Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1919-01-18

lands that l ever saw. Here we got
off the train and washed up .o1
breakfast My bath consisted OF the
dew off the grass but 1t felt re1fesh-
ing at least About O'CLOCK We
started again and at 10 were in Mon-
treal. At Montreal we were put on
board an English troop or frelgnt
ship, known as the Alma. TINS snip
was camouflaged, painted in black
white. blue. red, ETC., in stripes. On
July 14th at A. NJ. we left Mon
treal and sailed up the Saint Law
renee and at the next morning we
passed Quebec and for three days we
saw the most beautiful scenery mag
Unable. During this sail we passed
under the great steel bridge that
crosses the Saint Lawrence. You
know that this is the bridge that the
Canadian government has had so
much trouble in putting up and at
last they called on the American en-
gineers to put the center span IN
place.
Halifax
On July 18th at noon we arrived in
Halifax. and dropped anchor. Here
we had an opportunity to see from
the ship that part of Halifax that
was wrecked by the explosion. also
the steamers that were blown ashore.
We left Halifax on July Goth at A.
NJ. and sailed in a zig-zag course
from then on.
Our Convoy
There were 90 boats in our convoy
each travelling at the same rate of
speed and in column formation. We
were escorted by n British Cruiser
and two British destroyers. The lat
ter travelled with us 4S hours then
turned back. For ten days We sailed
with only water as a landscape. Dur
ing this time we sailed somewhere
near the coast of Greenland and
sighted ice bergs at distance. Talk
about being cold Gee whiz: Well Pa.
at o'clock in the afternoon of the
30th the sea was as calm as Mirror
Lake, we were attacked by subma-
rinCS.
The Attack
Previous to this we had been picked
up on that same morning by Amer
lean Destroyers. 1t was foggy and
they lost us but along towards noon
they found us again. eight of them.
AS l was saying, at 8 o'clock we were
attacked. A sub came up in the mid
Ole of us about 40 feet from the boat
we were on. 1t fired torpedo which
passed our bow and the ship in front
of us. the SaXonia. turned. hard to
port and fired at the torpedo getting
it at the first shot. In the meantime
the cruiser fired and sank the sub.
No doubt you have read how a
submarine goes down after it is hit.
Well I saw the whole show. You
ought to have seen those American
destroyers. Talk about speed, they
they went around and around it.
dropping depth bombs. They aimed
there were seven subs that attacked
us. The little destroyers got the
most of them with depth bombs. All
the fellows were tickled to death. my
self included. Watching that fight.
They have nothing on those destroy
erS.
Liverpool.
From then on until we landed ~
Liverpool. nothing of any conse-
duence happened On the 31st at 2
7. NJ. We landed at Liverpool and at
6 o'clock we took train and trav-
clcd until one the next morning, Pass
ing through many beautiful places
and saw neat farming lands. AT 10
we arrived in Winchester. got off the
train and hiked a couple of miles with
our packs. All up hill and as dark as
pitch. At O'Clock we were in camp
Moon Hill. an English rest camp. all
you rested was your stomach. The
name sounds good but that was ALL
l will tell you the rest later We
We're put in English barracks for
three days. During our stay here our
first lieutenant took the company on
n hike to the Winchester cathedral.
There we saw King Arthur,s Round
Table. An old English gentleman
there gave us the age Of the Cathe-
dral and what Kings had owned it at
describing it. This I will show you
later.
! On Aug 3. we left Winchester for
South Hampton There, We I mean
our company. loaded n steamer. the
name of which is Yale l found out
, later that this steamer formerly ran
from New York to Boston. In loading
this steamer the company maze
record that hadn't been beaten by any
troops that came across. Aug. 4th
we embarked on a fast English
steamer, of 20 knots known as the
A nnlnnIF Fnn