Mexico weekly ledger., 1898-04-28
ABOARD A
Harry A. Dey, Formerly of This City,
is in the Maybe Likes the Life
and viii Stay in the Service.

Mr.. and Mrs. ]. A. Hollopeter have
received the following letters from
their son, Harry Dey, who left here a
few months ago for the Pacific coast,
where joined the United States navy:
VALLEJO, CAL, April 1s.-DEAR
FOLKS: Your welcome letters re-
ceived. I intended to go to Frisco
tomorrow, but as the Charleston will
probably lay of Frisco for some time,
I will wait a week or two. I am CAP
tain's orderly on the United States
ship Pensacola at present, but will be
transferred to the Charleston az soon
as she goes into commission-probably
next week.
The earthquake was q dandy. On
the island 1t shook the saw-mill COM
pletely down and damaged every
building more or less. All are of
brick. The loss to the government
will be about a million dollars. Well,
that is all for the present. With love
to all. HARRY.
MARE ISLAND, April q, 1sss.-DEAR
FOLKS: I could not get off the other
day to mail the letter. .
Ihave three suits of uniform and
will get two more white suits in a few
days, a full dress coat with more
brass buttons than you ever saw,
overcoat and cape, two pair of shoes,
six pair If gloves which must be worn
on duty and everything else l need.
At 8 O'Clock we swing hammocks with
hair mattresses and wooden blankets
and sleep like a log. We have a nice
reading and smoking room aboard with
daily papers and magazines and can
60 up to the barracks and play foot
ball or base ball when of duty. The
Island is a beautiful place-roses and
lowers of all kinds the year round.
The naval officers quarters are kept in
excellent shape and they have a good
thing.
They have been working 1900 men
day and night, Sunday and week day,
for the past two months. The Charles
ton came out of dry dock yesterday
and will be in commission next week.
l think we will have the same captain
on there as we have here on the PEN
sacola. They are also working on the
Philadelphia and Yorktown. The
Charleston carries six 6-inch guns and
two s-inch guns, beside the secondary
battery of rapid-ire guns. A 6-inch
gun is about 20 feet long and weighs
10 LIST pounus-that is the barrel alone,
The s-inch gun ia 2s feet long and
weighs 29, 800 pounds. The 10, IL and Is.
inch are large in proportion, though
we carry nothing larger than s-inch'
The monitors Monadnock and Mon
terey are lying a short distance from
us. Each carries four 12-inch guns
in addition to rapid-ire guns.
The C~harleston's anchor weighs
over 5000 pounds. This may give
some idea of the size of these machines
of war.
Our will consist of 80 officer
and $50 men. 1t is not definitely
known where she will go; but it Ii
rumorsd that she will 60 to ths
Philippines and probably wind up il
Paris at the exposition of 1900, O.
else go to the China station. o
course, the fortunes of war may de
termine differently.
We have some very nice fellow
among the crew, and, of course, some
who are not 30 nice; have been very
fortunate SO far In meeting the mic,
ones. On the whole, / am very wei
satisfied, if I could make a little NOR,
money. When I came I thought If
didn't like it, l would leave; but nov
will stay.
With love to all, 1 remain
Y0urs- HARRY.