The Springdale news., 1918-08-30
Life in the Navy.
Norfolk, Va, Aug. 16, 191s-
To the News and it's Readers:

mug iu. IViO- To the News and it's Readers:
 l have just finished reading a bunch of old News" that my mother sent to me, and among them were numerous letters from the soldier bows Tn France, and also noticed that there was absolutely nothing from the Navy It appears as if the boys of the North West Arkansas are afraid of the Navy, judging from the very few that try 1t, but personally think that the Navy is the best branch of the ser. vice, for we have more privileges more pay, better chance for promotion and better all around. l am no ex- eeption by any means. 1 have been promoted five times in four years When l first enlisted 1 was an ap- prentice Seaman, and got the fabulous sum of S76.60 per month, and now l am a first class electrician and get s6l.00 but l am not trying to get any recruits, so l will quit boosting.
 am now what is nautieally known as Short timer" (have only a few days to dol and am at the receiving ship at Norkfolk waiting to be dis charged. A receiving ship is depot or headquarters, like, where they send all recruits after they have finished training, and also short timers and further transfer men. l have been about two weeks now. l do very little work here and can go ashore every night. l am almost counting the hours before l can come back to the :OZarks", l have made five trips to Europe since last November, and have had no furlough in that time and and am sure that few days in Ark ansas do me world of good am coming home soon, but as yet l have told nobody when l am coming. l have been looking forward for quite while to the pleasure l would get by sur prizing the people at Mayfield.
 Peoule living inland as we do have a very slight knowledge of what the Navy is really doing. The newspapers have been playing up the exploits of our "Sammies" at the expense of the Navy Though the Bluejackets do not ask for any praise 1t is no more than fair to give them little more recog- hilton in this great World War than IS generally accorded them. When a soldier or Marine in the trenches is shot or gassed here comes an am bulance and takes him to Base Hos pital and he gets the best medicine and treatment that human ingenuity can devise and on the other hand imagine ship coming back across, empty She is conveyed only through the War Zone (about i or days out) and she is then left by herself and most Sup ply Ships are made very fragile. One torpedo would sink her easily and what about the unlucky fellow who did not have time to get to life boat He goes down like a rat in trap, but I don't mean to scare anybody or be a pessimist. l am only giving you 2 few of the things tsat confront u: Sailors every day We realize what tho war is all right.
 l shall attempt to give you an ides of my last trip to France. It was made on the U. s. & Norlina, a large l freighter. On this particular trip w started out from Baltimore, with cargo of copper, steel, Army Motol trucks and provisions of all kinds
 We got orders to proceed to Hamp ton Roads and join the Convoy tha was being formed there. Througl some mistake we arrived there too lat to catch the convoy so we were ther ordered to Halifax, N s. to await th' completion of British convoy whlei was being assembled there.
 Ws>lay at anchor in this place 10 10 days, and during that time we go to go ashore five times.
 Halifax is quaint little eft! nestled down in a group of hills In bend of the coast line. We were treat ed very nicely by the inhabitants dur ing our stay there and was deepi grieved to look upon the results of th terrific explosion which occurred ther last January, when munition ohi was rammed. There was about on half mile square of the city entirei wiped off the map by the explosion and the fire which followed It.
 Leaving there we were in eonVo of 43 ships, only one other of whle was an American. The trip over wa uneyentful and we arrived safely the port of Plymouth, England. :"
 wore between the Isle of Wight an the mainland. From where we wef anchored we could see ancient castle way back in the hills and one coai almost imagine the knights Tn amo riding down from the hills.
 We were only in Plymouth thre days but we all got liberty and ha a chance to see some real Ehgils people and one of their cities, but W were puzzled over the matter pounds, shillings, and pence, In pull chasing such souvenirs as attrae'e us.
 Our next stop was Le Havre, Franc inst across the English Channe which we found to be living up to Il reputation for roughness.
 l To Havre is an odd little city Wit