The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1918-05-09
LIEUT.. HIATT. =! WRITES Y! !
''''..' FROM NANCAUR|A
Great Northern Dispatcher From Mi
not Writes Letter Eight Feet Long
Telling Experiences in Orient.

eral interest to Minot people as it is
the first information to be made pub
lie as to the movement Of the railroad
men who left here last winter for ST.
IBERIA. Lieut.. w. T. Hiatt was former
ly employed by the Great Northern
at this point as dispatcher, and has
many friends here who will be inter-
ested in learning of his whereabouts
and doings. His letter is written on
a peculiar silk-fber paper, the letter
being about ten inches wide and eight
feet long.
Harbin, Manchuria,
April 5, 1918.
John H. Sawyer,
Minot, N. d.
Dear Mr.. Sawyer:
Your letter of February 18th was
received here March 9Oth and I was
very glad, indeed, to hear from you.
On that same date received eighteen
letters and post card, real shower,
previously I had only received about a
half dozen scattering letters. They
are the most welcome OF anything over
in this far East.
Am pleased to hear that the K. P.
band is still progressing and doing
their share towards helping IN the
huge struggle for democracy.
The weather the past week has been
almost like summer but today, damp
snow is falling, but it is not cold. II
compares very much here. l tnnk'
with Southern Iowa or Northern MIS-
souri, for climate. Am sorry to see
the little Austrian boy who drove
for the Davis Ice company, has given
up his life, but it is only begin
ming and fear many more will never
return. =.
The reason had not written a let,
ter sooner, was our uncertainty ana
I was busy writing to my near rela-
tiyes during my spare time from
study. You know we have been hav-
ing Russian teachers ever since leaV,
ing San Francisco. trying to pound
that language into US and it is some
iob. What makes it much more SO
;s that they do not use the Roman
alphabet. Only a very few characters
heinp the same. We know enough 70
make our wants known and get around
hut we are unable to form grammatlc-
am very grateful to you for the
r;ctures Mr.. Strange and l, botn
Certainly enjoyed looking them over
and run through them most every
We had smooth voyage, over, the
Pacific being very properly named;
rive davs out of Frisco we received
. wireless that we were being chased
Nv German raider. Our boat
Changed course and ran three nights
ssi;nhfs out". We were informed a
crr;ser was on the way from Homo
lnIu. but we saw neither.
We were in Honolulu three ana :
half davs unloading cargo and coal
mo mo Can't. DR.. MCDANIEL came IN
from Schofield Barracks and took me
ont. and I spent a very pleasant after,
noon MOO with he, Mrs MCDANIEL ano
Mrs. Lvtle. Honolulu is very beau,
+;f,1I Mace. very tropical of course, ano
varv hot and we suffered much IRON
no heat there with our heavy uni.
forms. for Siberia. Can't say III:
II am a first class sailor, but when !!
comes to feeding the fish am as goot
as there is. Was sea-sick mosI ., ,,
the way to Honolulu. stood II
we'll after leaving there for four days
when we ran into a choppy sea- 50
ara;n "went over" and the next morn
~ - was ordered to the hospital, where
I Stayed for ten days. ill.,,
We were notified at that time tna'
tvphoon was moving IN our olreceloi
of the coast of Japan, which we were gr
lnckv enough to not encounter. W.
nassed through the Tsugara Straits u
10 north of the main island OF Japar
IN December 18th. 1t was geItlnlI
o,1ite cold and the mountains on botf
Sides covered with snow The stralt:
are 7 to 12 miles wide and about .. o.
miles in length. We arrived at Vladl
vnstock the forenoon Of December IL
= ;s / believe one of the finest natura
harbors in the world. Owing to I'M
change in government in Russia, w
we've not wanted so sailed from tner'
tho afternoon of December l7th. wa
IN shore at Vladivostock one after
noon. :, 4. 1 ~,
evening of December 10 and remalnet
On hoard the ship until January 18Th
when we secured quarters IN dlfteren
hotels. We were treated very flne .!
the Japanese, always inviting us mt, IN
their shops, many speak some Engllsl
and met one who is a Harvar,
graduate, We were given fare"ei
Reception by the Commercial Club an an
.city officials and all taken to a the
atre where we were guests OF tn
Governor to witness performance D:
Japan's most celebrated actress; Mme ln
Sumoka and her company. 1t wa
very good. the drama being takel
from Count Tolstoy's novel, "?he Ma
Supposed to be Dead, Russian play
They had all the walters and tea,girl
from our hotel there and served bo }!
lunches and tea at $3.50 p. m. inat
the usual custom there, even at mov
les, to take lunch and make tea !
their little kneeling compartments
and make an afternoon and evening Q
it, the performance running from S:O
D. m. until 11:00 p. m. -.
We left Nagasah February ~