Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-08-27
mong the 600 steerage passengers

Among the o0u Steerage passengers
on board the ST. Louis of the Ameri-
can Line which locked in New York
late Saturday night, were Mrs. Homer
c. Royce, Miss Edith E. Royce, Miss
Mary S. Burgess and Alexander B.
Royce of s6 Danforth street, who
reached the city by the Old Colony
this morning, said Mondays Portland
Express. They were in Germany at
the time the war broke out and when
prevented from entering Switzerland
were forced to cross to Germany and
Holland in order to sail for England.
The conditions under which they
Travelled in Germany were most trying
| and at times dangerous. and the Ger
man war spirit added to their difficult
ty in securing courteous treatment
and accommodations. In speaking of
| the manner In which they were able
| finally TO leave Germany and later
England, and the attitude with which
the Germans welcome the war as con.
trasted with the British point Of view.
Mr.. Royce said:
1T looks as if there wouldn't be any
war after ALL" said the elevator boy
in our Brussels hotel on the evening
of July 20. He had just heard of the
reported acceptance of Sir Edward
Grey's proposal by the powers of Eu-
rope. A week ago this same hotel was
hospital and the railroad square op-
posite was filled with thousands of
men and women waiting for husbands
to be brought from the front wounded
or dead.
Ill
the continent, the first suggestion of
any difficulties came in some such way
as this. Reports of such world wide
diplomatic difficulties and the cloud
OF war hanging over the whole of
Europe seemed to us all absurd and
the flood of Americans up the Rhine
and across Germany continued. The
night of July 20, aroused by curiosity,
nothing more, we inquired news of the
porter in our Cologne hotel. His an
swer was I'VE are on the eve, of, the
greatest war In the history of the
world" A troop train, Fastening down
a bank of the Rhine toward the from
tier filed with cheering, smiling SOL
diers, and the enthusiastic reception
given a German officer who rode
through crowd in the market place
of CoblenZ, and led us to believe that
Germany was at least preparing for
any emergencies which might arise.
An incident in Heidelberg on the
night following the arrival Of orders
for mobilization showed me the tenn
permanent of the average German as
compared with the Frenchman. In a
beer garden sat three American boys.
three German nen Of middle age and
French boy OF about Is years. The
following day the last was to return to
Paris to enlist and in the afternoon
the three Germans were to separate,
each to his regiment. And vet, on
this night. they were perfectly cor
dial toward the lone French boy. They
drank together, toasted each other,
until, while singing a German song,
which ends, Red. White and Black"
the Frenchman, blushing, sang in Ger
man, Red, White and Blue" A mo-
ment later the Germans in all serious
ness were discussing the matter with
him. They were ready to fight. 1t was
an insult they said that while their
guest he was unwilling to sing their
national songs The Frenchman could
not take the matter seriously. He
smiled, apolegized and did net seem
at all disturbed, but when the Ger
mans said goodnight, it was not with
the same spirit Of cordiality with
which they greeted him before.
The first train for Switzerland the
following morning carried a larger
number of tourists than ever, many
of whom having become frightened,
were rushing to the seclusion of that
neutral country. Our party had plan
ned to coach through the Black For
est, but on hearing that the train
could only go as far as the border,
We determined to continue towards
Basel and walk across If necessary.
But there on the frontier at a juno
ton called Leopoldshohe the train
was stopped and everyone forced to
get out. The platform was covered
with porters none Of whom would
carry piece of luggage. Any offieiar
when asked information, gave It,, II at
all. only in the most grumbling fash
ion possible. In all the German cities
at which we were forced to stop dur
ing this time workmen. officials and