Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1919-01-10
FATHERS DAY" LETTER
FROM c. C. ATHERT0N

DcaT dlhNr ana Mother.
VIII write you few lines, as
can tell you in this letter just
where we are. We got here yester-
day. two days out from Verdun
This is Sunday and 80 cold there is
frost still on the ground at noon.
and feel like it might snow. | hope
it don't as we have nearly 100
miles to hike. that is what | hear.
but don't knoN for sure just What
place we are going to but expect to
make il in one more week | hope
because my feet are in pretty bad
| shape but | had them bandaged up
| this morning and the rest today
will do me good | will stick it out
! II there is any way to do it, but
our men carry pretty heavy pack
and when you carry one all day it
sure feels good to get it off at
night
We are pretty lucky in getting
! places to sleep. ] did not sleep out
last night. nor have | for the last
week. We We're in the Nerdup front
last and there was pretty good dug
outs to sleep in but they get pretty
cold before morning. Along at the
last We had stove and it nearly
smoked US out. 1t was French
stove and they are not any too
good but they are better than moth
ing. Sometimes we sleep right in
| the building where the French peo-
pie keep their stock and a manure
pile right in front of your place. 1
can explain all about the details
when l get home. VIII try and
name some of the places l have
now for l have got to have map.
l had one about two weeks ago but
got it wet and that finished the
map.
We left Hoboken on the 18th of
May and had fine weather all the
way over. There were only three
ships in the convoy until we got
about two days out from Brest, then
there were seven or eight of those
little destroyers met us. The fol-
lowing morning the sirens blew Gnd
we were all on deck with life pre-
servers on and we kept them on for
the following three days practicing.
We were drilled on how to abandon
ship and we even slept in them.
1t was rather hard but we did it.
Well. when the siren whistle blew
our ship made sharp turn and /
thought we had been hit, but we
were not. and that was my first
scare. l did not see the submarine,
but they said the destroyers got ii
with a death bomb. Our ship went
right on.
By the way it was German ship
l was on.
l was on the America. 1t used to
be the "Amerika." So the U. S. just
changed k to C. The other two
ships were the George Washington
and De kold, all pretty good boats.
We heard the Huns had offered a
, big bonus to the sub that sunk the
America, but | never heard that
) they got 1t. Was at Brest only a
few days and from there to Melum.
don't kaow how long we were
there. and then to Montierchaume
. That is about foar killometers from,
ChaterouX From the latter place
we travelled in box cars. They are
: small. holding from S5 to 40 men
or horses. They slapped us on in
box cars from Chateroux to Drison
: (stlll in box cars) and then VT
hiked to Prea. but first had lot
: of our stuffs salyaged. We left there
on motor trucks for the Lorraine
front over thru Chaumont and or
over the mountains and into thu
: Alsace- Lorraine border. We hit thu
: border on the End of September
: From there to kruth and then ovel
: into the mountains. They are thu
!: Vosgos mountains. We could Sc,
the Rhine valley from there. I wa
: taken sick there and went to Con
: treaXville, then to Bordeaux. La
!: Mango. Armeyille, and to Grang'
up in the Argonne woods, and the!
: are some woods, or used to be; an,
: from there to the Nerdun front an,
here We all think that we are OF
: our way home, We think tina
when we get to the end OF this tril
that we will get all cleaned up
that is new a. d. clothes. We know
: that We get the clothes, for some o
us need them pretty bad. Will sc
few days drill there and then L
the states. Some of the boys ar
betting that we will be in tn
: states before the first of the year
. but that Is too good to be true
81 You spoke of my mail being
!. little far aDart at times The rea