19
WITH1' MEN FROM OEEdJON COUNTRY WHO ARE IN THE S
THE OREGON SUNDAY JOURNAL, PORTLAND, SUNDAY MORNING,, APRIL 21, 1918.
ERYICE
i inrrcHAMT onvi :
I II II 1 1 I1HI1 1 111 1 1 1 I
.I.II.WIbMI 1111 IIWII--
TELLS OF THRILLS
ABOVE THE CLOUDS
Former Member of Portland Po
lice Force Now Lieutenant m
Aviation Service in France.
"SCARED? YOU BET," HE SAYS
Starting Sky Trip Is Made With
Fiva Others, hut Rovle Is First
to Get Back From Tour.
Herewith li nrmnted new of bojr nf the
Oregon country who are In the nation-, wrTice,
rhtch will continue to be a feature of The
Journal aa tit war go on. Ietter from camp
and cantonment anri rxceti'U therefrom will be
u.clud'-d jr. tills column (mm day U day.
PORTLANDER SAILS CLOUDS
i
THK thrills
1 cl
of riding .through the
clouds In France during a snow
storm are vividly described in a letter
from First lieutenant William A.
("BIU") Royle, formerly a member of the
Portland police detective bureau, to Dan
Kellaher. The letter was dated March
16 and. arrived In Portland exactly one
month later. The writer says:
"Tomorrow Is the seventeenth of Ire
land and I suppose that there will be
many Irishmen celebrating here as well
as at home, I among them. Well. Dan,
I suppose you have my last letter telling
you I. had finished all my training here
and am now a "Pilot Aviator." I wear
my wings and am an It. M. A.' (Ue-
serve Military Aviator). I went through
my tests here like a streak and had
lots of thrills doing them. I wrote and
told you how on one of my voyages on
cross country I got up away above the
clouds and got caught In a snow storm.
rame down to about 2300 meters and
. got In another. I cut and came down
J' lower and was then In a fog bank
about 250 meters from the ground and
, I flew over a big forest about 60 miles
from here at 150 meters. Just-out of
the fog and no place to land. If you
think I wasn't scared ask John Price.
' Dan, there was a time when I thought
nothing could scare me, but since I
have been over here flying around up
-a mile and a half in the air I have
changed my mind. Any time you hear
anyone, who has been flying, say he has
never been scared Just laugh for me,
will you?
Well. I landed all O. K., Dan, and
,' like a fool I started for home In the
fog. I got there alright. There were
five other fellows who started with me
r that day and I was the only one that
got back home. Some of them came
' back to camp and. did not make the
. trip, and others got lost and came back
iwo unyu later. u is sure lunny up
there all alone, Dan ; you can't say hello
to anyone while you are up there. Once
In a while you see someone Just whiz
sing by you like a cannon ball. It Is
very nice though, Dan, up above the
clouds. Today I went up about 8 p. m
and had & little fun chasing clouds. You
Just snot a cloud you like and bead
Into the wind the way the cloud Is com
. ; - j-i sgST rX IT -
.. .mi. Miff ' ' 71 4 y t t
'' aL h '- fVd-w 1
Bayonets and Artillery.
Are Still Chief Factors
' "
Great Variety of Big Guns Are Employed in Warfare on Western
Front and Experience Is Constantly Making for Changes
. and Improvement i n Sizes and Uses.
Lieutenant William A. Royle, formerly a member of Portland's police
detective bureau, who now is a pilot aviator in France
F
RENGH
COUNTRY
WONDERFUL
IS
TO SEE,
WOTES
G.L
OSBURN
Peasants Work Wonders With
Limited Machinery, De
clares Portlander.
FIRE FIGHTING AS IT
IS DONE IN FRANCE
A
PROVES
SURPRISE
JOURNAL MEN "OVER THERE"
RETIRED
CHAPLAIN
"Am surprised to
learn that Wade
has trouble dispos
ing of his spuds.
If he will bring
them here I'll find
a ready market for
them," writes First
Sergeant G. L. Os-
burn, a Portland
'A?TZk , burn, a Portland
rQV'vNS): boy with ths Amer
r ' i f '' , ican expeditionary
' v forces in France,
JtixS' 1 ' i ln an Infantry regl
W'nV T Sami ment, to his moth-
Sergeant William J. Costello, For
merly of Portland Fire Bureau,
Writes Chief Dowell.
Kers-eant Oahnrn er. Mrs, S. J. Os
burn, of 2005 East Flanders street, Port
land, other interesting bits taken from
ing ana get. over u ana just aa it passes his letter follow :
under you dive like hell for It. Some
times you get It. but nearly always you
miss It because those clouds go like
hell, I can tell you. If you are lucky
you get In it and Its all fog. You don't
.know whether you are going up or com
ing down. AH you can hear is the sing
of your motor. You are only there a
few seconds and then out you come
Into the sun again and look for another
one. You have to be careful not to get
Into a big cloud as It is wtiumpy as the
devil and thwn Its no fun keeping your
machine right side up. Well. Dan, I
will quit now. Uegards to all the gang.
Write to me often. Awfully sorry to
hear of Captain Baty's death. Give his
wife, daughter and son my svmpathy.
Regards. "BILL."
Members of the police department re
cently wrote typewritten letters to Mr.
Royle and all were pasted in one string.
The letter was 12 feet long. Xo blank
space was left between the letters, so
it was 12 feet of solid reading matter.
a to
BAKER'S VISIT FEATURED
PJane News, Published in French
Camp, Is Live Paper.
"Plane News." a little paper published
at one of the big American camps in
France, has been received by Mr. and
, Mrs. P. O. Collier. 1900 Division street,
from their son Thomas F. Collier of the
Thirtieth Aero squadron, now on active
service In France.
It Is a St. Patrick's day number of the
paper printed March 16, and features
t the recent- visit to the big camp of
Secretary of War Newton D. Raker nri
General Pershing, commander-in-chief of
me American expeditionary forces. In
ths distinguished party were war cor
respondents including Wilbur H. Forrest,
United Pt ens. and E.-P. brr. Interna
'Uonal News Service; Brigadier General
Foulola, chief of the American air wr..
k In; France ;. Lieutenant Colonel Walter
jvuner, commanding officer of the
post, and their Btafrs received the visi
tors. . Aerial entertainment was fur
nished, scores of aircraft soaring aloft
io amy helarhtx. A a ,.n,.. u-i
. . . ....... juajui
pa.is ana lieutenants Post and Faunte
rJeroy darted into the air in swift "Ch.
,." machines and gave an exhibition of
.aerial combat that was thrilltniriv realis
tic Secretary Baker gave a short talk
ftsrore nia .departure, warmly congratu
Jatlng -ths commanding officers for tne
tugn standard or efficiency at the post
my, our. mat candy was s-nnd
writes Robert Simmons of Woodburn,
Or., a member of the l2d (Third Ore
gon) Infantry, in a letter to his mother.
dated March 7, from "somewhere." His
letter was begun in January, when he
was in tne hospital with mumps. Ex
cerpts from the letter follow :
-out or tne nospital at last ! Those
2t days that I spent there were sure
long ones. I received your package a
4few days ago. It came in good shape.
Soma of the boys received parcels that
- H .4. 1
vvtq iui ii mi lv piwes. i surety -was
glad to get tne package, as there were
several things in It that I needed. My,
.. ,but that candy was good! You can
send me another shipment of it any
time you want to. Candy is hard to get
"here. "While I was in the. hospital 1
" sent but after candy and got six pieces
ifor 1 franc (20 cents).. Cakes and pies
j we can't get at all. Kaftp also is very
(high. Toilet soap costs 1 franc per bar.
'American tobacco is hard to get. The
i quartermaster's department can't keep
I up with the" demand. The French to
. ibacco is too stout for tne." , ,
I have just received your letter of
February 11 and will answer. Surely
some of my letters have gone to the
bottom, as I have written often.
I am getting along fine, gaining nesn
and can speak a few words of French.
The ship you mentioned (Tuscanla) was
the one I came over on, and she met
her fat the next trip across. It seems
like losing a friend to think of her go
ing down. I ran across a man, whose
name escapes me. who use to live in
Montavilla. He worked In a garage at
the end of the car line. Last
Sunday the captain took me riding on
the back of his motorcycle and I saw
some of the most beautiful country out
of doors. The farming here is wonder
fully neat, considering the machinery
they have to work with. The weather
Is splendid and when it rains it knows
when to quit. I have acknowledged the
receipt of packages, but will repeat as
they may have crossed on a leaky boat.
You mention meatless days in America,
and it brings smiles to the faces of ally
soldiers we mingle with, who have been
through it all. Keep it up, we don't
know how long this will last; we only
know we will win in the end that is
certain."
; Fighting fires In
' France differs from
battling with con
; flagratlons ln Port-.
land, ludeine from
t? ; a letter received by
I -f f, fire cnief B. F.
Dowell from Ser-
V "ISC?1 - g e a n t William J.
- Co8tello form er
-fT member of the
Portland fir xde-
Vv- partment. and now
Kami - "s o m e w h e r e ln
Sergeant Costello France;"
"Believe me, you would get arom "kick"
If you could see. the French fire equip
ment," writes Sergeant Costello. "Every
thing is packed onto one rig, about as
big as an American-La France type No.
10 hose wagon. They use leather hose.
It Is made in lengths of 100 feet, and
riveted and leaks like a sieve. It is
about IM inches in diameter. The plugs
here are all buried in the sidewalks
and they carry a 'plan board' on the
wagon so they will be able to find the
plugs when there is a fire.
"So far I have not seen them work,
but I'll bet it will be funny when I do."
SOLDIERS CLASSIFIED
"I bad the pleasure of seeing General
Pershing and Secretary Baker the other
day and served on the honor guard about
their train." writes Don C. McClallen.
a former Journal carrier, under date of
Class A Men at Vancouver Barracks
Enjoy Privileges
The Signal corps has Introduced an
innovation in camp discipline at Van
couver barracks which is much like an
honor system. The men are classified
in a, "jj" ana "c divisions and a
class "A" man is issued a card which
serves as a pass for him to go and come
when not required at the camp and en
titles him to other special privileges.
The memorandum, issued on orders of
Lieutenant Colonel Van Way, reads, in
part, as follows:
Each enlisted man may be issued a
special privilege card after he has been
in the command 30 days or more, pro
vided that his conduct during this pe
riod has been such that warrants spe
cial consideration ; that is, he has
missed no calls, has committed no in
fraction of rules, has not received a
wntf ni- hv a court and has at all
March 17. who is serving in France with ffc" Snd ! kat d "aoldleriv
appearance.
a machine gun unit. "One of the boys
saw Alden Kelly pass through this town
several weeks ago. I last saw him at
Mineola, L. I. I did meet Fred Lockley
yesterday afternoon and had quite a
talk with him. He gave me a copy of
The Journal to read. We are very busy
and are enjoying some splendid
weather."
FORMER CHAPLAIN FOR
FOURTEENTH INFANTRY
VVvQ J :
V-- ysji4: I -
- ii i i r"l - i mi i
Major Leslie R. Groves
A holder of a special privilege card.
not on guard or other duty,-and provid
ed he is fully and nemtly uniformed, in
regulation clothing, may absent nimseir
Irom his organization rrom retreat un
til reveille the next morning.
Soldiers holding special privilege cards
will be listed and known as "Class A."
When absent from the cantonment, the
special privilege card will always be
carried.
If. for any reason, the card is for
feited, the soldier will be . automatically
placed in Class B and will remain in
this class, losing all pass privileges, ex
cept one each week (at the discretion of
his organization commander) until by
his good conduct, extending over a pe
riod of 30 days or more, he again be
comes entitled to special consideration,
when he may be piacea in Class A.
Soldiers who frequently violate rules
and are not wholly amenable to 1 dis
cipline will (at the discretion of their
organization commander) be placed in
Class C. Class C men will be. granted
no pass privileges whatsoever.
Oood conduct Tor a period of 30 days
will automatically place Class C men
In Class B.
Organization commanders are charged
with the responsibility of classification
of their men and the keeping of suitable
records or same.
An interesting letter has just arrived
in Portland from John Frainey. who is
at the sub-base in New JLiondon, Conn
Frainey is employed as a steam fitter
around the submarine manufacturing
yards and In his letter to Motorcycle
Officer John O Halloran he said : "I
wouldn't trade my present 'Job for any
other Job I ever had before." Frainey
was an inspector for the Portland Gas
A Coke company for about 15 years. He
is a graduate of the old Portland high
school, and is a member of the Knights
of Columbus. A short time ago he held
a membership in the Multnomah club.
Word was received from Lieutenant
and Mrs. Harold J. Warner is to the
effect that they are moving from
Aberdeen to Hoquiam, where they will
be domiciled nearer Lieutenant Warner's
office. Lieutenant Warner Is the son of
Mr. nd Mrs. T. C. Warner of Portland
and his wife Is a popular Pendleton girL
Written br aa Ordnanca Officer for tha Com-
aittaa on . Public lotonaauoo.
Napoleon .started on his career as an
artillerist in a time when it was thought
that every decisive military engage
ment must be decided by the bayonet
He said that the most important element
ln the success of any military operation
was the strength, and support, of its
artillery.
In looking over his marvelous military
career, the student finds that the domi
nating factor In his success was the
superiority of his artillery and the ex
cellence of the French, artillerist. The
Germans In' their preparations for this
war followed ln bis ; footsteps. . Their
marvelous heavy ordnance Is one of the
greatest surprises .of the present
struggle.
Bayonet Still Factor
TymIslv the two dominating factors In
the struggle for world supremacy are
still the bayonet and heavy, artillery
Without the support of either success is
Impossible. r
Big guns play a major part in deciding
battles, now, as ln the day of Napoleon,
For this reason it is Interesting to know
something about the different kinds of
big gun being made for our army ln
France.
Artillery may be divided Into two
classes mobile artillery, which Includes
all guns used ln the field, and seacoast
artillery, which is used ln fortifications
on fixed mounts.
It is the mobile artillery which we
are vitally interested in at the present
time for offensive work on the French
front. This mobile artillery Is dlvded
into threa distinct types suns, howitz
ers and mortars.
The first of these are long-range
rifles, distinguished by high muszle ve
locity and long barrels of from 30 to 50
calibers; that is to say. the length of
barrel ranges from 30 to 50 times the
diameter of the bore, giving a range of
from 6000 to 30,000 yards with a low
angle of fire.
Mobile Gaas of Maay Sorts
These guns are classified as wheel
mounts, anti-aircraft (truck mounts),
emplacement mounts and railway
mounts. The wheel mounts are sub
divided as pack artillery (mountain
guns transported on pack mules) ; field
guns, drawn by horse team and at
tached to rumbles ; motorized field guns,
drawn by big ammunition trucks ; tractor-drawn
guns of large caliber, and the
so-called horse artillery, drawn by
horses, with all cannoneers mounted, for
fast field work ln support of cavalry.
The wheel-mount guns include the fa
mous French 75 (three inch) and the
4.7-inch guns, which have created such
havoc among their German opponents
and which have been responsible for
breaking down the greatest military of
fensives of the Germans in the past
three years. The 4.7 are of greater
range and' caliber, hut of practically
the same type as the 75 millimeter.
Next in order, according to size, come
the five-inch and six-inch seacoast
guns, such as our allies have withdrawn
from the fortifications and mounted on
improvised wheel mounts, for use as
mobile artillery.
Xaral Gan Remounted oa Ralls
The second class are the anti-aircraft
guns, for which purpose 75s and 4.7s
are provided, mounted on a carriage i
which will allow an elevation of about
85 degrees and a traverse of 360 degrees,
setaup on a motor truck.
Emplacement mounts are large-caliber
guns that are partially mobile.
They are taken apart and moved
around ln sections in tractors, as need
ed, and set up in concrete emplace
ments. They are, more strictly speak
ing, siege guns.
The railway-mount guns are convert
ed seacoast and naval long-range rifles
of from 8 to 14 Inches caliber. They
have a mount consisting of a specially
designed carriage on a railway car, and
they are operated, due to their extreme
range and accuracy, far back from the
front lines, over the heads of our own
troops.
This covers the first class of mobile
artillery the long-range rifles. Next
In order come the howitzers.
The howitzer Is distinguished from
the rifle by a low muzzle velocity, rang
ing from 1200 to 1900 feet per second,
and a short barrel, approximately 18
times the caliber of the gua, developing
a range at high-angle fire of from 10,000
to 23,000 yards.
Eight-lack Howitzers Common
The commonest sizes of howitzers in
use are the 155-millimeter, the eight
inch, the 240-millimeter, and, of course.
the famous 16-inch howitzer, which we
have heard so much about ln the early
days' of the war, when the Germans,
who first used them, created such dread
ful havoc, destroying with them the for
tifications of Liege.
The smaller sizes, such as the 155-
millimeter and the eight-inch, are used
principally for field work, but also for
the bombardment of permanent fortifi
cations when necessary.
Howitzers have tne advantage of
being cheaper to make than guns, and
use cheaper ammunition. -Also, the life
i i r? ---
U mzf - sir'- f
i y - !? x .-t-o- . ,
of the gun Is longer. Indicative of this.
the life of a howitzer of the same cali
ber as a gun would be about two-thirds
longer. But they are not as accurate
and have not as long range as the runs.
and consequently are not adapted for
all work.
The Ufa of .the guns ranges from 8000
rounds for the small field type down to
600- or 00 for the converted seacoast
guns. .
These figures denote only the actual
accuracy fire. It is probable that the
guns will be fired up to 50 per cent
above these figures before retiring
them. By rellnlng the barrels, the life
of the gun is practically renewed.
Experience Makes for Improvements
Mortars are distinguished by even
lower muzzle velocity, from about 480
to 2000 feet per second, and by a length
of barrel of about 10 calibers, with a
range of from 2500 to 15,000 yards. This
extreme range is . obtained by a very
high angle of elevation. The comraan
French type is the 240-mm. mounted on
a railway carriage.
This practically covers the principal
guns which are used by our allies to
day and with' which our troops will be
equipped in France. The 3 Inch and
4.7 inch guns, U. 8. army model of 1906.
are practically the same in general prin
ciple as the French 75 and 155, which
are of the corresponding caliber. But
it must be remembered that our allies
have had three years' actual experience
with which to perfect many of the
minute details which are so important
ln the effectiveness of a fleld gun and
which are only discovered under actual
field conditions 'of long duration. This
has led to great Improvements over the
guns originally ln use. I f
As indicative of the tremendous j will H. Farrow (renter) and Walter F. Cornwell (right) with a comrade
amount, or material mat one regiment
of 75s comprises, it is interesting to
know that there are approximately 300
TO
MAKE VISIT AT OLD
HOME IN YORK STATE
Major Leslie R. Groves Leaves
Vancouver Barracks for
Vacation in East.
"Vancouver. Wash.. April 20. Major
Leslie R- Groves, second ranking chap-
lain in the regular United States army
until he was retired from active service
on the sixth of last month, ln company
with his wife and daughter Gwen. baa
left Vancouver barracks for a visit to .
Utlca, New York, where he was born
and where he spent most of his life un-
til In 1896 when he entered the service
in the army, enlisting at Albany, New
York.
Most of the chaplain's service has been
with the Fourteenth infantry. He was
stationed at Vancouver barracks from
February. 1897. until May. 1898. when
he went to Cuba. He returned here In No
vember, 1898, and remained until No
vember. 1893. In all. about three years
and a half of his servloe has been In
the local barracks. He received the rank
of major on March 25. 1908, and became
one of the 15 chaplains in the regular
army with that distinguished rang.
Chaplain and Mrs. Groves have one son
ln the ambulance service at Allentown,
Pa., and one son attending West Point.
Chaplain Groves Is loyal to this section
of the Pacific coast, preferring it even
to California, where he owns a beauti
ful home. He likes the people of Port-'
land and this city and may return here
to make his home.
SEES BEAUTY PLACES
vehicles, exclusive of the actual fight
ing material, to each regiment. These
vehicles are trailers, tractors and trucks
and artillery repair trucks and supply
trucks. In the actual fighting material
there are 24 guns. 36 caissons. 60 limbers
and the reel carts for the field telephone,
making a grand total of approximately
430 vehicles to a regiment.
Cost Flgnret Are Big
The estimated cost of the motorization
of the artillery alone of the United
States army Is $500,000,000, of which ap
proximately $210,000,000 had been ex
pended on the first of February. Am
munition trucks and vehicles are being
completed faster than they can be
in their quarters with a field artillery regiment In Franre. Thee
two young men left their work with The Journal to Join the rotors
with Battery A, Oregon Field Artillery.
LEBANON LAD ABOARD
SHIP GREAT NORTHERN
TELLS OF EXPERIENCE
compietea raster man uiey can oe i ... , , 0 . n . -j1'
shipped, up to the present time the Sailing the oea at rresent lime
sum of $776,000,000 has been expended! , r L. iii..! 18-: ..-,
is rraugni nun itioauhuui
by the procurement division of the ord
nance department . ln the purchase of
projectiles. With this sum about 65.-
000,000 projectiles have been purchased,
These Include shrapnel, high explosive
type. and. gas and anti-aircraft shells 1
for howitzers and guns, weighing from
13 pounds to 1600 or 1700 and costing
from about $10 to $125 each, exclusive
of the cost of explosives or of loading
the complete round.
The rapidity with which our ordnance
work was accomplished Is marvelous I
when one realizes the enormous amount I ' i.1 1
.
of preparation that It required. When
war came to Europe In 1914 there was
not a single manufacturer In the United
States properly equipped to turn out
large quantities of field artillery. The
work was rapidly taken up by our man
ufacturers for our present allies. The
magnitude of the problem Is indicated
by the fact that thousands of duplicate
gauges had to be made to equip machin
ists for large quantity production.
First, there jnust be made what are
known as grandmaster gauges, flawless
in their dimensions. The grandmaster
gauge is only used to check up a num
ber of master gauges, and these master
gauges in turn are relied upon to keep
a large number of actual working
gauges up to standard. Not only are
tens of thousands of gauges required to
equip a factory for the production of
arms and .artillery but the gauges must
be regularly replaced. Nearly a year
iiwnt bv nrlv&te manufacturers in
of Danger.
r
' J
PORTLAND LAD MADE
CORPORAL OF AERO
SQUADRON
FRANCE
Robert D. Elliott Writes of Hav
ing Receive His Promotion
in Chosen Service.
Lebanon. Or.. April
1 1$. Following are
. exxracis irom m ren
ter received by Mrs.
. Alblew Pewtherer.
"; an invalid widow of
i this city, from her
son, Macy. who is
-i serving under the
Stars and Stripes on
board the U. S. S.
Great Northern as
second gunner. He
was born and reared
in Portland and has
Maey Pewtherer served five years in
the naval militia and six months on the
Mexican border with Company H of the
Third Oregon. His letter follows:
"Somewhere in France, March 23,
1918. Dear Mother: Well, here I am
again in New York, although writing
this in France. The "Subs" did not get
us this trip, anyway. I hope you got
the $30 this month alright. I have had
no sleep for 68 hours. Tou should see
me now I have boots, a blanket, coat,
large fur hood, a canteen full of water
and a life preserver strapped on, and we
don't dare take them off till we reach
New York.
"I can talk a little French now, just
a few words.
Mr. and Mrs. A.
E. Elliott of 104 Ma
son street. Port
land, have received
a letter from their
sen in France dated
March 23. He Is
Corporal Robert D.
Flllott. No. 20992
Thirty-first Aero
Squadron, having
just received his
stripes as a corpor
al. He writes that
they are enjoying
Corporal Elliott splendid weather
and states that there are a number of
boys from Portland and hereabouts ln
his squadron.
GAS PRACTICE DESCRIBED
Lieutenant F. R. Pattison Declare-
- Respect for Gas Mask.,
Lieutenant F. R. Pattison. who left
Portland with Battery A of the Oregon
field artillery, now in France, has writ
ten a letter to his father. W. B. Patti
son of Portland, from which the follow
ing excerpts are taken :
"This morning I had my first expert
"Can't think of any more that I am
chine tools for arms for Great Britain, allowed to write, but am keeping a
France and Russia. Even after produc- j diary till I get home. I am fine;
tion had been started, various adjust- ! couldn't feel better, so will close and get
ments had to be made to keep up with I little sleep. Your loving son.
the evolution of their guns into the
present types.
Gan Prodaetloa Greatly Increased
Both the allies and thi Germans are
constantly improving on various parts clarence
ln the construction or their heavy ord
nance, with the result that the stand
ard type today may be changed before
the dies have been made to carry on
the work. We. for our part, had to
train the man to use- the guns as well
as make the guns themselves, and we de
pended upon our allies to hold the forces
of the enemy in check until such time
as we could be adequately equipped, to
take the field. As the result of the ef
forts of our observers at the front and
the ordnance office at home, we have
today reached a production of field ar
tillery which Is equal to 60 per cent of
that of France.
"MACY PEWTHERER."
CONVOY DESTROYERS DARING
THREfc CHUMS IN SERVICE
K-'X:' ff?'ff (Je-y r life " "r4
Left to right Douglas Beeker, Corlls Valentine and Daniel Flamm, three
Portland boys who are together In France.
Douglas Becker, Cortis Valentine and
Daniel Flamm are three Portland boys,
"chums" of 19 years of age, who have
recentbr written their safe arrival in
France. They are wkh artillery, having
left here September C for Camp Greene,
N. C. They have been in France about
six weeks, having narrowly missed pas-
Hickoek of McMlnnrilie
Tells of Army Life
Clarence Hickock of McMinnvtlle has
written his mother at that place, telling
of his safe arrival "over there." He
is now at a rest camp in England. He
gives an Interesting account of the dar
ing of the United States destroyers In
the convoy which carried him-over and
also an enlightening sidelight on food
conservation in England. ' Excerpts fol
low from the letter, which is dated
March 9:
"I have seen practically no wounded
here. I don't know what they have
done with them. In Canada there were
so terribly many that I know there
must 'be unlimited numbers of them
here, but I haven't seen them. Just at
present we are being fed by the Brit'
4sh, and are consequently eating Brit'
ish rations. Those to which we are ac
customed are much better.
"Women, children and old men make
up England population. Hundreds of
women are In the army service and civ
Ulan 'trades as well. I have been quite
fortunate in seeing a large part of
England in the few days we have been
here. There Is to bs a formation soon.
It will probably take the form of
route march through some of the preW
fleet country in the world.
"It Is a court martial offense to buy
a meal at a .restaurant unless on a 1 24
hour or more pass. It would be criml
nal to eat food just to please a foolish
American made appetite when your ra
tlons suffice." C. W. H
It would take a whole lot to get me
back to Portland before the big show Is
over, although I'd like to drop In and
say "hello' to The Journal family." writes
Leland Thlbert. who waa a Journal staff
photographer when the Oregon field mr-
tillery batteries were mobilized. We
are located In a pleasant place and for
comforts the camp Is better than we had
at times in the states. It's a (0-60
game with me at present with drill In
i the morning and office work in the aft
sage on tne I uscanla on ner last trip, j ernoon."
Douglas Becker was attending the Ben- lea, Jen,
son Polytechnic school before hia enlist- Johnstone Wilson of Portland has
ment. He is the son of Mrs. Laura been appointed to the ordnance school
Ward. 'Cortis Valentine was employed at Eugene to begin In May. Mr. Wilson
in Portland and his mother resides hesev la of an old Portland family. At Prince
Daniel Flamm was graduated from Un- j tort he was one. of the honor men. .He
coin high school and Is the eon of Mrs. I later took post graduate work at'-Har-
u. riamm or 1441 1100a street. ; vara,' :
ence with poison gas. It sure Is fine
stuff with a mask on, and believe me I
have a whole lot of respect for a mask,
but I did "not use it for the tear gas
and I cried like a baby. The tears just
rolled out of ray eyes and I could not see
a thing. Also saw a great exhibition of
liquid fire. It Is the worst stuff you
can-think of. A regular hell coming out
of a know hole for 25 yards. It sure
gave me the creeps. -
I am still adjutant of the battalion.
This job carries with It the duties of
provost marshal and chief of police in
the town where we are located.
"We have quite a few boys., reserve
officers, from Portland taking the course
here. We get The Journal regularly. I
do not know what we would do without
it. as it seems to put us back home
every time we receive a copy. - .-.
Thta has been an awful busy week
for us. I had the great honor of meettVig
General Pershing and the secretary of
war. who is touring France. -The gen
eral certainly la a wonderfol ;man.
"Tonight I had the finest dinner pos
sible to have, which was put up by our
cooks. The dinner was for our French
Instructors, who are the finest men' you
ceuld wish to meet. They are leaving
the battalion now for service at home In
giving instructions.
Today we won our second big ball
game and let me tell you we are letting
the world know that Old battery A Is
right on the map. We have write ops
very day in the French papers here.
I am sending pictures of Captain
Clayton. Lieutenant Loughlin and my
self. We cannot send any of the pic-
tares of the scenery around here so you
will have to be satisfied with , back
grounds same as in this picture. It is
one of our barracka of which we have
10, one story high, painted red outside
and white In, holding 20 men to a build
ing." '
"The American soldiers in France are
going to be given seven days vacation
every four months,' writes Corporal
Wallace G. Potter of Iortland. now
overseas with an Infantry regiment. "I
think If I am entitled to one that I win
go to the 'American City. since time re
quired to reach that place and return is
not Included in the seven days' leave and
one receives pay, $1 a day for rations
and Is furnished hotel accommodations.
Have met some drafted men from Camp
Lewis, a few of whom are from Port
land" I -I . .
Lieutenant- C IL knowles has sent
word to his wife In Portland of his safe
arrival In France. .He is with an en
gineering regiment and was fermerrjr
assistant county road Inspector;'
Corporal Lawrence DInneen Write
of "Palm Beach" of Frane.
"Nice is the Palm Beachof Europe,, '
writes Corporal Lawrence DInneen. in
an Interesting letter to his sister In Port
land while on a short leave In Southern
France. He left here with an Infantry
regiment and has been ln France since
early fall. Mr. DInneen waa a former -member
of The Journal staff. Ills let
ter in part follows:
"My, you cannot understand how much
we (I mean the boys who are with me)
appreciate this candy. One of the boys
got a package this morning, and it, too,
had a little candy.
"I have been to Monte Carlo and Mo
naco, and La Turble. a little village 1000
feet above Monte Carlo. From La Tur
ble there la a wonderful view of the
Mediterranean. At Mentone, just a lit
tle ways from Monte Carlo, la the Italian
border. On my nest trip I am golnr
over the border and mall a postal noma.
There are many other Interesting trips
hereabouts. I shall take them as I have
time.
"Nice is the Palm Beach of Europe.
Here there are beautiful villas and chat
eaux belonging to rich civilians and
royal persona (I wonder If the kaiser
and Nick of Russia, who have places
here, wouldn't like to have the years)
rolled back to about 1912. and come here
again. In peace I wonder.)
"Nice is a very clean city, that is the -.
modern Nice. But there Is another Nice,
Old Town. That Is very, very dirty, and
Its interest is in direct ratio to Its dirt.
In Old Town you really do 'step across
the street. It Is just on step.
"Flowers, birds, fruit, sunshine ln
February and Maiyrh these things are -old-timers
in Nice.
"I live with or at. rather, the house
of an Irishwoman from Dublin, Mrs.
Keogh. She runs the Riviera Tea Room
and I have my meals and my room at
her place. Just fancy I am sleeping In
a real bed. with sheet, spread, etc. Just
at the head of the bed la the electric
switch. There Is a pretty balcony. Just
outside my door is the door to the toilet -and
bathroom. Just imagine again hot
and cold water, patent watercloset and
big bathtub ! The boys said on the road
here two weeks ago. 'It's better to be
born lucky than rich.' Captain Peter F.
Connelly of Clinton, Mass., is my su
perior officer.
"As I write this, two little daughter
of France are serenading me at the
office door. Maybe they see the candy
which I have opened and spread on the
office table.
"I shall write you soon again and
hope next time to have more news to
tell you. I am digging away at my
French In my few spare moments. I'll
parley Franca is with you alright when
I return. I met Major John 'B. Murphy,
whose home Is In Portland, the other
day here.
I'm Pattullo of the Post. said a
well-dressed, man to me on the street
here tha other morning. I was glad to
meet the roan, who bad written "Tips to
His Bunkle" and many other things In
the Poet which are of interest to Ameri
cana Pattullo Is here to write special
war dope for the Post. -' ' '
-Met Hoy Faubion. a boy who entered
the. University f Oregon the .year X
leff.i :."- ;
' - ' i "
. "Was down town this afternoon and
got-so Interested In talking with one of
this country's blondes that I forgot what
time it waa and missad retreat," .writes
Fernald Cornweir, a former Journal car
rier, who Is now In France with a field
artillery battery. "Now I suppose I will "
have lots of time to write, as will prob
ably get a couple of weeks' confine
ment. Am learning quite a little French.
Can carry "on a conversation, though
have difficulty In understanding. I find
that Latin has been a wonderful help to
me. The weather Is warm. Today
(March 21) It Is almost too warm to-
be comfortable, we -ire learning some
very Interesting and new things." ' t.
Mr. and Mrs. Walter Kimball of Hood
River have received word from Franc
of the safe arrival there of their son.
Ford ham Kimball. Mr. 'Kimball has
been ln training in Texas In artillery
and has now been assigned to special
training In France. Another son. St Dart
Ktmbair. will bo drawn In the selective
draft this week and expects to report
at Camp Lewis shortly. '
Fordham Kimball Is the fiance of Miss
Alice Gilman of Portland, the daughter
of Mr. and Mrs. L, C. Gilman. Miss
Gilman is tsklng a course st Reed col
lege In reconstruction aid which em
braces a three moaths hospital course
and will fit her for service In Franoe.
Four trips across the Atlantic with
out sighting an enemy submarine Is the
experience of E- O. Rauffman. former
member of fire engine Company No. IS
of Portland, who is now tn the navy.
In a letter to Fire Chief "Dowell Mr,
Rauffman tells of the pleasures and
some of the discomforts In the dally life
of the sailor. On week we are in the
land where dates are ripe and the next
week we are chopping ice on the decks.
Bnt It's a great life and X enjoy every
minute of tt," he writes. , .