Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1918-07-25
Adventures Abroad

and brother, GEORGE.
Adventures Abroad
This is letter to the paper Of
my home town, and have made
great efforts to write nothing that
would be of value to the enemy.
CORP. v. A. GIBBONS.
Co. A 1873 Inf.
What s'matter? Do you expect an
air raid? Bang! A number twelve
had missed me by scant four inches
and hit the furnace. Down in the 9TH
er end of the barrack someone was
singing farewell, Sweetheart May"
to the tune of "You Made Me What
[ Am Today" while Happy Pierce
couldn't understand why we had to
creep up on that train in the dark.
Never mind, orders are orders, and
we are supposed to be out of here at
4:3O. Every man get your rolls ready.
Three hours later we were entering
the docks. In another twenty min
utes [ found myself walking through
space up to what appeared to me
cave in a mountain of iron. Soon |
had my feet planted on the deck Of
the boat that was to carry me to
somewhere in France. A bUrly voice
yelled out, Follow mel" I couldn't
imagine what the game was, but re-
solved I would find out.
We walked short distance and
then started to descend. [ can say
descend now, but for two hours after
we were through with that trip down
couldn't get my breath, let alone
talk l counted fourteen flights of
stairs and then gave up.
The final windup found us on H.
deck I followed the man with the
gentle voice over a large pile of boxes,
when, suddenly he turned and asked,
whats your NUMBER"
"492," I replied.
Cali right, that's your bunk right
there" I looked around but failed
to find it. Finally I mustered up cour-
age enough to tell him so.
"Move that mop, you boob; it's right
behind that"
Sure enough, there it was. | sat
right down and thanked God [ was
not tall man, for l couldn't see
where was going to put my feet aft
err 1 got my head and shoulders on
there, as it was.
| couldn't find a place to put my
equipment so asked him what l was
to do with it.
keep it. I don't want it."
Well neither did /, so l hung it on
the ceiling, and there it stayed dur
ing the entire trip.
Finally we had things arranged
quite comfortably so l thought | would
go up above to look around. l had
not taken ten steps on the upper
deck when big guard in sailors uni
form yelled at me, Go aft the bulk
heads"
Now. | had never heard of bulk
heads. | was willing to go after them
if only knew where they kept them
| asked him in nice way where they
kept their bulkheads and he at once
informed me that if l didn't get on
the other side of the partition and
stay there it wouldn't take him long
to show me where they kept them. L
surmised then and there that on
boat a partition wasn't partition at
all but a bulkhead.
had started to feel hungry so
asked one of the crew where [ could
find the canteen.
He answered, con the starboard
side down amidships."
Bang! Puzzle No. 2. 1t would not
have taken me one bit longer to get
there if he had said out in the middle
of the ocean.
didn't eat at the canteen that day
for the simple reason that'I couldn't
solve his directions. The third day.
out some of the fellows began to take
on a color similar to bed sheet just
after it has returned from the laundry.
1 will include myself among this
some. Better than that, felt a churn-
ing sensation in my stomach that
seemed to tell me all was not we'll.
didn't eat much that day and / hated
to miss it, too, for we were getting
grand meals. The fourth day at
abandon ship" drill / made my first
donation to the fishes. had no more
than stepped on deck before it seemed
that the floor came UP and hit me
full in the stomach. I dove for the
rail and again I was generous to the
fish. There was just one thing that
gave me all kinds of comfort, and that