The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1918-08-08
AN INTERESTING, NEWSY
LETTER FROM THE FRONT


there was noticeable falling off fol
dinner and supper. After couple OF
days the weather got warm and the
sea very calm. Some days it was
calm enough to sail the ocean with a
Co.. q. Sunsess IN those days were
wy interesting, as the glimmer over
the smooth ocean, just before the sun
drugs behind the hill, is very beauti-
fri
1''e room right next to US, on "The
C~~>. Ship thu ~-ought us over" was
occupied by two Y. M. C. A. workers
who we're going over to France. One
was minister from Ohio, the other
New Yorker who in previous years
was a Captain in the N. Y. National
Guard. They had room full of stuff,
books, Y. M. c. A. paper and envel-
ops, etc. We visited with them often
and they with US, and we surely en-
joyed their company.
The canteen on board ship opened
up on the 18th and there was a tre-
mendous run on it, and it was all
sold out of candy in about two days.
With candy gone, we tried to get some
other eats, and all we could get was
jam, in small tins, and mustard. We
got five tins of. the jam, some peach,
some blackberry. Got one can of the
mustard to experiment with it. We
found it to be very mild brand, put
out by Libby, Mcneil & Libby. It
went fine on the corned beef and beans
it was even very good on bread-so
we went back and each bought two
bottles more. So good was this mus
tard, and so tasty did it make the
"chow" that we ate all five bottles by
the time we landed. While the other
fellows had to eat up in the mess
room, we could take our "-lh:ee'v'' e:d
carry it back, in our me putdh1, tU
the stateroom, and set, it G.! our field
desks and eat in comfort. We missed
the candy for a day or two, but the
mustard became very agreeable SUBJ
stitute.
When we were about in the middle
of the Atlantic, for two days there
was a steady, raw, north wind which
blew the ocean into great swells, rs
or 80 feet high. These swells would
be about 20 or 80 rods apart, and be-
tween them "valley" of course. Our
ST. which W. about an 5000 ton
boas when hit b. ne of these "swells"
wcI;' list to the light, then when the
swell passed. tho ,aip would fall down
into he "val1ey'', Between the swells,
tippj g the other way; and it was this
thtn :, back and forth, ranging from
e.: lyle of - " about Is degrees,
for two days. Things surely did slide
on ship. The first night of this rough
sea Strang stayed in the upper birth,
but he had a backache the next morn
ing from holding himself in bed. The
next night. we both slept in the lower
berth. About 10 o'clock, when it
was pitch dark, Strang's desk fell off
the sofa with an awful noise, and we
thought something was smashed, but
when daylight came, we found moth
ing was broke. q. : 49,.
The first day out at sea we discov-
cred that ordinary toilet soap could
not work in salt water, and every
body then tried to get some "Salt
Water Soap" They had none at the
canteen, so we were out of luck. How
ever, l managed to find some grit
similar to Gap" or ground Sapolio,
and this was fine for washing the
mess pans with salt water. But, or
binary soap is absolutely no good in,
salty water. If you know of any boys
who expect to move overseas soon, let
them know about this, so that they
can provide themselves with some
kind of grit cleaner, as it is the only
thing that is any good, when washing
in salt water. Possibly there is such
a thing as "Salt Water Soap" but if
there is, I never heard Of it until on
that boat, out at sea.
On arrival in France, we marched
to a rest camp, whGe we remained
for three days. The Y. M. C. A. had
three establishments at. that place, at
one of which they sold lemonade,
chocolate cookies, etc. They also had
some fine strawberries. These they
sold at the rate of rs cents for a
large bowl full, or half a hat full, as
many of the boys carried them away
in their hats. They had few tables
there, and one could sit down and
eat them there. OF course there was
no sugar and cream for them, but the
large luscious berries were good
enough of themselves. Then there
was a commissary at this place where
Lowney's and Millard's chocolates
were on sale, for about cost, and we
ate so much candy we pretty near got
enough. AS soon as we got in France,
the desirability of having French
money instead of u. S. became appar-
ent, and there was great rush to
change it into French money. This
was done at this camp by the Y. NJ.
c. A., who made the exchange at the
rate Of $50 france for $1.0O
We had delightful trip across
France, travelling in III class coaches
They are in compartments, and there
is door that opens to the outside Of
the coach, on both right and left sides
of each compartment. In other words
the train was not vestibuled; and tc
get into our space in the coach, we
had to step from the platform right
into it. The coaches are about one.
fourth the size of modern U. S
passenger coach. The country is very
beautiful. In the western part the
fields are small, most of them appear
ling to be about two to ten acres If
size, the division being mostly by
stone fence, with hedge growing on it
The hedge fences over here are re-
markable. Then there are other places
where the fields are much larger, ant
where the oats and wheat fields loco
just like they do in Iowa. We SEE
quite lot Of American made agricul
tural machinery over here.
After we detrainad we noarchor