Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1919-01-09
STANLEY
WRITES HOME
Is Sur Tile, France,
Dec. 9th, 1918.

Dear Folks:--
Received your letter today. Have
received two this week. You are do.
ing fine now.
Your celebration was all right after
all, and the big thing is over for
keeps now. There is not a chance of
Germany fighting any more. They
wont have anything to fight with i
hope they hang the kaiser. He sure
ought to be, then he couldn't cause any
more trouble on earth, but I'll bet he
would try to start something in hell.
| see the president is coming over
here on the same boat we came over
on. She sure is some big boat, ana
can carry load. There was eight
thousand soldiers, five hundred sail
ors besides the crew of eleven hun
dred on her when we came over, and it
was sure crowded, and it was hot in
our berthing space and the hunks
were hard and so many in the space
hunks, four deep, and as close to-
gether as they could be; the last three
days of the trip we had to sleep with !
our clothes on, also life jackets, and !
conteen of water tied on; I'll say | |
didn't sleep much. We had two sub
marine alarms and had to beat it to |
our deck space and wait for the ship
to sink, but they never even fired at
US, but the boats all turned the guns
loose and it sounded like Fourth of
July for few minutes. When the
alarm is sounded no one is allowed to
talk any, just march out if you are ir
your berthing space, if on deck go the
nearest way to your jumping off place
am glad we never had to jump off,
the water looked cold and no telling
how long we would have to stay in it.
VI course there was life boats and
rafts to take care of all, but if you
5rew raft you could only hang onto
he sides. We had abandon ship drill
very day SO every one knew just what
o do. We were very safe as we were
n the center of the convoy; there were
thirteen troop ships, three destroyers
nd one battle cruiser with US all the /
fay across; and three days out of
'rest we met sixteen more destroyers.
hey escorted US through the most !;
angerous zone. The last day all 6
hips and balloons sailed along over
S, so you see there wasn't much
nance for sub. The convoy was
reat sight; all the troop ships sail W
g three abreast, with the destroyers 81
ll1ng around US all the time. We II
lied in zig gag course all the time. ?
Il the ships were camouflaged; some 81
oked like two ships and some looked Fl,
re nothing you had ever seen; none til
oked very small. One boat had at
stroyer painted on her side so it OF
'ked like a destroyer sailing RICH; n ne
her. u
Brest, where we landed, was a very tn
'eresting place. This town was tn
lit in 1900. Didn't get to see much tri
1t, it is all walled in, and there has Sc
IN many wars over it in olden times ~, w.
camped in Napoleon's Barracks sh,
ey were also walled in high stone mu
Il with sharp pieces of glass mt in del
no one could get over, barracks are
ne and old style workmanship. His,
ooleon's, prison was there and you l
Id see where he shot the prisoners poo
let holes in the wall; he stood then, D.,
in front Of board fixed in the snc
which is still there and is nowl and
we'd full Of American soldiers Stil
les. We were there three DAYS. phi
went to Dizohn, then here, haven't OUT
any of the battle ground yet, and . me
t expect I will get to, we expect mos
move to Brest or Bordeaux our dari
move, which may be some time to {
adv;
won't be so hard here now as and
ting tomorrow u,a o,e+ an o;oh1 nize
day. Most all the machinery is
g in the big bakery, and they are
ing all the field bakeries, our re
~ 10 ON oon not
,,,1 -, 20 'oy NOW in tn
~ inoie Inc FRENCH gov erall
tent will take the bakery over as WI
as we are through with it. 1t he d
be some time before the French the
have all the flour they need, SO llved
will use the bakery and issue ieaoe
UGH each day to the people; as IT,
know France is very small and of 70
an ship bread from here anywhere peror
ance and it will still be in good mains
b. Most everything in France lands
be run by the government for lts pr
time. / am going to bring nv -
L.