Mexico weekly ledger., 1919-01-23

of the draft so / decided l would see
| my France, and it being very colo
night thought l would surely be sick
Instead | was better the next day
, Sunday. Itftar studying the matter
over l decided to turn in to sick bay
so did and told the doctor | was sick
, pains and aches all over. The doctor
said, "You look healthy" Turning TO
the apprentice, he said, Give tins
man some so an So" to me, "fake
this three times a day and l think it
will give you some strength" Well
it did, one dose was all took and de-
cided France would beat that dope.
| So Monday morning ~e sent orr
bags and hammock on to the station
and we took street cars down.
The Red Cross met rs at the station
with apples and cigarettes. | traded
my cigarettes for an apple. We lanu-
ed in HobokeIi, n J.. and spent week
there loading stores. l worked while
there were eats, but when we loaded
beans and -four | knocked off. The
boat we sailed Vi! is the largest i'll the
world. We saw great sights people
give money to see, as we left New
| York. They were New York City,
Woolworth Building, largest clock,
Liberty statue, and largest ship. All
of these are the largest and talIest IN
the world.
The trip across was not exciting
We had band concert three times a
day, and movies every night, SIX decks
down in the music room, boxing and
music and some work during the day.
There were, we were told, fourteen
thousand soldiers, about two thousand
officers, army and navy, twenty-three
hundred crew, and thousand in for
eign (sailorsJ draft. We saw no subs
but felt uneasy until conveys met US.
THE greyhounds of the sea-" though
they were striped and spotted, thought
they had speed. We made twenty 10
twenty-five knots an hour and they
kept zig gag course ahead of US
twenty knots an hour. Pretty fair for
so small boat as ours, only one thou
sand feet long, one hundred fifty-feet
wide, and two hundred from top of
mast to keel (bottom) She has four
four-bIade propellers.
The coast of Wales looked good af- |
ter week of water and sea weed |
The first sound from Liverpool was |
sure sweet though it was nothing but |
Ford. We spent week there. un-
loading, but did not see much of the
city as started with thirty cents and |
landed with three. The English SOL !,
diers and sailors are very jealous of |
the Americans and claim credit for
winning the war. OF course there are
exceptions. The girls seem to like
"the bludy blomin' Yah-nks."
From Liverpool we took the train to
South Hampton, passing through
Manchester. At South Hampton some
of US worked while the slackers, yeo-
or other rated men watched
US. Then about six-mile hike over
dark rough roads at one O'clock in the
morning. We stood in line for half
four for supper, which was Canned
bull" and war bread and butter that
must have been in the ark, coffee
which tasted like lye. We stood an
other half-hour in line and then we
carried off ten heavy wet horse blan-
kets about mile. No one offered me
a relief, so my ''red headed Irish pal"
and two more fellows and all f1opped |
down in the same tent in forty bIan-
kets while the men of leisure walked
the rest ofthe night or stole someone
alse's.
From South Hampton to Chaurburg,
France, then we were to go to Havrp.
We had dinner at swell hotel, served
IN courses by pretty French maiGens. ,
Sure a quiet embarrassed bunch of as
None of US being used to women folks
Dr fine chow
From there we went to Brest max
ng stop at Caen and Laval. AT the
after place the Red Cross fed US. We
we're quartered in Napoleon"s old {
headquarters big chateau (shat toe.) !
There was dungeon in one part Of }
he place and walls everywhere-rath- 8
II cliffs-and moat around the front
entrance. The moat is dry now, 4 raj
'oad on one side, powder house on
he other. We asked a French guard
it was a powder house, but "he no i
avy'. So one fellow, smoking, made /
motion as if he were going to throw II
he cigarette at it and went "poof.' o
he Frenchie smiled and ''poofed" tco. d
| was drafted on to the U. S. S. Con- f
Ter, a flagship of destroyer fiotilla
nd l like it fine.
The name, Bridgeport, haunted me
ntil the other night was aboard her
here | met Garrett Barnes. Sure
vas glad to meet someone from home.
ie says Floyd Rockwell is on the t
hip Bell. So with both of these old t
riends it won't be half bad. Our boat a
loves thirty and some knots. Sure n
1oves, believe me. l make liberty h
somewhere in England tonight.
Was in London and had fine time.I
Vas inside Westminster Abbey; but
S it was Sunday, | couldn't go "
trough it all. 1t surely is beautiful
n the inside o
| went to see Buckingham palace, Il
here the king lives. 1t is large h
lace but not snowy. Saw House of a
arliament and all kinds of statutes. W
Ias in the gang who saw Marshall r
och and Clemenceau. +;
Must close and stand up for chow =,
Irite soon to =,
Your son,
HUGH J. WILLIAMS. u
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