The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1903-12-09
u. S. T. S. Pensacola. !,
Naval Training Station, (
San Francisco. Calf. l
NNr 90 1000 {

Naval training Station,
San Francisco. Calf.
Nov %, 1908,
Dear Brother:
Well if you are not going to answer
my letter guess will have to write
again. We got here week ago Tues
day, and had a great time coming out.
We went over the Rocky mountains
and the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and
through forty miles of snow sheds. and I
three or four tunnels. We went |
through Evanston about midnight and |
/ 50 | didn't get off and see Evans.
Didn't see Leon Young either, but saw
one of my old friends tina. used to
work with down at Mo. Valley.
Well this is quite place, about four
hundred men here now and more
coming almost every day l had been
here four or five days when they took
me out of the ranks andS made me
ships writer, so to-day while the rest
of he'poorH are scrubbing decks, | am
sitting here pounding this old mill. |
have quite snap. All have to do Is
pound the mill little, keep track of
! the extra duty men, be out every time
they line up for drill and pass around
the boards with the names of all the
men on for roll call, Have to do that
six times every day except Sunday, and
j Saturday. Now / will start at the be-
ginning and tell you how they work it
here, When we got here they made
us throw away all our clothes except
those that wanted to send theirs home.
Then they took us down in the hole of
the ship and gave us one pair shoes.
three pair socks (weolen), two suits
! heavy underwear. three suits white
duck, one suit blue uniform. one blue
cap three white duck hats, two plugs
chewing tobacco, two mattress covers,
one WOODEN blanket, one hammock, one
bag to keep our clothes in, one wooden
watch cap two or three spools thread
and some needles, shree bars soap
about two feet long, one shoe shining
outfit, and few more things that |
can't think of now. Every morning
we get,up at six O'Clock and take either
a swim in the salt water tank, Il show
er bath or a face wash, just as the
high mugul says. Then we go back
and lash up our hammocks and the last
man to have his dashed up gets the
4 dickens" proper. At about twenty
minutes to seven we have breakfast.
4 We march to all our meals and march
4 from the barracks to the ship a d
same way back again. We sleepin the
barracks but work IN the Office on the
lshipso don't have togo through any of
the drilling. Ii you were to watch US
eat you would think that we were all
crazy or hadn't had anything TO eat for
q month or two. Everybody tries to
steal everybody else's stuff to eat and
it's fright. But can't kick on what
we get to eat though, tits pretty good.
Well after breakfast they loaf till nine
4 O'Clock, then its drill. drill and drill
some more until dinn,r time when
they all march to dinner. At one
i o'clock they start drilling again and
drill until four o'clock. After four
they loaf until about 5:15 when we eat
supper. Then we loaf or play cards
and tell stories and sing until about
8:15 when we all go back to the bar
racks and about $40 we march to our
hammocks and at two minutes of nine
tattoo" is blown by the buglaa and We
are all to be in bed at that time. AT
nine o'clock taps" are blown and
lights are out. The first night we
we're mere we slept on board the ship
and Rudd fell out of his hammock about
one O'Clock in the morning. He has
| fell out twice so far and will probably
break his s'darn' neck before long.
| The drill here consists of formation
drill, infantry drill, light artillery drill
setting up drill, said drill, boat drill,
jack stay drill (tieing knots signal drill,
target practice, and few more. Every
| morning at nine O'CLOCK except Satur.
day and Sunday we have inspection
with our white suits on, that is the rest
of them do, don't and if your suits
are not clean and your shoes not
shined you will get extra duty for it.
That means work so many days after
drill just as they want you to, five
hours is day for extra duty, We
have about eighteen men on the list
now and have to keep track of them
ali. If you do anything very bad you
get put in the brig on bread and water
for so many days, Opefellow just got
out yesterday after beng in there five