Smyrna, Turkey

        Earthquakes and Ruins

At Sea Enroute to Smyrna, Turkey

January 9th, 1909

Dear Mother,

Received your letter of Nov. 19th, 1909, but the Xmas present which you said you sent has not reached me as yet.  Perhaps I will get it on the next mail.  Your letter did not reach me in time for Xmas, but was delivered to me at Port Said on the 4th, of January.  I should have said Suez instead of Port Said.  I get the two places mixed up.  Your letter was very interesting one to me, and I noted everything.  From the way it looks to me now I will get home sometime in March or April, for ten days or more, if I can get it.  Don't know whether I will enlist over again or not, if I go back I can make sixty-one dollars and thirty-six cents, besides getting four months pay bonus, which is pretty good proposition.  I think it will be many years before I get married.

Mrs. A.N. Pomeroy sent me a beautiful little calendar, and the Porters sent me two nice books and a diary, like the one they sent the year before.  Harry wrote me about going into the electrical business with him, said he could furnish the business end of the proposition.  I think they did a very wrong thing when they persuaded him to quit music and go into something else.  When a man gets started in a thing and likes it, and is able to make an honest living at it is very poor policy to try and get him to something else.

Window in Mr. B's

Office marked by +

Fine postal from Colombo received - Thank you for sending it and others from other places.  We are reading about your wonderful trip everyday in English papers - Glad you are homeward bound - and wish you same good fortune you have had this far.

We send are best regards,

B. W. Brawie

A postcard from Unicorn Hill Redditch

The Miss Docks sent me a postal of Harrisburg, I sent them one from Cairo in return.  Also sent one to Commodore Hassler.  Have not received any Xmas letter from the girls.  I don't want you to talk to them about any house party that you are going to have for me, as I don't take to the girls as I once did.  I only ask the above from you and hope sincerely that you will do as I ask.  You can have full away in distributing the presents.  I have no things that are of much value, excepting two or three, all are little trinkets from the different countries that I have visited.  Don't know much about the Miss Kennedy that John McDowell is going to marry, suppose she is about the same as most of the girls of the 20th century, clothes and money?

As you will no doubt have heard, we did not stop at Beirut, Syria on account of there being some infectious disease at that port, we are now on our way to Smyrnia, Turkey and expect to reach port on Monday, it being about 700 miles from Beirut. The ships passed close by Beirut and I had a good look at the city, which appears to be built on very modern lines, with plenty of substantially built houses,placed on the hill side, or rather at the base of the mountains.  The mountains back of the city rise to a goodly height and are covered with snow.  The first I have seen since leaving Puget Sound, Wash.  

Tonight is a beautiful one on the Mediterranean, the water as smooth as glass, and the temperature just right.  We are so far North that darkness comes about half-past-five, and the evenings are longer than we have been having hereto-fore.  I wrote a long letter to father telling about my trip to Cairo, but I will have more to tell on the same subject when I seen you both in person.  Since writing his letter I have received the Congressional Record and several packs of papers that were stuck away in a corner in the dynamo-room.

You will I know excuse me using the typewriter in writing to you, as it saves me many a stroke of the pen, and at the same time helps me to become proficient in one of the modern arts.

As Always,  Frank

Smyrna, Turkey

January 24, 1909

Dear Father,

Received your letter of January 6th a few days ago and was sorry to hear that mother and you had both been under the weather.  Hope you are OK again.

Noticed the way you spell Manila with two "l's".  The people of the Islands only use one "l" but suppose it is a matter of choice.

It will certainly be a business section around our home when the post office gets going together with the new express office and Bess McKights store.

We were to sail tomorrow for Negro Bay, but believe the sailing has been postponed until Tuesday.  As you no doubt have seen in the papers, we are going to take some Turkish Naval Officers with us to Negro Bay.  We take four, they come aboard at 3:30 pm today.

 Talking about earthquakes.  I have been through one.  Yesterday morning while sitting in the sub-station I felt the ship trembling as if the propellers were turning over, but I thought that perhaps they were starting up a dynamo engine.  When I went up ondeck the liberty men were coming back from shore and they told how they had been awakened out of their sleep by the vibrations and had gotten out of the buildings as quickly as possible.  One fellow was eating his breakfast in a restaurant when the shock came and when he was about to pay his bill.  The waiter suddenly grabbed up his tray and made for the door and not letting the money question worry him at all.  The sailor when he saw the waiter go thought it was about time for him to leave too, so he quickly made his departure.  The crater of the disturbance was a point of land about 30 miles from here which sunk down from four or five feet and I believe five or six people were killed.

A view of the Harbor at Smyrna

I have become acclimated and my cold has left me, so I am ready for Hampton Roads weather.  Had a long letter from Ted Ningert and he told me about Alex Sharpe & Gant Neistling being engaged.

A view of the City at Smyrna

The last two days have been freezing cold, but today is a nice mild Spring one.  The snow is gradually creeping farther down the mountain sides and I can see it quite plainly with the naked eye.  I make good use of the glass when we are coming into new ports or passing by Islands such as the Island of Rhodes.  Which we passed on our way here from Beirut.  Notice Beirut is spelled quite differently by newspapers.

There is not monetary basses in Turkey, all sorts of  coins of all nations being in circulation.  The Turkish Piaster is their coin on which they base there values and is worth 4 cents being smaller than our dimes.  I have a good collection of money from every country which I have visited which I think will interest you.

 Went ashore last Thursday and took a stroll through the roholerale and manufacturing districts. Saw them making copper articles, trunks, iron ware, brass articles, locks, cow bells, camel bells, sheep bells, all in their quaint old fashioned way.

The Missouri and Ohio arrived here Friday from Piraeus, Greece.  We could have gone over there just as well and then we could have gone up to Athens, but we can't go all over the World at one time.

Have been using the pen lately, for the reason that there are too many hanging out in the Navigators office to suit me and some day he will make a raid.  I go around once in a while but not as much as I used to.  Suppose mail will be dispatched from Negro Bay or Gibraltar and will write from there.

Love to Mother, Affectionately Frank

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A view of the Castle at Smyrna