June 15, 1918

En route at last! It was a great moment when we began to move and another when we passed old (Ft. Wood). Now we are on the open sea and have been for nearly a day. It is all so new to me that I feel as green as the veriest inlander. This is the first time I have ever been out of sight of land. The feeling that the other shore is just ahead, as in a ferry trip, will not be downed. It is wrong to be on the seacoast for 20 years and remain so inexperienced.

The ocean so far has been smooth as the Hudson. The boat is steady and scarcely vibrates, which, Jimmy Bennett says, is a characteristic of German built boats, which British ones have never equaled.

There is no lack of things to do. Before we left port, we had band concerts in the evenings, though now of course we can have them only during the day. Last night I went down to our quarters and found about a dozen card games, some checkers and one “rine-the-peg” game. A Victrola was vicking, and people reading and writing. Didn’t look at all like war.

Do you remember how we walked up 5^th Ave. and laughed at the fellow yelling from the library steps; “Rummage in your bookcases!” He was a blessing so humorously disguised we didn’t know it. For he got books for the War Service Library which provides them, through the Y for these ships. I’m glad you contributed because they’re certainly a help aboard. And what do you think I lighted on? A fine leather (like Fathers and Sons, only in brown) edition of “The Way of All Flesh”. I hope there will be time for me to finish it.

I stay up on deck which is just 1 flight above my quarters, as much as possible. This morning I attended mass on deck. There are several chaplains aboard, all capital fellows.

This and the next couple of letters were written on board but were all received at the same time along with the SAFE ACROSS CARD.

While he doesn’t tell us which ship he sailed on, of the three he mentioned in an earlier letter, the George Washington and the Leviathan were German-made so we have to assume he was on one of these.

Next post on June 18.