Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1919-04-02

you can probably imagine what con-
dition this cruiser was in when she
| left the field of battle with her entire
main deck, smoke stacks and other
above deck equipment riddled with
shot and shell. To tell the truth her
/ stacks and combings looked more like
sieve than magnificent hull Of the
Ship Builders art. From combing to
keel the cruiser was protected by the
sea-wall. If it had not been for this
protection she would have been sunk
within five minutes of her appear
ance The British lost number of
small tug boats, that towed the con-
crete vessel to its position. with all
hands aboard.
On our starboard beam rose the out
lines of the city of Brest. Hugh Gle
Chateau castles) q good many of them
now turned into military prisons,
frowned down over the harbor. To
me it looked more like strongly
built fort than a ''chateau" | will
show you picture of this chateau"
when get home. In the afternoon
half the ships crew were given liber-
ty and | was one of the bunch that
went ashore that afternoon. What
time | did have!!! Wait until | get
home so can tell you things l do not
feel justified in writing.
From the navy yard docks to the
main street level (if one can say that
Brest has a street level) was a net
work of stairs. stopped counting
the steps when | had reached one hum
dred, because my mind was becoming
confused with the intricate turns, and
sweeps and wings of the long flight of
stairs Finally l reached the upper
side and stood looking down a long
narrow street, the ..Rue De Sian"
(Rue) means street, the main street
of the city, watching street car
coming toward me. that put me in
mind of lunch cart, it was so small
and ricky.
1 think am justified in saying that
Brest i located on mountains because
| entered a shop on the Rue De Siam
on the street level. walked thru the
building on the same floor and upon
coming to the rear | was about eight
stories from the street level. In eros
sing from one street to another, be-
lieve me, you have to apply the brake
or you will have toboggan ride free
of charge that may do one little
damage, especially clothes. The ''Rue
De Siam" is on the next highest ridge,
and from this point one can look over
the entire city, lying below, with its
odd buildings and towers showing up
a place of church meetings or amuse-
ments Amusements though are very
few in Brest. The war has taken all
the pleasure out of life for the French
people.
The streets are long and narrow, re-
minding me great deal of the old
city of Boston, Mass. The sidewalks
are very narrow indeed, just enough
room for two people to pass. The
traffic part of the street is used more
by the populace than the sides walks
Street car lines are single tracked,
what few lines there are.
Most of the shops are little chubby
holes in the buildings not unlike our
shoe-shine parlors in America. The
majority of the shops are perfumers,
newspaper and souvenir shops. The
perfumers carry about the same line
of stock that of our modern dug
store, while newspaper shops carry
newspapers, toys and great many
other odds and ends. Souvenir shops
carry nearly anything one may want
from wooden shoes to stamps.
The children were dressed on the
order of our little tots. Wooden shoes
and low stockings that came half way
up to the knee. Trousers that came
down to the knee, leaving part of the
leg exposed to the weather-and this
in mld-winter.
did not see one solitary pleasure
automobile in the city, in fact, no au-
to of any kind other tn an United
States military cars and trucks.
Business is good for the people in
Brest, as the city contains many sail
ors and soldiers. There is an army
camp near Brest, from which troops
embark for home. All the boys have