Catoctin clarion., 1920-12-30
FREDERICK COUNTY, MD, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 80 1920

leave, as they did everywhere else
throughout the voyage, enabling them
to visit many cities and localities rare.
iy seen by seamen.
More cargo was discharged at Kobe
the next Japanese port Of call, where
the ship stayed eight days. After pass.
ing through Tsugara Straits in foggy
weather the slip came safely to vladI-
yostok, arriving April %.
Here the President Grant took on
board 5,437 troops and sailed for
Trieste. ploughing through tog and
rain to HOngkong. where q stop was
made for coal and supplies. Singapore
was reached May IL. and after skirt
ing Sumatra and entering the Indian
ocean, the President Grant stopped at
Colombo on the island Of Ceylon. A
stay of five days was made here.
There was fine weather and CLASSY
seas on the trip across the Indian
ocean, but in the Red sea the tempera-
ture rose to l02 degrees and the uni.
form Of the day in the FIRE room was
one pair Of light sandals.
A Ride on the camets.
At 1925 a. III. on June 4. the ship
entered the Suez Canal and reached
Port Said on the Mediterranean sea
the next day. While in this part of
the globe members Of the crew had
an opportunity to try out the camel
as means Of lOcomOtiOn. In Cey-
Ion they had tried elephants, and in
China rickshaws. and at Venice, which
they visited after the ship reached
Trieste. they tried gondolas. The ar.
rival at Trieste was on June IL, more
than four months after the start of
the voyage.
At Trieste orders were waiting for
another shipment of Czech soldiers. so
after twelve days In port. the trans
port steamed on the back trail. At
Port Said she caught the United
States army transport Crook, just sail.
ing for Trieste, and hastily transferred
to her five st0waways who had crept
on board at the Adriatic port.
Colombo was reached July 16, after
passing through southwest monsoons
and heavy seas in the Indian ocean.
On July 21. after five days at Colon.
DO for repairs to be made and sup
plies taken on, the ship steamed east
ward. and five days later anchored
on a. very dark night at the entrance
to the narrow and crooked Singapore
straits. Next morning the ship pro-
ceeded toward Manila, hugging the
coasts Of Borneo and Palawan to
avoid typhoons. Manila was reached
August l. with the crew all very busy
painting and cleaning the ship in
preparation for her next load Of pas
sengers. On August the ship steam.
ed for Karatsu. Japan, for coal,
but next day halted at the entrance
to Subig Bay to land six stowaways
who had secreted themselves on
board under the decidedly mistaken
impression that they would be rapidly
transported to the United States.
RESCUE Japarsse Fishermen.
A few days later the President
Grant sighted motor launch Of about
80 feet In length drifting helplessly
over the Pacific swells with q signal
Of distress hoisted. The transport
hove to and lowered a boat. The
men on the boat were japanese fish,
ermen, who said their fuel had given
out and they had drifted for FIVE days.
They were given enough gas to take
them back to Nippon and the Prssi-
dent Grant proceeded, reaching Karat
su August 10. After fve days of
coaling the transport steamed toward
Vladivostok, reaching the Russian
port for the second time on August 18.
There 5.874 troops under command
of Gen. st. Cecek, were embarked
and the President Grant headed
into the rough seas and southwest
monsoons Of the Sea Of Japan and
the China sea. Hongkong was
reached September and Singapore
six days later through much rough
weather. Ceylon was touched once
more and the Indian ocean, Red sea
and Suez canal passed without mis-
hap. When Port Said was reached,
October 6, the canal authorities or
dered the ship moored In the African
basin, against the protests Of both
Captain Chambers and the American
consular agent. When the tide fell
the big ship went aground aft. Cap
tain Chambers ordered coaling stopped
and water tanks pumped out. The
ship was pulled ahead by Its anchors
into deeper water. Fortunately the
bottom of the basin was soft and
the ship apparently suffered NO dam
age.
After two days at Port Said the
ship left for Trieste. reaching that
port October Is. This second voy-
age with troops was made novel by
the presence on board Of 600 Russian
women,- wives Of the Czecho- Slovak
soldiers, and a humber Of babies.
Three babies died ON board and two
we're born.
Home Again at Last.
A terrific storm arose while the
transport was moored to a dock at
Trieste and for three days the ship
was held with great difficulty. Ten or
eleven lines and eight mooring wires
held her safely. but the mooring bits
On the port quarter cracked and one
Df the wires parted.
Then came the time the crew. and
more particularly Chief Oficer Jones.
was looking forward to-casting of
mn the last leg On October 28 the
President Grant. homeward bound,
sailed from Trieste with 1900 lmmi-
grants on board She passed easily