Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1917-05-11
FROM SOUTH AFRICA TO
LONDON ON BIG LINER
Robert E. Nickel Writes Of HIS
Voyage In the War Zone off
the Coast of Spain and
France
Monday, April 9, 1917.

somewhere aud a notice has been post
ed saying we will be in to Plymouth
on Wednesday and that letters may be
posted for Transmission. We have had
some trip. We left Cape Town on
March 11th. Yesterday, Easter Sum-
day, was u fifth Sunday on the boat
and | shall probably be on board an
other Sunday. There have been six of
us liners all the way from Cape Town
and we have been conveyed by British
battleships all the way. The Kent"
came as far as Freetown, Sierra Leone,
and then We had the Brittania for
three days, when the "Swift Sure"
joined us and the Britannia left. The
"Swift Sure'' is still with us. Our only
stop was at Freetown, which is lust
around the orner fiom the Gulf of
Guinea. Until we arrived at Sierra,
Leone, the weather was hot, but since
we left there 1t has grown colder until
everybody is wearing %oveicosts. At
the present the ship is trying 10 roll
over and it is hard work trying TO sit
still. We are now in a zone of extreme
danger. Everybody is wearing life
telts constantly. After seven o'clock
In the evening all lights are out. The
ship Is zigzagging all the time, running
at full speed for five minutes and then
turning at right angles and going at
nnartor apaad for about fuant- A;,,too
The course is being continually changed.
Lookouts are posted all over the boat,
two gunners are constantly at u
rapid firing guns on the stern. The
life boats have been swung out ready
for launching at a moments notice and
we have alarm signals for Iifeboat drill
every day. There are only about eight
ladies on board, two being actresses,
one a nun and the rest wives of officers.
On board we have 500 troops, thirty
German prisoners from German West
Africa, oue monkey, a mascot, and
about 200 passengers. Outside the ex-
element, due to u situation, the
journey has been dull. l shall not be
allowed to go off at Plymouth. but will
have to go OF TO London and thus add
to the dangers of the trip up the Eug-
lish channel.
Tuesday, April 10th.
[ thought / might as we'll write a
few lines to you before the mail closes.
Last evening at sunset a fleet of eight
torpedo boats came into view steaming
for us at full speed, which is about
forty miles an hour. You may be sure
there was some excitement and it was
a sight worth seeing and one that will
be seen but once in a lifetime, for it was
very rough and they were more under
water than OF top. They were English
boats and came to escort US in. Each
liner took n and the battleshlp took
two and then we all separated, each
making a final dash for Plymouth. 1t
is very rough today and We are going
at full speed, with our torpedo boat
No. rs zigzagging back and forth in
front OF US like a fox terrier jun ping
up and down before a horses head.
You can hardly see her for spray most
of the time, but she is on the job clear
ing the way for us. At this rate we
should reach Plymouth by noon to-
morrow, Wednesday, and all the En-
glishmen get off there. That leaves
four Americans, five Belgians and five
Frenchmen to go on up the channel.
(The above article Is taken from a
letter written by Robert E. Nickel to
his sister, Mrs. Bessie Englekroutt, in
Philadelphia. 1t was written on board
the "Galway Castle, " bound from Cape
Town, South Africa, to London, Eng
land. 1t is presumed that Mr.. Nickel
reached London safely, although his
family has not heard from him since
receiving this letter. He is a son of
Nathan Nickel and a nephew of Mrs.
Somers Barnett, both OF Wildwood.
Mr.. Nickel left Philadelphia in July,
1914, to see the world and gain prac-
tical ex p%erience In his chosen profess
sion as a mining engineer. When he
left the United States nearly three
years ago he was undecided as to just
what foreign land he would go for his
practical experience. He shipped for
London, and upon his arrival there
found that a vessel was about to sail
for South Africa. He took passage and
since his arrival in South Africa was
engaged in mining at Johannesburg.
He Is now nm his wav hOnaN