The Prescott daily news., 1915-12-30
LIFE IS DULL ON
 BLOCKADE BOATS
British Sailors Off American
 Coast Are Restless.
NOTHING TO DO BUT WAIT

and Describes Hardships That Affect the Men-Fresh Vegetables Hard sc Get. and Food Is Not Good.
 Life is one damp, cold thing after an. other for the crews of the British blockading fleet that lies outside our three mile line waiting for the German ships that never come out. According to at least one of the sailors, it is worse than life in the trenches. The monot ony of ioafing in the swell of the sea watching for some little freighter from South America that must be held up and searched is getting on the mems nerves.
 Their food Is of the old fashioned lime juicer quality except when some daring sea grocer manages to bring 8 cargo Of supplies alongside. and even then. with December seas running, it's a gamble whether the fresh vegetables from Barnegat or Norfolk will reach the cook or Davy Jones.
 One of the British cruisers engaged
 
 Atlantic ports Is the Sydney, which ran the German raider Emden ashore on an island in the Indian ocean and shot her to bits After that the Sydney roamed the North sea looking for German sub marines. and last month she was or dered off New York to relieve the cruis CT Iris in keeping tabs on commerce.
 Clew In zealandia Mystery.
 The letter below. written by mem Der of the Sydney's crew. seems to throw light on the Zealandias adven ture, but it is more interesting in show ing how the British seaman hates the job of watchful waiting off our nearly neutral shores:
 'It looks as though we were to spend another Christmas on the briny deep
 1t has been terribly cold out here and we have had hard time of it.
 ''The other night we ran short of coal and had to shoot down to Bermuda and after getting there had to wait Il long time for a collier. We got our bunkers filled next day and had to come back here.
 "Of all the places in the world, Bar negat, or whatever they call il, is the worst
 If it ain't blowing it's showing or raining, and there is continual swell running that keeps your insides snug against your main companionway for days at a stretch.
 There's nothing to do but hang on and off, watching for some bug of q freighter that's expected up from some where in South America.
 "The only excitement we've had was the funeral of poor old Rob Siddons. You remember we three were together in Chatham last year, after l had been invalided home from the sub patrol on the Dogger? Rob has been ailing for months. but he wouldn't quit, To tell you the truth. he was too bloody old t0 stand the strain So we dropped him over. and there was hardly a dry eye aboard
 We sank a shot with him and his hammock. and We could well spare it. because we don't ever expect to need any off here,
 Give me the life in the North sea chasing perrys Submarine periscopes, You could get a bit of thrill doing that, and it was worth while getting hit Out here you might as well be on training ship
 Men Sickly and Unhappy.
 The men are mostly sickly. and you can't exactly call them happy. They have nothing to think of except the ar rival of the cutter with papers and let. ters. Lord save us from another job like this.
 "l suppose you heard how we lost d man over the side who was reaching for sack of lettuce or something. He shot down between us and the rotten little tug so quick that there was no chance to save him.
 Norfolk may be all right for those interned Germans. but it's q bad place from which to ship us greens in this sort of weather. It was much better when we laid off Sandy Hook We got things regular then. They say we will either have to go down around Calves ton. stay here or go to Halifax if we want anything like rest. If you get news of where we are to go. as you probably will. send some note paper so can write my Christmas letters.
 Y'T wonder if you heard about any ship being run down about three days ago not far from Sandy Hook. We had q narrow squeak, although we laughed afterward about it.
 Guns Brushed Her Poop.