Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-12-12

ULSA DALI
before the Grand Fleet came and con-
Neited 1t into widespread city of
ships.
And even at night in every ship this
ceaseless throbblng. That sound rep
resents 10 me the most striking fact
OF MI had expected the kind or
night one spends when arriving on
hoard liner the evening before sail
ing. but in tho Grand Fleet | find II
Is never the evening before sailing;
ii is always one hour. two hours. three
hours before sailing. | had imagined
the fleet,at anchor and crews settled
down TO harbor life: so far as the rou-
tine Of the ship goes we might he on
the high seas all the time. Indeed I
VAS lucky to he able to spend this
night ON one ship: no strangers are
allowed on board. When n vessel goes
out to look for trouble other visitors
in onr small company, assigned tn
ships of anoeher squadron. were less
fortunate and were put over the side
INTO small boats Just rs the battleshlps
left their moorngs.
They We're Happy.
We came up together in the navy
special. the happicst little bunch of
American newspaper men that ever
took an assignment the first group Of
f. reign journalists TO visit the Grand
Fleet. the only other party of news
paper men having been the British
correspondents who were there when
the king visited his old messmates
sCme tire ago. We did not kIuw ur-
til We got on board the train that we
were starting on a railway journey OF
urIma Sinabie length in this small
that there was no such danger as the
rCwly-landed American apprchended
on an English express who feared that
the train would run off this darned
little island" We had time to make
friends with several naval officers on
the train ard at various stages see the
evolution of the sailor mer returning
from leave, a very orderly crowd of
them. who s,ert indifferently sitting
b3lt upright in their little compart-
mcnts or living on the floor.
Among the officers was the official
messenger from the admiralty 10 the
comma nder-in-c chief, the kings mes
senger, familiar figure To all the
ether officers and a notoriously great
taiker. who could tell them just when
Captain This went on leave and Com
mander That went hack to his ship,
ard all the gossip of the fleet apcut
they Were away.
Even to men trained to quick au-
quaintanccs ii was surprising how
soon We were included in the free
masonry of the sea. Tho veil of mys-
terry that necessarily hangs over the
doings Of a navy in war time began
10 lit with the first turn of the wheels
! mentioned TO one officer that he had
told me more in half an hour than
~. A ,l..,
don. That's al right" said he.
You're q guest of the admiralty;
while you're with us you're one of us"
Adventures Begin.
Thus oCr adventures with some fla
vor of the sea began in the train, but
the real adventures began only at the
end of the line. after hour upon hour
OF worderful moorland scenery. deep
swirling rivers. here and there "A cas-
tie pcrched on the hillside and far
off ut the head OF each valley some
higher mountains crowned with early
snow We had had only glimpses of
the sea until we took to motor cars
and from the high land on our way to
the village port of embarkation ad-
mired great slices of blue piercing the
rugged coast. But not a ship of war
in sirht. nothing hut a little cockle-
shell of a steamer moored against the
pier, to take us out. we knew not how
far, across the flccked and angry sea.
Apprehension, or some cause of indif-
fcrcnce as to anything except our pre-
cious selves made us forget that suit
cases can also suffer at sea. When
we next thot of them they were lying
in an uneven pile on a deck swash
with a foot and a half of the briny.
Thanks be- | have had n most re-
St1i u
TO look after me on board. and he
promises TO find me something to wear
when | dine with the admiral tomor
row night.
1t was In the early dark of night
that we made our way among the
ghosts OF great ships and tied up TO
the most fantastic house | have ever
seen afloat. If YOU met Kansas Cltys
convention hall floating down the Mis-
souri, you would get much the same
ridiculous impression the first close
sight of that depot ship gave us. They
write her name "Imperieuse" they
call her "Imperoose"--this is her Off
cial name, / find from seaman to ad
miral But we did not go on board.
we We're herded in the little cabin of
our cockleshell, officers, visitors and
ali. aud spent the waiting hours
w.ingng out paiamas, shirts etc. We
side. except that now the sea was NOR
cifully still altho il was still blowing
gale-on the way out we had seen
waterfalls on the cliffs turned into
geysers by the wind Every ten min
utes or So a sailor messenger would
come into tho cabin and call the names
cf the ships, and groups Of two or
three officers and visitors followed the
messengcr to the drifter or trwaler
which would take them to their ships.
Proud of Service.
These drifters are manned by their
original fishing crews, many of them
so independent that altho in the kings
service. and proud of it. they prefer to
wear no uniform on duty, Uniforms
are all right on land. they say. They |
are all careful Scots
The sea seemed to become rough |
again as my driftcr started out on |
the fourth and final chapter of the |
journey I was wedged into one cor
nor of The wheelhouse with The wheel |
spokes spinning round uncomfortably |
close to an uncomfortably empty part |
of me. After twenty minutes or so OF |
tossing about at/full speed and ap-
parenty seeking to avoid every great |
glay shape that might be the hospit- |