The Washington herald., 1914-09-13
Scenes at American Consulate
in Genoa Described by
Washington Newspaper
Man, Who Came Back on
Carpathia.

story Of human interest throwing
sidelights on the plight Of American
tourists in Europe, and setting forth
how the narrator, when stranded in
Europe without funds, worked his way
back TO the United States as a steward,
was unfolded yesterday by Ralph Web
ster Benton, of 462 o street northwest,
formerly a reporter for The Washington
Herald.
Benton sailed from Naples August IS
on the Cunard liner Carpathia, which,
with 504 Americans aboard, docked at
New York last Wednesday.
Il was in the Eternal City when the
war clouds gathered" said Benton yes
terday. widespread excitement MAS
caused bv the announcement in the news
papers that Austria had declared war
on Servia, and this condition became
more intense the extra editions from
hour TO hour told of the rapidly sue
ceeding events. a day or so and the
walls of buildings along the principal
thoroughfares began TO be plastered with
official posters calling out the reservists.
The mobilization had started. There were
FrenChmen and Germans and Austrians
bidding farewell to their loved ones, and
boarding trains for the war zone.
There was no interruption to railroad
traffic in Italy, the nation being neutral
50 l decided to continue my itinerary. 1
had already visited England. Holland,
Of Italy, so I pushed NY way on to
Naples, thence TO Pisa. and on TO Genoa
II was nv intention to proceed TO Ge-
neva via the SimpIon. but reports from
Switzerland wer to the effect that tour
lists were meeting with untold ~tnconveni-
eHces and misfortures, md that prices
were soaring. so l applied to the consul
general at Genoa for advice.
Directed by I. :. Flag.
A big American flag flying from an
upper window at q Via VENT Settembre
directed me TO the consulate Somewhat
10 my surprise. l was unable to enter
the consuIs offices because of the hun
dreds of Americans who we're jamming
the Railways. some waiting to register,
some waiting for official announcements.
some waiting for. mail AMI cablegrams
and some waiting for financial assist
;,rCe. There were tourists who had come
from all sections of Europe. Many were
absolutely penniless. Some reported that
their automobiles had been confiscated
Many complained that they had lost their
baggage Nearly all had travellers checks
and letters OF credit which they were
unable to cash. In all Italy there was
only one company-and that an American
company-which continued the cashing
Of travellers checks.
Tt was taking eight and nine days to
set cablegrams across TO America. Hun
dreds Cabled home for funds. They
waited for days and days. but no funds
came. And while they waited their hotel
bills continued to grow and the little
funds they had became less and less.
The consulate force was doubled Sew
cral young women tourists who found
themselves without funds got positions.
Al 10 O'Clock in the morning and o'clock
in the afternoon. the consul general, DR..
J. E. Jones' formerly Of Washington.
gathered the refugees in The largest room
Of his suite and made pubic wha
announcements he had He told of the
various sallings Of vessels, the cost of
accommodations. and instructions from
Rome and Washington. He concluded
each of these meetings BY announcing
that, although he had only a limited
amount OF money at his disposal, he
was DESTROYS Of assisting far as he
could those who were pe1niiess.
Ate Raw Eggs and Bread.
Among those who frequented the con-
sulate each day was a little. slight man,
who wore a shiny, Cutaway coat that
was ravelled at the lapels. and his dingy
derby looked as though it had already
done war service He was putting up
AT a cheap hotel in the Via Balbi and
I heard him tell a man that his room
cost him one Ira and half a day. or
about 80 cents. When the hotel proprietor
presented the weekly bill he couldn't pay
ii. In despair he went to the consulate
and told his plight to Jones The consul
gave him several dollars and the fellow
paid his bill and started to run up a
new one
But what do you do for food l
heard an inquisitive American ask him.
Well he replied. I buy a loaf of
bread. which lasts me several days, and
then I purchase some eggs, which, you
know. are very reasonable in price here.
! nibble nv bread and suck my raw
eggs, and, don't YOU know, I manage to
get along admirably
As soon as new tourists arrived at
the consulate, they were requested to
register. and, in addition, to sign the
steamer list. AS soon as a boat bound
for America was chartered, this steamer
list was consulted. and accommodations
were allotted according TO priority Of reg
istration. This procedure caused dissat-
isfaction among some of the tourists
and a committee of disgruntled ones ap-
reared before the consul general to pro-
test. Jones quieted them in short order.
He explained that IT was necessary for
the government to realize as much as
possible from the accommodations on the
first OF the chartered vessels and de-
clared that even with the fabulous sums
paid by some of the passengers, the
first Of the chartered vessels would reach
the shore of America with a heavy
deficit facing the government. He ex-
planned that the price of coal had ad-
vanced 100 per cent, that the prices of
food-stuffs had scared, and that labor
was at a premium.
Ship Is Chartered.
There were four of five steamers in
the harbor at Genoa that wer available
for the transportation Of the refugees to
America, but these could not be char
tered until the necessary authorization
was received from Washington. Finally
the Italian steamer Principe di Udine
was chartered. Accommodation were
granted to the highest bidders, and all
the berths were soon booked. Scores !
went over in the steerage. The number
of steerage passengers was set at a
limit far below the average, however. as
DR.. Jones deemed it unwise to crowd in
the tourists under conditions that usual
~ are experienced by the poorest and
most wretched of emigrants. All of the
MAYORS WALNUT OIL