Carthage courier. (Carthage, Tenn.) 1913-current, 1919-01-02

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/ friends may enjoy reading it. With
every good wish that you may all en-
! joy a Merry Christmas and a Happy
/ New Year.
MISS M. ESTELLA WELTY.
Cardiff, s. Wales, Nov. "a, 1918
Dear Miss Welty:-Now as I have
some spare time ard am on night
duty will write you letter about my
coming over here.
The day we left Hoboken it was
one of those cold snowy days, not
without a noisy wind which almost
blew us off the gang plank, as we
/ boarded the old steamship New York.
We set sail about three o'clock p. m.
on the 18th of April, 1918. The first
| few hours we were tugged out into
! the angry waves which first pitched
US forward and then backward and
naturally made ones stomach feel
/ little heavy. Out there on the surg
| ing waves was a feet of patrols being
! tossed about like tiny snow flakes in
heavy wind storm. To see those
/ boats climbing the waves like mos
! quitoes on little riplets in a creek, re-
minded me of those / used to watch
/ with wild delight when child.
/ When the sun was about to shine
on the other world although hidden by
dark clouds we were called up for as
signment to beats. Then the fun be-
| gan, each one taking his turn at the
rail to help fatten the dolphins and
walms which thickly inhabit the New
England coast. Some couldn't wait
! for their turn but had to crowd up
and take their stand any how. It was
about to become my turn when the
order was passed to fall out, which
for one was about to do anyway.
was below quicker than it takes me
1 to tell you, and into my bunk. Then
l felt better but the 'thug- thug-thug"
of the double screw was very annoy
ing to a fellow who wasn't very well
in the abdomen. Nevertheless l was
billed to sleep by that melancholy
sound / was without supper that
night for knew it was no use to eat
for it would multiply itself. Zone
down and one up"
The next day was Saturday, and
many happy thoughts came through
my memory, those Saturdays on which
l used to don the gridiorn uniform
or that of the baseball, and with no
thoughts of ever crossing the Allan
/ tic to defend my country from a bar
barous foe. Even the happy days
came to memory when a very small
/ boy I played about with a beast as
/ light as heated atmosphere, with no
! thought of war, no thoughts of a sea-
! faring life, no thoughts of anything
! but the bright blue sky above and the
green fields below. There was no use
1 to look about for anything new for
knew there were several more days to
travel with the same sights in view
each day.
The third day found me better from
nv sickness. but the "chOw" we had
was enough to turn the stomach of a
cast iron dog. To show you what we
/ had / will try to give you few eX-
amples. They will long remain in my
memory. The first course was por-
rige with potatoes just as they were
dug, altho dipped in hot water. Second
course liver from some cold storage
house probably the first one built,
boiled in a copper can without any
grease or salt; with bread that was
taken out of the oven before it was
ready to be taken out. All this with
a little sea-sickness don't go together.
The third, fourth, fifth and sixth
4 days were spent very quietly. Our
bad feelings had subsidized and there
was nothing to do but lie upon deck
| in the sun shine and sometimes in the
rain. The seventh was the first and
only day / witnessed the sun set on
the water. / have heard it described
in many ways, but believe me, no one
can ever make one understand the
beauty there is in those golden rays
shooting up like gold and silver bars
from mid ocean. When l first MOTTO
ed it, l was on deck for that purpose,
l began to watch it about half an hour
before it crossed the western horizon.
Every minute it grew larger until it
looked like one great mass of fire
adrift on the water. Black clouds
and fog almost hid it from view just
before it hid its face, leaving all the
West aglow. 1t is hard to describe
but is never to be forgotten.
The eight day was a wonderful
experience. Off starboard bow was
sighted a submarine about four
o'clock in the afternoon. Where /
was a game was on between soldiers
and sailors. as usual was taking
nv, afternoon nap when all at once a
sharp crack rang out upon the water,
then another and another. What
could it be but a submarine trying to
way lay its enemy? But the forward
six and three were holding it at bay
while our brave little ship zig Jagged
-eabout to place her aft six in action.
When in action it seemed to me al
most all were direct hits. | got very
bad lar from an explosion and was I'M
able to hear out of one ear for
three or four months and now it ISM
h in very good condition. AS a whole
no one was frightened, all seemed to
be glad to get as much as one punch
at Fritz.
We were not hurt and on the
ninth day landed in Liverpool, Eng
land or the foggy city. There we
stayed for two days and then to Hol-
lyhead, England, thence to Glasgow,
Scotland and ran the gauntlet with
the subs. again From there we pro-
ceeded to Kingston, Ireland We were
delayed there for two days on account
. of a riot in Dublin. On the third day
i at Kingston, we proceeded to Dub