The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1919-02-17
AMERICAN RED CROSS
MISSION HAS THRILLS
IN AEGEAN SEA

island of sciathos, Aegean sea-
Feb 14.--(via Londonl-The Ameff
can Red Cross Mission which Is mas
ing survey Of conditions in the Daf
kan States with a view to aiding 'h0 !
refugees who were driven out os
Bulgarian occupation experienced
tempestuous voyage from Piraeus'
the port Of Athens, to SaloniKi' anu
finally found refuge in this mountain
sheltered harbor in the upper reaches
Of the Aegean Sea.
The old coastwise Greek steamer
iPeloponnesus, on which they wsre
travelling encountered gale In wnicn
the vessel labored SO severely tnat II
was feared at one time she wouiu
never reach port. Having stopped ~
the port Of volo, 200 Greek refugees
were put on board the steamer ae'
spite the protests Of the captain.
Throughout the voyage from Volo 10
Saloniki the weather was cold anu
rainy and northeast wind dashed the
sea into waves that tossed the oia
steamer about like cork and maze
Iher groan from stem to stern.
| Great volumes Of water dashed
lover her decks drenching, the untor>
tunate refugees in the lower caplhs
land partly flooding the enegine ROOM
1.-TWO of the stokers scrambled to the
upper deck and refused to return.
1 Most of the passengers were creek
peasant women and children from me
: interior who never before had male
a sea Journey. They succembed 10
: lsea sickness and fell en- their knees
. lin prayer holding up their crucitixes
and ikons and pledging all their
e money and belongings to the church
: if they were saved. Only the reas'
= surances Of the members of the AM
! lerican Red Cross and of the ships
> officers prevented panic. Colonel
: Homer Folks, of New York, head OF
# the Red Cross Mission, was thrown
10 from couch in the smoking room
: and shaken up.
Everything that was not nailec
ldown was thrown helter-skelter ovel
the cabins and decks. Baggage
household effects Of every descrip
ton, kitchen pots and pans, crate
- of live chickens, canary birds Il
Z cages, baskets of food, containers 0
wine, boxes of household pets sue
So as cats, dogs and rabbits were hurle
about in confusion.
NJ The steamer was so helpless in tn
u thigh seas that the ships officer
feared for the safety of the 300 Q
more passengers, and sailors were O
+. ldered to adjust the life-boats and {
stand by. Then only land in sigf
was the distant, snow.capped peak {
Mount Pelion which stood out like
lgreat sentinel in the darkening da
but which offered little consolation
the despairing passengers for thel
was no beach or shore In sight Q
which the Peloponnesus could taxi
refuge.
The captain decided to turn bac
80 land make for the harbor Of the I
IN land of Sciathos, about rs mile
~ south. 1t was dangerous and difficu
- task to turn the steamer about In Il
4 high seas and the operation was Il
Il most anxious five minutes Of Il
whole trip. The vessel careened !
olently and seemed about to capsi
while the bow and stern alternate
were submerged. The women pa
sensers became historical and Il
Red Cross officers were kept Blu
calming them. BY skillful manoeu
ering the pilot finally brought L
lship about and the Peloponnesus fl
7 to the sheltered harbor in sciathos.
When the Red Cross men start
to go ashore to obtain food tn
found there was an epidemic of
n liuenza among the islanders and t
y lauthorities refused to allow them
land. For the next four days befc
reaching Saloniki, the passengt
subsisting as best they could on bre
and cabbage.
The members of the Special R
Cross Mission who made the voya
were: Colonel Homer Folks, N
York; Captain Edwin G. Merrill. N
York; Captain Lawrence Pumped
Ithaca, N. Y; Captain James A. Mi
New York, and Lieutenant Louis
IIine, New York.