Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1909-02-04
A DRAMATIC EVENT.
The Americans Helped Us at
MesSina; We Help You
Now.
Americans Are Fortunate Because
There Was Such a Man AS
Mellon on, the Florida.

There are persons who find fault
with the people of every other nation.
There are said to have been among the
passengers of the steamer Republic
when she was wrecked through col
lision with the steamer Florida Amer
leans who complained of the accommo-l
dations and the food on the last mem
toned vessel to which they were trans
ferred after the collision. |
Think of complaining because thei
food given them was cooked in theA
italian manner and was not the sort off
food to which they were accustomed.
1t is fairly safe to say that these per-
sons who complained were OF the rich
or we'll to do class and also were mar
row and insular.
Italians who read OF their corlplain-
ing and charges that h discipline was
lax aboard the Italian liner, being
human and intelligent as amy other
people, must have resented the com
plants and declined to believe the
charges. Fortunately there was
man who saw with his own eyes oc-
currence ABOARD the Florida, which he
old later, which reflect great credit
upon the Italians aboard.
This man was j. r. Mellon, of Pitts
burg, Pa, who must be assumed to be
q man of means since he was stopping
at the most expensive hotel in New
York when he told his story, said:
"we are glad to be here. you may be-
sure. We brought nothing away from
the wrecked boat except the clothes on
our backs, and even those were a
varied assortment of odds and n
but nevertheless we are happy n
thankful-thanktul for many things
but particularly Tor our treatment On
the Florida. / saw stories in the
evening paper that are unjust, to say
the least, to the officers, crew, n
above all tire italian immigrants, who
made up the larger portion of the ships
passenger list.
"Conditio1s on board the boat were
bad, probably eoaus it was engaged
i carrying Storage passengers main
ly. It was mot clean and we were some
what crowded after all the Republics
passengers had been transferred, but
the attitudeof the Florida's passengers
and crew was splendid-extraordinari-
ly SO.
"The poor Italians were eager to do
everything possible to make US com
Portable. They ran about doing many
kinds of little services in an effort to
make US comfortable. One incident
that impressed me strongly occurred
when Mr.. Murphy, whose wife was
injured, requested an Italian to maxi
a bunk for him on the floor with can
vas. The Italian was only too eager.
and Mr.. Murphy, weak and worn out,
would have been willing to have paid
almost any sum for abe service. He
offered the Italian a twenty dollar bill
which was returned with the simple
statement
""Fhe Americans helped us at Mes
sina; we help you now" There was
no affection, no sense of the theatrical
displayed by the immigrant. out un-
der the circumstances l think it was
the most dramatic event / ever saw
There spoke a real AN American
gentleman, of the Italian who was
none the less a man and a gentleman
because he was a Storage passenger
Americans are tut because there
was such a man as Mellon on the ship
Had there not been such, the Italians
because of their splendid representa-
tive, might have easily crowed over
over US while we should have beeI
shamed.