The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1907-10-09
THE LUS|TAN|A'S TT'':7
Life Aboard Cunard Liner On Her
Maiden Voyage.
WIRELESS MAN KEPT BUSY.

WIRELESS MAN KEPT BUSY.
Passengers Sent and Received 1000 |
Words by Mareoni System Daily.
Ladies Dined In Gorgeous Toilets,
Escorted by Men In Evening Dress.
When the steamship Lusitania, the
Cunard lines turbine giantess, hove
up her anchor and steamed out Of
Queenstown harbor shortly after noon
on Sunday, Sept. 8, all hands fondly
hoped we were beginning a record
breaking voyage across the Atlantic,
says a New York Times representative
who was aboard the Lusitania. The
Lucania had left half an hour before
Us 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
ize that we were on the largest ship
in the world, with a floating population
Of 1900, including the crew, men and
| women gathered from all parts Of
| Europe, all bound for the land Of the
west.
The steamer was under command of
Captain j. B. Watt, and the engines
were in charge of Alexander Duncan.
a Scotsman of the old fashioned Clyde
bred type, who are all brought up to
believe that words are not necessary
for engineers; that 1t is action that
tells. w. J.. Luke, the designer Of the
Lusitania, was on board in company
with E. H. Cunard, n of the direct
ors Of the line, whose famous motto
used to be I'VE never lost q 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 8
D. m. we were told that she vas twen-
ty miles ahead Of us.
The passengers in the first cabin did
not appear to be a 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 a bad omen by some Of the croak-
ers. One tall Scotchman, who still
wore his kits and had a voice that
suggested a steady diet Of porridge
and haggis, said to me:
"Hoot, mon. It's a raw NIGHT the
moo, I'm thinking. l 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
night, but our officers protested tc
have no idea Of her position. Ques
toned closely by painstaking passen
I gers, they did not ever remember the
name Of their old greyhound. Some
time, when we were all tucked ava!
/. In our hunks sleeping peacefully, thu
} Lusitania passed her PAGER, II b!
) noon on Monday the Lucania wa
!, sixty-one miles astern. but the majori
ty Of the passengers did not know
what had become of her until the.
reached New York. BY noon on Tues
day the distance between the two Gu
narders had been increased to ~
, miles.
One of the features of the daily lf'
on shipboard was furnished by tn
!, two elevators amidships. which car
ried the passengers up and down t
the various decks, five in all, which ar
designated as A, y, c, D and E. Tw
: boys in gold laced uniforms were Il
charge and We're kept busy day an
night. especially at dinner time, wheI
the ladies appeared In gorgeous to-
lets, escorted by their husbands /
solemn evening dress. Sitting in tn
splendid dining room, decorated l
white and gold, with it's lofty balcony
and listening to the orchestra, it wa
difficult to believe oneself at sea.
i The telephones, which are connecte
t with every cabin, afforded grea
amusement to the passengers at frs
but later We're found Of great conveI
fence in asking ones friends If the
g were coming to dinner or for a prom
enade On deck. The ship was 81 lare
that it was not always possible to |,
cate your friends without the aid {
q the telephones and the central Office
8 on each deck. Following the Londo
custom the passengers all said. "Al
you there?" instead Of the America
r "Hello" After dinner on fine evel
. ings we sat out on the spacious veral
das Of the promenade deck and listel
8 ed to music.
. One of the busiest men on the shl
7, was the Marconi operator. who W.
n besieged at all hours by passenger
n anxious to receive news and by thos
a who wanted to send dispatches
n their friends on other steamers tn,
n were crossing the ocean. One man
v wife had got aboard the Lucan.
= through some mixup at Queenstow
and the things she flashed to him /
wireless made v the operat,
vince. About 1000 words were r
l. ceived and dispatched daily.
d When I went to send of my fir