Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-02-05
SERGEANT NJ CALL
WRITES HOME FOLKS
Tells Of Trip Across and OF Lie
Among Soldiers IN
France

n
Atlantic and some Incidents OF his soldier
life in France, has been received from
Wallace Todd Mccall, ordnance sergeant
with the II. s. Army abroad. Sergeant
Mccall is one of the thirty odd boys OF
Grace NJ. l.. Church who are doing their
hare The letter addressed to his parents
In part follows; H.:
~ Cousin Narv's " a success. " n I
do Won suppose ] old? In ord,r TO & IN
All the experience and thrills that the IMP
might provide | announced my desire 10
Contain ---- to be detailed for crows
nest duty III not disclose the date, hu, az
6vcniuutes of ten a. m. on that day that
I,,,e meyer spent at sea before, ! play
"a the mart Of a true sailor and Climb
,,d q cable ladder from the ships deck
- the upper CROW $ nest, hundred
f.,t aluft and remained there for an hour
ard one-helf looking FOR submarines.
Sceal inc of thrills. found them. Across
barren half-hidden cxpanse OF WIND
swept tumultouS sea came gale racing Al
as miles an hour The rain ratified through
tho nas; and rigging in hon zontm sheets
and il pcppered my face like buck-sho'-
srTbe shin plunged heavily IN q sea
entirely unnatural and unfamliiN 70
nv entire remembrance. ne m'lst
uho painted the picture winch recently
purchased has seen u IN all us tcmpeSIu-
1us glory The sea was not IN waves u
u-e rolling in mountain raI g's ol water so
biCh ~ tunes that ono might wonder u the
chin would be engulfeo or swallowed up
- a Uhsle swallowing a sun flsh. But
fhe foreign builders had very probal ~
considered these things a well as the
strenVth Of the steel cables and Ladder
v,inrs ana after seeing a man heavier than
couc down and knowing | was physi-
csilv capable ! started up
rms Is HOW THE WIND BLEW.
oThc gale was so strong that at one
time GOT my mouth open and experienced
= slieh, difficulty in closing II. Another
iIhlst ration of how the wind was blowing
IA shown hv telling YOU that knit stock
,ng-hat would have been blown off hnd |
aot held il on my head With nv hands.
In fact the air seemed to be soid, rather
than q gaseous element.
"As the shin tossed ahead the crow $
nest M tunes swsved TO and fro so far
that Ne frequently appeared nearly over
the side rail OF the deck below, and J
thought of the nursery rhyme Hush q.
bve bah, IN the tree top, when the WIND
blows the cradle will rock. Needless to
sav. ] had very fond regard for the steel
and prev, nted the wind from blowing US
,nt r. sea. because am inclined TO think
that If a man were To have dropped he
would have landed in the water and not on
deck. Il, sr,at sas the wind. At the end
II m, watch J experienced difficulty IN
-orning down This was due 10 the fact
that shrS, times my poncho blew upward
ospr my head and obscIlTed my vision.
BARD TO CLIMB DOWN.
Il simply hung on with one hand
ike = bird on the trunk OF y tree. and with
the other hand adjusted the garment so
that could resume the descent. After
arriving Oh dcCl. felt my first seasickncss
and sf.cr TRYING 20 est the dinner which IN
,lyacd tarkev and ice cream gave up the
sttcn,r,f and then few upstairs and onto
N. deck where gave up the portion OF the
1,esl over the rail For the two follow
,pc daNs could not even retain hot water
y..s never 50 sics IN nv life. In about
Lhese two da,s the storm passed, my
stomach read! !usted itself and I've en-
,ose-i ever n.c4l since ! must mention
ms; 81 the cnd Of the two days illness /
ras So weakened from lack of nourIsb-
roent that att,r telling nv Captain ------
4 H. sondition he told me 70 come into
his suite and 20 he on his bed until felt
spd think that II helped me materially
I. copsidr- y az unusual kindness
Ordinance sergeant and sergeant OF
orsnance first Glass have the privilege Of
messing WITH the officers and that Is the
reason vhy mess Is so good
"In the room above the dining salon
the music room which is intended only
for officers Some time sgo slipped into
thr darkened room before the Others
earne up from their evening meal and
plaved the piano. They gradually came
INTO the room, took chairs, and after listen
Inc appreciatlvely spplauded after each
piece and occasionally asked me the
name Of 8 certain selection. The darkeneo
room with hight only from an intermittent
clov OF smoking. the figures comfortably
arranged IN lounge chairs, the waves LASH
"a into spray falling upon me windows, the
puLssuons Of the ships engines, and
the rolling Of the vessel demanded as my
closing number MacDoBclls s To the Sea.
PLAYED It s. have never played 1t before
and left the room and my intellectual
bearers With tears ID my eyes
MADE HEW FRIEND.
q have made q new friend 10 Ord
uznce Sergeant Roger Peterson OF my