Vera Cruz, January 10th, 6.30 P.M.
Home to rest a little before dressing for Admiral Fletcher’s dinner to-night, for which we decided to stay over. We spent the morning on the Michigan, Captain Niblack giving us an early luncheon, as he expected till noon to start for New York at one o’clock. The officers and crew were full of anticipations of home. Then the Minnesota, which had arrived in the morning, expecting to replace the Michigan, found orders awaiting her to coal immediately for a trip to Panama. Captain Simpson, her commander, had rushed in for lunch with Captain Niblack, and there got the wireless. Captain N. hated to tell the officers and the crew that after all the months of waiting at Vera Cruz they were not to leave, their hearts had been beating so high. The crews are never allowed ashore for fear of complications, and it is no light task to keep the thousands of sailors and marines in Vera Cruz harbor well occupied and content within the compass of their ships. They are, I can testify, magnificently fed. At lunch Captain Niblack ordered for us some of the soup the men were having, a delicious bean soup with pieces of sweet pork; also the meat served us was the same as theirs—a juicy, tender steak such as I couldn’t get in Mexico City for love or money. I also got the printed menu for the week, three full, varied meals a day. Judging from that and the samples tasted they have first-class fare, and all at an expense of thirty cents a day for each man.
We had taken on board with us Wallace, the moving-picture man, who had come with a letter to N. from John Bassett Moore. Captain Niblack had the drill, salutes, etc., for N. on leaving the boat, so I suppose that brief episode of our career will be duly chronicled in our native land. After leaving the Michigan we went again to the Chester, and sat on deck for an hour or so with Captain Moffett, who had many interesting things to tell about the Tampico fight. A heavenly breeze was blowing. Salutes were fired as usual when we left. Some one made the little joke that they could “hear us walking all over the harbor.” Going from one ship to another, as we have been doing for three days, I have received a tremendous impression of the might and glory of our navy, and of the noble, clean, and wise lives which must be led by the men who command the ships.