Ambulancier Life Is Rather
Gruesome One.
Reus Slsassoaa. ef Portland. Tells
f Teach Kxperteacea la Italy.
MANY letters have drifted back to
Portland from local boys now In
tha ambulance service on the French
battlefront. but the first to come from
the fields where Italy is holding the
Hun was recently received by Mra
C B. Simmons from ber aon. Rouse
Simmons, who Is with the American
Red Cross In Italy, aa an ambulancler.
"At last I am really at the front,"
writes tha son. "and the seemingly and-
two of the details. No one around the
hospital seems to mind it a bit, but If
I should meet anyone who wanted to
see the so-called 'horrors of war' at
first hand, I'd simply show him the
waiting-room of a first-aid hospital.
"Today our six cars handled 61 cases.
among them being two Austrians with
three-days-old wounds. One of the
Austrians was a Jap! No one could
explain, but there he was as plain as
day. The other Austrian, who looked
as If he was due to 'cash in' at any
time, was Just a boy. He couldn't have
been mora than 16 years old at the
most. ,
"Just about dark, when I was begin
ning to think that work was through
for the day, I was called to take three
couches,' lying-down or stretcher cases,
to a receiving hospital about 20 kilo
meters away. So the Ford and I, along
with the three 'couches,' who were all
raving in Italian cuss-words at the top
of their voices, went out in utter dark
ness, downpourlng rain and a foot of
slush. It was a nice little party, be
lieve me! It almost gave me the
"willies,' I can tell you.
'But that wasn't the worst! When
we got to the hospital a priest came
down to Inspect the men. When he
saw I had three he said he was sorry.
but there was only room for two more.
I groaned, thinking that I would have
about 40 kilometers more to go before
dinner, but Just at that minute the
situation was saved.
"A stretcher -came by with an abso
lutely fresh corpse on it. They hadn't
even covered the poor fellow up, and,
at first sight. It surely gave me a
shock.
"But the priest beamed all over, and
turned to me with a look of relief.
There's the place for the extra man,'
be said, and so I got away at last."
Y. M. C A. Is Appreciated,
. Says Douglas A. Cress.
Cealerrlllr. Wash.. Soldier Pays
- Tribute to Organisation.
LNOTHHK American soldier has
found in France that the lot of
the doughboy would be dull, indeed,
were it not for the ministrations of
the Y. M. C. A. And he says as much
does Douglas A. Cress, of Company B,
147th Machine Gun Battalion, in a re
cent letter to bis mother, Mrs. L J
Bunnell, of Centervllle, Wash.
"We are quartered in barracks and
are sleeping on steel cots with straw
ticks," he writes, "and it isn't the
coldest place in the world, though we
have two or three inches of snow.
"Wood and water are the only things
that seem to be scarce here. As it
is, we have a hard time getting our
washing done. We go out and wash
our hands and faces in the snow; that
is. when we wash, which, you may be
sure. Isn't very often.
'We have a Y. M. p. A. at this camp.
and if It .wasn't for It things would
be pretty tough for the boys In regard
to reading. and writing. They sell sev
eral little things in the line of candied
and light groceries. They also have a
piano, checkers, tables, and it is always
warm for us boys to go there and
write.
reputation as a comedian with his news
from the front.
"Today the Y. M. C. A. arrived and
brought me some stationery. We have
to thank them for a good many things
we get and some we don't sue If as be
ing out of tobacco now.
"Paying the company is like putting
salt on a sparrow's tail we don't stay
lit long enough. I haven't had a jitney
in my pockets since my last visit to
New York City. A franc looks so big
now that I believe I would have to
bring it through a door edgewise.
"From my experiences of the past
six weeks of army life I think I'll be
able to claim a speaking acquaintance
with about 100 per cent of the trades
In the category. On arriving in France
we were given a short course in steve
doring. Today I trimmed a casket.
Tomorrow I work in the kitchen. Dur
lng the last week I have been a car
penter. In spare moments I study
electricity.
"I never thought I would have to
trim a fcasket. but having walked
through the undertaking parlors sev
eral times, I had a rough idea of how
it was done. However, the victim was
not in our company. "We are the
healthiest bunch of pirates you ever
saw. This poor fellow had pneumonia.
Pneumonia is rare, because we are
well taken care of. The service was
very impressive and could not have
been better any place.
Just now I hope that box you fixed
up for Christmas gets here pretty soon.
We were stuck on field rations for 10
days and my teeth are at least a third
shorter from chewing hardtack. I wish
the guy that invented hardtack had to
eat it all.
"My worst trouble just now is try
ing parle Francais.' I generally pull
something like this: 'Jer voo" or 'give
me. allumett s 11 vous pies.' However,
by wigwagging and making a noise
like an egg or something I manage to
get a bite or two in a "resty wrong.."
"By the way. it's tattoo and having
been bawled out for burning my bowl of
grease and string after hours last night,
I'll avoid getting hit twice in the same
spot by crawling into my six-lb. O. D.'s.
I've got my bed all fixed up like a mil
lion dollars. There is one bad thing
about it It's too much of a temptation
to sleep in.
"You can expect a letter from me
once a month now, as I can drop into
the Y. M. C. A. and write till I get a
glass arm. But if it takes as long to
get to you as yours does to get to me
you can put my letters in with the heir
looms for Donald's grandchildren. - I
got one from Reese asking me to meet
him in New York City.
- "I will send you some pictures of
myself soon, but I am betting strong
that the original will be with you be
fore another Christmas. The boys have
decided to end the war and go home."
Reese, ' Jack and Don Bates all at
tended Washington . High School and
are well remembered by their former
schoolmates .and by others. No better
expression of the state of mind of
America's troops can be given than
that embodied in the last line of the
letter from Jack Bates.
THOMAS F. WARD, private in Bat
tery A, 147th Field Artillery, now
in France with the American expedi
tionary forces, is the son of Mrs. Julia
Ward, 628 Morrison street, Portland.
In a recent letter Private Ward tells
of some of the incidents of soldiering
abroad. He writes:
"Our surroundings are ideal and the
climate is just like Summer in Oregon.
Our camp cannot be beat, and the Y. M.
C. A., where I am writing, is nothing
less than a palace. It is three stories
n height and the furnishings are won-J
aeriui. mere are several ruum wueie
we can write and they have several
writing desks, a large center table.
plush chairs, big Morris chairs, book
cases and, in fact, everything like a
millionaires' club. The floors are all
hardwood, with thick rugs. There is
a piano and several other instruments.
I could write all night and yet not
adequately describe it.
"One thing is certain, we are the
luckiest troops from the states. We
have nothing at all about which we could
'kick.' We get a shave every morning
and dress as if we were going on pa
rade. I wouldn't have missed this ad
venture for anything. There is no need
for worry on your part. Another thing,
next to the American people the French
are, I believe, the nicest people In the
world. They are always so polite and
ready to do anythnig for you. The
O. A. S. on the outside of this envelope
stands for 'On Active Service.' "
Britishers Relish Cigars From
United States.
Arthur ' Gorham Reports Pleasant
Trip Across Big Pond.
riOVE, Or., Mar. 2. Flying Cadet S.
J W. Motley, American air service,
American expeditionary forces, Paris,
has written his third letter since cross
ing the pond. He is a graduate of Cove
High School and Oregon Agricultural
College and had a year's instruction in
aviation department before he enlisted.
The following letter was received this
week by his brother, Lee Motley, of
Cove. Or.:
"As far as news goes, there is not
much I can say. We have moved since
I last wrote. We were last stationed
at a flying school. This is a sort of
concentration camp, and is farther
from the front than our last place. We
will wait here until our time arrives in
the flying list, which probably will ba
& month or so yet. There is not much
to do except drill and go on hikes. The
hikes are delightful, as the roads are
good and we only walk two hours.
The weather is fine here, much
warmer than at our former location.
The grass is green and we have sun
shine on four days of the week.
"France seems to be mostly rocks.
Almost all the houses and field fences
are of stone. Sometimes one sees 'wire
fences with stone posts. The houses
are roofed with red tiling. A few days
ago we passed an old building on a
hilltop. It had a stone wall around!
it and a circular tower on one corner
one of the kind you read about. The
date on an old coat of arms was 1573.
The box hit about the right spot
candy, especially home-made, is the
one great luxury to us. Cigars end
tobacco are also "bon." I wish I were
back in Cove to participate in some of
her chicken feeds. My mouth waters at
the thought.".
Women Conductors Are No
Longer Novelty in France.
Hood River Soldier Is Pleased With
Life "Over There.'
"CORPORAL ARTHUR E. GORHAM. of
V Company u, Xb.a inianiry, now in
France, is a son of Mr. and Mrs. George
O. Gorham, 701 Washington street. He
writes from England:
"Just a few lines to let you know I
am safe and sound. We had a very
pleasant trip across the big pond. It is
a little colder here than at home. Their
customs and ways are very queer to us.
Am in good health and seeing the
world.
"This thing can't last forever, so
don't worry about me. We have not
srot paid for two months. With the
exception of that everything Is fine.
We don't like the English tobacco.
Wish you would send me some tobacco
and chocolates. You Just ought to see
English people smoking a good cigar
.. . , . TT..I..J
or cigarette irom tne guuu umicu
States of America. It is a pretty place
here and the eats are much better than
when we were in France.
"All us boys are together and all
right. Don't know how long we wm
be here. Will be glad when we can
get our mail. It seems funny not to
he irprtlntr a letter every day. Well, 1
will ring off and turn in. So be good
until the boys come nome.
HOOD RIVER, Or., March 2. (Spe
cial.) American soldiers are treat
ed royally in France, according to a
letter just received from Ellis Morse,
by his mother, Mrs. Phoebe Morse, of,
this city.
The young man, sergeant in an aero
plane squadron, writes:
"Have been over her just a month
and I like it fine so far. An American
soldier can be recognized a mile away
by the French, who treat us fine. I am
beginning to learn a little French.
"We enjoyed our trip across the At
lantic. We traveled across England in
the night, so did not see much of it. On
crossing the English Channel we rested
for a day, then we were transported in
land to an old monastery. Had my
Christmas dinner on the ocean, and
New Year's was spent in the monas
tery. They told us that some of the
tombs at the monastery date back to
700 A. D.
"The railroads here are watch charms
alongside of our own. One of our lo
comotives or Pullman coaches would
make a half-dozen of the French va
riety. They have women brakemen on
the trains and women conductors on
the streetcars.
"We would certainly appreciate re
ceipt of some chocolate.
"Reading matter, too, is scarce, and
I would appreciate having some avia
tion weeklies as often as you can send
them."
War Dangers Magnified Is
Belief of Soldier.
Jesse Bevan Saya Red Cross Is Kind
to Fighting Men.
French Children Friends of
American Soldiers.
V. Jennings Writes of ITow l.lttle
Children Make Lite Brighter.
oregov nor. CRKSWKLI, RES
IDE.VT. LOST LIFE OX
A ItStA.llA,
l-i JUip .MiJUJ
V
e
'
) -
'
V
t
James Pierce.
James Pierce, private In Com
pany F, 20th Engineers, Is -one
of the Oregon boys who lost his
life on the Tuscania. Mr. Pierce
was a resident of Creswell. Or,
when he enlisted. His father Is
8. Pierce, of Creswell. . Shortly
before he enlisted Mr. Pierce gave
a late photograph of -himself to
A. L. Erlckson, 28( Eleventh
street.
T
Bible Talks Are Pleasing tj
Soldiers Abroad.
Y. M. C. A. Secretary Predicts War
Will End This Year.
SOMETHING of the work that is
being done by the Y. M. C. A. for
the soldiers at the front is told by A. G.
Frisble. who is with the 116th Engi
neers, "somewhere In France," in a
recent letter to Miss Alice P. Cornwall,
of this city. He wrote:
"The other night the Y. M. C. A. sec
retary spoke on the present war. taking
his text from the Bible. He advanced
the opinion, gathered from the Bible,
that the war would end this year.
Whether that is true or not. I don't
know. But I do know that the Y. M.
C. A. is helping to wm the war by
helping us.
"The billholder you sent me comes in
very handy and I thank you for it. I
found this out the other day when I
was paid and received a pile of bills.
The French government has bills of
various denominations, from 10 cents
np and they are a lot of bother.
"A. B. Coughlan. who formerly
worked for The Oregonian, is also a
member of the same organization to
which I belong."
HOME folks are wont to magnify the
dangers that surround many of the
boys overseas, asserts Jesse T. Bevan.
10th Engineers, Foresters, writing to
his mother, Mrs. Thomas Bevan, Gale,
Wash. He was formerly In the United
States Forestry Service.
The letter from the young engineer
also carries pointed contradiction or
reports circulated that articles and
presents forwarded for the American
soldier boys by the Red Cross do not
reach them. Red Cross gifts helped
make Christmas a joyous day for men
of the 10th Engineers, Private Bevan
writes.
Paragraphs from the young man's
latest letter follow:
"Cheer ud and be happy. I am a lot
safer here than I was working in the
Forest Service, for there were great
crevasses waiting for us if we should
happen to slip. Here there is no dan
ger for us at all. Am just as safe
here as I would be at home.
"I am sure enjoying myself and get
ting fat. Weigh 1S5 pounds.
"We all received a Christmas pack
age from the Red Cross, containing
tobacco, cigarettes, soap, towel, tooth
brush, handkerchief 'and candy. We
were as happy as a bunch of children
with their Christmas presents."
FRENCH children, big and little, ara
fond of American boys, says E. C.
Jennings, now in France with the Sig
nal Corps, writing to his sister. Miss
Florence Jennings, of Witchita station.
When the children see an American
soldier coming, he says, they will run
for blocks for a chance to hold on to
his arm and walk beside him.
"Most of them," continues the letter,
"know how to say 'Good boy," 'Good
morning' and 'Good-by.' In England
the little ones were always asking for
money, but we seldom hear that .here.
They seem to be satisfied with a hand
shake or a chance to walk with you
for a block or so.
"There is a little girl who lives on a
street near here and every morning
when I pass her little French window
flics open and a little brown head pops
out with a cheery smile that would
make anybody forget the blues. She
says "Good morning' in her cute French
way and I say 'Bon jour, ma chere ami,
comment allez vous?"
"She always answers 'Trea bien, mer
ci, et comment de vous?'
She is as proud of her few words of
English as I am of my few words of
French, but, like me, she gets her
"Good morning' mixed up with her
'Good-by.' "
Oregon Soldier Sleeps in
1619 Monastery.
Sergeant Ellis L. Morse, la Eraser,
Writes Letter Home.
SERGEANT ELLIS L. MORSE, of the
12th Aero Squadron, who recently
arrived in France, describes his ex
periences In a letter to his mother, Mrs.
Phoebe Morse, Hood River. The letter
follows:
'Had a fine trip across. Crossed
England In tha night, so we didn't see
Wood and Water Scarce,
Writes Oregon Boy.
Douglas A. Cress Says He Has to
Wash Face In Snow In France.
Lack of French Felt by the
Americans Abroad.
Carl Huston Meets Number of Port
land Hoys In France.
WOOD and water are the only things
that are scarce in. the nameless
place in France where Douglas A. Cress,
formerly of Centerville, Wash., is sta
tioned, according to a recent letter to
hiB mother, Mrs. I. J. Bunnell, of that
city.
"I'm in France at last." he says, "and
I sure had a great trip coming over.
We were two weeks on the transport.
and I was mighty glad to get off on
solid ground again.
"I think I am in this place for the
rest of the Winter, and will certainly
appreciate it if so. We are quartered
in barracks, and are sleeping on steel
cots with straw ticks. It isn't the cold
est place in the world, though we have
two or three inches of snow.
"Wood and water are the only things
that seem to be scarce here. The scarc
ity of water is due to the fact that the
water piping system has not yet Deen
installed. When that is done we will
get along better. As it is, we have a
hard time getting our washing done.
We get out and wash our hands and
faces in the snow; that is, when we
wash, which, you may imagine, Is not
very often." !
FROM a member of the 162d Infantry
comes word that the Oregon boys in
France are in one of the most historio
spots in that country. The weather
has been severe, but the boys do not
complain of exposure or hardship. In
a letter written by Carl Huston, son
of S. 'B. Huston, under date January
-3, the statement is made, among other
things, that the last mall received was
under date December 11.
The letter says in part:
"We had about the average trip over,
I guess, with some rough weather and
a few days of hard work cleaning up
on landing. The boys feel keenly their
lack of French. It leaves one in a very
awkward position not to be able to
talk with anybody but his friends.
"We ore very comfortably situatsa
and have almost everything one could
ask. About the only things we miss
are candies, cakes and late periodicals
and papers. The French chocolate is
not nearly as good as that lri America,
but it is very expensive. One can get
a fairly good meal at restaurants here
for 3 to 5 francs. American soldiers
have first choice of everything.
"This is one of the really historic
spots of France, and one can't go any
where without bumping into evidences
of the middle ages. It lias been un
usually cold this Winter in France,
they tell us, and we from the Coast
have felt it keenly. We haven't had a
chance to have any laundry done for a
long time.
Have seen several foruatia hoys
with the engineers' company. Bob
Jones, son of W. N. Jones, Is here.
Have seen Don McMicken and Alex
Donaldson, both Multnomah Club boys.
from Portland.
"The censorship is strict on letters
going out, but there is no trouble with
letters coming in except that they get
delayed or lost in transit. As we un
derstand it. censorship does not prevail
against letters from home."