Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-03-15
On Board S. S.


Dear Joe: Well, we are out roll
in around in the deep blue now, Joe,
and so far everything has been ele-
giant. We're plowin' along with moth
in to look at but all the water in
the world. When 1 so out on deck
and gaze around 1 can realize how
Noah must of felt. The trip has
been kinda dull. because We amt
seen a sign of a C-boat or even as
much as hit a mine, but 1 under
stand things is liable to pick up
when we get in the war zone, and
they's n good chance of some excite
ment, so we're all tryin' to bear up
until then.
amt been seasick bit-that is,
not very. But u lot of these guys is
Wishin' they was some way of goin'
across outside of on boat, Joe.
We sneaked away from the Land
of the Free 4 whole lot different,
Joe, than the soldiers leaves for the
front in novels and plays. They was
no bands playin' and no weepin' and
cheerin' mob to wish us the best.
They wasn't nobody at the dock but
n couple of coppers, and we couldn't
even tell 'em so-long, because we
hadda keep outa sight till we got out
on the ocean. Some of the boys felt
kinda bad about that, but j guess
IL can't be helped. IL them German
spies knowed we was goin' across,
they would no doubt date us up with
a U-boat somewheTes on the ocean.
We got SO much to keep us busy
on the way over that the blues or
nothin' gets n chance to hang around
- . 1..N sN,fx
get settin'-up exercises right out on
the decks. You gotta take off every
thing but your lingerie down to your
waist and go TO it. Every muscle
in buys body gets chance to linn
ber up: "One, two, three, four
one, two, three, four." sings the cor
poral, and US doughboys moves
arms. legs and everything like the
whole $500 of us was one man. At
ter about a half hour of that with
the air off of the ocean blowin' all
over YOU, you feel you'd be willin' to
fight the German army all by your
self in the middle of Berlin! Also.
you get an appetite that would make
a Belgian refugee quit.
Then the guys which amt stand
in the trip as well as the ship is
falls out for the doc to look 'cm
over, and the rest OF us goes down
and packs away n breakfast fit for
king Gf they's any kings lefO. They
amt nobody in the world can eat as
much as a doughboy when he's in
midseason form, which is always.
Then comes lifeboat drill. Every
body puts on one of them trick life
preservers and double-quicks TO mis-
boat. Each one of them boats is sup
posed TO hold forty-eight dough-
hnya ~ thaN-Fra croOG and thin loo
if them boats can hold forty-eight
guys at one sittin', I can stop the
war! Every man is supposed to go to
a certain bpat and sit in a certain
seat. and III betcha a ticket specuia-
Tor would make a million the first
five minutes, sellin' front rows il
anything happens.
The first day we come up for the
drill they was a lot of kiddin' and
ioshin' about it. Then the lieutenant
which is in charge of our lifeboat
come along. This guys old man
has got two dollars for every fish in
name you'd think I had fell off the
wagon again. He's a new kind of
a college boy. Joe. He come from
Harvard, looks like a middleweight
champ, and is tougher than any
doughboy on the ship. Also, he's
an ace. and we would row our life
boat from here to Hades if he asked
US.
Well. he come up while we're
laughin' and kiddin' about the drill.
and he says this: Attention. I.
want you men to listen very care
fully TO what I'm going to say, be-
cause I'm only going over this once.
There is very little chance of any
hing hauDening that would causa Is
TO take to the lifeboats in earnest
but it might! If anything does hap
pen. the signal will be five sharp
blasts on the ships whistle. You
will proceed to this deck with your
life preservers on and take your boat
stations in an orderly manner. Upon
my command, the men assigned TO