1917/04/09

Melville writes to his father, having just arrived in Nova Scotia. He talks about the train ride through Quebec and the Maritimes, especially his experiences going through the town of Truro, Nova Scotia.

Halifax, N.S.
April 9th 1917

Dear Father,
We arrived here at about half past seven this morning and it is now half past nine. We got to Truro yesterday morning at about ten o'clock and stayed there until 4 o'clock this morning. Last night I went to a Presbyterian Church in Truro and am sending the Easter Sunday program, etc.
The inner harbor here is full of boats, a lot of which are interned Dutch or German.

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In the outer Harbour there are two or three cruisers and some torpedo boat destroyers. They surely are fine looking boats.
All through the western part of Quebec the country is flooded and in the eastern part and in New Brunswick there is still lots of snow and the rivers have not started to break up yet.
In Nova Scotia the snow is all gone. To-day is the first day of the trip that we have had any sunshine.
The 210th Bn. from

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Moose Jaw is on the tracks next to us. They left home a week ago last Saturday for St. John. They just got into Barracks at St. John when they were brought up to Halifax. We passed the 227th Bn. just a few miles out of Halifax. They had been down here and went back again. They expect to return to-day. The 177th Bn. from Barrie came down to Halifax and we met them going back to St. John on Sunday morning. They said that they had

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the mumps and were going to be quarantined at St. John.
The country we passed through yesterday and to-day is very pretty. Truro is a pretty place of about 7000. There aren't many big houses. They are mostly small and frame. I hardly saw a brick house in the place. I don't know when we are going to leave here but it will likely be to-day or to-morrow.

Your Loving Son,
Melville

2017.22.108