VE MONT BY 9 EES I 1 G NOW new conati construction action method is used by shipbuilders Ship builders of europe kiel germany may 23 richfield reaper richfield utah dear sir mr asbury I 1 would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your kindness in in sending me the reaper each week it surely is an enjoyment and a help to me it makes home seem nearer when I 1 am able to read of the things at come home and know just what is going ng on and being done the news is a little stale when it reaches germany but we here do not know the difference it i is S all n news to us most of the missionaries receive receive their home town papers but of all I 1 have seen the reaper seems to be the best it is better arranged and balanced and contains more local news perhaps it seems better to me because it is s nearer to me I 1 suppose the other i missionaries sion aries get as much joy from their papers as I 1 do from the reaper I 1 recently had the opportunity 0 of f seeing the lauschin laun launching chin g of germanys germanas Germ anys new battle ship deutschland Deutsch land in kiel to which president hindenberg was present at the christening this new ship is a new departure in both style and construction being built by electric welding instead of the use of rivets thereby dispensing dis in v with n h thousands thousand s of tons of tigh weight t lt it is is said to be the fastest battle ship afloat the whole world seems to have been dreading the launching of this new war weapon kiel G germanas germanys Germ anys naval and ship building center was in q quite bite a flurry on the day of the launching flags were flying from nearly every window and pole on the streets the police sailors soldiers and the world war veterans were all dressed in full uniform with all their medals it seemed that most of the men had been in the war at nine a in the people begar to crowd the harbor for nearly a mile on either side all the ferries sail boats motor boats row boats and small baltic and north sea steamers dotted the harbor six large german battle ships lay at anchor out in the harbor airplanes filled the air all was in i n readiness six other missionaries and myself found a nice place among the thousands along the harbor opposite pos ite from the huge ship where we had a wonderful view of all that was going on the ship was all decorated with large green loops of leaves and flowers hanging from the deck all of the high officers were on the deck of the ship movie photographers and newspapermen were scattered here and there set for pictures at 1130 a m the six battle ships s hi ap s in the harbor began firing it was only a few shots all we could see was smoke and the f lames flames from the guns as they were fired it gave us somewhat of an idea of just what war on the water would be like As soon as that was over all the large ferry b oats boats and other cra craft avith pulled u bed into the harbor loaded with people at 1215 president c nt hindenburg broke the milk bottle soon there was a loud hissing and buzzing sound as the monster ship started down clown the tracks toward the water then a deafening din was raised as ship whistles sirens auto horns and the great throng of people did all they could to make a noise what a sight it was thousands of people up and down the harbor hundreds of boats and ships dotting the water airplanes flying here and there six battle ships glistening in the sun and a new mass of steel gliding down the tracks into the water ten minutes and it was all over the people began to clear away the ships to sail around the new war weapon as it lay ate ase in the water it seems they still pre pare for war we sd seven ven td tobi OTC x T trip around the th e harbor out where germany keeps her war ships there we saw thirty submarine chasers lying at anchor in the water enclosure on the way back we an and d went aboard the battle snip schleswig hol stein we were taken all through the ship shown the guns the torpedoes the huge engines e nes the wire less room and t the te ammom ammunition tion and were shown how it all worked it was all quite a wonderful sight to see the working parts of a modern modem man of war germany is a most beautiful country at this time of the year the one feature lacking to we westerners west eners however is the high mountains here in north germany there are no mountains and the rainfall is heavy I 1 would advise anyone coming to europe to see germany by all a I 1 means as it is fir a wonderful country thanking you again for your kindness in sending me the reaper so regularly and assuring you yon that it is greatly gr batly appreciated I 1 remain as ever VERMONT BAY