The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1919-05-02
News from Khaki BOYS

Ross Humphreys, former Moscow
high school student, who is now max
ing his third trip across the Atlantic,
has written the following letter to his
mother, Mrs. Sarah Humphreys, of
4124 62nd Street, Portland:
S. S. Anacortes,
March 80, 1919.
Dearest mother: Well today is
Sunday and am going to write you
! big long letter telling you of my
experiences on sea. At present we
are 900 miles off the coast of U. S. A..
in a rather rough, but not unusual
sea. We sighted on oil tank ship yes
terday and today we passed a fruit
ship, the only boats we have passed
since leaving France. / am getting
fat and saucy at this sea-faring life.
I have not done days hard work in
two whole months. AS deck engin-
eer / have charge of all deck machin-
cry, the steering engine and the ice
machine. All / have to do is to see
that these engines are in proper run
ming order. The ice machine is quite
complicated concern and l am the
only one on the ship that understands
it. Last trip they lost nearly third
of the meat because none of the en-
gineers understood it. l was oiling
then and they told me that was not
supposed to know anything about ice
machines, but just the same this trip
we have not lost a pound of meat and
have everything froze as solid as a
brick. I am learning lots about en-
cheering. The engine on this ship is
2300 horse power and / know every |
thing about it. When I come west |
I expect to go up and get my engin-
GERS license and then | can run on
the largest of ocean ships. All | did
chine and repair a faucet in one of
the rooms. 7 spent the rest of the
day just as I pleased. All last week
each days work was just about as
hard as yesterdays. My hands are
as soft and white as a girls and my
ACE is just as smooth and clear. You
know what nice hair I used to have.
Well I cut it off when I went into
he tropics last fall, and now it is ,
ust getting back nice again, smooth ,
md those same little kinks in front. ,
IF course you have always heard that ,
he sea is a hard life. Well it is and
axes a good man to stand the hard {
,nocks that you get as coal passer, {
fireman and oiler but | lived thru |
hem, none the worse for my expert s
nee, and still think that this is a '
retty good old world, for now | do,
lot have to take any hard knocks and {
m on good terms with everybody. /
I never have any trouble with any t
ne. Altho I never get exactly home S
ick, yet I often think of you dear t
aother and home and Mirt and Floyd g
nd wonder what you are all doing Z
nd wish I could be back there with T
GU and with my western friends. I '
ave some very good friends here in t
he east and have met many nice d
Dung people. I met one young lady, f
Miss Pensmith in Baltimore, who
certainly fine girl and treats me S
vell. She is a Methodist and l met F
err at an Epworth League party. Her f
weetheart was killed in France. 1 n
'ould probably come home this trip "
the shipping conditions on the west G.
past we're as good as on the east d
past, but they are not, SO think I c,
1all stay for another trip and then a
hen I come home | will be all out of b.
ebt and have my little place all paid lc
n. l do not know just when the g
for fire on it is up but d
link in June, so if it won't be too pl
UGH trouble | would like to have you Sc
e about renewing it at the same al
lluation or a little more if possible. ST
may get back in July or first of
ugust so then I will go up into Ida til
, for harvest and go to university pi
r while in the winter. If / go to as
diversity I will probably go to the tn
University of Washington at Seattle. til
/ go to school a while / can get sI
tier job as probably can get pap sh
S for End engineer and that pays to
out $3.50 a month. / feel that there en-
a great opportunity for me on the N
a. Of course / don't expect to fol- ba
W it all my life, but perhaps for 4 m
years and by then | can have alb