The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1916-07-25
TELLS OF PER|LOUS
TRIP ON OCEAN BOAT
SAES COAL is THIRTY-FIVE DOL
LARS PER TON in
SPAIN.
All Lights Out at Night on Ship-Pas-
Sengers Sleep in Day Clothes on
Account of Submarines.
(By Daniel BidWell.)

1t was in May when the Dante sailed
she was in Cadiz harbor, whence she
sailed, to dash for her home port,
Genoa
The captain had thought to coal ship
in the harbOr of Cadiz, but the Span
ish authorities thought otherwise.
They were not convinced that the scale
of coal to an armed merchantmen was
neutral. In the note Of January 49,,
President Wilson and Secretary Ian
sing had, in substance, limited that
such a vessel was, in effect, an auXili-
ary cruiser, as to their relations to
submarine craft, and this view was
upheld in CadiZ. AT midnight in the
teeth of a stiff gale, the captain weigh
ed anchor. He was apprehensive that
continuance in the harbor might be
construed as an Overstay, and that his
ship might be liable to interment.
1t was the kings birthday. Flags
were flying and the kings portrait
was in the shops. But portraits of the
kaiser were more numerous, and more
buttons and badges of the kaiser, than
of the king were on sale.
We were told that the kings mother
was Austrian, that the royal family,
barring the English-born queen, were
ro-German, that the mobiles and most
of the rich commoners were also pro-
German, and so was the press; that
business men desired German COM
petition with English, after the war.
They were told that king, court of
mobiles, further, had feeling against
two of the allied nations in particular
France and Portugal, because these
were republics. And then, cumula-
tive Of all this, masses of Spaniards
had hereritary feeling against the
Portuguese. And there was a religi-
Gus sympathy for the Austrian En-
peror because he was a staunch RO-
man Catholic. Most of these facts
were new to us and most likely are
new to millions of readers at home.
The captain had thought to save
some $40 or $12 a ton by purchase in
Cadiz, for though coal is high in the
Andalusian port it is still more alti-
tudinOus in Genoa where bituminOus
is about $50 to $35 ton. AS for an
tharcite it rises sometimes to $25, $55
or $50 a ton.
Off Gibraltar the captain received
a dispatch ordering him to make the
run to Genoa. To Malaga the track
route runs almost perallel with the
coast line, but beyond Malaga it was
seen that the ship was keeping shore,
following closely the land, hugging
the curves. In fact the ship was
steaming we'll inside the international
three mile limit Thus she was, at
least in theory, immune from marine
attack
All up the coast of Spain, for day
and a night, the ship fitted the shore,
close as paper on the wall. Whenever
the land swung to the west the faith
full ship swung her bow. When she
came to the broad Bay of Valencia she
put her helm a-starboard and turned
westward
Now she struck the arc of a great
circle and made a wild sprut at top
SDSSu, Will 1u1l ucdu VI otCcbAii, "ANA
all boilers at maximum pressure. The
sharpest eyes on the craft were in the
crows nest An extra officer was on
the bridge with powerful glasses. Two
lookouts were on the forecastle deck
and one on the fore castlehead.
At night, side lights and masthead
lights were doused All inside lights
were shaded. Passengers slept in
their underwear or in complete day
clothing. Some slept in deck chairs.
Several placed their chairs near the
life boats to which they were as
signed.
At three in the morning the lights
of Genoa were seen far ahead. In an
hour the sky began to gray. By this
time the giant heights began to loom
and take shape. The sun was rising
over the great mass behind the city
At six the ship made fast at the Ponte
Andea Donia.