Plattsmouth Journal, December 16, 1918 WRITES PARENTS FROM WEST. Chester B. Briggs Writes His Folks, Regarding Doings At Naval Station. >From Friday�s Daily A few days since M.S. Briggs and wife received a very interesting letter from their son who is in the Signal School of Goat Island, in San Francisco Bay, where he is just completing his course in the signal school, in Wig Wag and Blinker Telegraph. He writes as follows: [from] U.S.N.T. Station S.S. San Francisco, Cal., Dec. 7th Dear Folks, I have not written for so long. I suppose it will be quite a shock to receive this letter. I am getting along all right. I am stationed at the signal tower and if my luck holds out I will probably be drafted to Norfolk, Hampton Roads, or Asiatic waters, in about three weeks. Mearle RAINEY will probably be up at the tower in a couple of weeks. He will be very likely discharged as he has not finished the high school. As things look now I will not get out, and moreover, I am not so awful anxious to do so. Any one who desires a furlough, can get it at Christmas time, providing they have enough money to pay their fare home and return to the station, which is one cent per mile and Pullman fare. It costs a little over fifty dollars. Some of the boys are thinking of coming home for Christmas. I do not know how many will come as yet. All the boys here getting along fine. The furlough begins on December 18th and continues ten days and has four days traveling time besides. It is assured that a number of us will rate as first class seamen on the first of the month, nothing sure who all will get it, though. I was out at the Golden Gate Park last Sunday, and I will say that I never saw a nicer place. Everything was pretty, from the museums to the Japanese Gargons. I am out at the very top of Goat Island hill, now and on a clear day. I can see most of the bay, the Golden Gate, San Francisco, Oakland, Berkley, Alameda, and a half dozen smaller places spread around the bay. We have to keep watch, day and night, and report all ships coming into bay or leaving those anchoring, and weighin anchor, in fact we keep regular shop watch. I am writing this from the YMCA at �D� Camp. I go on watch at 8 bells and off at 12 bells, or from 8 o�clock until 12 o�clock, or in seagoing terms the First Watch. I get Liberty tomorrow, and my tent mate is going to take me out to see some of his friends and stay for dinner. Well, as I have to write some more letters I will close. Hope mother is better by this time. BURDETTE. __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - File online, calculators, forms, and more http://tax.yahoo.com