Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-06-20
AT CROWDS TO SAY AD1EU
On Shipboard the Colonel Favorite
with the Passengers.
MIXES WITH ALL CLASSES
In New York Hnrbor the Great Amer
lean Meets Wis Children, Giving
Evidence of the Love He
IIns for His Doys.
nv HOMER DAVENPORT.

gram. )--In London there was but one gen
eraI topiu--Iloosevelt. On every tongue 1t
was heard. Little else was discussed. AT
Waterloo station the crowd was dense, yet
the man himself was tramping through
the country miles away, near southampton,
and when the train finally picked him up
at that station and steamed toward the
docks the windows were all full of people,
anxious to gaze, even for second, upon
this remarkable man. At the docks the
baggage men were more concerned in see
ing him than in handling the accumulated
luggage. Here and there boys with good !
cockney lungs were crying papers Of this,
that or the other name that contained his
speech.
While all this tumult in the air,
the man himself was bidding goodbye to
men in uniform. A shower came up and as
his tug steamed out to meet the Kaiserin
Auguste Victoria. loud cheers rang out all
along the docks. The demonstration at
tending his departure could OF course not
be compared with his welcome here, but
even though 1t was an imitation, it EN-
phasizes the universal popularity Of the
The big steamship was little late, but
once alongside the tug a band struck up
our national air and the people cheered.
When Colonel Roosevelt walked aboard.
Each portfolio contained the head of a
yelling fireman shouting as though the boat
were on fire.
Plain and Democratic.
Finally we were all aboard. Colonel
Roosevelt democratlcally accepted the
plaudlts of his fellow passengers. Just as
the nose of the big Hamburg-American
liner pointed toward America under full
head of steam, some man on the promen-
ade deck hailed another with. lis Jeffries
going to whip Johnson"
And standing by was Colonel Roosevelt.
plain and democratic, smiling and showing
his cleaning teeth. He that caused all
the whistles and talk, moved among his
friends and acquaintances quietly talking
just as you, l. or any other man would do.
thought that the demonstration had been
finished, but it was just beginning. 1t
lasted all the way across the Atlantic,
eliminating in the grand demonstration
here today.
Saturday, one week ago today, Colonel
Roosevelt spent an hour looking over a
book called "T. r. in Cartoon" He spoke
OF various things at home which the pic
lures had awakened in his memory. He
laughed at some Of the drawings; smiled
at others, but he frowned at none. Across
his memory fitted forgotten incidents,
called up by the pictures. He recalled that
this thing had come about when such
and such was the case, or that thing
had transpired when something else was
happening. His great regret was that
the cartoons We're not dated.
The following day-Sunday-found him
at the religious services on shipboard. He
sang with the others and was more than
interested in the homely sermon and Its
apeal 10 common sense. In the evening
he spoke to the second class and steerage
passengers He told them their duty to
America and themselves after they had
landed and then enrolled themselves as
American citizens.
Visits the StOkers.
Monday Colonel Roosevelt made the
+, rounds OF the engine room and firerooms
and shook hands with one whole watch Of
grimy stokers. He admired them and told
them so. He commented on the cleanliness
OF their quarters. The watch was very
proud OF the honor 1 can tell you.
Tuesday. there was a reception and the
colonel met many OF the ships passengers.
Then 1t was that I had my best op-
portunity to study him, when he was un-
conscious of the fact
AS people from various states were an
nounced, Colonel Roosevelts expression
varied according to the location. One
from Lynn, Mass, brought forth a dig
nified expression; the next was from
Kansas and he almost had his arm pulled
out from the socket; the next from Vir-
ginla brought forth an expression as
though he was sampler Of Smithfeld
hams. the next was from Oklahoma and
the colonel nearly turned a somersault into
his lap. Such real pleasure was never
witnessed as his meeting this assorted
assembly In one instance he fairly held
an old woman by the hand TO prove TO
her that he really remembered her hus-
band. Sometimes after being introduced
to a person Colonel Roosevelt would take
a few hundred steps as the other turned
away, keeping up a running fire of ques-
uons, no matter what state a man came
from, the colonel knew something about
1t and was desirous Of knowing more
Always n Plain Man.
The great mass of marconigrams that
came from shore and Passing ships did not
disturb him i'm the least. He was always
the plain, jovial man with ready wit and
q keen vein of sarcasm. AT a lecture on
the power OF the cartoon he was bobbing
up and down in his seat commenting first
on this face, then on another. AT its close
he jumped to his feet and endorsed the
cartoon in ringing voice. He was thank
ful, he said, that the cartoon had done so
much good work in behalf OF one like Ad-
miral George Dewey. who had done SO
much for the nation.
AS We neared the American shore his
eyes grew brighter. He spent moments of
absolute quiet on the upper deck and last
night he sat up until midnight telling
stories.
lie was not the elderly man with the
varied past" that he described himself
When hs first lion was about to charge
q MN. FndaY he WAS the ,tn,,nsr ,,i.........