Jasper County Democrat, Volume 20, Number 77, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 December 1917 — WRITE FROM TEXAS GAMPS [ARTICLE]

WRITE FROM TEXAS GAMPS

Omar Osborne and George M. Babcock Write Letters Home. In fulfilling a promise to the editor bf The Democrat to “drop us a line” when he reached camp at Houston, Texas, Omar Osborne writes from Camp Logan: Camp Logan, Houston, Texas, December 19, 1917. Friend Babcock: —When I left Rensselaer I promised to write and tell you of conditions here. So far I have been too busy to do much writing, hut today, having had my second “shot in the arm," (typhoid inoculation) I have twenty-four hours off. We are not supposed to do any work for twenty-four hours after being inoculated. Camp Logan is about ifour miles northwest of Houston, covering about nine square miles. The camp is in the Rhape of a square, being three miles on each side. The ground is comparatively level, and at the time the camp was located was heavily timbered. has been cleared away and stumps blown out, so that it is now just slightly timbered. Just enough trees left to make good shade except on the parade ground, which is completely—cleared and as level as a floor. Our regiment (the 108th engineers) is on the south side of the camp. Each company has its own street, with its line of tents on either side. Our company has thir-ty-four tents and a mess hall. Each tent contains at least one squad (eight men) and some 'have nine or ten men. except one tent for top sergeant, one for supply sergeant, one tool tent, one supply tent, and

two for sergeants. We are full to ■war strength (250 enlisted men), and have a few extra men and more coming. There are 175 coming down Saturday and some of them will be assigned to this company. Of course, however, there will he a “weeding out’’ of undesirables and men without engineering experience, so that we will have only the 250 men. The regiment is full of “pep’’ and all want to be moving. No one knows just when we will move, and if it was known no one could tell. However, I think it wHI bo soon the first of the year. If the men had their way it would be tomorrow. We are well fed here. Off course, there are no fancy dishes, but lots of good, wholesome food. Of course some men kick on the food, hut that is to be expected anywhere. There is no need of my going into detail regarding the hours we keep for you already know what army regulations are. Enough to say that taps sound at 10 p. m. and reveille at 6:15 a. m., and we put in seven hours a day in the field at work. That is about all for this time. Yours, O. O. OSBORNE. Co. E, 108th U. S. Engineers. From a long letter received froig the editor’s oldest son, George M. Babcock, we copy the major part which may be of interest to readers of The Democrat:

To begin with, we did not leave Ft. Thomas until Wednesday night. We were taken to the depot at 2:30 o’clock and left Newport, Kentucky, at 6 p. m. I was lucky enough to get into an old Pullman sleeping car, it being the only one on the train of six cars. The other cars consisted of tourist sleepers. We also had two negro chefs on board and ate out of our mess kits all the way down. Some life. Keith O’Riley and his com rad “s baked up enough bread To last us for j the entire trip. I got tired of white | bread and when put on kitchen | duty the second morning out I no-j tired the first chef was busying himself preparing some corn muffins. When I got the opportunity to commune with himwithout being overheard I suggested that I would give him a dime for a pair of them, which he said was O. K., and they were certainly fine. I went back to the kitchen car morning and received a cordial greeting. I left with two more hot muffins and a piece from, a large corn cake, all of which was being prepared for the train crew and officers in charge of us. Saturday noon several of us organized the chef and I had four of the muffins. As for the trip down here, we passed through Chattanooga, Tennessee, hut were foribdden the privilege of leaving the train. Shortly after leaving the Tennessee, city we

were held up by the engineer pulling a draw-bar on the cook car. When the first side track was reached this car was put on the rear of the train. We found the land in Kentucky and Tennessee in poor condition. There was very little under cultivation, and negroes were everywhere. The snow continued to thin'out the farther south we went. We had arrived within fourteen miles of Birmingham, Alabama, when we were held up for several hours by a freight wreck. Several ears were dumped in the ditch. On getting up Friday morning we found no snow, and that evening we arrived, in New Orleans. Louisiana. On entering the city we saw many patches of green truck in the gardens. It surely looked good to us. Before, arriving at New Orleans we crossed a lake which was spanned by a railroad bridge. It was the longest bridge I ever crossed, several miles in length. Land almost disappeared on. Upjh sides, possibly due to the foggy condition of the weather, but it was a very long bridge. On reaching New Orleans we were taken by the lieutenant in charge to the yard surrounding the U. S. subtreasury building and were given good coffee, cakes, bananas and postal cards, “to send home to mother.” We gave the Red Cross ladies a rousing cheer on departing. We were ferried across the Mississippi river and arose next morning in Texas. We were having breakfast when we reached Houston, which is quite a jcity. We reached this place at 3:4(5 Saturday afternoon, and then our troubles began. But just a moment. We passed through Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and saw several national guardsmen about. The camp was too far from the track to he seen.

The mountains in Tennessee were not so had. We saw Lookout mountain at Chattanoogo, passing through a long tunnel 'underneath. We passed several training camps on the way down here. There are more Camps in Texas than in any other state. As for our troubles, we were marched from the railroad. Station at Kelly field through the dust to ou.r present location, a couple of miles distant. We were issued another blanket, making three, and were then given a cot and a tent, which cot we had to set up, and after mess at an outdoor mess shack, eaten while sitting on the ground, we’ turned in early. We were up at 6 Sunday.,morning and had eats at 7. We started in to fix up our tent. The dust here is something awful. Aeroplanes are certainly numerous. We have all gotten tired of the noise they make each morning and afternoon. There are three schools here for aviators. The climate here is not bad. The sun has shone here a few hours since we have been here, and overcoats and under coats are easily shed. We have not done hardly anything since coming here. We expect to have a trade examination in a few days and will then be assigned to a squadron and sent to some other part of the country. The place where we are located was recently a large cotton field, and we saw many fields off cotton on the way down, as well as many cotton hales. The land in eastern Texas was as smooth as a floor, hut farther in it became rolling. T could write a volume, hut it is about time to turn in, and we have surely been getting lots of sleep. I will close for this tipie, with best regards to all. My address is Kelly Field, No. 1, Line “N,” San Antonio, Texas.