The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1914-09-24
THROUGH WAR TORN EUROPE
CONTINUED From Page One)

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p their goods. left them. caught this last
train and with only their hand bag
cage We're flcciug 10 London as a
place of refuge. But she was only
erieyng because her young German
officer had been called to the war, and
she was leaving him behind. won,
! der if she will ever see him again.
Though our passage over the Eng.
lish channel was not as we had plan
ned il, vet it was rather impressive.
for the dawn of Sunday morning wa
lust breaking as We neared the white
chalk cliffs on England's shore. And
happy we were. for here at least We
could speak and be understood in our
native tongue. / shall always stand
up for England. for she was next best
to home. On Sunday, between maps
after our long nights vigil, we went
as far as Canterbury, a quaint old
town, and next day, after four changes
on what was once a through train.
reached London.
Here | was destined to remain for
three weeks. a very interesting three
weeks, too. Notwithstanding the fact
that we didn't dare shop" for fear,
as one of our party expressed it, We
would need the money ito buy bread. "
l may say. however, it was stern real
ity for the leader of the party, as for
several days checks were non-cashable
and part of us were being left stranded
by the cancelling of steamship sail
ings. Four days previous to my ched-
uled sailing date, August IA, | received
notice that my boat had been requisi-
toned by II. NJ. government and would
not sail. At that hour steerage on the
New York, sailing August 26, was the
quickest passage available, and | vas
thankful for that. 1t was at least an
American line, and that was some
thing.
Due to my forced stay l was able to
see more of London than the others.
though for the first two weeks the
Galleries were closed on account of
the depredations of the suffragettes.
When we finally were allowed to visit
them, we were obliged to open u
handbags, l suppose to assure the
guards, who were stationed every
where, that we had no hostile hatchets
concealed therein. Beside the excel
lent galleries there were of particular
interest the British Museum, West
minister Abbey with it's memorials and
statues to England's famous dead, the
Houses of Parliament, the Tower of
London, the Crystal Palace and st.
Pauls Cathedral. wellington and Mel
son seem to be most revered Of all
England's heroes, judging by the
memorials in their honor so frequently
seen. The side trips to Oxford, STRAIT
ford on Avon, and Windsor and War
wick Castles were also splendid. At
the entrance to the grounds of War
wick Castle we were agreeably sur
prised to see a large American flag
draped side by side with the Union
Jack, and on enquiry we found that
this grand old castle is now leased by
an American.
London seems more like a huge
wide-spreading town than a city. Only
a few of the buildings, chiefly the
hotels, reach a height of eight or
nine stories. At first it seemed very
misleading, as the streets branch off at
every conceivable angle and change in
name about every other r The
chief means of locomotion are the
tubes" or subways, and the double
decker auto-buses. In the latter l
recommend the second story provided
you can keep your equilibrium long
enough to mount the winding stairs.
You must needs, however, get in and
out on the wing. The people there
thought very courteous. Their his.
now added now dropped were most
interesting and their voices most at
tractive and melodious. The business
aspect of the city did not seem to be
much affected by the war, except for
the glaring war bulletins and the news
boys cry of Extra! Special! giving the
latest news. These, I particularly re-
member, rent the midnight air on the
night England declared war on Ger
many, causing me to lie awake for
several hours wondering whenI would
see the United States again, and if
1 would be captured by a German
cruiser or sunk by a German mine on
the way home. OF course soldiers In
uniform were in evidence everywhere.
Marching and drilling, and not only
soldiers but the Boy Scouts as well
frequently marched past our hotel to
the beat of their drums.
A few days previous to our depart
ure from London, contrary to our ex-
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