The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-12-05
FORD EXPEDITION MAKES DEPARTURE AMID EXCITEMENT King Oscar Sends Greet ings to American
 Argonauts
BANDS PLAY AND
 FLAGS FLUTTER
Dove of Peace Is Related Arrival, But Is Taken Aboard and Creates Much Merriment
 Among Passengers

New York. December 4.--IIenry Ford
 and more than so peace advocates l sailed from here today on the steamer Oscar II for Christiansand, Norway. The party was accompanied by 57 news paper correspondents and photogra- phers and more than 20 general assist
 ants, secretaries and stenographcrs. Just before the gang plank was ! pulled up a cable messenger rushed on the ship, and it was reported that Ford had received a message from King
 Haakon of Norway stating the Ford party would be courteously received in Norway
 | Much excitement prevailed on the ship and the dock for sometime prior to the sailing. This, in addition to the fact that 15 of the party arrived less than five minutes before o'clock, held
 up the work of examining passports and tickets and other matters incl dental to the saiiing Officials of the | line, fearful that the steamer would not be able to leave the pier until after dark, held a hurried conference As a | II l line boarded the vessel and sailed for the purpose of checking up all per- sons on board. It was then said by the line officials that the Ford party would probably total 1T5.
 Conditions were such for an hour or more before the vessel sailed that all persons who had passports and who were identified by Ford's representa- tives as having been invited were per- mitted to board the ship and sail. VESSELS DECORATION Despite this leeway, however, it was stated that several persons who had in- tended to sail had not reached the city. All of the saloons and many of the cabins on the steamer were decorated with palms, ferns, flowers, flags and streamers representing the national colors of about 17 countries. Red, white
 and blue predominated
 Two large white doves, which had been carefully mounted, and bearing olive
 branches, were suspended from the cell Ing of the main saloon, and excited con- siderable comment.
 Henry Ford boarded the steamer ct :05 o'clock accompanied by several friends and three policemen. The latter held the crowd back while Ford posed for a score of moving picture cameras and more than T5 other photographers. Ford carried n
  with one hand while he repeatedly doffed his hat to the cameras.
 Fifteen minutes before the ship was scheduled to sail messenger boy riding in a taxicab drove onto the pier. The boy carried a large, covered cage. which was believed to contain a live dove. When the cage was uncovered, however it was found that the occupant was large gray l squirrel. This created much merriment and one of the secretaries placed the 1 squirrel directly under one of the mounted i peace doves.
 | Two bands played constantly during the l last 45 minutes before the ship got away ] The crowd both outside and on the dock ] increased and some difficulty was experi-
 enced in clearing the ship of hundred 1 or more persons who were there to bid 1 friends good-by.
 l One of the diversions during the last
 hour was the marriage on board the shir of Miss Marion Rubincom of Philadel- | phia and Berton Braley of New York ! The ceremony was performed by the Rev Jenkin Lloyd Jones of Chicago, who was a member of the peace party. The bride l and groom also sailed
 1 LATE ARRIVALS i The crush of belated passengers al the sailing pier of the Oscar II was almost equalled by an eleventh hour
 rush at the office of the Scandinavian- American line in Lower Broadway Be ginning shortly before noon trains ar irving in the city brought prospective peace advocates and newspaper cor respondents by the score. Passports previously ordered from Washington were in the hands of representative of MT. Ford, who was on hand to see i that they went to the proper parties 1 As the hour of sailing drew near, all l those at the office were directed to SC to the ship and complete their arrange ments there.
 An hour before sailing time ths
 crowd at the dock became so great that police reserves had to be called
 to keep the gangways clear for pas | sengers and for porters carrying aboard the baggage.
 i After ship had been cleared of wis itors and the captain was waiting the word to cast off. the crowd that filled l the large pier gathered as close to the ship as possible and either sang pa
 triotic songs or cheered for the success | of the venture.
 Cries for Henry Ford were respond
 ed to by MT. Ford appearing at the rail His voice was not sufficiently strong to make himself heard to tho great crowd. One of his friends volun- teered to act as his spokesman. Hs said:
 T. dividually and collectively that he ap- preciates this demonstration. and tha1 | he thanks you all for the interest il the mission" MT. Ford nodded in ap- l proval as the volunteer finished speak 1 ing.
 1 When the steamer had backed from ! her pier and headed down the Hud- son river a number of tugs, each lad ened with friends of the Ford party, ac companied her until the Oscar II was well past the Battery. River craft gave the peace ship a parting salute witt tswept down the bay.
 1 To accommodate peace advocates wht 1 arrived too late to sail it was announced 1 at the Ford peace headquarters here tha {! reservations would be made on the Fred cricS VIII of the same line. which sail' December &. This second party may | number dozen and it was announced will include three governors who did no go on the Oscar II. Their names wert not revealed.
 ] One who missed the Oscar IT was Fred erck Bruce David. a Yale student, who after hurried trip from San Francisco sacrificed his ambition to save Mrs, Alic, Park of Palo Alto Cal, a suffrag, worker, the disappointment of being lief behind. Davis helped Mrs. Park to se her ticket and after he saw her safel, aboard the ship returned to purcnas, his own ticket. only to reach the pier :
 moment too late.