Aug. 25, 1916, 
GUARDSMEN CONTENTED 
MANCHESTER MEN ON THE MEXICAN 
- BorDER RECEIVE SUPPLIES 
From Home. 
The ‘second box sent out by the 
Manchester ladies of Essex Chapter, 
American Red Cross, reached Co. A, 
Second Mass. Infantry, on Saturday, 
August 5, and was much enjoyed. This 
information is conveyed in a letter 
from Corporal J. Irving Baker, who 
came in for a share of the good things 
sent by the Manchester friends. He 
wishes to extend the thanks of his 
company to all for their kindness in 
remembering them so generously. The 
first box sent to Co. H, &th Infantry, 
had not been received up to the 18th, 
although one from the National Red 
Cross. came for the whole regiment, 
each member receiving a tooth brush, 
powder, soap, towels, tobacco, etc. 
Writing from Columbus, N. M., 
Corporal J. Irving Baker says that 
on August 11 their company, in heavy 
marching order, in the hottest part of 
the day, marched eight miles out to 
the range, where they spent the night, 
having target practice all day Satur- 
day, and returning through the brush, 
to be placed on outpost duty. While 
the first platoon shot in the morning, 
he and a few of the second platoon 
climbed one of the mountains, the 
view from the top of which amply 
repaid them for the effort. On the 
way back they came across what 
seemed to be a natural cave about 150 
feet deep and extending quite a dis- 
tance back into the mountain. Here 
there were chambers, which proved 
it to have been left by prospectors 
years ago. It was said that some of 
Villa’s men hid there for a short time 
after the raid at Columbus. There 
was quite a number of rattlesnakes 
killed out there. The one he got was 
coiled, just ready to strike his chym 
and tent mate. The fellows dry the 
skins and make belts or hatbands. He 
and his friends are well and have 
passed the Federal physical examina- 
tions. The tests were very thorough, 
including heart, lungs, feet, throat, 
nose, teeth, eyes, ears, etc., each man 
being under scrutiny about 20 min- 
utes. . 
Speaking of their 15 days duty as 
support to Battery E of the 5th U. S._ 
Field Artillery on the mesa west of 
El Paso, Musician Harry Baker, Co. 
H, says: “We are camped on a plateau 
about halfway up the mountain in the 
classy section of the city, fine resi- 
dences, good roads and lawns, which 
are quite scarce. This camp is much 
better than Cotton, being cooler, not 
so dusty and we are by ourselves and 
under our own officers. The fellows 
are fixing the camp in great style, 
small gardens in front of the tents 
containing large, spreading cactus, 
with small, pretty pink thistles placed 
between other varieties of cactus. 
These gardens are surrounded by rows 
of white stones, making the company 
street very attractive. The “slum 
gun” or “soup cannon” came to us 
up here. It is a field kitchen, appear- 
ing much like a field piece, only the 
muzzle is the chitnney, sticking straight 
up. Upon this the cooks prepare the 
good food which is keeping us strong 
and well. On the return from the 
mesa we all rode on “O,. D.” trucks, 
with the “slum gun” on behind and 
the two cooks on the seat. It was 
tied rather loosely and you should 
have seen the S’s; it made one about 
every two feet, but the two fellows 
stuck. About half-way down, the 
rear part became disconnected; away 
she went! No casualties.” 
On August 18 he writes: “Every- 
body is wading around this morning. 
Talk about rain! Last night we had 
the prize storm, and it was lucky there 
was not as much wind with it as there 
was last week, when we had a hurri- 
cane and cloudburst that lasted about 
15 minutes. You should have seen the 
wreck it left. Tents down in every 
direction and mud up to your ankles 
—adobe mud, that sticks like glue. 
The only thing that saved our tent 
from blowing in was that six or eight 
stood and held it while I held down 
the back so it would not balloon off. 
The hood we found among the wreck- 
age in Co. I street. This beats any- 
thing we ever had back East. 
“Co. H went on guard last night in 
the pouring rain. It started during 
evening parade and before we reached 
“yy 
‘“‘What Congress has 
done concerning a 
Government 
Armor Plant 
and what people are 
thinking about it’”’ 
! as reflected in 
Editorial Comment 
This is the title of a booklet 
we have prepared. We 
shall be glad to send 
a copy free to any 
one interested. 
Bethlehem Steel Co. 
South Bethlehem, Pa. 
a 
NORTH SHORE BREEZE and Reminder 55 
our tents we were soaked. Had mess 
in the rain and mounted guard in the 
rain. The foot of our street is a 
1egular lake, so Sergt. Barnes painted 
. sign that the ‘Regular excursion boat 
leaves tent No. 9 for a sight-seeing 
tour of Camp Cotton—for further in- 
tormation see the marine in command 
of deck No. 9.’ 
“Chandler, the other musician of 
Co. H, has received his discharge, as 
his term of enlistment has expired. 
My, but he did hate to leave the fel- 
lows. They gave him a grand old 
s‘nd-off, riding him out of camp on 
their shoulders, with our old drum 
a* the head of the line. I went down 
town with him to help with his suit 
case. He surely will have a fine trip, 
going first to New Orleans, then to 
New York by boat, and home after a 
few days’ stay there. ‘Have I sent 
you our battle song? Here it is: 
““We're on the trail of Villa; 
We're Yankees through and through; 
We'll show the sons of Mexico 
What the U. S. A. can do. 
Were sons of Massachusetts— 
Victory or die. 
So give a grand old cheer, boys, 
When the Eighth goes marching by. 
Rah! Rah! Rah?” 
MicHArr, FRANCIS RYAN 
Michael Francis Ryan, the 8-year- 
old son of Michael F. and Rose 
(O’Hara) Ryan, who are spending 
the summer in Manchester, died at 
the Beverly Hospital Monday, whither 
he was taken after a sudden illness. 
He went in bathing Sunday and ate 
some green apples on the same day. 
His consequent illness necessitated his 
removal to the hospital, where he died 
Monday. The loss is greatly felt by 
the bereaved parents, who have been 
enjoying their summer by the sea- 
shore until this great misfortune over- 
took them. 
Boat MuvuFFLING Assoctia- 
TION ACTIVE. 
That the District Police are thor- 
oughly in earnest in their endeavor 
to put a stop to the nuisance caused 
by noisy motor boats is shown by the 
fact that tne cases of eleven boat own- 
ers were brought before Judge Barnes 
in the East Boston Court on August 
tith for violations of the motor boat 
muffling law in Boston Harbor. 
The judge seemed disposed to im- 
pose fines in all these cases, but finally 
continued them for sentence until Au- 
eust 25th in order to allow the de 
tcndants time to properly equip their 
ats with mufflers to the satisfaction 
cf the District Police, the understand- 
ing being that this must be done be- 
fore August 25th so as to secure filing 
of their cases by the court. 
Movror 
