Viewing page 257 of 266

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

292

Erie, Pa.
Saturday, Dec. 26, 1942.

Left for the office at 7:45 AM in pitch darkness and when we arrived out there about 8 it was still like night but a faint gray coming out of the east. Daylight saving time the year round makes the winter days very slow to start
Had a long session with Whitey, who sees much medium tank business ahead and is planning to put the complete tanks (to be built in Bldg. 10) in my section, and the equipments in Lynchs. Went through the shop thoroughly and had a session with Dick Miller who was quite content. He had just received his PRP back with 60% AA1! It was sent from Washington last Monday and I had never heard about it! Also I gathered he had enough Cummins engines stored around the place and uptown to choke a cow - so in spite of loud wails and gnashing of teeth in the past month or so, all seems to be going quite well. They expect to ship 48 locomotives in December plus two Hawaiian power plants - a record. I felt much relieved after talking to him and thought that maybe I have been of some help in Washington perhaps without knowing it.
This was a day of letters from far places:

1.) Whitey showed me one from Jake in New Guinea - apparently he was not too happy in the jungle, infested with mosquitoes, malaria, fever, heat, dampness - and a Thanksgiving dinner of bully beef and rice.

2.) A long letter from an RAF bombardier friend of Whitey's from India who had been in Singapore, Rangoon and elsewhere, "taking it" from the Japs.

3.) Our own letter dated Dec. 12th from Charlie [[Fritschom?]] from Guadalcanal - a lovely letter but not telling much. He had received our box sent the last of October and evidently it hit the spot. He has gone thru plenty, I judge.