Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1917-12-26
COLD SHOWERS
ARE REALLY COLD
..WARREb~MAXWELL
CONTINUED from Page onel

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detention camp was to teach US dis
cipline, obedience to orders and the
minor details of navy life. That OF
course was at times administered in
rather strenuous manner, but they
taught us to do what the petty officers
and those of higher rating, told US
to do.
Zone of the fellows in our branch
taken to the Newport hospital. They
taken to the Newport rospital. They
placed the rest of us under quaran-
tine until further orders. This was
about ten thirty in the morning and
about two o'clock in the afternoon the
warrant officer over us came and told
us the quarantine had been lifted but
if any one else broke out, the room
would be quarantined for three weeks.
The two fellows who slept on either
side Of him were taken out and put in
the quarantine camp and kept ten
days. Happily no one else came
down with the measly thing. The
fellow who had the measles was a
sick though, being in the hospital
about five weeks, pneumonia setting
in after the measles broke up.
"The main reason why we were in
detention so long after our allotted
time was that there were so many
- H. Los,,.+o1 ecbooI tbaxy did not
have room to accommodate any more.
This necssitated us having to wait
until enough graduated to make room
for us.
"We were transferred to the school
on Oct 20. 1t was almost like the
first few days at the station every
thing was so new and different that
we had to almost learn all over again.
The main thing to learn was who the
officers were and what work we had
to do and the next thing to be learned
was how to get out of said work. It's
surprising how easily sailor will de-
wise excuses for getting out of work.
As for learning who the new officers
were, this was very easy as they had
tendency to be very much in evil
dence.
"The first Saturday, Oct. 20, at the
school we were given our first injec-
tion of anti-typhoid prophylaxis, or in
more common terms, a shot in the
arm. / got out of my vaccination so
good, not a sign of sickness, that
thought the "shot" wouldn't effect me
very much. l found, however, that /
had been kidding myself all the time,
because it worked and worked HARD.
Chills and headache, with every
thing / had eaten doing the come
back stunt about two o'clock the next
morning) constituted my ailment l
had two more "shots" on the two sue
ceeding Saturdays, but although my
arm was quite stiff and sore, there
wasn't a repetition of the comedy of
the first act.
when we first arrived on the scene
they told us that we were supposed
to take a shower bath every day. That
was fine because the water was good
and hot, the room warm and it was
great to get under the hot shower and
then the cold. Those were good old
days but things are different now.
They have taken out the hot show
ers leaving only a small tap to get
hot water to shave and wash our
clothes The cold showers are cold,
too, no lukewarm stuff about it. It's
great after one gets used to the cold.
There are men here from every
state east of the Mississippi. 1t is
very interesting to listen to the dis
cussions as to the merits of the re-
spective states. "Alabam" is a fav-
CRADLE state to pick on. | was very
much amused one night at the Y NJ.
c "A. at two fellows telling what won
derful things Pennsylvania and In
diana produced. They didn't have
any argument but kept saying the
same things over and over. | could
have told them half a dozen things
Michigan produces for every thing
they mentioned about either Pennsy
or Indiana but deemed it advisable
not to butt in. The great part of it
is to meet fellows from so many diff
ferent states. The fellow who sleeps
next to me in our shack told me he'd
like 70 go home with me so he could
see deep snow and ice skates. He
SAID ne had never seen such things.
His home is in Southern Florida. AL
though rough, they are all a pretty
good class of men.
"The station is located on very
pretty island from strawberry hill"
which is directly back of the hospital
school we can look way out across
the bay TO the Atlantic ocean with the
many boats coming and going and the
bay dotted with enumerable sea gulls.
This is on the north end of the >
land. From the south end can be
seen Newport on the east side of tho
bay and jamestown on the west side
FMS makes very pretty background
for the south field where Capt. John
son reviews us. every Saturday morn
ing. The wind blowing in from the
Atlantic is awfully cold when we have
I'd stand out on the field two or three
hours waiting for the captain to in
spect us before we pass in review.
Last Saturday, a week ago, was
cutie big day here. 1t all started
o. Friday when we put in extra time
on the detail giving the deck an extra