Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1919-01-23
Lloyd Newbern's
Ship Board Letter
Takes Part in Torpedo Fight
Near Shore and Was at
Roosevelt Funeral


date of January 10th the Democrat
receives quite an interesting letter
from Lloyd Newbern, who is serving
in Uncle Sans navy in the Atlantic
squadron with the battle crusier, U.
S. S. Canton In part he says:
'Just a few lines to let you know
that am back on American soil
again. We reached port on the morn
ing of New Years Day. and this is
the first shore leave that l have had.
This time in crossing the ocean we
landed at Southampton, in England,
arriving there about the middle of
October. Eighty miles from London
it is naturally one Of the most i'm.
portant ports on the south coast. Of
course l have now seen London, eros.
sed Waterloo bridge and seen the
kings castle. Our stay there was
limited to twenty.four hours, and we
returned to find that our ship had
gone on to Plymouth, which gave US
a short overland trip. Five days
stay there and we headed for Queens
town, Ireland where mail is ex-
changed and ships crossing usually
make stopping place before cross.
ing the channel to England 1ere
we were given time to go to Dublin
we were back at Plymouth, however,
when the armistice was signed and
the first steps taken toward making
peace. For short time our ship
was made use of for the confinement
Of about two hundred German priso.
ners. They were a lean, hungry
looking lot and eventually we got rid
| of them at Southampton, where they
were transferred to one of the British
prison camps. Some Of them who
! were able to talk United States ex
pressed themselves as satisfied to be
cut of the war and exhibited little or
no interest in the final outcome of
the war; An incident that will per-
haps help to make this letter of some
interest is the fact that we assisted
in the rescue of party of survivors
of a Japanese passenger ship. There
were about three hundred in the par.
ty in all. The sight of these men
women and children lying almost
, lifeless on RATS and in the bottom Of
boats when we found them about one
hundred and fifty miles from shore is
/, one that shall always remember.
as something picturing most vividly
the relentless way in which this war
: brought about the wastage of human
lives of which there has been such a
fearful sacrifice. | forgot to mention
in the start off of this letter that in
rammed while coming dowa tie coast
of Nova Scotia, and before getting
under way for the ocean trip had to
put into harbcr for repairs. 1t was
the result of collision when two
> ships were trying to get out of one
another's way in a fog. In this case
we were the third ship and should not
4 have got the blow. The ship at which
the tofpeao Is sulposeu 10 nave oeeh
! aimed, however, was SUNK and there
: were number CT other eNcitlng IN"
: cidant5 that hap med before we
: reached Queeast2"a On Thanksgiving
dag mat we mas quite tune f3!a5
be realized from 1Ha fac1 that }h=
Irish turned in and helped ia to cala
i7ez-9 An event nat aa4 haPP7a LEA
~ sans country sl 2e my "@fQia vs.
Ter z, ana Whl.i VS. i2ttuo&F2 ~
: lei@ aI.7 TO WlI.-32 part o. VI
Ea4 21 ~ Pre- 31 I ls
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