Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1919-06-12
The Trip Homeward Bound.
Delayed By Train Crew, Coal
ing and Heavy Sea.
Mothers Day May 18th, 1919.

ing anu HedVy Ood.
Mothers Day May 18th, 1919.
Dear Mother and ALL
Today will write you letter although
it cannot be mailed until after land and
| hope by the time you receive it that l
will have my discharge. This is quite a
big day for us being Mothers Day also
six months since the signing of the armis-.
Size and our first day at sea homeward
bound. We went to the train at Bar sur
Aube on; the 18th at 4. 80 in the morning
and were loaded on an American train
box car style 40 men to car and it was
quite comfortable at that as they are
supposed to carry 60 men. We were just
ready to leave when we found out that
our train crew was indisposed and of
course we had to wait all day for new
crew and did not leave until $50 in the
evening being about day late. When
we arrived at Marseilles our boat was
just leaving. We came in day late and
as we were not there On time another
bunch took our place. We weren't bit
mad, lust boiling. This was April Both
and we had to wait until the 10th OF May
for another boat. Camp Covington was
a regular Jail lacking handouts and will
tell you about my stay there when get
home. We went aboard the S. S Europa
an Italian boat at 2 O'Clock on May 10th
and sailed at CPS. 1t is very clean boat
and the eats are very good. We have
beds with mattresses, and | am very
much surprised at the general appearance
of the boat it is not near so large or
fast as the Leviathan and it will take
much longer to get home We are run
ming very slow and hugging the coast
very close as we are very low with coal
and will stop several days at Gibraltar to
take on coal after which it will take IL
or more days. Will add to this from day
to day as anything new occurs. Hoping
to be with you by Decoration or shortly
after
May 18th.
Lots of the boys have been seasick. 1t
is very hard to write The boat is toss
ing quite bit We passed the coast of
Spain this morning and was very near
shore. With field glasses you could see
people moving about We are now in
sight of some kind of land which think
is Gibraltar. There is 1878 men on board
this boat, being First Army men and sew
eral companies of machine gunners OF the
18th Division of the First Army division.
| brought Is oranges and lemons with
me, and they taste very good now.
May 18TH
Yesterday was a beautiful day, and we
were travelling along the coast of Spain
nearly all day. This morning we are at
anchor at the famous Gibraltar, and from
the number of ships, if they are all wait
ing for coal, we will be here three days
or more, 1t is beautiful town built
along the base of the rock and even along
the sides. 1t is raining and we are all
below deck. We can see the shores of
Africa through the fog, and think when
the sun shines we will see part of that
great country.
May 18th.
Was just getting ready to write yes
terday when l learned | could get shore
leave for the afternoon and of course /
postponed writing. Gibraltar is surely
some beautiful place, and the neatest and
cleanest town have been in over here.
They started coaling yesterday morning
and are still hard at it this morning. Can
you imagine it. At one of the largest
coaling posts in the world the coal is car
ried aboard in bushel baskets by men and
boys, and the process is slow. | have
hopes of getting out of here tomorrow.
Everybody looks like negroes because of
the coal dust, but everybody is wearing
blue overalls to protect their clothing.
This tropical sun is very hot. Oranges
are very plentiful and can be bought as
low as rs cents per dozen. Large lemons
are the same price. However, we have
to purchase them on the sly as we are
not allowed to purchase from peddlers.
May 10th.
Still at Gibraltar. Yesterday was very
beautiful. A slight breeze blowing and
the coal dust is fierce
May 18th. ION the high seas)
We left Gibraltar at 625 on the even
ing of the 10th and all that evening
we were travelling along the shore of
Africa and today we are on the high seas
l did not write yesterday for the reason
that / was seasick and if you have never
been seasick you cannot even imagine
what it is like. / am feeling pretty good
this morning We have passed through
large schools of fish. don't know what
kind they are but they are quite large
and jump sometimes several feet out in
the water and can travel as fast as the
boat and faster. When they see the
boat coming they come with all speed
towards it.
May 2Oth
We are today in the midst of an ocean
storm which has been raging since yes
terday morning early and l have been
lying in my bunk most of the time. The
waves sweep even the topmost deck and
the old boat is bobbing like cork famed
by 40 or so mile an hour gale. Nearly
everybody is seasick. We passed the
Azores Uslands) last evening and hope