The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1919-01-30


our hamfnocks VIC were packed per
fcctiy like = box Of sar,lises. in fact
think Little closer. The air was
vile cad no one dars take anything of
for fear that II would be stolen.
did not take Off more than my shoes
and loggins on tho catire trip. When
We ate We did not use the tables bu,
lined up on top Of the deck and as you
approached the food you would lose
your appetite. I was an English
ship and the food was frightful.
Everybody spent all they had with
them at the cas.teen on the ship for
enough to exist on. Many oranges
sold for twenty-five cents piece and
everything else was MS proportionately
expensive. A package Of Camel Gig
arettes sold for thirty-fivc cents. The
worst of ii was that the last three or
four days Of the trip they did not
sell any thirg because no paper or
bottles could be thrown overheard to
give the submarines clue that ships
were on that course.
/ As we approached the Irish Coast
we had some excitement that
would not have missed for 2nything
cons dcrirg the fact that we came
out Of 1t very fortunately. 1t was
about four o'clock in the afternoon
and nice clecr day when we encoun-
tered Mr.. Subm"r.ne and we had a
real naval battle. There was not one
but several and / was fortunately on
the side CT the ship where ! could see
most Of the doings. As you remember
there were twenty ships in the convoy
and as the irish coast WIS the most
dangerous place that we had TO go
thru there were fourteen sub-chasers
that had come out 10 convoy us in and
all of a cuddea these got into play
and depth bombs were going off all
around us. One snip that had trav-
elled al the way beside our ship and
which we had all decided was carry
ing petroleum dropped its sides and
showed up all kinds of guns. Each
snip YVES equipped with gun and
they were all tying TO be the ones to
get The sub. They shot one torpedo
from the sub and it passed just in
front of the ship rext to US and we
stopped short and turned at right
angle and it passed in front Of US
/ without doing any damage. 1t was
my idea of perfect naval battle.
The Sub fought great battle but
met its Waterloo. There was a man.
moth spout Of water, and then big
cloud of black smoke. There was no
argument about us getting that one
and it was claimed that during the
whole thing which lasted about half
hour that we got three Subs in all.
1t was also claimed that ore of the
ships towed in one that it had cap
tured but | did not see it and could not
vouch for it. 1t was a great expe-
rience and one that | will never forget.
We were compelled to wear our life
preservers all the time from the time
We left New York Harbor until we
landed in Liverpool. Every day at
noon we had boat drill and the disci- |
plire on the boat was very strict |
We got on that boat on the twelfth of
July and got off ut Liverpool on the
last day Of July late in the evening.
1t was a trying three weeks without
woman on board the ship and over
two thousand men packed like sar-
dimes and many of them love sick,
homesisk, seas.ck, and circumstances
in every way against them. When
we landed in Liverpool was in charge
of the baggage detail and we got our
organization baggage off the boat
about eleven that right. Then after
trying to get cleaned up little and
getting something to eat for the
men and myself about two A. M.
stretched out on top Of ore Of our
packing boxes and slept until three
thirty when an English Lieut.. came
around and was mad because we had
not had our baggage moved out Of
the dock on TO the train. Trucks ar
rived in half an hour and by five we
had all our baggage on the freight
cars. That morning ! spent in Liv-
erpool but as | was all in ard had been
there before ! did not make much Of
the morning. We left at noon on the
train for Southampton and arrived
there about nine that night. After
we checked all the baggage out we
marched about FIVE miles TO an Eng
lish rest camp and about one-thirty
| stretched out on a hard bare floor,
without taking off even my shoes, ex-
hausted. The next morning ] was up
at seven o'clock and directly after
lunch we began 10 hike back to the