The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1915-12-09
FOUR JUMPS
TO SALONICA
UNITED PRESS STAFF CORRES-
PONDENT TELLS OF TRIP FROM
PARIS TO GREEK PORT
Some Of the Difficulties Encountered
BY NeWSpapermen-N0t Tourists
But Bent on Seeing War
BY WILLIAM G. SHEPHERD

SALONICA, Oct 31-(By mail.)-
The four jumps from Paris to the Sal
onica front take three weeks; they are
full of waits, interest and excitement,
of submarine lodging, sightseeing.
Perhaps you'd like to take the trip.
John McCutcheon the American car
toonist, and James H. Hare, veteran
war photographer, are in the party.
Very well! It's 10 at night in the
P. l. NJ station in Paris and you're
climbing into the sleeping car. You've
been worrying. Four days ago you
reserved berths and paid bonus to
your hotel for securing them. AS the
train pulls out you discover that the
car is practically our private car. Few
folks are travelling toward Italy in
wartime.
You ask the porter for detachable
lamp for your berth.
Haven't got any extra ones"
"Why?"
This is wartime"
That's silly" you say angrily.
Say! used to run on the Oriental.
express from Vienna to CONSTANT
nop1e," says the French porter, who
is also conductor. Didn't l used to see
you hanging around Vienna?'
Never been in Vienna" you lie.
But what he has said cools you down;
he's practically telling you that if you
don't shut up about the berth lamp
he'll charge you with being an Aus
trian spy. He's got the drop on you;
you're nothing but poor, helpless
foreigner in France in wartime. So
you go to bed without the lamp; no
chance of reading yourself to sleep
this night.
There's dining car hitched on for
breakfast. But there's nothing but
coffee and bread; no eggs, no bacon
"It's the war;"
There's no diner for lunch. Same
reason For supper you jump off at
station, buy cold chicken, pickles
all over the carpet of your compart-
ment.
The second morning you're in Rome.
Your trunk doesn't show up. It's back
in Paris. Same reason as no eggs.
At the American embassy you find
Ambassador Thomas Nelson Page
greatly worried as to the welfare OF
his son-in-law, major in the British
army. A British transport has been
sunk near Salonica; the chances are
his son-in-law was on it, but there
is no way to learn. Will you carry
letters to Salonica for the major and
try to learn something as to his well
fare? ITS an errand you gladly as
sumo. lYou're going right into the
fog of war and you may meet the
major there if the ambassadors fears
are not we'll founded.
There's day lay over in Rome and
yon 20 to see the ruins of the forum.
It's a sadder sight than it has ever
been in all it's 1000 years It is de-
serted, except for two old guards, pro-
fessor looking persons the paths
which have been pounded by the feet
of scores Of thousands of American
school teachers, of girls from Amer
ican finishing schools, and OF few
other tourists, are empty
The two guides quarrel for you, in
a professor-lik and dignified manner
and you take the one whose frock
coat is the shabbiest.
you're the first American tourists
that have been here for five months
he says.
~"We're war writer's you explain
mot tourists"
'sThe two Americans took through
five months ago were war correspond
ents. too he says. The only tour
lists in Italy are war correspondents
and they don't want to see anything
but war