Durant weekly news. (Durant, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 190?-1944, 1914-09-18
A. BLUNDELL
TELLS OF TRIP
FROM ENGLAND

Trip from Liverpool In Armed Yes
sell Required Thirteen bays; A
Storm at Sea; Cruiser Sighted
Conditions I'm England as Result
Of the War.
Albert Blundell, British subject
resident of Liverpool, England, who
arrived in this city last week to
take up his work with Sam ]. Kinds
and Company, as cotton classer. tells
an interesting story OF his trip
across the Atlantic ocean during wal
time and Of the conditions in Eng
land since the war broke out.
Mr.. Blundell sailed from Liverpool
on the White Star VESSEL, Merton,
on August 10, arriving in Philadel-
phia thirteen days later, after an ex-
,iting trip. Had he not booked his
passage several weeks before he
would have been unable to secure
passage. as after war was declared
on August 5, passage was refused
from England to any save the res
ldents of foreign countries desiring
10 get home. There were about four
hundred passengers on board the
ship, of which number 365 were AM
erican tourists, ten were English and
the remainder were Irish The Mer
ion carried four six inch guns, two
forward and two aft. and as the pas
sengers boarded the vessel ten Brit
ish soldiers we're seen on board.
These We're not seen again during
the trip.
Just off Queenstown, ON the
South Coast of Ireland, where the
Merton stopped for passengers, a
cruiser was sighted about five miles
out. Immediately after the Merton
had given the customary signals up
on arriving at port, the cruiser steam
ed out of sight.
When two hundred fifty miles out
of Liverpool, on a Friday night. Mr..
Blundell says the vessel encountered
one of the worst storms that he had
ever seen on water which the ves-
sci nosed for four days without ces-
sation, when the storm suddenly
blew itself out. Waves ran as high
as forty feet which seemed sure to
enveloped the vessel but they were
all successfully ridden, although the
deck was washed clean many times
1t was known that German cruis-
ers were in the Atlantic looking for
prizes, and as the Merton would
have been a legitimate prize of war
she took the most northerly route.
running nearly as far north as the
south of Iceland The weather at
this part of the trip was extremely
cold and the passengers dug up their
overcoats
1t was not known TO the passen-
gers whether the boat would make
for Halifax or New York but 1t was
thought that the former port would
be made. When within short dis
tance of Halifax the Merton turned
in her course. sailed on past New
York and docked at Philadelphia,
where Mr.. Blundell took the train
voyage across the Atlantic.
In speaking of the conditions in
following the declaration
Of war, Mr. Blundell says that sug-
ar jumped overnight from 4e to 12c
per pound. bacon. 22c to 36c per
flour from 21kc to 4c per
pound, and other foodstuffs, and
in general demand like
wise.
English commerce, factories and
business Of all kinds come to an inn
standstill, and untold thou
sands of day laborers we're thrown
put of work without warning. All
banks closed their doors for four
days when the Gold was called in
and Bank of England notes issued
m it's stead when they re-opened the
ioors. In drawing cash from the
bank the drawer would probably be
given one fourth of the amount in
gold and the balance in Bank of En-
gland notes, redeemable in gold.
Mr.. Blundell says that II was
COMMON occurrence in Liverpool and
,ther cities for a policeman and an
gent of the War Department to stop
vehicle. unhitch the horse. and con-
iscate it for the benefit of the gov
,rnment. The official confiscating