The Cordova daily times., 1919-02-12
EXPERIENCE0F
 CORD0VA BOY
 0NDESTR0YER

Red" Cunningham, formerly of the local radio station, who is now member of the crew of the U. s. s. Taylor which recently has returned from France, writes to Charles M. Rosswog from Norfolk, Va, under date of January 2S in which he gives some interesting data from the log of his destroyer, and other information, as follows:
 Dear Friend: Your letter received. I certainly was glad to hear from Cor dova. We left Brest, France, Dec. 26, and your letter took an unnecessary trip across the pond.
 T am sorry to hear about the Jones boy crossing the great divide. I left with Johnny just a little over year ago, on the Victoria. I have only met one man on the other side who claims the big peninsula for his stamping ground. We steamed alongside of big oil tanker in the Mersey river, at Liverpool, to oil. While the girl was getting her drink of fat both crews were comparing potes. I overheard fellow from the tanker telling our mascot, little poodle, to 'mush outer the way. I knew right away he came from some place near the country ice boxes are named after. I spoke to him and sure enough, he had been all over Alaska.
 'I had lots of excitement the last six months of the fight The destroyer I am on had just cleared Key West early in July, where we found out that Germany really had U-boats, and it wasn't only paper talk. For instance, I will copy our log for the last two months:
 Sept Took convoy out 500 miles, dropped them, returned to New port News, picked up convoy, an gchoned Hampton Roads September T. Left Hampton Roads Sth, arrived Brest, France, September 20. On that trip wc were rammed by the U. s. S. Mallory, formerly New York-to-South America passenger liner, off the ' Azores islands, while steaming along with lights out in convoy formation. It buckled our watertight bulkheads between fire rooms and engine rooms, also took the arch out of all the ribs on the port side from forward fire room to the after fire room, making it necessary for us to detach ourself from the flotilla and proceed from Brest the 23d in bad condition to Liv- erpoOl, England, where we arrived the 24th of September, drydocking and leaving over a month later, October ! 30. At this time the U-boats were next to the last round, and were do- ing great work in the Irish sea and along the Irish coast It was just few days before this that the Irish mail packet was sunk in the Irish sea-the Leinster, believe her name was. The log proceeds then to say: Left Liverpool 3Oth. Put in Queens town, Ireland, October 31. Left Queenstown November 1. Arrived Plymouth November g. Left the Sd and arrived at Brest, France, 4th. Left Brest again the 9th, arrived Plymouth, England, November 10. Left Plymouth before daylight the morning of the 11th of November, about a. m. About halfway between England and France, in the channel, we received the fate full message to knock off the quarrel ing and proceed to Brest. Miles out from the entrance to Brest we could see the flags and smoke from bon fires. All night long the French men, o'-war and our flotilla shot skyrockets and blew whistles. Ashore the French men were parading and kissing each other The young French girls were not as patriotic as their edlers- darn few express it with kisses, like their parents.
 We just didn't exactly trust the Fritz yet, so we made several more convoy trips. Our last trip to sea from Brest was to bring President Will son into the harbor. Again there were some doings-th the Frenchmen showed their appreciation.
 Well, the day after Christmas we left for the U. s. A. via the Azores and Bermuda. Had fine passage"
 
 PaM Lucchini, who is employed by h~ ~ln