The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-02-13
HAD STORMY TRIP
Red Cross Mission Had Hard
Trip to the East.
Steamer Battered by Gale
Across the Sea.


Correspondence of the Associated Pressl
Island of Sciathos. Aegean Sea, Jan.
(yia London, JAM 2o).-The Ameri-
can Red Cross mission which is max
ing a survey of conditions in the Bal
kan states with a view to aiding the
refugees who were driven out by Bull
garian occupation, experienced
tempestuous voyage from Piraeus, the
port of Athens, to Saloniki. and finally
found refuge in this mountain-shel-
tered harbor in the upper reaches OF
the Aegean sea.
The old Goa stwise Greek steamer
Peloponnesus, on which they were
travelling, encountered a gale in which
the vessel labored so severely that it
was feared at one time she would
never reach port. Having stopped at
the port of Folo. 200 Greek refugees
were put on board the steamer despite
the protests of the captain. Turnout
the voyage from Volo to Saloniki the
weather was cold and rainy and a
northeast wind dashed the seat into
waves that tossed the old steamer
about like a cork and made her groan
from stem to stern.
Great volumes of water dashed over
her decks, drenching the unfortunate
refugees in the lower cabins and partly
flooding the engine room. Two of the
and refused to return.
Most of the passengers were Greek
| peasant women and children from the
| interior who never before had made a
sea journey They succumbed to sea
/ sickness and fell on their knees in
prayer. holding up their crucifixes and
| ikons and pledging all their money
land belongings to the church if they
were saved. Only the reassurances of
| the members of the American Red
4 90 fha CHI I'M of n a.
| vented a panic. Col. Homer Folke OF
| New York, head of the Red Cross mis-
sion, was thrown from a couch in the
smoking room and shaken up.
Everything that was not nailed
down was thrown helter-skelter over
the cabins and decks. Baggage
| household effects of every description
| kit cher pots and pans crates of live
| chickens, canary birds in cages, bas-
| kets of food. containers of wine. boxes
| of household pets such as cats, dogs
and rabbits were hurled about in con-
| fusion.
The steamer was so helpless in the
high seas that the ships officer:
feared for the safety of the 500 oil
| more passengers, and sailors were or
dered to adjust the lifeboats and tc
stand by. The only land in sight wa:
the distant, snow-capped peak o.
Mount Pelion, which stood out like &
great sentinel in the darkening day bu
/ winch Q1IeTeQ little COlSOldIlOIl To lHs
despairing passengers for there was nj
| beach or shore IN sight on which tht
EeIoponnesus could take refuge.
The captain decided to turn bach
and make for the harbor of the ISLAND
of Sciathos, about twenty-five miles
south. It was a dangerous and diff
cult task to turn the steamer about il
the high seas and the operation wa!
the most anxious five minutes of tn
whole trip. The vessel careened vic
lently and seemed about to capsize
while the bow and stern alternatel.
were submerged. The women passen
gers became hysterical and the Rec
Cross officers were kept busy calming
them BY skiifuI maneuvering tn
pilot finally brought the ship abou
and the Peloponnesus fled to the shell
tered harbor of Scfathos.
| When the Red Cross men started t
go ashore to obtain food they foun'
there was an epidemic of influenz;
among the islanders and the authori
ties refused to allow them to land. Fo
the next four days before reaching Sa
. loniki, the passengers subsisted a
| best they could on bread and cabbage
The members of the special Re
Cross mission who made the voyag
were: Col Homer Folks, New York
Capt. Edwin G. Merrill. New York
Capt Lawrence Pumpelly, Ithaca. \
Y; Capt James A. Mills, New York
and Lieut.. Louis W. Hine, New York