The sun., 1918-12-23
LUCKY CAP, EN- RICE
BRINGS IN MONGOLIA
Counterpart Of Kyne Hero
(but Handsomely Arrives
With 5000 Troops.
SHIP HAS HAD A "PAST"
After Grounding Many Times
She Struck Her Gait as
U-BOat Nemesis.

thor, was a young lumber salesman
selling redwood shingles between van
couver and Santa Barbara a few years
ego he decided one day TO get rich
by a simple process. Somebody told
Tete he could write, wherefore he
resolved TO concoct a series OF "fiction
stories" that were the bunk. and I'M
load them on a bucolic Philadelphia
editor named George Horace Lorimer.
who ran and runs a weekly known
as the Sdtercpost. .... ..
So Pete T(yne, wishful to sell lot
o. Junk to George LOrimer for hlthy
lucre, sat himself. down. to. reel on
irst Junk. But Pete finally got stuck
on his work. He stayed up nights.
He wrote from . o'clock in the morn
ing until o'clock the next morning.
out of his brain came a gentleman
named Matt PedsIey. Matt was an
inland New England boy, who in his
wears of adolescence grew to be more
than six feet tall, kept his waistllne,
found himself on the west coast and
finally, while still a youngster. became
the husband OF Cdppv Ricks's only
daughter-Cdppv being wealthy ship
owner OF parts. Thereafter Matt was
wonderful boy, who progressed as
long as George Lorimer would buy the
stories.
"Matt" Appears in Flesh.
II Is hard for the human brain to
evolve SO real an imaginative person
as Matt .pedSiey: it's a good deal more
d!fficult FOR the waterfront. American
shipping, oven the greatest war, to
present Matt PedSley in the flesh.
Just that however. is what the
waterfront did yesterday morning. at
time the earliest Sunday morning
arising breakfasters were tackling
their So cents a dozen eggs. Up the
upper bay and into the North River
came the good troopship Mongolia,
with a skipper aboard who is, was and
always will be Matt Peasley.
The Mongolia fired the first Ameri-
can shot of the war. The Mongolia
arrived with almost 5000 troops
aboard and peaceful in the knowledge
that she was the first ship also which
nfa,b a round trip. unarmed. from
America to England and back again
without enoountering trouble In the
first days of unrestricted sub war
fare. The Mongolia positively sank
the first German submarine shot apart
by an American boat.
The reason the Mongolia did all
these things was that the living en-
bodiment OF the imaginative Mott
Peasley commanded her The skipper
OF the Mongolia during her many years
Of stormy nights and days is Matt
Pedsley in the flesh.
Like Matt, he was born In New Eng
land, at Aston. Mass, forty -one years
ago. Also like Pete Kynes hero he
is more than six feet tall--and hand
somer than Matt. He weighs, despite
his height. only $50 pounds. stripped
He is of swarthy complexion, very
dark indeed. but his big eyes are a
very light blue. The resultant color
scheme may re Historically imagined
by any matinee girl.
He's a Bachelor Too.
Unlike Matt. Skipper Emery Rice
of the Mongolia is still n bachelor
Knowing his general luck. one can I'M
derstand why he escaped matrimony
curing all his otherwise eventful
years. Sometimes he had close calls.
hut st the hour of rushing to press
last night he was .still, foot loose and
fancy free and ali that. sort of thing.
"Em Rice" said Commodore Eaton
one day years ago. when the Commo
dore. as preXy of the Massachusetts,
training ship Enterprise. called the
very youthful graduates Of the school
ship before him 10 receive their d.
plomas-"Em, barring physical acct
dent, you will make your maritime
mark in the world"
Immediately En- set out on the seas
With tho hope that he would acquire
the physical accidents. The time was
\ the dog days Of 1898. En-, then a
youth Of 81, was the chief quarter
master Of the scoutship Harvard-f,r-
merry the St. Louis OF the American
Ltne-in Cuban waters. AS chief
duartermaster En-. realizing that tie
Spaniards were coming out OF the mar
Dor and that Admiral Sampson. the
brains of the fleet, was miles away
coalinE climbed up on bale of some
thing and wigwagged a message.
The Spanards are coming out
wigwagged En-. Observation-Disclosures
Admiral SIMPSONS flagship. the New
York, came onward with bone In her
teeth. And almost instantly the last
Of the ships owned by Spain were sink
ing, still so hot that their metal sides
sent up jets of steam as they sank in
the summer waters off Santiago.
Gets His Firat Command.
From the Cuban waters of the
Spanish war, Chief Quartermaster
Rice, wearing a Cuban warfare medal
went to the Philippines. He came
out Of those troubles wearing still an
other ribbon. He next commanded a
square rigger. He got his first COM
mand when he was made skipper OF
the SAPPHIRE a liner running between
Manila and Hong Kong
r. i. Schwerin, vice-presldent and
general manager Of tho Pacific Mail
Steamship Company, looked over
young skipper Rice-these things hap
pened many years ago, the skipper IS
only Al years old now--in the PhiIpl-
pines and soid to him, IF you will
come TO the Pacific Mail, Rice, well
put you in command OF the China"
For almost three years Skipper
Rice, then a mere child, was skipper
OF the mighty China Seven years age
he was made master of the Mongolia
the lucky-unlucky ship which cam,
thrOugh the fOus of the IDpar bau a.,f