Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1918-08-15

the city, have received a letter from
John B. Lambert, formerly a resident
of Baraboo He says:
Baltimore, Nd,
July 25p91S.
Dear friends:
l will now take pleasure in writ
ing you a few lines. l have been
waiting for me some place but have
not gotten it yet. hope you are al
as this letter leaves me, in the bc7 Of
health.
We are having some awfully hot
weather here since we got in; it has
been up around So and SO degrees
most Of the time.
| am ashore now for two days, as
our ship is in dry dock for repairs, so
l will take this opportunity to tell you
something about our trip.
We left here on May IA and arrived
at Hampton Roads, which is near Nor
folk, Va, on the 10th. We laid there
two days, and then got sealed orders,
to be opened 800 miles at sea, so we
steamed out and opened our orders,
which told us to go to Nova Scotia.
When we arrived at Halifax there
were fifteen ships already there, and
we waited for some more. think we
stayed there six days and left on May
80, with convoy of 48 ships, all load
ed with war stuff, the largest convoy
of ships / ever saw start from here.
Six of them had to turn back on &C.
count of engine trouble or lack Of sup
plies to get them over and back, as a
ship leaving here must have plenty
of fuel and supplies to get over and
back, or they must turn back. One
ship went eight hundred miles and
then had to turn back. The third
night out from England one ship was
sunk just ahead of us, and the last
night before we entered the English
channel one was sunk. We heard the
noise and saw all the wreckage float
ing as we hurried on. Then the big
gest ship with us was sunk six hours
before she would have reached port.
The convoy split up when we reached
the channel, some going to Italy, some
to England, and others to different
ports in France. We arrived in La
Havre on June 81, that is, we got in
to the docks, as we lay outside two
days waiting to get in.
1t took us ten days to unload, and
we left theer on July l and crossed
the channel to Plymouth, England.
We lay there ten hours for orders and
left on July 8 by ourselves. At 3 p.
NJ on July 4 we sa wa torpedo pass
our bow, missing us by about thirty
feet. 1t was quite foggy and rough,
and we did not see the SUBJ, which
was good thing for the SUBJ, as all
hands wanted to have battle with
one just to have some fireworks on
the Fourth When we were eight
hundred miles out, one ship was sunk
ahead of us, so we changed our course
and steamed north for two days. Then,
when we were coming down the coast,
the San Diego was sunk right where
we were one hour before it was, sunk,
but are here and all hands are
happy. The San Diego was the ship
I was on so long when | was in the
navy before.
Did you know that there is boy
named Shepherd, from Baraboo, in the
navy? I was walking down a street
into La Havre with two other ship
mates when we met two more sailors
and asked them where we could find
a barber shop. One of the boys asked
the others where they were from and
one of them said, wisconsin" My
chum said, "Well, WE'LL There's an
other big skinny bum from Wiscon-
sim" So I asked him what part, and
when he said "Baraboo," I nearly fell
dead. We talked while. but neither
of us had much time and l have not
seen him since. He was on ship the
same as I. / tried to see Max and
Oscar, but could not find out where
they were. will wait till I get my
mail before / write any more. think
it must be here by tomorrow. How is
old Sport and all the cats? Welt
will close for now, wishing you all the
best Of luck and hoping to hear from
you again soon.
Yours as ever,
JOHN B. LAMBERT.