Hay and Oats Up in Flames - 5/2/1918

 C.S. Ala

May 2nd

My Dear Mother : - 

Rec. Dad's letter of Apr. 29th and box of candy. Also thank him for the stamps. The candy was fine.

I am enclosing a couple more snap shots for you to place in my war album. I will send more as soon as they are printed. 

One of the many warehouses burned last night about midnight. There were about 150 car loads of hay (baled) and oats stored in it. The entire building was burned and about all of the contents destroyed. Loss approximately $50,000. The affair is being investigated. All of the buildings around it were saved. It was situated next to the "Buckeye" Coliseum. 

I think Dr. Frances was rather stiff, - but I think the job was worth it, for it will undoubtedly save me much future trouble.

We received 6 big wagon loads of medical supplies from the Medical Supply Depot today. Nevertheless. I won't really think we will be sent away for some time. 

Discipline, rules, and regulations are becoming more strict every day and the Div. as a whole is sure some different than it was 6 months ago. 

We have been issued an Eveready Safety Razor, shaving brush, tooth brush and paste, soap, two towels, hair brush & comb. Each fellow has had a suit of overalls issued him. Also to each tent has been issued a shoe brush & a clothes brush. 

No more woolen uniforms are to be issues to this Div. on this side of the water. Cotton uniforms are now being issued. 

Must close and write several more letters. 

Feeling fine - Weigh 8 1/2 lbs. less than before operation but feel better. 

Love to All

Howard

Library of Congress, Camp Sheridan Warehouse

I didn't find any exciting or incriminating evidence of the Grand Warehouse Fire Conspiracy of 1918, but this will have to do. There were about 40 warehouses at Camp Sheridan, and I assume the one that caught fire looked similar to this. In my modern mind, I had a vision of an Amazon warehouse big enough for jets and such. On the other hand, I can't imagine that this little building could hold $50,000 worth (almost a million dollars in today's dollars) of hay and oats. 

No snapshots were still in the envelope, so I am assuming that Effie did end up putting them in Howard's war album. According to the Camp Sheridan Pictorial Review, soldiers were required to register their cameras and "Promiscuous picture taking, of course, is not permitted." We knew that photos submitted to the magazine were censored, but it's unclear whether Howard would have had to have had his photos reviewed and approved to send home to his mother. 

Based on Howard's reference to an operation, I am hoping (is that really the right word?) that he was simply away from camp for a few months. That would would mean that - huzzah! - I did not lose a handful of 100+ year old letters, right?