The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-08-28
FROM THE BOYS IN SERVICE
Recent Letters Descriptive of the Life of the B
in Army and Navy

Mr.. and Mrs John B. Dunton of IA
Highland street have Just received an in
teresting letter from their son, John b.
Dunton, jr., radio operator on the e. S. S.
Conostoga, written at the army and navy
Y. NJ. G.. A. in New York after a trip
which included stops at the Bermudas
and Azores. The letter follows:
Dear Folks:
| guess it is about time | wrote you
| few lines for change. 1t seems a year
since | wrote last. | got letter in Ber
muda on our return from the Azores with
lot of news in it. 1t was the first letter
| for about month, so it was sure appre-
ciated.
| have got so much to tell you that l
don't know where to start in.
| We had an meventful trip all the way
and back No submarines and no rough
weather, although we were constantly
expecting both. 1t seems funny to be
outside of land for weeks at a time, see
ing only water and the other ships and
perhaps a flying fish and sharks or por-
poises for excitement, but you soon get
used to that.
On the way to Bermuda / was little
lsick, but soon got over that. Seasiek-
ness is an awful feeling while it lasts.
For while l considered making couple
of life buoys into a bicycle and riding
back, but the captain didn't think that
was practical We were pretty glad to
pull up against the dock at Bermuda and
stretch our legs again on dry land.
Il Bermuda Islands consist of one narrow
crooked ridge broken by bays and straits
at numerous places. 1t is the top of a
sunken mountain range, l judged from
the strata of rocks along the shore. The
islands rise in hills perhaps $50 feet high
and roll gently to the beach. The hills
are covered with rank grass, scrub
cypress and other small evergreens, and
all kinds of palms and cacti which l
won't attempt to describe in detail, also
ferns in places higher than a mans head.
The most common Towering tree or bush
is the Euphorba, which grows in profu-
sion and its white and pink flowers
somewhat resembling Old Sid's noun
tain pinks) add touch of color to the
hills when seen from distance.
Bananas, oranges, grapes and cocoanuts
grow there. The bananas picked from
the trees have a much different flavor
from those we get at home and the cocoa
nuts wouldn't be recognized as the same
fruit as those we get at home.
We bought bananas there for two cents
pound or about two for cent for those
big ones from the eolored boys who swan
out to our moorings with them on their
backs. Cocoanuts were FIVE cents each.
Bermuda is directly in the Gulf stream
and so is warmed by the hot breezes from
the Gulf of Mexico, giving it a semi-trop'
zeal climate. The days are hot and the
nights cold 1t was the rainy season
when we were there. and we usually eX
peeted shower about every three hours
| but the sky would be clear five. minute.
afterward If we didn't get wet by the
rain we went swimming. so what was the
/ difference? The water was warm. about
IS degrees by the thermometer, and ST
salty that it didn't require any exertior
to float
The natives there are black They ar,
clean, honest and Industrious. As a clas
thew are better than the Negroes in on
country and are treated better by tn
white people. / saw a eolored boy g
ashore with about $50 of our money am
come back without touching a cent o
it. Coored mammies came and got on
dirty clothes and washed them for us.
~ The white population consists of tn
soldiers and sailors, visitors and resi-
dents. The residents always wear white
knowing that it is a cool color. TIL
buildings are made of sandstone and ar
painted with lime, roofs and all, so the
appear white, too.
There is no fresh water supply, othe
than rain water, there SO the government
has taken over the water supply. On til
hillsides there are graded watersheds
j catch the rain which is stored in big els
terms until dry weather comes. 1t is
punishable crime to maliciously vast
the water on the islands.
There are no railroads, street cars c
automobiles allowed on the island
Bicycles are permitted, but are restricte
to a speed of 400 miles per hour"
! signs posted in conspicuous places.
The island is patrolled by Boobies, {
English cops. They are dressed just {
\ YOU NAV have seen them pictured, wit
helmets fastened under the nose by
\ wide strap of black, lots of brass button
J and other decorations. On their lie
4 sleeve thew wear lateral, stripes abol
four inches long on the cuff, which sho
\ their seniority or rank English marin
4 wear uniform much like Salvati'
Army officer and a soldier wears III
The sailors wear a uniform about Ii
I ours except that they wear blue fl
4 hat with white top at all times Th
B have no stars on the collar. The Fren
have uniform much the same exec
4 for a white starched detachable coll
= put on for dress on their jumpers and
white tam-o' shanter style of hat with
. blue bob top. Portuguese soldiers We
: gray and red uniform with lit
IN ~ round hat. Spanish sailors wear VIII
~ fiat hat with a green band and anch'
on the collar instead of stars.
rec Well. at last we left for the Azor
mo about 500 miles. The voyage was wi
ley out incident We didn't see any subn
to rines You couldn't expect them to
tack us when we were surrounded
ms ehasers. We were Is days on the
.ee. across and land sure looked good to
osa after that time on the water.
me The Azores are larger than the
ate mudas The island we went 10 was
ws,
met