Norwich bulletin., 1918-10-31

The Porto Ricans declared it holiday, all work was stopped but tne stores kept open. Well, we tried everything that came along. Anything that was new to us we tasted. Most of Us were broke, as the saying goes. so we didn't get a chance to buy much. But those that did have money were. sick the next day. 70
 We'll we visited al! the places of in terest The two old Spanish forts that are still manned by our own coast artillery. Also the governors palace, 8 very pretty building of concrete. Then the base hospital. which is the latest and finest building saw. I is to be used after the war for our
 wounded soldiers. By the time we had seen all these buildings and heard their history it was time to return to the ship.
 | We left Porto Rico the next morning for our destination which was Pan anna.
 | Six days after leaving Porto Rico
 we landed in Colon harbor. There we
 boarded the train that waited for us
 and went to Camp Gaillard. We didn't
 get a chance to see what Colon look
 ed like and have not yet. The city
 is under restriction and no soldiers
 are allowed there any more oniy on
 business.
 1 We'll, at Gaillard we were examined ] by two medical majors and of course
 the results. of that eighteen day trip
 showed out quite plainly Cn US. The
 result was that we were quarantined. Of course we were put in tents. eight
 to one tent. We'll, the only way to describe the camp is Mud mat de-
 scribes it as near as I know how. All it did was rain. As luck would have it I was picked out as one of the off cer's orderles Now that wasn't so bad, but it didn't last. One of the fellows in our tent got the humps and We were quarantined all by ourselves So I had three weeks of sleep, eat and grow fat. All this time we didn't see anyone but soldiers that we had seen for eighteen days on the ship
 One day a little over three weeks af- ter we had reached camp the doctors jet us out of quarantine. We were then assigned to company and sent to Gatun where we are now stationed Once more we were amongst civil
 ians but were again stung. One of the fellows that came with us to the bar
 racks got the humps. So again we
 were quarantined for fourteen days.
 During this quarantine we got al
 our equipment and commenced drl1lins
 but could not go out by ourselves. We
 also took a hike of about fifteen miles
 and it was all we could do to get back
 having been laid up for so long we
 had no more ambition. Now we are , d.-illing every day and are doing
 guard duty.
 l was kind of sorry that l was sen , out here but now that I have seer , the canal and realize it's worth to the | United States. I feel better about it For, believe. me, this canal is ont } great piece of engineering. So I be
 lieve that even if We do not go acros: } we will be doing our bit and should } be proud of the chance-I know tha I am. Still if I had the chance 10 g. l across I would take it right away. Now for a little about the people. O. } kcourse they are colored. and of al } nationalities. They talk mostly Span ish. Even their money is Spanish 5 Speaking of money makes me thinl of a thing that happened the .othe , day. colored woman came alon! with a platter of bananas on her head Nice ripe bananasl Nice ripe bananas 3 Of course I asked what she wanted ter them. Ten cents gold. twAlt, l cents silver. Well. I.had some none,
 so I handed her twenty cents. Sh 9 handed me dozen bananas. I walk l my money changed to gold as soon a l possible. Being as it would get m t twice as much as silver. But I me an old timer on my way back and of l fered him a banana. We commence : to talk and I asked him about thi Q gold business. He commenced laugh
 ing and explained it to me. Thei s money, that is Spanish money, | tlworth only half of ours. so they cal