Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1909-03-09
WOULDN'T LIKE ANOTHER
TRIP AROUND WORLD.
Lawrence Bjurstrom Of TaftviIIe
Aboard the Kansas Tells of His Elk
psrienees

| Lawrence BJurSLTcm OF ldItblHe
Aboard the Kansas Tells of His Elk
psrienees.
For a short furlough which ends on
Friday Lawrence Bjurstrom of the U.
| S. S. Kansas is spending few days
with mis- parents and relatives in Taft
vile and in this city. He is the pic
| ture OF health and says he greatly en-
| joyed the experiences of the trip
| around the world with the fleet, but
/ declares that he does not care to be
| included in another, should there eyer
! be one. He enlisted two years ago, but
is positive that another two years will
1 be sufficient for him, and when his
| time is up he viii leave the navy
He fully appreciates the opportuni-
ties he had in seeing foreign ports. but
It was accompanied by hard work. be
I ing gone fourteen months. The fleet
! left Hampton Roads Dec. 16, 1907, aud
for the first few days everyone was
busy preparing for the hardships to
come.
After leaving Trinidad the Neptune
celebration took place on all the ships
as they crossed the equator, and he
was one Of the victims. Immediately
after mess on the morning of the day
of crossing the entire crew was drawn
up in formation on the quarterback
and listened to a proclamation an
nouncing the proceedings of the day.
! The uninitiated were then led forth
and each heard an individual an
nouncement He was then led to the
superstructure, where he was seated in
/ a chair and doctor administered
dough pill. A barber then took him in
charge and gave him a lathering of
machine oil Suddenly the chair in
which the candidate was sitting tipped
backwards and he was thrown 20 feet
into a tank of water, where a score
of the initiated were waiting to duck
him time and again. Finally, ex-
hausted and feeling more like rat
than man, the novice was pronounced
initiated and document awarded him
in which Neptune, declaring that Law
renee Bjurstrom, having passed into
the dominion Of Neptunus Rex and
been favorably passed upon by the
king and his staff, announces to ali
sailors, soldiers, cigarette fiends, park
statues, haylnakers and boxcar tourists
who may be honored by his presence
that said Bjurstrom has been gathered
into the fold. This document, bearing
a picture and seal Of the ship and the
signature OF King Neptune and his
associates, is carefully priced by each
sailor after passing the tropics.
The landing at Rio de Janeiro and
the first extended shore leave of the
sailors furnished the next excitement.
Punta Arenas was the fleets next
stop. Between ports the men organ
lied entertainments. boxing matches
and other diversions on board, and
some excitement or activity was never
lacking. At Punta Arenas the men
were granted shore leave and they Wis
tied the queer little town where the
earth Is bare of shrubbery or wood
growth Of any kind. The houses are
mostly built OF sheet iron imported
- a. TWnf- 49,
sailed from Punta Arenas at midnight.
the only port which was left at night.
The passing OF the Straits of Magellan
followed. The twilight was over two
hours long here, the day being about
fourteen hours in length, q new expert
enee for most Of the men.
Mr., Bjurstrom was one of the great
parry which attended the bullfgft given
at Lima for the jackies. The trip from
Callao TO Lima was made by trolley,
the speed Of the cars being far greater
than that Of the railroad which ran
alongside.
The men witnessed the killing Of a
natador and several horses, while sew
en- bulls were put to death by the
doughty toreadors, several Of whom
were imported from Spain for this
event. The carcasses Of the bulls were
donated to the poor of Lima at the
close Of the fight. Here Mr.. Bjurstrom
met. a Norwich friend recognizing him
as they sat side by side watching the
fight. There was mutual joy when both
exclaimed Norwich
Mr.. Bjurstrom found Los Angeles
the most hospitable port and Santa
Barbara less so. Here the outrageous
prices charged the sailors for mess on
shore caused a great deal Of comment
and resulted in the publishing of signs
at other ports bearing the words:
''1'his 1t not Santa Barbara. We do not
charge Sc for a steak" At Los Ange-
les the men were treated to barbecues
and enjoyed baseball and football
games.
The Kansas was in the first division
Of the fleet and went to the ports in
washington and Puget Sound. At Por-
ia Angeles, one, of the minor towns of
Washington, the fleet received an espe-
cialy cordial welcome and one of the
pleasantest times enjoyed was at this
port.
Auckland, New ZEALAND, was the
fleets next stop and here Mr.. Biurs-
from made several short trips inland.
and obtained curios and mementoes of
the Maori settlements, which are ex-
cellent souvenirs Of this part Of the
trip. The trip TO Sydney, Australia,
followed, and here Mr.. Bjurstrom, with
all of the other hundreds Of tackles
enjoyed one of the pleasaatest periods
OF the trip. After the review. parade,
and general celebration at the city of
sydney, the tackles were divided into
parties and taken on a trip to the in
land, each party being left at some
town on the Great Inland railway
AS a souvenir of the stay at Mel
bourne he brought home O medal pre-
scented every sailor, with a book of
views of the commonwealth and bear
ing the seal Of Australia and the cross
ed flags of the British colony and the
United States. The last stop in Aus
tralia was made at Albany on the ex-
IRENE end of the coast Of Australia.
From here the fleet proceeded to Ma
nila, where 1t experienced one of its
bitterest disappointments the men
during the whole two weeks IN which
the ships lay in the bay not being al
lowed to land owing to reports of bu-
bonic plague spreading in the city.
While at Manila storm signals were
received and the entire fleet put out
tc sea, each ship being directed by
Admiral Sperry to care for itself. The
typhoon was the most terrific which
the feet met in the entire trip and
n any nfeboats were lost When the
water had quieted. all the ships pro
ceeded to Manila.
After the uniting OF the feet at
Manila the voyage towards horne pro-
ceeded without incident untn the ships