Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-02-15
YANKEES FALLING
FAST IN IRELAND
That Il, They're sailing Hard" for
Those Blue.Eyed Maidens- Being
Married by the Score.

Base American Flotilla in British
Waters. Correspondence Of the AS
ISOLATED Press) Every part OF the
United States has supplied hero IN
love romances that have eliminated
in happy marriages between American
bluejackets and blue-eyed Irish maid
ems since the arrival OF the American
destroyer forces In the south OF Ire
land. After the war. every part OF
the United States from Maine to Cali
fornia and from the Great Lakes 10
Florida will boast Of an Irish bride
who was wooed and won In her native
land BY an American sailor.
All Of the brides are looking for
ward to that happy day when they
will see what their husbands so proud
" proclaim as Gods country. Al
ready the American sailor has sup
piled his Irish bride with all neces-
sary documents to establish her iden-
tity as an American and some have
even had their property in the United
States transferred to their wives as
a precaution in case they lose their
lives for their country.
There is the marriage OF former
ranchman, Bert Adams. to Brigid
O'RourEe, whose family descends from
an Irish king OF that name. Adams.
who is q boilermaker on one OF the
destroyers, halls from Hugo. Colo. He
is now arranging to have his ranch
in Colorado decided to his wife as q
precaution in the event of his being
torpedoed. His wife's relatives live
in Bruce, County Limerick, and there
is plenty ON anecdOte connected with
the. familyis relation to the O'Rourke's
of kingly fame. Il don't know any
thing about ranching,' Mrs. Adams
told the Associated Press correspond
ent, but l am preparing myself for
the fair land Bert has told me SO
much about by studying history OF
Colorado"
Then there is the case Of Mary
Ridge, head waitress at the leading
hotel here, who lost her heart to Har-
land G. Richie. a machinist's mate
first class, of A1lston, Mass. She was
one Of the most popular girls in town
The dining room over which she pre-
sided is out Of bounds to enlisted men
but Ritchie contrived to see her when
she was OF duty. They knew each
other for four months before Mr.
Richie led her to the altar of the
village church. .
But the record for love at frs!
sight among the Americans belongs to
young seaman, Paul Valachovic by
name, who used to work in the ma.
chine shop Of the General Electric
company at Schenectady, N. Y. He
fell in love the FIRST day he stepped
ashore here. from his destroyer. Ads
Jones. q Cork girl, was the object OF
Cupid's dart After the war Valacho-
vic is going to take her back with him
to that thriving city in New York.
A few of the Americans first me:
their wives on visits to England
Charles Harmon Cobia OF Charleston
S. c., fell in love on the beautiful Cor
nish riviera with Ada Gilbert, a widow
Of "a. whose home was in Plymouth
Another English bride is Nora Eliza.
beth Kit, who was married to Joseph
W. Highfeld of Des Moines, Iowa.
! But the majority of the Americans
married Irish girls who lived in the
vicinity Of the American naval base
and whom they met at the dance hall
or roller skating rink. Thus Doris
Francis Phillips is now Mrs. Leo Vim
cent Flavell of Hanover, Mass. and
Mary Ellen Sullivan has become the
wife OF Thomas A. Balschi of Noun,
Carmel, Pa. After the war Mary
OKeefe, who became the wife Of Ed
ward G. Turner, expects to desert the
trying climate OF southern Ireland, for
that of sunny San Jose, Cal, which Il
her husbands home. William Spauld-
ing of DeLand, Fla, has married Es-
ter Allen, while Oral f. Cox of lola
Kan, won the hand of Phyllis Rose
Rogers.
Among others Of the American sail
ors who have taken to themselves a
wife over here are Benjamin ]. Moore
Of Dallas. Texas; Ebert r. Bicking-
ham Of Pensacola, Fla, Harry E.
Holder OF Denver, Colo, and Michael
]. Della Rocco OF Schenectady, N. Y.