New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-08-28
HOlland-America Liner Is
Days on Voyage Here
from Rotterdam.
PASSENGERS TELL
OF TURKS KINDNESS
Dinner in Honor of Gen.
ToWnshend Given by
Damascus Governor.

The Holland-America liner Ryndam,
which has encountered various mishaps
since the war began, arrived here last
night from Rotterdam after a passage
of fifteen days. Detention by the Brit
ish authorities at Kirkwall and Fall
mouth and long course to the north
of Scotland to avoid mine fields in the
English Channel were responsible for
her hardness of four days.
When she left Rotterdam she had
146 bags of mail for this country. She
was forced to stop at Kirkwall, but the
British authorities there decided to let
the mail pass. When she reached Fall
mouth, however, the Ryndam was again
overhauled and her entire mail cargo.
containing express matter and shipping
papers, was taken off.
Among the vessels cabin passengers
were three young Americans who had
been journeying for two months from
Beirut and Constantinople to Rotter-
! dam.
They were William Hoffman, OF
Columbus, Ohio, a teacher of arts and
sciences at the Syrian Protestant Col
lege at Beirut; Clarence Butler, OF
Oberlin, Ohio, an instructor IN the
school of commerce at the same in
stitution, and DR.. William Keith, an in
structor in surgery at Robert College,
in Constantinople.
Well Treated by Turks.
eve had splendid time all the
way" said Mr.. Hoffman. "The Turks
treated us splendidly, and we had the
experience of travelling over the new
railroad built by the Turks from Beirut
to Jerusalem. The road is complete
except over two mountain passes, but
we were carried over these in German
automobiles. Going into Jerusalem we
met Captain Upton, the British avla-
tor, who won the admiration of the
Turks by his daring exploits at III
Eireesh, near Suez.
"He was a prisoner, but his captors
didn't seem very anxious about him.
Every now and then a new conductor
would come aboard and say, (which OF
you is the prisoner Captain Upton
would raise his hand, and with an ex-
preston Equivalent to our American
'All right they would pass on and leave
us together. Tipton's petrol tank was
punctured by rife shot, but lmmedi-
ately on landing he destroyed his ma
chine"
"The Turks are treating the British
prisoners as we'll as they do their own
soldiers, the officers being especially
well treated The Governor of Danas-
Of al
Townshend, and, just 10 be up to date,
borrowed a white table cloth from one
of the American schools. y
Conditions in Turkey are not bad.
I found better bread there than | did
in Western Europe. The Turks appear
to be short of sugar. and there was
hardly a day on the route from Bel
rut to Palestine when there was not
a box car of sugar and wool destroyed.
The fires were credited to Armenians.
Aided by Palestine Commander.
General Djmal Pacha, military
commander of Palestine, gave Mr..
Butler and myself passports that were
a wonderful help. By merely showing
them we had servants running about
TO find us comfortable quarters"
Ut. helbH Sdlu DAOhSnb WIN hihA
several sets of medical books from
Constantinople that were sealed by
the official censor, and were not dis
turbed until he arrived here yester-
day.
"The official Turkish censor broke his
arm at the time | was preparing 10
leave" said DR.. Keith. 81 set his arm
for him and, grateful for the job, he
said he would seal my books so that
they would get by unbroken to Rotter-
dam. opened one package to get
book to read but that was the only one
that was examined as we passed
through Germany Even the British
seemed to honor the seal of the censor
in Constantinople."
Another traveller on the Ryndam
was Nine. Signe Lund, an American
composer, of Norwegian ancestry.
While passing through Germany Nine.
Lund said she observed disorganization.
she said the military authorities we're
courteous. but strict in dealing with
aliens. She was searched, she said, with
unusual care. and the persons she came
in contact with gave stupid answers
and wrong directions as to trains.
Among others on board were Charles
II. Russell, secretary of the American
Embassy at Berlin, and Edward Hig-
gins, American Consul at Stuttgart.
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