10
TIIE SUNDAY OREGOXIAX, PORTLAND, JUXT 14, 1018
HISTORIC TOWNS, CHURCHES AND CASTLES
IN FRANCE INTEREST OREGON SOLDIER
Sergeant Bartel Writes Parents of Seeing Paintings by Old Masters and Beautiful Works of Art Hundreds of
Years Old, m Which Colors Are Vivid Despite Age.
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SEEING the originals of famous
paintings by old masters is among
the things in Franco that interest
ed Sergeant George Bartel, of the 378th
Aero Squadron, American Expeditionary
Force. In a recent letter received by
his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Walter Bartel,
583 0 Forty-first avenue Southeast, he
tells of visiting historic old towns,
churches and castles.
"One old castle I visited was rich in
paintings by Rubens, Van Dyke and
others. Beautiful works of art a hun
dred years old lined the walls and ceil
ings. The colorings were in a perfect
state. The deep colors looked as if
they were just painted it was art of
the highest type."
"Lieutenant Rowland L. Atcheson,
graduate of North Pacific Dental Col
lege, enlisted in the 364th base hospital
unit soon after we entered the war. He
was sergeant at Camp Lewis for nearly
a year and then was assigned to the
dental reserve corps at Vancouver. His
original company left for France two
weeks after he left them.
First-class Private Vladimir Menden
tiall, of 1172 East Main street, formerly
with the Third Oregon, has been trans
One of Old Oregon Regiment
in Department of Loire.
Letter, Int-d June S, Written Just
When Strawberries Are Kipenlng.
SERGEANT ALBERT LAMB. Com
pany I, 162d Infantry, son of Mr.
and Mrs. George Lamb, of Donald, Or.,
who enlisted at Woodburn in 1915,' and
served on the Mexican border, writes
from Contres, France, under date of
June 8, as follows:
"Dear Mother and All: If you will
only notice you will see that it is no
more just "Somewhere in France," but
that I have the name of the town
where we now are. Contres is a small
village about 30 or 40 miles east and a
little south of Tours, in the department
of Loire et Cher. If you have a large
map of France you may find it if you
look close enough. They issued a new
order the other "day that we could tell
where we are.
"This being Saturday afternoon and
no drill, I thought I would take, ad
vantage of the time and write; that is,
Jf I can keep awake long enough, for it
is pretty hot upstairs where I am now.
It has been regular Summer weather
for the last week and plenty warm, too,
especially when we get to marching.
"The strawberries are just beginning
to get ripe, and I expect to have a feed
when they get a little farther on.
"You ought to see the natives go
barefooted now. Just as soon as they
hit the field, nearly everyone of them,
old and young, begin to kick off their
sabots, or wooden shoes. This is a great
asparagus country and they ship out
tons of the stuff every day. The season
will be finished in a few days. They
still do most of the mowing here with
a scythe, and say. you should see that
scythe. The blade is all of six inches
across and the handle is perfectly
straight. I surprised one old fellow the
other day by being able to handle his
for him. He thought he was going to
have Quite a joke on me when he asked
rue to try it. The wine grapes are be
ginning to look pretty good now. Hope
1 am where I can get some when they
are ripe.
"Three days more and we will have
our gold service stripe for six months'
foreign service. As ever your son and
brother, Albert.
Albert G. Moreland Proud
He's From Oregon.
Soldier in France Hears of State's
Record in Liberty Loan. .
PROUD of the fact that he comes
from Oregon, Albert G. Moreland,
14Sth Field Artillery. A. E. F In a let
ter to J. D. Hansen. 529 Taylor street,
makes some interesting observations on
active service "over there."
"I am pretty decently fixed 'over
here," " writes Mr. Moreland under date
of May 26. "We are in a town of about
l.'.OOO inhabitants.
"We are not on the firing line, but
we are not very far away. When the
American forces do start, something is
Koing to happen. If you could only see
the harbor here and the way the docks
are piled up with supplies, you would
pen your eyes. I never realized how
much the Americans are doing until I
pave this particular harbor the 'once
over.
"You notice that since the American
destroyers have been over here there
Jias been a falling off in the number
of boats sunk. Believe me, the Amer
icans go out and look for the sub
marines, and they usually get them
As a result, few American boats are
being sunk.
"The btg drive is over and we are
nil expecting another soon. But don't
worry. They will never get through
in a thousand years. 1 received a car
ton of cigarettes from relatives, but I
should like to have some magazines.
These can be sent through safely, and
3 wish you would send me a supply. I
gret my Oregonian all right.
"Well, Oregon showed them how it
was done in the Liberty Loan again.
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ferred to Company D, 127th Infantry,
National Guard. Before his company
left the United States young Menden
hall was a cook, but resigned so as to
get into the active fighting over there.
P.;H. ' Jewell, brother of Mrs. H. M.
Samuelson, 600 Williams avenue, is
somewhere on the tiigh seas, aboard the
torpedoboat destroyer Fairfax, as chief
oiler. Letters to friends here relate
his keen liking for the service. He has
been one of Uncle Sam's sailors since
1912.
F. E. Scroggrs, a Lane County boy,
who enlisted as an Army private six
years ago, has been promoted-to the
rank of Captain, according to word re
cently, received by his parents, Mr. and
Mrs. T. B. Scroggs, of Irving. He Is
now stationed at Fort McArthur, Tex
and is .an officer in the field artillery.
Young Scroggs came of fighting stock,
his ancestors having fought under
Washington and under the Stars and
Stripes in the Civil War.
Fred L. Plant, of Battery E, 65th
Artillery, Coast Artillery Corps, has ar
rived in France, says a letter received
by Mrs. Plant last week. Before en
listing in June", 1917, Mr. Plant was em
Believe me. It is the best state in the
Union, and when any one asks me
where I am from, I throw out my chest
and say OREGON and not in a weak
voice, either, believe me. It's an honor
to have been born in a state that
stands back of its men as Oregon does.
"The Oregon boys have made a good
name for themselves everywhere they
have been, and when the word comes
to go, we shall be there, and no
fooling."
Tobacco and Candy Cheap
to Soldiers in France.
Lieutenant Wray Sayn 15-(nt
Cigarettes Cost Only 9 Cents.
EUGENE, July 13. (Special) Cigar
ettes, tobacco, candy and similar arti
cles may be purchased cheaper by the
boys who are serving with General
Pershing's army in France than at
home, but the boys attached to the
French army have no such luck, ac
cording to letters Received here from
Lieutenant J. Wray Case, of the 65th
Artillery, and Private F. Belscamper,
of Company A, 13th Railway Engineers.
"I bought some domino sugar the
other day to have some when I am
where I can eat it," Lieutenant Wray
writes. "We can buy things at the
commissary cheaper than you can buy
them in the States. Cigarettes that
cost 15 cents before they went up, sell
for nine cents, and five-cent packages
of tobacco for three cents, so you see
It doesn't pay the boys to send home
for it now since they can buy it here."
"The stopping of package mail, was
quite a hardship for us," Private Bel
scamper writes. "It is true that most
of the things sent to the soldiers could
be bought at the American canteens,
but I have never yet seen an American
canteen. We have been attached to the
French army ever since we arrived in
France and we are far from civiliza
tion. We can't even buy a handker
chief up here.
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Albert U. Moreland. Member 14Stfc
Field Artillery. A. F.
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ployed by the "Barker Hardware Com
pany, of Albany.
A leather wallet made by Mrs. Plant's
grandfather, who fought with Denmark
against Germany In 1864, is one of Mr.
Plant's prized possessions.
Memorial services for C. Carrol Gates,
the first Washington County soldier to
die of wounds received on tfce European
battlefield, will be held at 11 o'clock
this morning at the First Congrega
tional Church of Hills boro. Dr. A- D.
Shaw will deliver the memorial ser
mon on the theme. "Till the Dawn and
Shadows Fade Away." Young Gates,
who was reported killed in action In
the United States casualty list of June
29, is mourned by his parents, Mr. and
Mrs. Gates, of Hillsboro.
Sergeant Thomas F. Martin, former
Washington High School student, now
in France with Battery B. 147th Field
Artillery is the son of Mr. and Mrs.
Leander Martin, formerly of Portland,
now residing on a ranch near Castle
Rock, Wash. Young Martin enlisted a
year ago. going overseas in January.
1918. With ancestors in every war of
importance in this country since the
Revolution, he can lay claim to having
come naturally by his fighting spirit.
Captain Fred West Tells of
Havoc in France.
Stately Structures Reduced to Rains
by German Artillery.
CAPTAIN FREIf X. WEST, of the
J 162nd Infantry, A. E. F.. who was
formerly a member of the Portland
police force, tells of some Interesting
experiences in a letter received a few
days ago by H. C. Bales, of the traffic
bureau. His :.tter. In part, follows:
"I visited a city on this sector that
is still held by the French and Amer
icans. The Boches are about 1000 yards
from It. There is not a single build
ing in the place that has not been de
stroyed by artillery. A once beautiful
castle and a cathedral are now piles
of stones. There is still a part of the
tower of the cathedral standing. In
it were three bells, but only one is
left.
"Our greatest sport in this sector is
watching the American and French
airplanes flirt with Fritz- artillery.
They are over us almost all the time
and Boche artillery keeps the sky filled
with shrapnel. I have never yet seen
the Boches get a hit.
"W e seldom see a Boche plane in this
sector. A fight took place over us
yesterday, but the planes were so high
that we could not see them, even with
our glasses. We Ctiuid hear the motors
and machine guns."
Albany Youth Sees Active
Service in Trenches.
Alton II. Coates WrilM of Thrilling
Exprrlenrei In France.
ALBAXY, Or., July 13. (Special.)
Alton B. Coates, formerly wire
chief in the office of the Pacific Tele
phone & Telegraph Company here, who
is now a First Lieutenant in the Signal
Corps of the United States Army, has
been having many noteworthy experi
ences on duty in France. Recently he
was in charge of a crew of men repair
ing lines in Paris w-hich had been dam
aged by the long-range bombardment
of the big German gun. In a letter re
ceived from him by his wife here re
cently he says that he has had the ex
perience all Americans "over there" are
looking for. in that he has been in the
front-line trenches.
Lieutenant Coates is now command
ing Company D of the 411th Telegraph
Battalion. Interesting extracts from
his last letter follow:
"You will find a gap of about ten
days in my letters, during which time
I have had the time of my life. Was
so fortunate as to be sent with a de
tachment of linemen to the front. I
took along some of my Company D men
and others of Company E and we had
the pleasure of getting up where a real
live American could begin to enjoy be
ing a soldier. I wish I could tell vnii
all the places I visited and the things
I saw, but I will keep them in my diary
and explain it all when I get home.
"Today. Sunday, I am in one of the
most beautiful places in the world (the
other beautiful places are not In
France), overlooking a large city and
all of its pretty surroundings. If you
could only see this wonderful place,
then you would know how it looks to
me. coming only yesterday from the
shell-torn, deserted country (that God
seems to have forgotten) to here,
where thousands of families with their
children and lunches, are spending the
day. Most of the people are in mourn
Ing. but the spirit of France brings
them to the parks on Sundays.
"In this particular place there have
been but few American soldiers and the
people are very much interested in us
and are anxious to do something for us.
but the difference in their language and
ours puts the jinx on it for me.
"Just now overhead are two Ameri
can aeroplanes and one French. The
latter is leading and doing tricks and
the Americans are going him one better
each time. The people here tell me the
Amricans fly the best of all.
"1 am workins all the daylight hours
and sleep out with the men. This war
is real business and we have little time
for amusement.
"If I were an artist I would draw pic
tures of the dresses I have seen today,
that I know you would rave about. The
French women are great dressers.
"The photo accompanying this story
was taken over there and was sent with
the Lieutenant's last letter."
Lieutenant Coates was one of many
employes of the Pacific Telephone &
Telegraph Company in this section of
the state to enlist in the Signal Corps
when war was declared. He was soon
appointed first sergeant of bis com
pany and several months ago was com
missioned a First Lieutenant. He was
formerly one of Oregon's best-known
athletes, winning prominence as a foot
ball player, hurdler and middle-distance
runner, for Albany College, the Ore
gon Agricultural College and the Mult
nomah Club, of Portland. Mrs. Coates
is a daughter of Frank J. Miller, chair
man of the Public Service Commission
of Oregon.
Soldier Gets 38 Letters in
Single Mail.
Joha Earl Laaders Writes of Life la
Fmck Ilattle Zoic
COVE, Or., July 13. (Special.)
From "somewhere in France," Ser
geant John Earl Landers, formerly of
the old Third Oregon, has written his
mother, Mrs. B. K. Anderson, regarding
himself and two high school boys.
Cove's first volunteers of March, 1917.
'When I wrote you last I complained
about getting no mail for three months.
Yesterday I got 38 letters, and a pack
age of tobacco from Willie. Imagine
my surprise. They had followed me all
over France and had gone to England
a couple of times. I segregated them,
oldest date on top, and completely de
voured them. They were very interest
ing to me, and I am glad to know you
8,re well and working so diligently in
our cause. After reading those letters
I'm ready to' face anything.
"You ask what I'm. doing. . As you
see from my letters I am going from
place to place. I am a special ser
geant instructor, and am anxious to
get back home and tell you about my
experiences. The other day a ser
geant told me he had met my cousin.
I got into one of those bathtubs on
wheels and went to his post. He was
gone, but I kept going until I found
him. He returned with me for a visit.
He is a corporal in Company B, 148th
Machine Gun Battalion.
"1 am sending you two copies of
the 'Stars and Stripes,' which, we
think, is a great paper over here. I
am getting lots to eat. feel fine all the
time, work hard every day, got a good
place to sleep, am getting along splen
did, and do you know, mother darling,
I've not had my name on the sick list
report since 1 entered the Army?
"Hazel Heady and Thomas Williams
had a siege of sickness, but are all
right now. While in England Hazel
had the mumps. I went down to see
him and, say, he had the biggest face
on him I ever saw on a human being.
He and Corporal Tom are excellent
soldiers, are liked by everyone and I
heard them say they're proud they
didn't wait to be drafted.
"Thomas makes as good a corporal
as I ever saw and will go right on up.
Hazel probably has his corporalship
by now, as Captain Blanchard told me
he was going to make some changes in
the company.
"I am under a beautiful shade tree
writing this letter, overlooking one of
the most picturesque valleys in France.
I guess it is permissible to tell you I
have been in Paris. I rode through
the subways and slept in a big feather
bed at a hotel. You'll think it funny
when I get home, for I will want to
sleep out in the back yard or on the
chicken coop. Our French? I was in
a cafe recently and had a laugh at a
guy ordering his supper. After pre
liminaries he told the girl 'to shake a
leg.' She smiled and said: 'Wee (yes),
cho-ca-late.' and that's what she
brought him. There is a long freight
train going by. The cars look like
cracker boxes. I also see some women
walking along the road carrying goats
to market."
Leo Friede's Letter From
Europe Recalled.
Comments Made Klsrhteen Tears Act
' Mack Interest New.
EIGHTEEN' years ago Leo Frlede. of
Portland, made a tour of the world.
He visited Paris, London, Berlin, and
wrote back entertaining letters that
were reprinted in The Oregonian. To
day, after four years of the great Euro
pean war, these sidelights on the life
of the people as it was then, are par
ticularly interesting.
Mr. Frlede was in Paris on July 14,
the great national festival day, when
the whole of France celebrates the fall
of the Bastile, symbol of feudal tyr
anny. "Whatever may be said about the
French people," writes Mr. Frlede,
"they are devoted to France at the
cost of their very lives. In the usual
sense of a gay people, they approach
the characteristics of a group of chil
dren in their celebrations, and. as in
the hey-day of life, they give utter
ance to their feelings in frivolities and
mirth-making. Each - celebration day
they erect hundreds of bandstands
about the city, and all hands join in
dancing and mirth-making on the
streets on this occasion for three days
and three nights.
"They borrowed this right from an
utterance of Napoleon, who once said:
'The easiest way to rule a nation is to
entertain them." There is always on
this day a general review by the Pres
ident of 50,000 troops at Longchamps,
a nearby place, and all Paris that can
possibly reach there at a cab price of
$5, or on foot, goes there to show its
devotion to the Army, and this in
France is no small item.
"To the layman it may appear
strange that in a season when they
have called to their city the multitudes
from all over the globe, and are royally
entertaining them and profiting great
ly by their presence, withal there is a
lurking sentiment that at any moment
an uprising may demolish the picture
of happiness and pleasure. On the
Alton R. Coates. former Htmr Ath
lete, Who Writes From 1'rain,
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ELIMINATION OF WOOD WASTE
SOLVED BY EUGENE EDUCATOR
New Process of Distilling Wood, if Commercially Available. Will Furnish
Means of Putting Timber Conservation on Profitable Basis.
UXIVERSITY OF OREGON', Eugene,
Or.. July 13. (Special.) At this
time, when every effort Is being
made to make use of the Xation's re
sources to the best advantage, peculiar
d'stllling wood which has been worked
out by Professor O. F. Stafford, head of
the chemistry department of the Uni
versity of Oregon. This method. If It
proves to be commercially available,
and there is reason to believe it will
be, will furnish a means of making use
of wood waste which exists In such
enormous quantities In the Pacific
Northwest
Professor Stafford first described the
new method, on which he has been
working for more than a year, at the
meeting of the Oregon section of the
American Chemical Society, held re
cently at the university. The novelty
in the new method consists principally
in the manner of applying heat to the
mass of wood to be distilled. Here
tofore the proces of distillation has con
sisted of filling an Iron retort with
wood, the temperature then being
raised by the application of heat to the
exterior of the retort, just as is done
with an oven or a steam boiler. This
method works well with wood which is
in large pieces, but with sawdust.
"hogged" wood or other forms of finely
divided material It has been found im
possible to bring about a satisfactory
penetration of heat to the Interior por
tions of the mass, since heat penetrates
very slowly into loose, fine materials of
this kind.
Weod Waste Is Large
Many attempts have been made to
overcome this difficulty of slow heat
penetration, but all have failed. Ob
serving, however, that after wood has
been heated up to the point where its
decomposition begins there is then gen
erated, as the result of further decom
position, a small but nevertheless quite
significant amount of heat. Professor
Stafford made use of this fact in de
vising a method of applying heat to
the wood In the Interior of the retort.
This "exothermic reaction heat," as the
chemistry sharks call it, is utilised In
carrying on the distillation continu
ously in the following ingenious man
ner: A small amount of wood is first de
livered Into the previously heated re
tort or distillation vessel and the dis
tillation process is thereby started.
The heat set free by the decomposition
of this first portion of wood then serves
to heat up and start a following por
tion, which in turn in its decomposi
tion generates the heat required to
bring still another portion of wood up
to the point of active decomposition,
the process thus continuing indefi
nitely. The wood Is furnished to the ap
pliance in a steady stream and the
products of the distillation are also re
covered continuously by appropriate
methods. The heat required for the pro
cess is thus generated actually within
mass of wood Itself and it is no longer
necessary to apply external heat after
the process once is started, so that the
old difficulty encountered in the dis
tillation of sawdust and other finely
divided forms of wood is overcome.
In bis experimental plant at the uni
versity Professor Stafford has fed saw
dust in a steady stream into the car
boniser at the rate of 30 pounds per
hour for as long as 66 hours, the ap
paratus having been heated by a fire
only a few minutes at the very start
and being still hot and functioning
finely at the finish. Wood in the form
In which it is usually distilled may be
handled by this process as well as the
finely divided wood, so that it Is of
general applicability.
The decomposition of wood by dis
tillation results in the production of
charcoal, pitch, acetic acid, wood alco
hol and combustible gases and, in the
case of resinous woods, of turpentine
night preceding the celebration, the
gates of the city were locked to pre
vent an unusual number of the country
residents reaching the city and joining
a demonstration hostile to the adminis
tration. Everything passed off peace
ably, but can such tension continue?
Time, and not very distant time, may
tell.
"Of the great nations. Germany ex
cels in her displays at the exposition.
This is accounted for by the hostility
shown by France 10 years ago when
Germany was not represented at the
exposition, and the present act gives
evidence of the reconciliation between
France and Germany."
Mr. Friede was particularly Im
pressed with the splendid training of
the Russian soldiers. Of the Russian
Cossacks he says:
"Much is said about the Kussian
Cossack soldiers, and a few additional
words cannot be amiss. They consti
tute the Drtde of the Russian army
and are always the Czar's bodyguard.
They grow to manhood anticipating to
spend their lives in the military, and
Rnprial concessions are made to them.
The Cossack soldier has ro often proved
his valor and Bklll that no statement
can exaggerate the fact.
"The vouth. when he attains suffi
cient age. Is given a gun. His food is
suspended by a cord. i.ach meal time
he is permitted to shoot three times
at the cord and should he fall to re
lease his food he simply must await
the next trial before he can please his
appetite."
A spirit or propnecy seems 10 nave
filled Mr. Frlede when he was in Ber
lin, for he writes: "If the progress of
the city Is not checked for another
quarter of Ji century its attractiveness
will make it the superior of any Euro
pean city, and rank probably second to
no other in commerce on the continent.
But there always looms up as a prob
ability in Europe an entanglement of
nations, which again may change the
tide of the advance and cause the dark
ages of history to repeat themselves."
-Youth in France Does Not
Forget Mothers' Day.
Loving Tribute Paid by Charles
Fanner, of Oregon Artillery.
EUGENE, Or, July 13. (Special.)
Oregon boys who are serving In
the 65th Artillery, formerly the Ore
gon Coast Artillery, "somewhere In
France," did not forget the request of
General Pershing that every man
write a letter to his mother on Moth
er's Day, as evidenced by the large
number of Mothers' Day letters that
have been printed In state papers, but
none of these has been more Impressive
than a letter by Charles Farmer to
his mother, Mrs. C. D. Farmer, in Eu
gene. "Although we could not wear car
nations as symbols of devotion, I as
sure you that every boy who had a
heart for a mother's love, sent it in
thought. If not in prayer, far' across
the ocean to a mother who is bravely
waiting his happy return." he writes.
"Also were vivid memories recalled
to him. some time during his life, in
which his mother wss the chief actor.
For myself. I recall the time when we
passed through Eugene on our way to
the transport. How mother watted
bravely and patiently for Is long
hours, including the sleep hours of the
night. Like a sentinel walking his
post you waited and listened with a
...............)
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Professor O. K. Stafford. Valver
Ity of Oregon, Who Has 'evr
l r e e s for Distilling W ood
Products.
anl related oils. In the United States
every year about 1,500.000 cords of
wood are devoted to distillation pur
poses. The demand for the products
of wood distillation, good at any time
is especially active at present, since
they are necessities in the production
of munitions, in constructing airplanes.
In the shipbuilding industry and other
activities which contribute to the
prosecution of the war. Professor
Stafford's discovery of a method, there
fore, which permits an increase of pro
auction would seem to be most timely.
Attempts to establish a profitable
wood distilling industry with Douglas
fir for raw material have uniformly
failed. For this failure Professor
Stafford would assign the following
reasons: Douglas fir Is not Ideal ma
terial for distillation because, like
other resinous woods, it yields only
third or a half as much of the valuable
substances, wood alcohol and acetic
acid, as the hard woods. On the other
hand, it is not rich in resinous con
stituents, like Southern pine or even
Western yellow pine, hence the yield
of turpentine and oil is also low.
Expensive Labor Hinders.
Moreover, most of the attempts to
distill wood In this territory have been
by methods which required the use of
much expensive hand labor in propor
tion to the capacity of the plants. In
spite of many handicaps the industry
under the old conditions was very near
the profit-taking zone and it is be
lieved that with the new process,
where there will be substituted for
hand labor and Intermittent produc
tion mechanical handling in a contin
uous. large-scale production, the in
dustry will be placed on a practical
and fiavins: basis.
The crying need for some method of
utilizing wood waste may oe unuer
stood when we learn that in Oregon
alone the waste at the mills, saying
nothina of the forest waste. Is esti
mated at 50.000.000 cubic feet annually
This is based on the annual cut of
Douglas fir in Oregon before the war
of OoO.000.000 board feet. Consider
block of wood 100 feet square at the
base and -a mile high going to waste
every year for want of some feasible
means of utilising it:
At large sawmills disposal of the
waste makes necessary the malnte
nance of large waste burners, where it
may be gotten out of the way with the
least amount of trouble ana einM.
number of other mothers for the trains
that were bearing the manhood of ore
ion away. Much I thought, mother,
that morning you bid me good-bye
without shedding a tear. I know tha
It was Just a mother's love and you
were bravely fighting back the tears
that were causing you such pain to
control. I know what was bound to
happen as soon as I was out of sight.'
Farmer tells of a Mother's Day ad
dress to the Oregon boys by Chaplain
Mathews which he says was an in
splratlon.
"We are doing our part." he con
eludes. "Wine and liquors are al
around but It Is certainly an uncom
mon thing to see an Intoxicated Amer
lean soldier. It is a self-respect tha
I never saw before amongst a large
number of men. It will leave an Im
pression that will stay when we have
left here. Each man takes it on nim
self to be a soldier of a Christian na
tion and a credit to the olive drab
uniform."
Marshfield Lad Describes
Night Raid on Huns.
George Chenowlth Bans Barrage
Rather Than Surrender.
nTARSHFIELD, Or, July 13. (Spe
iVl clal.) One of the most vivid and
interesting accounts of American fight
ing In France Is pictured by George
Chenowlth. a. Denmark, Curry County
boy. who wrote from a hospital, afte
having with others attempted the cap
ture of a Hun position. Young Cheno
with was among the first to leave home
and enlist in the army. . His letter
passed the censor and contains mate
rial seiaom aiiowea 10 rcaca ims snore
of the Atlantic The boy's father was
a former county commissioner in Curry
The letter was written principally to
reassure the soldier's parents, whom
he had presumed heard of his being
dangerously wounded in battle.
"1 suppose you have been notified by
wire that I was shot up some and
fear you folks may have been worried.
Well, there is nothing dsngerous, once
I get out, I have a broken bone (small
one) In right leg, and some flesh
wounds, all doing fine. I had four
holes punched in my hide and received
some nasty bruises. However, I am
rather proud of my performance. I
volunteered for the raid, and while we
lost out. I got closest to the German
trench, stayed longest a.id waa the
last to leave, passing through the bar
rage. I pumped rifle bullets into their
line at a distance of 50 feet. Of
course I cannot say that I hit anybody,
but some of the boys that could see
along the trench reported four dead
Heinles. They may have died of nat
ural causes.
"All the time they were shooting and
throwing bombs at me ar.d the ground
seemed all on fire with the blamed
things exploding. Most of the bombs
went over and past me, yet they caused
my wounds. Hearing the recall whistle,
I looked behind me for the first time
and found myself alone, the others
having beat It. It was then up to me
to surrender or get back, and It was
certainly a hard looker behind me.
Fritz was shelling by this time and 'no
man's land' was going up In big spouts
of earth and rock, while It was har
rowed by rifle and machine-gun fire.
But 1 would rather be dead than a pris
oner, so 1 started on ail-fours like a
wounded bear. On the way back I
found a dead man. one of our party.
and when " overtook our men In a
shell hole I reported it to a sergeant
who went back with two men (brave
fellows) and dragged Brooks In. We
lost one killed and five wounded out of
7 who went over.
"When I overtook our crowd they
hought I was Frits coming to cut
hem off and discharged 10 or 15 shots
at me before I could make myself
heard. 1 hugged the ground like a
starfish does a rock, and In the dark
ness they all missed me. It was a
miracle I was not killed by my own
comrades and I won't write all the
things I called them. This was the
manner of my getting to safety: I got
Into a shell hole and when the flares
went up I peeked out and located the
next shell hole and when the flares
died down, would go on to the next and
next. This was repeated until I got
clear away, draeiini mv lee- and
bringing my rifle out with me. Alto
gether I crawled 600 or 700 yards.
This is the first time I have tried
o describe the fight and as the censor
does not like long letters, please pass
it along to the folks and It will save
my telling It over and over."
Portland Decorator Now
Teaches Camouflage.
Sergeant Val DeVeroux Describes
Activities in France.
camouflage. Sergeant Val DeVer
oux. formerly well known In Portland
as an inside decorator and designer.
writes interestingly of the things he
has seen In two months' service In
France. In a letter addressed to A. E.
ross. or the Gibson Storaae Batterv
Company, he tells of working on all
kinds of highway and construction jobs
with the 23d Engineers. A. E. F before
being assigned to the camouflage
school.
I am giving the boys ten dava of
theory of light and color and also prac
tical laboratory work In mixing
paints." he says. . "This is a little dif
ferent from my last Job building a
ferry.
The boys are cheerful, since their are
working hard and getting liberty every
evening. The grub is good and thene
is generally plenty of It.
An enormous lot ot machinery and
material has been br-jught over here
the past year. I have seen onlv a.
small fraction of It, and I must say I
never thought it could be done in that
time.
"We are operating the war as If we
were going through a barren country.
cverytning must be brought over and
built from American materials bv
American troops. We cannot draw on
France, which has had to depend al
most entirely on herself up to the d res
ent time, and her resources are running"
low.
Vancouver Barracks Y. M.
C. A. Notes.
VANCOUVER BARRACKS, July 13.
Few places can be found where
more activity is manifest than at this
point. For several weeks past thou
sands of men have been undergoing
the experience of induction into Army
service for Uncle Sam. The Y. M. C. A.
force of Vancouver Is going at top
speed, and ex-secretaries, from the
ranks of the soldiers, are being de
tailed to assist in the work of the Y,
in order that the association mav at
tain its highest efficiency.
Camp 1, where two buildings bear
ing the red triangle are located, is
now caring for several thousand new
men in addition to the more seasoned
forces which have occupied quarters
there for months past.
One cannot look upon the activities
of this cantonment without a feeling
of enthusiasm for the cause of human
liberty, which Is responsible for so vast
a mobilization of young manhood. Of
ficers and men are busy from morning
until night. Temporary platforms are
erected, and within r. short time a
thousand casuals are "at it" hammer
and tongs In song and worship.
The hustling Y. secretary of religious
work at this buildin?, Clarence
Sprague. ofttimes conducts three mass
meetings a day. A fragment of the
crowd squeezes Itself into the build
ings, but the great throngs meet for
entertainment and Instruction in the
open. On Sunday, July 7, 2500 men
worshiped in the three services ad
dressed by Messrs. Dorks, Zabel and
Poling. Sergeant Thomas, of the 26th
Casuals, was solist at 10 o'clock. A
French recruit sang "The Marseillaise"
hymn at the 3 o'clock, meeting and
Private Sutton sang at the vesper
hour.
Monday, July 8, B. F. Mulkey, of
Portland, addressed a great crowd of
soldiers at S o'clock. Two former sec
retaries, Bragg and Askins. are effi
cient soldier assistants to Secretary
Roberts force at No. 1.
A fine building Is nearing comple
tion at No. 3, where the cut-up plant
Is located. Here the Y. has been con
ducted under one big top for several
months past. In their new home the
men will have a great many comforts
which were Impossible heretofore.
A live force of secretaries is hard at
It to the end that the soldier-lumbermen
may be kept fit for their tasks
during the war.
A new secretary has been added to
the force at No. 2, located in the gar
rison grounds. Rev. Don. MacKennle,
of Dallas, will direct the religious aad
educational activities at this plant.
The thanks of the association are
due Miss Mayme Helen Flynn. under
whose leadership the best talent of
Parkland has been enlisted In enter
taining the men from week to week.
Camp Secretary Bolt has established
headquarters in the Schofield building.
Vancouver. Recently he has secured
a few splendid additions to his forces,
and Is scouting for more.
Altogether, the experience of the T.
forces here is a strenuous one and re
sults are positive and comforting to
the workers.
COWBOYS PLEASE PASTOR
Father Francis, of Bnrns, Has 2 0
From Ills Flock In Service.
HOOD RIVER. Or.. July 13. (Spe
cial.) "It would do your heart good
to see the service flag that flies from
the steeple of my church at Burns."
declared Rev. Father Francis, pastor
of the Burns Catholic Church and for
merly pastor of St- Mary's Church in
this city, who was visiting Rev. Father
Maxmillan, of the local parish, while
en route home from Lewiston. Idaho.
"Twenty of my boys are in the serv
ice." continued Father Francis, "and
most all of them are cowboys. They
are all giving a good account of them
selves, and I expect to hear further
from them."
STATE WINS TEST CASE
W. L. Bobbins Convicted of Violat
ing Stallion Registration Law.
PENDLETON, Or.. July 13. (Special.)
The conviction of W. TU. Robbins in
the Justice Court at Echo last week
for violation of the stallion registra
tion law is of much interest to stock
men of the state. It Is the first case
brought in the state under the law
passed by the Legislature in 1908.
The case was tried once before but.
while a conviction was secured, the ver
dict was set aside on a technicality.