Gunnison news-champion., 1917-12-28
RALPH MeALLISTER WRITES
OF TRIP TO ENGLAND

The following interesting letter from
the Delta Independent, was written by
the son of T. F. McAllister, who lived
for so many years at or near Ohio
City. Everybody knows Ralph, and
will be pleased to read what he says.
L. S. S. Huntington,
Some Place at Sea,
November %, 1917.
Ny dearest Loved Ones at Home:-
| am going TO write this letter at
spare time SO that when We get
TO New York, l will have a big, long
letter ready to mail.
/ | suppose you got my letter telling
you about when We were ready to
leave New York. Well, We left the
next day after wrote that, but we
didn't go to France We went 10 Hal
fax, Nova Scotia, where We were
supposed to be stationed to chase Ger
man raiders, but on arriving there we
found we had to take a commission
across to England, consisting of Colo
mel House, Wilson's special advisor;
Admiral Benson, and Colonel McCor-
mick, U. S. N, and Colonel McCor-
family, also General Bliss. We sailed
to Devonport, England, and were there
! think, about ten or twelve days.
| a. m, November %. On watch
again. You see don't have much to
DO while on watch, but sit under a
blower where they fan the fresh air in
and had just as well write. Well, |
will try to finish about our trip. After
we went to Devonport, they put up a
notice saying that anyone wanting to
gc to London who had S25 would be
granted q fory-eight hours leave
Well of course, was shy the S25, SO
! did not get TO go, but | was pretty
well satisfied as it was. | could say
had been 10 England anyway, but
was badly disappointed in the liberty
We got in Devonport. Only got to go
ashore once, and just barely had time
70 catch me an English girl, so you
see, | didn't have much time. As it
you don't get 4 girl over there, they
will get you. There are about ten girls
10 the square yard, over there, and the
&c anEs," as they call we Blue Jackets,
are soon "made fast But, they are
not much like the American girls. If
you show them n good time, that is all
they care for. They don't try to work
you out of your last nickle and then
get sore because you haven't any
more. But if they had been looking
for someone with kale they would have
been out of luck with me, for was
about three dollars short of having
anything. Just enough to eat on, but
that was plenty, for there was plenty
to see while was there. The town is
a pretty good sized place. Devonport's
population is $1,000, and Plymouth's is
2,lO0, and they are only short dis /
tance apart. The odd part of it was
the streets, which are SO narrow and
crooked that the people had to walk in
the middle of the streets, and maybe (
that didn't look funny to US. You see /,
they gave no over night liberty, only |
from twelve noon until twelve mid |
night. And along about eleven in the !
evening, when we were starting to the |
ship, when we got to the main street, |
as Peterson and l, Che is a fellow who |
lived in Gunnison two or three years !
ago. had been taking our girls home, |
there was the blamedest crowd you
ever saw, and they were all walking in |
the middle of the street. They put out |
most all of the lights there at sundown |
SO l guess they could not tell which
was the sidewalk and which was not.
] tell you, the people in the United
States don't realize what a sad state
of affairs things were in over there
before we got into the war Meat, you
can hardly buy, except ham and bacon.
You have to pay fifty cents for ham
and eggs, and then you get one egg
and small piece of ham. You pay
extra for cup of coffee and butter,
when they bring you two slices of
bread with your order, they put
little butter on it. So little though,
you can hardly see it. The coffee must
have been doctored, it was SO awfully
weak. ! don't think crutch would
have done much good.
WellI guess have told you about all
can think of. That is the most beau
tiful country around there you ever
saw; it is divided into little tracts,
about six acres each, by stone fences
and hedges, and the fields are just as
green. Wish l were an artist, SO
could have made one fine picture. The
harbor is sure one beautiful place too.
Coming into it, it is about two or