East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1919-04-07
Mordaunt Hall Describes the In
conveniences and joys of a Trip
TO and On Board Stringham.
BY MoRpAuNT HALL.

Comphny-Aii tlghtS HeserNtusD
"slx-thirty. sir. sfip's leaving soon and
destroyer's waiting 10 take you TO England"
beheid a nonchaIant countenance. that OF
a United States Mar'pe. And a lot he cared
whether got up or ot. He had been sent
down to deliver this message. and possibly II
there thing more than another he
liked to see It WIS man hurrying. while he
could stand stlil and watch. impressive and
imperative was his speech / treated II with
scorn and forth with, when knew he had gone
on deck pulled up the soft blankets and had
no difficulty In going to sleep again. But an
instant later, so II seemed, this marine
sentry duty at my cot againi Beginning in
loud tone. which softened MS he saw my eyes
open. he informed that IL had been just
time for breakfast when he first called me.
but that now there was only time to leave the
ship II wanted to do with my clothes
Also the launch to take to the Stringham
Was at the starboard gangway OF tenn
porary home. the Arizona.
what we going to catch?'' asked II. p.
Page. of the London Daily Sketch.
''Stringham. sir" replied the marine, who
then disappeared up the companionwny
Hoax! Sounds like joke 80 get us up
what?" said Page scuttIng off to the shower
The Joker!
Annoying, most annoying. snapped john
son. a writer for an Engish news service. II
really hope they're not stringing us. whatT'
Then the marine showed up a third time. He
confded to us that 1t was not his fault that
Were ieavtns the Arizona or that the ship. was
griny away from France. So far he could
iidEe they, had not put II TO the vote OF the
efficsrs crew. and we given TO under
stand that II such had been the the
Arizona would be stea:nng for the Medter-
rsnean. We understood that we persona
non grata. but that a marine IL bound to get
excited when the executive officer of one Of
the greatest war ships OF Uncle Sam is watt
Ing In mis- dressing room, one with a yellow
background with twiriy brown stripes. orders
are orders / sighted the commander through
sleepy eyes when attempting to swallow
mouthful of hot coffee. too, blessed hot to
drink
Now for the wretched String en- or what
ever her name be-" said English artist.
My aunt / hope they won't tell us breakfast
is o-er when get on board!"
''If that should be the case" wheezed the
cinema operator II shall make a request TO go
10 Brest and then forget everything and speed
on TO Paris. The way feel now is that this
Is not my morning for fiddling around on de-
stroyers. sort of sense it's going to be rough.
und fancy being tossed about In one of those
destroyers without blessed thing but
spoonful of black coffee in your tummy. Gen.
tiemen of the press Is 1t to be bruises and NAL
de food. mud and Brest?"
He was still talking when he emerged on
deck. but nobody needed him.
Take your orders from the officer In charge
OF the launch.'' said the lieutenant as we
struggled down the gangway, having bade the :
commander and other officers not In their COM
Portable hunks goodby
Off for the Stringham.
The air very cold and a priclSly drzzle
reddened our faces as the launch darted off in
rch of the U. s. destroyer stringham. We
came to a flotilla of destroyers all huddled to-
gether like litter of puppies.
"Stringham here?" asked the officer of the
launch.
"stringham?" repeated n sailor. Not here.
sir"
We covered another area of the harbor In the
cold dSizze and wind and reached more de-
stroyers, where nothing was known OF the
Stringham. and despite the weather our faces
lighted up with the pleased idea that perhaps
this cheeky little craft. tired of waiting. had
left without her passengers.
But the launch officer persistent. For
more than an hour he went over every possible
spot in those waters looking for the String
ham, until he decided to find out what was the
matter by asking somebody in the know
board the Utah, whose majesty caused US to
think that the way he ought to broach the
Have you seen such thing the String
harn any around here?"
However he discovered the Stringham, who
herself appeared in a huffy mood she bobbed
up and down with what seemed the slightest
movement of the waters. But the officers were
not huffy and they seemed sympathetic fol-
lowing the story of search for the String
ham in B-est Harbor. But they grinned in
way that seemed to say that they wondered
row we had miased the vessel. One officer was
n wee bit vexed. He was the chief engineer,
man who believed in having his engines run
ming when they ought to be.
Baggage first" said a lieutenant, a jolly,
good looking chap.
Aboard at Last.
tha x,Ia
"Goodby." shouted the launch officer. Good
luck"
'Cheerio old beam" we shouted back and
the launch lost no time in chugging her way
back to the Arizona.
Had breakfast7' asked the lieutenant
We shook our heads. and the face of the
mournful artist frightened we were led
down to the ward room.
Compared to the launch the Stringham was
Of pretentious proportions but for several days
we had been living a war ship Of more than
thirty-one thousand tons. with a ward room or
corresponding size. Hence when We saw the
ward room of the Stringham wondered
whether we would all be able to get in at once.
But vision was somewhat distorted through
in fact il was q cemfortable little place which
showed most delightfully."- that the Stringham
was given to bounding on the deep. Already
she unsteady and nervous look crossed
tho countenance OF the artist, who. believed
then and know now. had not actually sought
this way OF returning to England. He volun-
teered with a sickly smile that he had been at
sea q good deal, on big ships, and that he
totally uninterested in destroyers from
artistic viewpoint. except when 1t was unusual
ly calm.
Our first egg had disappeared when by the
nearby throb OF powerful engines and an extra
roll we knew that the Stringham was on her
way The artist sat for few seconds eying
the rest of his breakfast and then decided that
his eyes were bigger than his tummy. Also.
an artist he did not wish to miss the sight OF
the entrance to the harbor
He placed his cup In hole In the table
there are no such things as, useless loose