TRANSCRIBED FROM THE JONESBORO EVENING SUN APRIL 12, 1919 P. 4
Somewhere in the Pacific,
March 1st.
Dear Mother and the rest:
This happens to be Saturday night but you can hardly tell one day from another out here.
We are at present somewhere between Honolulu and Nagasaki, Japan still sailing west. Think we will reach Nagasaki about Monday morning if we make good time and have a good sea.
We left Honolulu just two weeks ago yesterday and it seems like two months when you’re on a ship without seeing land. How is everybody at home? Has been so long since I’ve heard. Some one could die or get married and I’d never hear it.
By the way, did you get the letter that I wrote as I was leaving Honolulu? Was afraid you wouldn’t. Tell you how it was—we were getting ready to leave Honolulu and I just had a few minutes to write in, so I took my pen and paper and went upon the upper deck and sat down and wrote it. Had some more letters there with it when I finished it, and meant to hand them to some one that was going ashore before we left but I was fooling around in my pockets for something and laid the letters down on a deck bench. Of course you don’t know what that is, and yours blew off way down below in the water. Well I saw some Hawaiian boys there in swimming so I gave one of them a nickel to get it out and mail it for me. If you read it you can say it has been soaked in the Pacific Ocean.
Sure was fun to see those Hawaii boys, no bigger than Paul, dive after money we would throw out to them. And they would get it too. You see they would swim along side of the boat and we would toss it to them from the ship. Wish Paul could have seen them. Am afraid Paul couldn’t swim as good as they could.
This sure is a long trip, was awfully tiresome at first, but I don’t mind it now.
We left San Francisco over three weeks ago, and have been sailing west ever since.
JERRY.
Arrived here yesterday and we are going to stay here until Sunday. This is a terrible place. Will tell you about it when I come home. We go from here to Manila, P. I.
Give my regards to everyone.
NOTES: Jerry O. Gage was from Jonesboro, Craighead County. He was born December 6, 1898. His brother, Lt. Cecil Gage, was in the army at the same time that Jerry was in the Navy. Jerry died Dec 1966. He is writing to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. B. C. Gage.
TRANSCRIBED CAROLYN YANCEY KENT.
Somewhere in the Pacific,
March 1st.
Dear Mother and the rest:
This happens to be Saturday night but you can hardly tell one day from another out here.
We are at present somewhere between Honolulu and Nagasaki, Japan still sailing west. Think we will reach Nagasaki about Monday morning if we make good time and have a good sea.
We left Honolulu just two weeks ago yesterday and it seems like two months when you’re on a ship without seeing land. How is everybody at home? Has been so long since I’ve heard. Some one could die or get married and I’d never hear it.
By the way, did you get the letter that I wrote as I was leaving Honolulu? Was afraid you wouldn’t. Tell you how it was—we were getting ready to leave Honolulu and I just had a few minutes to write in, so I took my pen and paper and went upon the upper deck and sat down and wrote it. Had some more letters there with it when I finished it, and meant to hand them to some one that was going ashore before we left but I was fooling around in my pockets for something and laid the letters down on a deck bench. Of course you don’t know what that is, and yours blew off way down below in the water. Well I saw some Hawaiian boys there in swimming so I gave one of them a nickel to get it out and mail it for me. If you read it you can say it has been soaked in the Pacific Ocean.
Sure was fun to see those Hawaii boys, no bigger than Paul, dive after money we would throw out to them. And they would get it too. You see they would swim along side of the boat and we would toss it to them from the ship. Wish Paul could have seen them. Am afraid Paul couldn’t swim as good as they could.
This sure is a long trip, was awfully tiresome at first, but I don’t mind it now.
We left San Francisco over three weeks ago, and have been sailing west ever since.
JERRY.
Arrived here yesterday and we are going to stay here until Sunday. This is a terrible place. Will tell you about it when I come home. We go from here to Manila, P. I.
Give my regards to everyone.
NOTES: Jerry O. Gage was from Jonesboro, Craighead County. He was born December 6, 1898. His brother, Lt. Cecil Gage, was in the army at the same time that Jerry was in the Navy. Jerry died Dec 1966. He is writing to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. B. C. Gage.
TRANSCRIBED CAROLYN YANCEY KENT.