August 20, 1930 
Commander 0. A. Bailey, O.S.N. 
U.S.S. Houston 
Wavy Yard 
Norfolk, Virginia 
Dear Mr. Bail oys 
I m asking our Director to thank the Secretary of the Wavy 
for all that you folks did for me while I was on hoard the Houston, hut 
nevertheless T want to thank you personally for the wonderful time 1 
had. The President’s invitation mm hut part of it, and the grand way 
that I was received and treated by the Wavy was the rest of it. 
It was with consider,' hie shock that I heajd that the Houston 
had been ordered to Norfolk and would probably be there until the exposi- 
tion in New York. I certainly sympathise with the officers who have their 
families in California. Wow that you are not so far away, I trust that 
I may look for some of you in Washington from time to time. If you will 
be at Norfolk for some time and the weather gets cooler, I shall drive 
down with sy family to pay you a little call. 
I have cent Mr. Kelley all of three letters the burden of which 
was our desire to acquire a sailfish if one was still available in the 
refrigerator. I know several of the officers planned to take their 
catches bade to California, but since that Is out they might be willing 
t.o part with a specimen, or at least the head of one. Should I get a 
favorable response from Mr. Kelley, I shall start action at this end 
looking toward shipment of the specimen to Washington in dry ice. 
You will be interested to know that all of the fish that I 
brought here arrived in perfect condition. We re-iced them in Atlanta 
and when they© were thawed out in Washington they were Just as fresh as 
though they had been caught an hour before. Most of them had their 
colors almost as in life. 
Please give ray very best regards to all our mutual good friends 
aboard. My beat to you and yours. 
Sincerely, 
WLSjLMc 
Waldo L. Schmitt, Curator, 
Division of Karine Invertebr tes. 
