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favorably. I wandered down to the lake and looked at the grain elevators, the boats, the men cutting ice in the harbor, which is completely landlocked. The mere sight of the boats thrilled me through and through, but my greatest thrill came when I came upon a little old wooden sailing vessel permanently moored near the shore. On its rigging hung this sign: 

BRIG
NIAGARA
Flagship of Commodore Perry, U.S.N.
BATTLE of LAKE ERIE 1812

I felt just as I did when I saw "Old Ironsides" -- [[underlined]] that [[/underlined]] ship, those very masts and timbers were [[underlined]] there [[/underlined]]! Ah, such a thrill!

[[underlined]] To Willie, January 11, 1926 [[/underlined]]: I might almost sit back now and say "This had been so sudden!" For here I am all settled in Erie with it only four days since I was toiling in "61" in entire ignorance of getting here before another three months at least. Tomorrow morning at 7:20 I report for work on the Railway Motor Test. It really seems so funny to think of working days again and of having some time to myself, that I can hardly believe it. Actually I can't quite comprehend that [[underlined]] every [[/underlined]] evening in the week is once more mine. However, I shall undoubtedly do some night work here later, and I'm not particularly averse to it either as it pays forty-five dollars a week here. In ten weeks I could put away close to $300.00 which is a tidy little sum indeed and would just about clinch my savings program. I got checked in here this morning an am once more in the employ of the GE. The Erie Works is a beauty, [[underlined]] all [[/underlined]] the buildings being only about ten years old, and all the same style, red brick with white trimmings, and tremendous windows, of course. It is "small" compared to Schenectady Works but still it employs some 5000 people, I believe, and has a floor area of over 2,000,000 sq. ft. (Schenectady has about 6,000,000). It is as nice and modern a looking plant as you could hope to see. I am sure I shall like it. 

As for Erie itself, I am [[underlined]] much [[/underlined]] pleased with it. It is just about the same size as Schenectady, 100,000 or thereabouts, but what a contrast as far as up-to-date appearance goes. State Street, as in Schenectady, is the principal business thorofare and runs from the lake perpendicularly up through the city. There are real buildings along it, several reaching ten or twelve stories, and a new one being erected has fourteen. The streets are wide and traffic is controlled downtown by the automatic system. There are seven or eight large theaters of various kins downtown including a Kieth's and a stock company. There's a big library and a post office much better than ours in Syracuse. There are two big hotels and everything looks progressive. And now it just occurs to me that doubtless you saw all this last summer when you