Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1917-09-12
TEXAS BOY WRITES
INTERESTING LETTER

icAdS BOY, FeidtiNe VI mIs w. ~.
Howe, who writes to an uncle of his
On Board u. S. S.
Newport, Rhode Island,
Saturday, August 18th, 1917.
Dear Uncle George:
/ would like to write you all of my
experiences since / enlisted in the
navy on April 10th, but it would re-
quire a dozen stenographers a week
to do the work, and you would not
have time to read the completed man.
uscript.
My ship, the Cruiser - has
seen more war experience than any,
other two ships in the navy. joined
her at Key West, Florida, May Bird,
and practically every minute since
has been thrilling. / know from let
tiers and from what papers say that
you all are not getting much news of
what is actually taking place.
We left Key West hurridly after a
reported German Raider, near the
Azores Islands. 1t was fifteen days
before we again sighted land. We
never found the raider, but we
stopped every ship that we met and
boarded her. Finally we fell in with
three Swedes from the Argentine Re-
public loaded with wheat, destined for
Germany through Sweden, Norway
and the Baltic. We captured them
and interned them at st. Thomas, Vir-
gin Islands (Old Danish West Indies.)
We then stopped at San Juan, Porto
Rico and at Haiti and San Domingo
to escort a regiment of marines to
delphia-thence to New York
finally to France.
While in Philadelphia, / got four
day leave to go home, and there |
found that Charles and James had en-
listed in the Army. It's the greatest
adventure that can come in our lives
and we couldn't keep out of it.
But l am getting somewhat ahead.
While on the way north from Haiti we
met U-boat about $50 miles off Hat
teras. 1t was a calm Sunday after
noon, and she appeared about three
miles away on the surface. Within
two minutes hundred six inch shells
broke her up like an eggshell. When
we sailed over, there was only oil and
few bits of wreckage on the water.
On June 4th we sailed from New
York for France, thirty-two ships
strong, four cruisers, twelve destroy
ers and sixteen transports, carrying
10000 troops and 100 female Red
Cross nurses. About six hundred
miles from the French coast the fun
started. Three attacks were made
on us by submarines, two at night and
one in broad day. | am not sure that
we sank any U-boats in these engage
ments, but what is more important,
they didn't sink any of US, and | give
it right out now as the authoritative
opinion of Naval officers, they never
will sink properly conveyed trans
port. A U-boat has no chance against
destroyer, or any man-of-war. To
be effective they must be within two
hundred yards Of their target, and
our gunners can knock a periscope out
of the Atlantic at five mile in ten
shots. MY duty aboard ship is or
derby TO the chief engineer, and work
ammunition hoist during battle.)
We finally landed at st. Nazairee
on June 2Sth, and here my powers of
narrative end. No pen nor drab
words can ever picture France as
saw it. The nation rose as one per-
SON to call US blessed and welcome us
as already conquering heroes. What
population was left met us with
cheers, and tears, Mysteries, laughter,
hugs, caresses and kisses. We
couldn't get along the streets, old
men, women and children tall the
able-bodied men are dead or in the
trenches) blocked our way in their
frenzied Joy. They shouted "Victory,
Victory has comel' 1t was the great
est day of my life.
1 can't begin to tell you of France,
although | saw a good deal of it.
although saw a god deal of it. They
seem to be well supplied with food
stuffs, but no sugar nor butter; an
abundance of clothes, but no leather
shoes. Most everybody wore wooden
shoes. Wheat harvest was on and
such cropsl Forty bushels to the
acre, and potatoes four hundred
bushels per acre. Such intensive Gull
tivation / never saw, and all done by
women and old men. Women
train conductors, porters, and station
agents. and nine out often in deep
mourning. There is no home that
has not been hit. France! Glorious
Francel mourns a million actually
killed.
The Allies could not have held out
without America, but now all see vic
tory, and France is happy again. We
will win, but the people of America
do not realize what is before them in
order TO drive the Huns from the
earth.
Our fleet called from the French
naval officials the highest praise for
its handling of submarines. They
said, eve never hunt U-boats, we stay
away from them. You dare-devils are
never happy unless you are on
chase"
On our way back we passed the
wreckage and dead body from a
merchantmen that was torpedoed fif-
teen miles ahead Of us. But our own
trip was made without noteworthy in
cident.
We were in New York a week.
James sailed for France while / was
there. We are now at Newport, p. l.,
and leave here the coming week for
Newport News, Va, to go into dry
dock. hope to go home from there.