Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1917-11-27

way. we lay here for a month which
we did not enjoy. We were on the
lookout all the time for submarines,
but saw no more. We were right in
the war zone and expected to see
torpedoes flying at US at any time.
There were number of tramp steam
ers came our way several times, and
we would always mann our guns and
run them down and make them hoist
their colors or signals. We did not
know but what the Germans may have
received the news that we were out
there and would send a raider to
sink us.
Among the many nice things that we
had to contend with was that we were
running out of stores and had to sub
sist on half rations and soon our daily
Bill O. Fare consisted of Canned Bill
(canned corn beef and hard tack 1--WE
call them fresh sea biscuit, they were
so fresh you couldn't break them with
a hammer without running the ham
mer) One of the firemen on the
evaporator watch went to sleep and
all the fresh water we had on board
got salty, so we had to drink salt
water or none at all. When he got
through doing his five days in solitary
confinement on bread and water that
the captain gave him as reward for
his wonderful services, l think he re-
gretted that there ever was such
thing as sleep. All these things make
a person really believe what Sherman
said in regard to war.
On October 81, we were relieved by
the U. S. S. Arethusa, and we received
orders to proceed to Halifax and dis
charge the remainder of our cargo
there We arrived there on November
6. We were allowed to go ashore that
night to see the town. Halifax is a
quaint old seaport town and reminded
me very much of Newport The streets
are narrow and the buildings old The
wharves are covered with barrels of
fish and oil which seems to
be the principal industries \up
there. I noticed a great num-
ber of savings banks in the city
and this naturally would be the
money center of Novia Scotia. The
people all gave us a good welcome
and seemed pleased at the sight of an
American sailor in port. Halifax is
crowded with Canadian soldiers, some
going to the trenches and some that
have returned. ] had the pleasure of
a conversation with several of the boys
who had returned from the trenches,
and they told me of many interesting
things in regard to trench fighting
and the methods that the German
army is using that we know nothing
about. One of them gave me the
Canadian insignia that was taken off
of the collar of a soldiers coat, who
was killed in the trenches beside him.
We left Halifax on Saturday, Novem-
Der 10, for Philadelphia, and we are
just entering the Delaware river at
the present time and expect to reach
the navy yard at Philadelphia tonight
at six o'clock. We will enter dry
dock for repairs as the ship is in
pretty bad shape caused from the
heavy sea that we have had. In case
we are in dry dock for any length
of time, we will all get ten day fur
Tough, and if we do, | expect to come
to Wausau and see you before we
start across to the Battling Continent
again. 1t will seem good to get back
again and see the old U. S. A. once
more. 1t was just forty-five days from
the time we last saw land at New
York, until the first we saw at Halifax,
so you can imagine that terra firma
will feel kind of good"