Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1908-10-30
HOMEWARD BOUND.
CONTINUED FROM FIRST PAGE. I

We put into Cherbourg.
France, for more passengers, and now,
our complement of ten hundred and forty
voyagers being complete, we head for
America. The first night out is beauti-
full. as we lounge in our steamer-chairs,
and the lights of Lizard, the last on
the European coast, show up well. The
morning dawns grey and damp and a
fresh wind ALLOW. Oh We godsl and
old Neptune in particular! We be-
gin to roll and pitch. This giant OF
nearly six hundred feet in length, (and
the Mauretania, greater still, that has
just preceded us and is due in New
York two days ahead of us), seem like
mere corks on the oceans breast. The
barometer is down and the Marconi tells
US OF storm signals flying ashore. w,
are not quite certain but that our ''pro
verbal good luck" has carried us toe
far in catching this timely chance fol-
home.
Before night of the second day the
wind has fairly boxed the compass" anC
the choppy sea had put many to bed
not to arise for five days hence. Yes
for five days the wind cut capers from
every corner of the earth, sea and sky,
and we learned by wireless when within
thousand miles of New York, that we
were catching the tail-end of that des.
tructive West Indian tornado. For five
days it was pitch and toss, and many
wave went over the captains bridge,
5S feet in the air and nearly amidshir
of cur great vessel. Ye scribe, whilst ir
a bath, was showered with a cold ses
sweeping down one of the highest VENT.
lators of the ship, and we rejoiced to
learn that we were catching only the
spent end of the tornado. What the
other end, or the middle, was, we had
no desire to investigate, but pitied the
unfortunates caught therein. To add
to the horrors, the women and children
and some men were moaning and groan,
ing with deathly sickness; doors and
windows were all stopped up and we
battened in like rats in a cage. Only
about forty of us could stand to GU,
meals, but we ate lightly, you may be
assured. The wireless was in play anc
we heard of vessels in distress. but il
any needed help we could not 90 e
them or they to us. We also learned. 8
thousand miles at sea. of the nomination.
of Hughes and of Chanler on the guber
Material tickets in New York, anc
OF various other things that wer,
transpiring while we were beinf
storm-tossed. 1t was about this tim,
that the Mauretania broke her shat
and experienced a panic on board. Sh,
hobbled into her New York dock JUS
two hours ahead of us instead of tw,
days.
For two days of the FIVE of distress w.
were in the region of icebergs, and that
added to the anxiety. Hourly during tn,
night, and the day fog, the officers woulc
draw buckets of water from the ocean
testing with the thermometer to ascer
tain linear berg, and such episodes left
no easy feeling abreast those mariner.
who still stood on their pins and were
of enquiring mind. A dory. or life boat,
washed from some vessels deck, bobbeo
past as a chip on the ocean wave, and
an uncanny feeling crept over us. A
thousand miles out a dense smoke set
in like a fog, and the wireless told us i,
was from the forest fires in the Adiron-
dacks.
We had our wish-to see an ocean
storm-and got enough of it.
On the seventh, or last, day, Satur.
day, when Sandy Hook was sighted and
the sea had regained its wonted equili.
brium, there was thousand or more OF
happy souls on board the Philadelphia.
To watch that hospital crowd" creep
out and peer around, and little later
appear In gala attire, one forgot that il
was the same crowd that kept surgeons
and stewards busy for so many days.
Some who had stuck to chairs within
doors in preference TO their staterooms,
and who looked for all the world like
rows of mummies, now began to be
frisky, to dance and sing and for the
first time to get acquainted and be
sociable.
The Statue of Liberty and the sky
scrapers of New York looked good to
US, and the joy of landing assauged in
some measure the abominable stunt we
all had to go through by the customs Off
Gals. We had more red-tape and trouble
to surmount here than with all the
customs officers of Europe combined.
An official was assigned each passenger,
and every bundle you had was spilled
upon the floor and investigated-that is
if you did not have more than the per-
mitted 800 worth of truck. This much
was admitted free. If you had more,
and wanted to get it in duty free, we
were told by knowing ones you should
put S. bill-or more. according to the
value of your belongings-in the top of
your luggage and turn your back. Only a
slight examination, we were told, was
usually made Under such circumstances.
and you were passed o. K. Not having
more than hundred dollars worth, our
waited in vain for his graft,
and kept on tumbling our '.duds'' out
and around. The government is very
strict in watching these performances.
but cannot stop the grating, it seems.
The official cab-stand wanted So apiece
to take US to the Astor House, only a