He Should Have Asked the Engineer’s Name, Too

Tuesday Nov. 16, 1943

10:17 p.m.

 

Dear folks,

This won’t be much. I’m so doggoned sleepy I haven’t much ambition left. I went to bed as soon as I got back last night but it was about 11:30. I got in bed and I’ll swear somebody blew a whistle for reveille in about ½ hour but I guess it was 5:30. After reveille I went back and slept until breakfast. I had oatmeal, toast, butter, milk, & grapes for breakfast. I came back and unmade my bed, swept and then slept until we left for Analyt. at 8. He hinted a quiz in the wind but I can’t be worried over such trifles. I’ve written so many quizzes this term that they’ll never bother me again. I figure after carrying this schedule I can go back to school and work outside about 8 hrs. a day with no trouble at all. At 9 we had Physics and a problem test. I got 4 of the 5 right so far as I know. The other one I had right all the way to the end and then messed it up because I didn’t get the drift of what it was all about. I had the answer & didn’t know enough to know it. I’m not too worried though as the grades will be very low I think. Here’s the problem as I remember it. A steam locomotive has 2 double acting cylinders. The diameter of each cylinder is 27 inches. The length of the stroke is 1 ½ ft. If the mean effective pressure is 120 lbs/in. squared and it develops 3,000 horsepower and its mechanical efficiency is 90%, how fast is it going in miles per hour. He should have asked the engineer’s name, too. The answer is 28.5 mph., incidentally. I, like a sap, took 90% of it and got 25.7 which ain’t exactly right. Here’s how it’s done: [complicated equation].

I forgot to mention the drivers are 5 ft. in diameter. That problem alone would make a good 1 hr. test. This may not explain much to you but I thought I’d let you see what just one of them was like. I may have some of the numbers wrong but it gives you the idea. At 10 we went to Chem. We get our final exam in Chem. next Mon. & that’s our last test. We get G.I. tests on Nov. 26 & 27 so he wants to give us our exam & have a chance to review with us for the gov’t tests. He has a 2 hr. exam to give us. It helps some in that it won’t come at the end with all the other exams and that it will give me review for the gov’t tests but it means I’ll be in Chem. next Sun. probably. We have a lot of junk to write out for Chem. for Sat. but no test this week. At 11 we had study. I read on my English. At 11:30 we ate – potatoes, creamed cabbage, salad, bread, butter, milk, & pudding. After dinner I read on my English some more. I had read it last week but he put off the quiz until today so I had to refresh it. I also shaved on my noon hour. At 1 we had history. At 2 we had P.T. We ran the ½ mile. I think that watch must be a little screwy. The faster I run the longer it takes me. Today it was 2:40. After that I played volleyball. At 3 we had English. We had 3 quizzes, one on each of the 2 articles and one on sentences and clauses. I’m not so sure how I did. My grades as a whole are dropping a little I’m afraid. It won’t make much difference though as the class average is dropping faster. All I can say is I don’t see how I can do much better. I don’t know how much there is to some of the stuff we hear but if its true, our chances of staying past term III are doggone slim. If I ever get washed out of this I’m going to wish I’d stayed in Frisco but that’s not in the near future so I’ll forget it. At 4 we had a training film on the rifle platoon. At 5 we were through. At mail call I got your Fri. letter, the Sat.-Sun. letter & my laundry. I sorted and put away my laundry before supper. I had spaghetti, potatoes, squash, pickles, bread, butter, milk, & prune pie. After supper Ferd, Helle & I went over to the Union. I made a $3.75 investment and bought myself a copy of the chem. book we’ve been using here. It’s the first book I’ve ever gone clear through and I want one to keep for myself. All in all it’s a pretty good book I think. Then I came back and read my mail finally. At 7 we went to study. I did my Analyt., read a chapter of Physics & did 8 problems before I started this. That’s today in a nutshell. This started out to be short but I’m cutting it off now. Its 15 to 11 already and my eyes feel terrible. So for tonight,

So long,

Love

Arlington Ardeane