April 22, 1912
Yenangyaung
John Stermer is wearing the flat hat
Dear Sister:
I received your welcome letter of March 14th last Thursday evening and was very glad to her from you and that you are felling better than when last you wrote. All of you letters are news to me except that I had heard about Wm McBlenagan. I saw that in a paper you sent to me. I did not hear from Alice on the last mail. I suppose she was up in Michigan and did not write.
You ask if I am going to stay my full term. I just might as well make up my mind to, -- to either stay here or in some other warm country. I am sure I can never live up in that cold country Alice talks of going to. Although I am thinking some of leaving here - as there is too much sickness. But instead of going to the U.S., I think I will go direct from here to either China or South American. I have always wanted to see S.A. But still I am undecided as yet what I will do. We have had a siege of cholera and plague here since I have been here although we did not loose any white men with either of those diseases. We are just now getting over the small pox. We lost three Americans with it. Five had it and two got well. Another man was killed by the derrick falling on him.
For myself, I can say that at present I am feeling fair but it is just one week since I got out of bed. I was overcome with the sun and was laid up in bed for three straight weeks. There is no more danger from the rains have come. That makes it a lot cooler.
We have just heard of the big disaster at sea of the sinking of the Titanic. Now if you want to hear a hard luck story here is one. Two men who had been here thee years went home last summer. Both got married and brought their wives out here with them. In coming from England this way their ship encountered a storm and wrecked their ship and blew them high and dry on the coast of Portugal. Well they were all rescued and came on out here after they were here a while both women took sick and could not stand the climate so their husbands started them toward America before they go to England one of the men took the smallpox and died and both the women lost their lives in the sinking of the Titanic. Now what do you think of that? The Titanic was the sister ship of the Baltic.
I am glad to hear that both your girls got through their troubles all right. Of course a fellow can say those things will not happen but they do never the less. Hattie, sometimes I get to thinking that I have seen the last I will ever see of mine. I hope not though.
Yes, I had some pictures taken of myself and my coolies and I sent them all to Alice. If she has some left you can get one, I will have some more taken and send you one. The next time I write I will mention it to her. Well, Sis, I guess I have written about all the news from this end so with regards to all I will close and remain as ever
Your Bro. John
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