The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1918-07-02
INTERESTING LETTER FROM A
PARIS BOY EN- ROUTE
OVERSEAS.

we have read recently came to MEM
Der of THE NEWS force from Ben
Leach, formerly of Paris, who enlist
ed in the naval service several
months ago, and was assigned to the
training station at Great Lakes. The
letter was written from Ellis Island,
New York, under date of June, %,
and is as follows:
ELLIS ISLANDS, NEW YORK,
June %, 1918.
Dear Friend
will write you farewell letter
from the old u s. A, as / am now in
New York, awaiting a ship to take
me over there Have been here,
there and everywhere since I was
home some time ago on furlough.
after reporting to the Great
Lakes Training Station on April /,
was transferred to the Naval Operat-
ing Base at Hampton Roads, Va l
remained there three days. Then I
was sent aboard the battleship
Illinois, and was there six weeks.
When I boarded the ship was hand
ed little slip of paper which bore
the words: You are here for inten-
sive training and, believe me, it was
no joke. 1 boarded the ship at one
o'clock on Friday afternoon, and at
midnight began my duties down in
the fireroom. Never was in a place
so hot before. When I first entered
there I thought that it would be i'm
possible for human being to put in
four hours in that place, but at the
end of my four hours 1 came out all
right. After a few days at the work
1 wanted to be on the job all the
time, but during the six weeks was
on the ship 1 only fired three weeks.
II think they must have given me
a little bit of training at everything
in the navy. When enlisted the Off
Ger told me all l would have to do
would be to fire, but I have learned
quite differently. / scrubbed the deck
for one week, stood auxiliary watch
in the ice plant for one week; and to
finish it up was on mess duty for one
week. The mess was the best job of
the whole lot. I happened to be
lucky and got on the Chief Petty
Officers mess. They certainly do get
good eats, and while l was on the
job 1 rated the same in eats as they
did. l could put in my four years at
that and be perfectly satisfied.
After finishing my six weeks on
the ship I was then sent to the navy
yard at Norfolk, Va, where / remain
ed only one day, when l was trans
ferred to the navy yard at Philadel-
phia, where l remained two weeks.
Did not do any work there, but drill
ed on the grinder every morning
and had boat drill in the afternoon.
The first afternoon we were out for
boat drill / thought they would put
me in a little row boat, like thet one
the Chippewa Club used to have on
Stoner, and maybe you think wasn't
surprised when we reached the dock.
They put us in boat. the oars of
which themselves would weigh more
than the boats they have on Stoner,
or at least 1 thought so the first time
l tried to toss one. / had to sit on
one end of it before 1 could get it
started upward, and when the cox
swain would give the order Let fall,
would almost go out with the oar.
I'VE got liberty the first day in
Philadelphia, which we reached on |
Saturday morning, and at one o'clock |
in the afternoon we were off until |
was the first time we have been on |
liberty for ten weeks, and you can |
bet / was gone until Monday. l
reached the yards just ten minutes |
before my time was up. / was out |
every night we were there, and GER
tainly was sorry when learned that |
l was on the drafted list for the re-
ceiving ship at New York. am
anxious to get across the pond, but |
would like to have remained at |
Philadelphia a little longer. Was |
just getting acquainted with the city :,
when they pulled me out.
Il arrived in New York on We'd
nesday of last week, and was placed |
on the receiving ship, G. w. Morse. |
Was there two days when they trans
ferred me to the receiving ship at |
Ellis Island, where I am now await |
ing further orders.
"Quite a change for me has been I!
made since 1 wrote the above. The |
bugle sounded quarters and we all |
had to fall in line. They wanted f1f |
teen men for seaman guard, and out |
of about fifteen hundred men here on |
the island, was one of the number |
to be picked out. Will enter on my |
duties tomorrow, with liberty every |
other night, and forty-eight hours |
every third day. Am rather glad to |
get the job, for those who are not on |
guard only rate liberty every fourth |
night. Another good thing about it
is the guards enter the mess hall |
first, and that is the main thing in
the navy, not that you don't get |
enough to eat if you come in last, for |
we certainly do get all we can eat
and more. But when you are at the |
rear of the line it takes about thirty |
for all to get in, and it is an
awful strain to have to wait that |
long when you know you are in line
for chow This is certainly some
great place for the eats. If I did not
have on a naval uniform I would
think I was in some swell hotel. The
building we are quartered in is like a
palace, just one big building covering |
the whole island.
GyLTo bod a vaudeville chou, boro