The true Democrat., 1919-01-11
CROSSING The ATLANTIC
AND OTHER EXPERIENCES

they erf hunked. Fgd and e&ereisH,'
anything more that they got overseas
safely The ban on publicity having
been raised the aoldier can noR write
hosne freely. aud much more Intimate
details ere available Ne are proud
10 Say HAT Ho account either in print
of othefN ise. of such trip Is better
than The one by Sergeant Ceeil
Raypbam recently received by his
melher MrE r V Raynham Tersc
good English with illumiugtiye pow.
err description are shown by the
youug man Who received his education
Ht Julias Fselhan high school
Here Is the account
BRA ne. ,Glrondel France. Dec /
To day IS Sunday end there Is po
dfill, besid We have lds been told
that wa nay uow write anything ae
Vlgh (aith regard 60 JecutstyI SO |
am going 20 write you letter hat
viii describe bricfly everything that
has happened to me- since the t8th
Regiment of Coast Artillery left the
nrar old United States
We lslt Camp Stuart Na at noon
oH the 18th OF October, marching ~
attention all he Way 20 Newport
News, the reglmeutal hanl PLAYING
tooihy" broadway TELL France
and Ola popular music such as over
There Jean Of Are etc Tan you
lmagaa how proud I felt marching
through the streets Of Newport News
IN this 'err pfocesspo' l. pity o,
the fat t1at treaps rmbarkuR for
.etcrse - wa. common sight for the
people there, they greeted It, heartily
as we marched by Oar eighty pound
racks had heen sent ahe.,l cf us IN
trucks ,o a large eampu near the
docks ~ II NonId have been impossible
ier rs 80 have marched With them
from Camp Stuart.
Here eaeh man aean claimed bis
pack shouldered IT, Ernauea bit un.
der it8 Weight and fell il for the
ueNi stop Was so be- the ga plank of
the / : $ Huron Here wc we're
served with hol coffee ar' cake by
the Red Cross Then came tie scfam
BIZ up the gang plank. Each man was
checked on a list IN the hands OF a
navy and army officer given slip tell.
ng him where his bunk was. and told
to go belew shall never forget the
feeling | had as | stood Ou, there with
that piece Of paper In my hard Raft
II Troop Space DD. and Punk eli"
was the Information theae Navy men
expected Us land lubbers Ia use In
finding our bunks. IN despair | gave
up and did what most any other sol.
eler would have done under the cir.
CumstanCeb VIZ followed the man a.
head of me After descending tpo
Nights Of stairs ! found myself In the
section marked nE There were lost
zoldirrs down there So thick that the
alsles between the hunks we're abgo-
luiely inieaRsable The lights were
dim So make things worse, but | could
see long rows of canvas hunks
swung CA wooden racks four stories
fiEh meaning four bunkst Deciding
that II would be toolishness fer me 10
attempt ,g find Rafi q. Bunk I'll In
tu. mob ! slang my pack In the first
empty bunk and beat il Oh deck 10
ENJOY the fresh air All that evening
Ne stayed In the hafhof 4 couple of
US boys got good seats on the life RATS
aud stayed there ~ midnight watch
Ing tham load ON freight. for besides
hciag a transport this ship also carried
a large cargo OF supplies To- the Allies
BY good luck | managed % find the
bunk I'd put my stuff in There Sas
ho other place 60 put II except In the
bunk 40 | spread Il out Ia there.
crawled up on il aud went 60 sleep
Ny life on board troop 'ranepcrt had
begun
The mkt day, Oct I4th a, noon We
pulled out Of Newport News, passing
Through Hampton Rocds under the
guns ef ~ Monroe md ole Point
Comfort shall never forget how !
fell az / sax the skyline Of America
fading in the diglancel Would | come
back To il again?
Following this We daily picked mp
new transports and destFoyers. In mid
ocean there were even Transports con.
royed by one battle cruiser and eight
light cruisers
II took me two days to fina Ratt a
Bunk I'll but finally got Il. IL eas
SO dark In that part Of the ship that
the only method ! had Of finding my
bunk was TO wait until a guy In Head.
quarters Company Tot To- hts and fell
asleep then would SO 10 the entrance
.of Raft = section and listen Follow.