Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-07-13
GONE BROKE in EUROPE.
Humorous and Pathetic Phases Of an Experience
Common to the American Tourist.

ranged to have money gent him to Ber-
| lin. He tells this story:
rBy the time / reached the German
capitol had just 40 marks. With that
/ found pension, paid my first
| weeks board In advance, as provided
by the city regulations. and began to
enjoy the sights on marks. paid
| daily visits to the Office OF the steam
ship company. I'm care Of which / had
| asked my letters to be sent. but got no
mail.
1.-THE Munchener beer tasted good.
but had to refrain and confine my
tastes to looking into the shops along
| Frederickstrasse. I waited two weeks
| and no money came.
by this time i was behind In nv
| board. To soothe the feelings
Of my hausfrau, told stories
Of paying 40 marks for a seat
at the opera in New York, pur-
| chasing a suit of clothes for 400 marks
| and then in desperation described my
| private yacht. While / limited that |
was expecting money from America, I
carelessIy tossed into the air a large
gilded pocketpiece which looked like a
| $40 coin.
Il could see the hausfrau's eyes glis-
ten as l caught the coin and PLAYED
with it. Then I slipped 1t into my
pocket and walkad away.
DO you know I waited four weeks
for money, and then borrowed enough
money to cable? I speedily got an
answer, paid my debts, and was just
leaving Berlin when my letter arrived"
The railroad strike in Rome in Nav
caused many tourists great embarrass-
ment, Though it lasted for only a
week, it detained many in out of the
way towns, and prevented others from:
getting down to Naples and Genoa to
catch boats there for home.
This meant a delay of three or four
weeks. as many mad return tickets on 4
certain line, and did not have money
to come by another. TIE delay used up
their extra cash, and many had to
forego excursions, even when the roads
started again. because their funds were
exhausted. The event started a gener-
al borrowing bee among tourists, who
We're waiting at the time for home
bound SHIPS.
Letters of credit sometimes fail the
traveller and leave him or her in a
financial plight. Two sisters were
spending the summer in Paris. They
had with them a letter of credit which
for the sake of convenience they left
with their banker and drew checks
upon the amount which they supposed
was deposited to their credit.
With woman-like carelessness they
kept issuing checks, until one day they
got note from the bank saying that
they had overdrawn their account.
Much alarmed they FASTENED to the
banker and found that they owed the
bank 400 francs.
They insisted that, according to
their reckoning. they should still have
900 francs left, but the banker was
equally positive that they had not. and
finally became very angry. In despair
they went to their pension. They had
only few francs left. There the land
lady confronted them with a returned
check and demanded an explanation
1--WE couldn't explain" said one of
the sisters, land the landlady became
wrathful. She threatened to put us
out, have us arrested, and confiscate
our clothes.
Sister was in tears, but promised
that our rent should be paid very
speedily and dragged out two dresses
as security. When we had pacified the
landlady we began to count up the
amounts of the stubs of the checkbooE.
I'VE found that we had spent $500
and should have 5000 left, if the amount
of our letter OF credit was right IL
was several days, however, before We
knew what to de beyond jawning our
watches. Then we went to the Amer-
can consul and told him of our trou-
bles He went to the banker and had
an investigation, which showed that
the clerk had cheated us out of 5000"
OF course, many a tourist has been
robbed and got awake in the morning
to find himself without a cent Some
times he has been able to borrow from
a companion; sometimes he has man
aged to get cable through but nevc-
has he recovered the stolen coin.
But the most pathetic story Of all Is
to hear If the man or woman who
planned to make the trip abroad on
just SO much and by the time he or she
got in Paris 1t became painfully evil
dent that a dollar goes about one-half
as far as it does in the States.