The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1917-04-24

The Associated Press correspondent
who accompanied the party from
France sends the following dispatch
from the port Of ARRIVAL: -
"As the ship bd Lring the French
commission camet into port today
American warships broke out French
colors from their mastheads and
American bands played the French
national anthem American and
French sailors lfned the rails of their
ships No salutes were fired.
s"The special train bearing the mis-
sion slipped out of9Raris in the early
morning observed only by a few Sc
cret service agespts and railway men.
The hour OF leaving was known
nowhere in advance and when the
train stopped at cities along the way
to the port Of departVre, Marshal
Joffre walked upak1ds sdQEn the station
platform acknowledging pleasantly the
|ssalutatfons On the few persons who
happened to be in the station. They
looked at the great commander with
a respect approaching veneration.
When the train pulled away men stood
solemniy with heads barred until his
car hadf passed from view. The
American flag was flying there and
there along the route, not in recogni-
ton of the party going to America.
but because every town and village in
France, both by government request
and personal sentiment, is showing the
American colors.
'.The transfer from train to ship
was without event, as was the voyage
across the Atlantic.
:,~- a
French steamer into the danger zone
which, in this case is one Of the
haunting places OF German submar-
ines. lt"
THE first. night out the ship and
convoy made 18 knots an hour before
the wind, all running without lights.
After three years war service the eel
ebrated liner which bore the. party is
a mixture Of former elegance and
rough temporary fittings. Horse
racks and troughs line the main
promenade deck, powder and shells
are stored in. some OF the roomy pri-
vate cabins fore and aft near the
IL inch guns. Racks Of repeat
ing rifles are on every landing; life
preservers are piled handily near the
stairways. The same skipper who
York-Havre passenger service is still
in command.
part of the guard turned back the
second night out, but the. remainder
STAYED with the party all the way
over Once a steamer looked over the
horizon, turned and hurried away, and
later a little Norwegian. steamer was
sighted. A three masted French sail
ing vessel signalled for news OF the
war and the flags f1uttered back:
Good news Saturday an English
cargo boat set her course as if she
would run close but was given a wide
road for fear she might have been a
submarine tender.
There was a low barometer and
some hours Of rough weather half way
over. otherwise the days were fine
The only incident that received a long
entry in the ships log was the ap-
pearance of a great white and yellow
meteor toward midnight Friday. The
great arc left in its rblazing course re-
mained luminous for two minutes.
1.-THE principal event of each day
was the arrival of wireless news sum-
maries Books on America came out
in surprising numbers and many of
the mission could probably pass an ex-
animation in American history and
geography.
when M. Painleve, the minister Of
war, first proposed to his fellow mem
bers of the cabinet that an extraor-
binary mission should be sent to
America his idea, received almost in
slant acceptance. The feeling in the
government was that the appreciation
of the French people for American CO.
operation ought to be made evident Dy
sending some great Frenchmen to
Washington to say so personally to the
President. The French ministry also
thought. that definite results might
emerge from a joint examination OF
the larger aspects of the. world situa.
tion"
At the head Of the mission is Rene
Viviani, minister Of justice and vice
president of the coNrcil of ministers,
a progressive In every sense. belonging
to the independent socialist party,
which includes such men as Pafnleve.
BRAND and .Millerand.,! AS minister
of labor in the Clemenceau cabinet he
passed the aworkers' pension law