The record., 1918-02-12


and we were compelled to wear
our life-belts day and night. |
We slept, ate, walked in them. /
Since the weather conditions /
were fairly good all the way over,
the trip occupied q little less
than two weeks. one morning,
about $50, the cry ran through !
the ship, Land in sight" We
discovered then how nervous we
had really been; for the sight of
land was a big relief. We all felt
that, now, since a torpedo had
not got us, we had at least
| lighting chance for our lives.
New hopes and ambitions sprang
lup as the shores of our Sister
| Republic France, came into fun
view. We were unable to reach
our dock until late al night.
Then what reception we re-
lceiNed from the people that were
! gathered ON the shore cheering
and waving handkerchiefs. But
there was something strange
about the crowd, something 1
did not, could not, understand.
With all the cheering it was
something different from any
gathering had ever seen in
America. Gradually l began to
realize that not a young man was
in sight, only women of all ages
and men of old age. They tried
to be cheerful, yet, underneath it
Ian, you could see that their lives
were full of sorrow. All France
was (and is) in training camps,
or at the front stemming the on
rush of the Huns, who have
desccrated everything that the
French hold dear. l wonder what
would happen in our America if
the "Boche" ever set foot ON our
soil.
As soon as we were made fast
to the dock, Yankee troops were
on the gang-planks going ashore
in jig time, and steam was hiss
d ing from engines as the valuable
cargo we had brought over began
to go ashore ON derricks. The
next morning we marched i'm To
an American training or rest
camp, where old Glory was flying
p from tall nagslan, ON French
soil. The French soldiers walk
ing here and there. i'm quaint uni
forms, with red pants and blue
coats seemed very foreign tO us
o. OF course by this time we have
grown accustomed to such sights
.Our stay i'm the training camp
!. was limited to a very short time
when. for reasons, which the
censorship will not allow me tC
n state, the welcome news came
that we were to move. Soon Oul
= packs were rolled and W.
- marched through the streets o
the ancient seaport to the rail.
= road station, which i'm times o
r peace must have been YER,
4 beautiful place. Here womeI
- were to be seen i'm large number
= working i'm the cOal-yards, wash
ing railroad cars, i'm fact, per
=, forming all the work once per
. formed by the men now i'm train
; ing at the front. We we're some
y what surprised to find ''Side-doo
Pullmans" of the European type
, which are about half the size o
o. our freight cars, lined up read
% for us to pile in. A sign on on
. "Parlor Cars" showed that the
- could accommodate about fort
.o, men or eight horses. We wer
VI ISSUED emergency rations for tn
~ trip. Some time later we arrive
~ at our destination. Impression
, of the ride are out of order, bl
al I may say that our present locf
IN ton is a very beautiful section
III France. and that we are workir
9 from morning until night.
.Iv much for a brief description
nt our trip.
av 1 wish to thank you very kind
ilv for the sweets and good thinl
ed to eat. the cigars, tobacco, al
he cigarettes, and also reading ma
e. ter. The men in our army III
,el up i'm the hundreds and at lea
Sc, twenty per cent of these men a
Eagles. They also join in WI
me in expressing their than