The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1918-12-28

Gentlemen. MS dIIOIdS HlS great
Measure in writing to You as for
--er member of your employment, as
orviIiary and mailing clerk, and since
che age of seventeen, Uncle Sam has
,,airned my service and now in France
r realize it is a long way from Romor-
,r-f7 TO Pensacola yet l stretch out
nv hand to you citizens from across
mo deep pond and give each one a
hearty clasp to let you know we boys
If the End company, 4th regiment, Air
service Mechanics. are doing our bit;
,or down in the sincerity of your
Neart I know yo uare with US.
At this stage of the worlds greatest
conflict our censor permits US the op-
7ort,Inity of revealing to you the
Course of events in which we have
participated
After close confinement in which
IN Information was withheld from US
.vro DAYS in the early hours of July
9Th we were ordered to depart for
he port Of embarlSation which later
r~oved to be Pier So, New Pork city
How we'll remember as lay thinking
IN the early hours of the morning of
home and what the future held in store
for me.
At last Just before a. M the order
was given, fall in Oh, how quiet
-ha bows were; here and there a
suothered laugh but mostly solemn
y-hisperinc At last we We're off to
face the adventure, bidding Camp Up
ION L. /. farewell. I will never for
20. the sight as the long brown col
amn swung off into the darkness. We
were not martialed away by the flare
o. music but quickly faded into the
night Any attempt at conversation
was sternly reprimanded by the Of
fcers This was my first realization
that was off to war.
We marched down to where the
troop trains were sidetracked awaiting
IS We quickly and quietly boarded
them and were whirled away, every
hing like a clock. I realized then
what tremendous task Uncle Sam
must have in transporting his great
army acros sthe sea and at the same
line outwitting the Hun subs. We ar
rived in Long Island City just as the
dawn was breaking, where ferries
were in readiness for our transporta-
Ion to Pier IS. AS we slid down the
Fast River in the early hours of the
morning. under the gigantic bridges
with the skyline of the great city on
y
hut all laughted and joked among
themselves as we warped up to the
huge docks of Pier IS, where great
liners with their camouflaged sides
we're waiting to receive us.
We hastily disembarked on the great
pier and were soon marching UP the
gang plank of the royal mail steamer
Of the Cunard Line, Saxonia. We
we're soon assigned to various depart
meHts and ready to partake of our
first mess. Long will l remember that
pgngent. appetizing odor of that d45
partment which much resembled that
Of a stock yard.
About 4 p. m. we were towed out
into the mighty Hudson where other
ships fell in behind us, our ship being
the flag ship Of the entire convoy. 1t
was not long before we took our last
look at the Statue OF Liberty. We
were guided on by an United States
hattie cruiser and were accompanied
ny scout planes. observation balloons
and sub pursuers. The scouts and
the observers departed at dusk, 1eav-
ing us to our own fate.
After two days voyage we dropped
anchor in Halifax harbor, Nova Scitia,
where we enjoyed the beautiful seem
cry of the historic old French city
and its surrounding country. Here we
had fair view of the ruins caused
by the explosion of the ammunition
ship. We stayed in port two days in
view Of the fact that a ship had just
been torpedoed out of port.
1t the end of this time our safety
being assured we weighed anchor and
steamed out upon the high seas, where
We were Joined by other transports,
his making our convoy the largest up
10 that time that had sailed from
America with troops for the A. z. F..
The number totalfng twenty-three in
all We sailed on and on in a ziZ
gag course, vending our way far to
The northward, coming in contact with
iceourgs. Day afte rday passed un-
vi at last a number of sub chasers
met US, about 400 miles off the coast
of Ireland
everything went well until 3:15 in
ne afternoon of the 18th day Of Our
'oyabe, when suddenly all were startl-
Cd by terrible thud caused by the
explosions ~ 81 depth bomb thrown by
snip on our port side. But a few
seconds elapsed until the entire deck.
ats and rigging swarned with eager
'earted, red blooded Sammies await
tHs glimpse of the first Hun sub,
""ose perlscope soon sprang in our
we" from breaking wave. Its course
"@S directed toward our ship but was
Ooh turned by the firing of several
aOAos from our port side. After cross
'es directly in front of our ship, the
S'Aonla, the exact range was G<tten
IN English sailor, our gunner on
'1e starboard SIDE who fired the fatal