The weekly Alaska citizen., 1918-12-09

tl1p on one or Oucle Sam tdukeIS around the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of North and South America is an interesting one. George Herring. the writer, was formerly connected with The Citizen staff and also with the signal corps office. His narration follows:
 We are now en route to Panama canal having left Mexico yesterday and are heading for Tocopello. Chile. the same place we went with our load from the Pacific side. We had very interesting visit to Mexico. and it was the greatest thing have seen yet except the canal. of which told you in last letter. We had 8 fine trip up from the canal. no rough weather at all. and only a little heat to bother us. am getting used to the heat now and don't mind it much. The trip up is very inter. esting, as every once in while we passed islands where the heroes of the old pirate tales I used to read hung out in their palmy days. We saw lost of sharks and pOrpoises and flying fish. and just before we got to Tampico there were thousands of mackerel jumping way up in the air. There must have been big fish after them The water is full of floating weeds from which they make Florida water. We got some and put 1t in water, and 1t makes a regular per fume. A lot of canaries flew out to the boat and flew around singing merrily, until flock of hawks gob- bled them up. We arrived in sight of Tampico Friday. Oct. 4 about 10 a. m. We went around big break. water stretching out into the sea, and on up a river for quite way. finally anchoring out in the stream.
 There were a lot of boats there besides us, mostly tankers. There were tankers of all kinds and nation alities waiting to load up. and it was very interesting sight. Right at the river mouth is U. s. monitor crowded with sailors, for Tampico is under American protectorate. Up the river near town is another moni. tor also. The sight of all those ships was certainly interesting. There were dozens of camoufaged ships, and the different kinds of camouflage used were funny. One of the most interesting things to me was the sight of a big tug towing two long whaleback boats full of oil. The whalcbacks looked like subs at a little distance. We had to be out in the stream until Saturday, as there were so many ships ahead of us, and we had to wait our turn. During the afternoon a doctor came aboard and looked us over, and the company officials paid us a visit. In the evening most of the crew went ashore, and stood deck watch from 10 D. m. to 2 a. m. The gang all came back nobly lit up. We sailors were out of luck as no blue jackets were allowed ashore. This was on account of big row they had a few months ago when some blue jackets and greasers mixed and there were several deaths. These Mexicans hate an American, particu. larly one in uniform. The boys said it was a great town, a big city of 100000 people, with lots of Ameri' cans and big stores, cafes. etc. The funny part of it Is they never know when they will have to dig out When we were there Villa was ram paging just sixty miles away and refugees were pouring in on every train. Villa came right up to the outskirts of the city no so long ago. We saw his old headquarters, an adobe shack. as we came into the harbor. He burned a dock or two and bombarded the oil tanks and plants and finally left. We saw the plugged-up places in the tanks where the shells had gone thru.
 Saturday morning we loitered around the ship for while until a ship chandler came out with stores Then we helped the steward stow them away, managing to wheedle him out of a pineapple and lot ol bananas and grape fruit. Finally we got permission to go ashore in tne big yard of the oil company and around on the outside so long as we did not go down town. The ship. ir the meantime, had come up alongside a dock and was taking on oil. Wv went all thru the yard, and 1t wal a great place. The whole country is covered with oil tanks, hundreds of them, for the biggest fields in tho world are there at Tampico. Thous ands of men, mostly Mexicans, ars employed by the company. and art transported back and forth in biz launches or on railroad. The carl on this railroad are usually damned The oil plants, you see, are quite ways out of town. In the yard VI