The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1918-07-16
FRENCH RAILROADS
HAVE QUEER WAYS
Warrington District Boy
Writes About Them And
4 Other Things. ls@.

One % the chst'iest and breeziest
letters from private soldier that has
come from the other side 50 far is that
which II. l.. Grim. the Warrington
district general merchant, received
from his nephew. Howard Morgan. who
for two years before he entered the
army worked AT the Grim store and
will therefore be we'll remembered by
many people in ihP; part OF the coun.
ty. The letter is IS follows:
Battery +. l47,h Field Artillery.
Army postofiice 80. American Expe-
dictionary Forces. France. Sunday
June ., 1918.
Lloyd: got youc letter this morn
ing and was glad to hear from you. IL
was the registered one and dated May
L. You spoke OF one that you had
writtel before but have not yet g0i
1t as this is the third letter | have
got since have been in France and
the first one from you. | nave been
in France now three months and II
has been over that long since ! lei;
l'kt GAatta ssaA asAAVN 4 w efAAA " ~
ceive more mail than that. J ari at an
American base now that Is out Of
range OF the big guns and have been
here iCT two months, but ] think we
will 20 10 the front soon. ! have been
paid ~ ice since have been in France
and VIC get paid in French MONEY.
Thev have centimes and francs and
100 centimes is one franc. They nave
conner coins of > and 10 confines
worth about one and two cents. re
spectiyaiy. They have - confines
pieces OF nickel and worth about five
cents. Fifty confines pieces are worth
10 ceats and are silver and Just the
size OF dire. They have one, two
and five franc silver coins. One franc
Is a l!ttle smaller than a quarter and
worth about 10 ceats. Their paper
money Is sort of flimsy and easy worn
and hard to get rid of when II is worn
or muiilaled. For every dollar We
draw we get five francs and IL cen
times in French money. They have
one-half franc. one franc notes and
they are not all the same size or shape
and il is very hard 10 double mix
ture OF them all up into one roll.
You notice | have been changed TO
Ply +. 18th +. A.. Well they change
fellows around over here cOnsldcra'
bly,. bu. don't want to be transferred
any more. | worked in the kitchen all
the time | was in the first and second
trimming batteries li1th J. a. Battery
+ has a big bunch Of horses TO look
after. There is considerably over
hundred Of them and PIT in the most
OF my time around the stables.
have not seen any frame houses
since have been in France. The!
are all stone and plastered inside and
ont with cement. They are damp ana
cold i'm wet weather About al the
bridges | have seen have been made
out OF stone. They have funny box
inc trains. The passenger cars 100"
something like these summe: Stree.
cars. They have = running board
along the side and the seats run clear
across. Two seats face each other ara
there Is q door OF each side hel"e'h
the sea,s. You can't 90 from one. ro"
OF seats to another without gong out
side the car. They don't have Ncry
many switches in their railroads al
ihc stations but have several turn Ia
hIes. The run a car upOn these ana
turn II cross.ways OF the track. A SCI
or rails goes from this track TO the
turn.table Of the other track. Thcy
push the car over and turn IL around
or the other track. l. Is lots OF fun 10
SOP them change cars from one trac"
10 another aud never thought OF such
a way until | saw it in France.
There Is bali game here this after
noon. There are three papers prin',
ed In Paris in the English language ana
We get all the war news daily in these'
I have not learned 20 talk any French
We; as there are too many Americans
oye7 here to talk 10. You can't buy
non and ice cream over rere where
/ am AT. but you can buy wine. have
only bouGht two bottles o! vine since
I have been IN France and from the
taste O. it think more o. II comes
out OF The pump spcut than CT OF the
wine press.
We nave some grand and glorious
V. ~ c. AS here. There are three
hands here now but up till lately there
were only two. OF coursa ;ae lttth
r. 4. band was the best of tho outii''
There are several travellers. icc'ur'
a-s. preachers. butchers. bakers ana
capdle,tick makers pess this way ana
they stop at the ~" and give us
mix OF an evening. and besides they
generally show n few reels OF movic'
every night. They have can'een IN
the "Y," where they sell chocolate
oranges. figs. dates. nuts. soap, towels
tobacco. matches. etc. They also maze
a lunch counter where you can eat
lunch Of an evening ailcr supper IL
IL always something to ge' your
francs. Everything &c free AT me \.
but what you get ct tic cantesn ana
,be lunch counter. II don't COST