Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1918-11-07
An Explosive Cargo

Mr. and Mrs. e. V. Alexander, VINO
reside in the southwestern part of the
city, have received letter from John
B. Lambert, we'll known in the neigh
borhood. Those desiring to see the
pictures mentioned may do so by call
ing at the Alexander home. The let
ter follows:
Norfolk, Va. Oct IA, 1918.
Dear Friends: |. will have to write
to you instead of coming, as l have
been planning to do. We got in here
on the 9th, and I have been trying to
get off ever since until this morning.
My hopes were shattered then, when
the captain said four days was the
most anyone could get, as we are load
ing fast with rails for another voyage.
We left Baltimore on August II,
and could not get any mail or send
any after that, as we had special
cargo Of whippet tanks, motor trucks
and gas shells.
Our decks were loaded with gas
shells of the worst kind known-a
new invention-one drop of which
would cause the death Of anyone near
it. That is why you see us with gas
masks on; also new kind never used
in France before. You will see me in
all three pictures without much look
ing.
The first mail / received since leav-
ing Baltimore was yesterday, when !
got sixteen letters. All of my friends
were so good to write me nice long let
ters and all were planning what to
do when | came to Baraboo, and now
[ am about grieved to death to think
of disappointing everyone, to say
nothing of myself | cannot say when
| will be home again, for l will never
promise anything more until l am
sure of it. The Lord is sure good to
me, to spare me and give me such
good friends. You do not know how
it hurts me to disappoint you ALL 1t
is not so bad for me, as | am used to
it, but 1 hate to disappoint all my
friends. You may think | take queer
atreaks and write queer things but
am first writing my thoughts. | hear
and see things over in France that
would make anyone wonder if there
is God and Justice. I sometime
think not
We have had about as hard trip
as | ever want to take again. 1t was
cold, and stormy and foggy all the
way over, SO foggy that we got lost
En n
France with a shipload weighing $500
tons We had high explosives, gas
shells, and many other things that en-
dangered us; and the ship bounced
and pounded so that we expected to
go to pieces any minute. We were
on the ground four hours and the cool
headed captain. and his ability to
handle the job, saved us. We went all
the way over without any convoy, as
it was not thought best to have any
ships near us if anything happened
We saw a sub at two different times,
but we either scared them off or it
was too stormy for them to get shot
at us. We fired a shot at one. and
five at the other, but as it was so
rough we couldnot hit them. While
we were aground there was another
ship sunk less than a mile from U.S.
We heard the explosion but did not
know what it was at the time, not
until we got into port and were told.
We went to Bordeaux this trip but
didn't get ashore at all there. so can
not say much about that port fired
over and back this trip and like it
better than running the engine; am
so busy while working and so tired
when off that go to sleep immediate
ly on climbing into my hammock.
am the only one that gains weight on
the ship, it seems that the harder
work the fatter get, and the better
feel. We ran out of nearly every
thing to. eat this time and lived on
canned beef for two weeks; We had
only about ten ton Of coal when we
reached port and we burn about five
!. tons an hour. = Coming back was
hard trip for us also. az it was stormy
and the ship so light that she bounced
around SO much that it was nearly i'm
possibie to stay in our hunks. We.
or npns OF the boys that I have seen,
are tired enough OF the war to want
peace on any German plan. They all
want to fight to a finish, and it is not