Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-07-02


his fellows and the plying smiles of
fair ladies, but you should hear his
accent at the end of a week
superb!
Ready For the U-Boat .
Wednesday.
very strenuous preparations for
greeting submarine. All boats
swing out. gun crews in position, two
men in the crows nest, and men on
| guard everywhere. 1 write this on
deck with my life perserver under
my deck chair and my knapsack
swinging from the back. But every
body is most cheerful. For the first
time we have rain or rather a fine
mist which drives boys below. In the
| saloon dozen girls are rehearsing
songs to sing at the matinee this
afternoon. Dixie" John Browns
Body etc. 1 am on the program
committee and much bored. AS you
sec my writing is not firm to-day
because the sea is rougher. Mist is
lifting as 1t does in Lerchmont at
noon for a clear afternoon.
Night.
All dressed up and no place to go!
L wish you could see your little
mother. Wherever I go there also
goes my lifebelt, swinging from my
arm like knitting bag. Over my
shoulder now my knapsack, around
my waist my passport and money
bag. If the alarm came, / couldn't
get into boat to save my soul But
TINS danger zone stuff is amusing.
one man in cabin near me is actu-
ally losing flesh. His hand shakes
Ike palsy. Others play cards. Many
are sleeping on deck but mist is
heavy and my throat is quite sore so
l came below. My neighbor prom
ises to call me at a. m. as from
then to is a danger period and if
there is any fancy gun practice I
want to see it. We have some Won
derful French gunners aboard. One
with three submarines to his credit.
Perhaps you think this is all danger
zone but that is the most obvious
matter at the moment. We do the
usual things in the most unusual
way. Imagine being advised not to
Dathe Tomorrow morning and going
to the toilet swinging your iifebeIt
gaily. l can hardly write now be-
cause the ship is going at top speed.
1t seems to have conserved its
strength for one magnificent squirt.
Children-I am having the time of
my life. 1 wish you were all here.
Shifting Scenes
Next Morning.
Here sit on deck at sunrise writ
ing to you. At the ocean was a sea
of mica. Then it became opalescent
as the first color crept out from the
east. Finally the run, orange-red,
and the water, calm as Yokum pond,
turned. blue. And at last on the gray
chlifon horizon mast, a funnel, a
sharp bow-a boat Our fighting
convoy. 1t came prancing over the
water to us like a colt, sometimes
fitnging up its foam-flecked head.
When it got into our water a great
sigh went up from the deck and
many went back to bed. But it is so
quiet on the freshly washed deck
that l simply cannot go below. l will
steep when the crowd comes back.
Oh, there are so many things 1
wish you might see-especially these
alert French gunners. And the day,
as perfect as you could dream, with
a blue sea f1ecked with white and
gold. 1t seems as If no periscope
would dare raise its glass head but
we will not feel safe until we are
docked. Meantime~w eat and drink
and chat and read. This has been
done at intervals during the day or
rather morning and now l go to
lunch. My first article for -'s
NAAA w AiiC <AIIlCIlCdH INVASION OIL
desolated France. oh, the imperti-
nence of some who are going over!
These college men who know moth
ing of life outside books-these SNUG
women who will patronize the
broken women of France. 1t is fear
tul to contemplate. French women
on board are so vastly our superiors
in manners. consideration, courtesy
to each other and to us. Unless Cen
eral Pershing takes over our vast
ana undisciplined army of welfare
workers, they will verify cucumber
the soil of France. They mean SO
we'll but they are so absurdly pro-
Vlnclal. And now really to lunch.
Evening
A perfect day. At mouth of river
battleships drawn up in bright green.
water dirigibles overhead in a blue
SKY all fluffed with the softest little
clouds and right there a poor, dis
trGcted woman flung herself over
from the promenade deck. Our boat
flew on but the destroyer was right
on the job and picked her up. When
we took on the customs man they
transferred her from DESTROYER to
our steamer via a little boat and a
rope, amid great applause. Quite a
dramatic finish to our great run in
iiiiS uoSS aliu d lew IlOufS. The har-
Dor Is lovely and I look up from
your letter to wonderful low hills
turrets, forts and always vessels in
the foreground and little fishing
boats with white sails. Tomorrow at
noon we leave for Paris. Just con-
tributed to fund for gunners who get
tent cents day. They are such alert
guards | was glad to do my bit. Love
to you all and believe me-a perfect
trip. Do not worry. 1 will come
back with great tales.
Arrival thrilling. All the way to
pier, boats, dredges bearing Ameri-
can construction company names.
and various plants. let it's men come
out to see our stately advance
Whistles blew, men flung up hats
boys on our boats answered:
Where are you from?"
Michigan"
Where you all come from ?"
"Georgia-boy."
Our singers sang at Intervals:
Liberty Bell ring again."
peasants on bank, here and there
wounded porter in blue, flung out
greeting. Really it was most touch
ing and tears would come. On dock
we were met by Y. NJ. C. A. leaders
who took us first to provost marshal.
then their hotel.
IrNsae -