Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-10-05
The [US|1AN|A' 5 TRIP
Life Aboard the Cunard Liner
Interesting During Her
Maiden Voyage
WIRELESS MAN KEPT BUSY

Passengers Sent and Received 1000
Words by Mareoni System Daily.
Ladies Dined In Gorgeous Toilets,
Escorted by Mon In Evening Dress.
When the steamship Lusitania, the
Cunarl lines turbine glantess, hove
up her anchor and steamed out Of
Queenstown harbor shortly after noon
on Sunday, Sept. 8, all hands fondly
hoped we were beginning record
breaking voyage across the Atlantic,
says New York Times representative
who was aboard the Lusitania. The
Lucania had left half an hour before
sSus and was completely lost in the fog
when we got outside the harbor.
Looking around on the crowded
decks fore and aft, 1t was easy to real
Ike that we were on the largest ship
IN the world, with floating population
of 5000, including the crew, men and
women gathered from all parts of
Europe, all bound for the land of the
west.
y The steamer was under command OF
Captain ]. B. Watt, and the engines
were in charge of Alexander Duncan,
y Scotsman Of the old fashioned Clyde
bred type, who are all brought up to
believe that words are not necessary
for engineers; that it Is action that
tells. w. J. Luke, the designer of the
iLusitania, was on board In company
with e. II. Cunard, one Of the direct
ors of the line, whose famous motto
used to be I'VE never lost life"
with the foghorn blowing at three
minute intervals the liner picked her
way cautiously out into the Atlantic
In the wake of the Lucania. At 3
10. m. we were told that she was twen-
ity miles ahead Of us. :
The passengers in the first cabin DID
not appear to be very lively lot, the
fog seeming to fill them with gloom.
The fact that we had to slow down d.
rectly after starting was looked upon
as bad omen by some OF the croak-
ters. One tall Scotchman, who still
wore his kits and had voice that
suggested a steady diet of porridge
and haggis, said to me:
sHoot, mon. It's raw NIGHT the
moo, I'm thinking. 1 wish l could see
my bonny BARNS again"
When the fog lifted in the night the
liner was put at full speed and bowled
along at the rate of twenty-three
knots Wireless messages were receiv-
ed from the Lucania all through the
might. but our officers professed to
have no idea of her position. Ques-
toned closely by painstak1ng passen-
gers, they did not even remember the
name of their old greyhound. Some
time. when we were all tucked away
in our hunks sleeping peacefully, the
lLusitania passed her PAGER, and by
noon on Monday the Lucania was
sixty -one miles astern, but the MAORI
.ty Of the passengers did not know
what had become Of her until they
reached New York By noon on Tues
day the distance between the two Gu
lnarders had been increased to 100
miles
One Of the features Of the daily life
on shipboard was furnished by, the
two elevators amidships, which car
ried the passengers up and down to
the various decks, five in all, which are
DESIGNATED as A, B, c, D and E. Two
boys in gold laced uniforms were in
charge and were kept busy day and
night, especially at dinner time, when
1.-THE ladies appeared in gorgeous toll
lets, escorted by their husbands In
solemn evening dress. Sitting in the
splendid, dining room. decorated in
white and gold, with its lofty balcony,
and listening to the orchestra. 1t was
difficult to believe oneself at sea.
The telephones. which are connected
with every cabin, afforded great
but later were found of great conven-
hence in asking ones friends II they
were coming to dinner or for prom
enatle on deck. The ship was SO large
that it was not always possible to To-
cate your friends without the aid Of
the telephones and the central Offices
on each deck. Following the London
custom the passengers all said, "Are
you thare?'' instead Of the American
l''Hello! After dinner on fine even
hgB we sat out on the spacious veran-
Edas OF the promenade deck and listen
ed to music.
None Of the busiest men on the ship
iwag the Marconi operator, who was
lbesieged at all hours by passengers
anxious to receive news and by those
who wanted to send dispatches to
their friends on other steamers that
were crossing the ocean. One mans
wife had got aboard the Lucania
Through some mixup at Queenstown,
and the things she flashed to him by
wireless made even the operator
lwince. About 1000 words were re-
ceived and dispatched daily.
! When I went to send off my first
message to the Times discovered that
I'VE had press censor on board in the
person Of Joseph Lancaster, the purser.
When I took It to him he glanced at
1T severely and, pointing out an OBJ
Dcl1re word, asked. whats this?" I
explained, and then he crossed the Of
Tending word out and wrote 1t afresh.
'Are you really the press censor" l
asked.
Drawing himself dramatically up to
lhiy full height of five feet and one inch
the pnrstt Fepiied, II am"
The next day. Tuesday, one of the
correspondents on board gave the press
,ropsnr ceyara Shrr~l> nv suddenly an