New-York tribune., 1921-02-09
Harding Quits
VacatiOn Ship
For Good Today
Houseboat Defies ALI Efforts
To Release Ia From Mud.
So President Elect Will
Complete Trip by Train
Spends Night ON Craft
Party Threads Jungle Trail
and Encounters Many
Obstacles to Get Aboard

DAYTONA, Fla, Feb. s.-After
days outing in Sea Breeze and Day
tona, President-elect Harding returned
to his stranded Houseboat Victoria in
Mosquito Lagoon tonight to pack his
baggage and to bid farewell to the
vacation ship.
All efforts to pull che Victoria out
of the mud failed to-day and Mr.. Hard
ing decided not to wait longer for her
to resume her northward cruise. He
expects to come ashore tomorrow
morning and complete his trip up the
coast of st. Augustine by train.
The President-elect's return to the
houseboat involved many difficulties.
the party threading q narrow jungle
trail and picking precarious way
along rickety pier to board the
launch that took them out to the Vic
tora. The trip furnished a familiar
companion piece TO Mr.. Harding's ex-
perience last November when he at
tempted to leave Point Isabel, Tex,
after similar bad luck had broken up
his vacation there.
Discovers Decaying Pier
When Mr.. Harding came ashore in
launch yesterday his party searched
the river banks as far north as New
Smyrna, distance of twenty miles,
before they found safe landing. To-
day, however, a Secret Service man
went scouting and discovered decay
ing pier jutting out from a primeval
forest of palmettos, almost opposite
the spot where the Victoria lies. 1t
was there that the President-elect put
out tonight to board the honseboat,
The explorations of the Secret Serv-
ice man lasted until afternoon, his ex-
periences. including an encounter with
a group of negroes who refused at first
to lend him their rowboat because one
of them had caught glimpse of a
pistol tucked beneath his belt. 1t was
whispered along the river bank that
he was q revenue agent, but he finally
convinced the owner of the boat to the
contrary.
Mean time, in Sea Breeze, the eager
hosts who always gather around
celebrity had taken charge of Mr.. Har-
ding's entertainment and had thrown
From the golf links they gathered
him in for luncheon party that lasted
Till into the afternoon and then they
undertook TO pilot him down the river
bank until they established liaison
with the Secret Service expedition.
Distributing the party in half
dozen automobiles, they started south
ward along the Dixie Highway. At New
Smyrna they pulled up to make in
quiry about the Victoria, parking their
cars for fifteen minutes in a cluster
that blocked the street and aroused the
ire of tourists, truck drivers and Pc
destrians.
A short distance south of New
Smyrna the encourage made another
stop when it met flying Secret Serv~
ice car that had come up from Mosquito
Lagoon to pilot them. Toward the end
OF the drive the road became only q
trail, in which palm and palmetto leaves
scratched the varnish from the auto
mobiles and the wheels mired to the
axles.
Stranded Ship Sighted
When further progress by motor was
impossible the party walked 300 yards
and were at the pier in full view of
the Victoria as she lay blistering in
the sun two miles off shore. The tug
Osceola, sent from Daytona to release
the houseboat, lay idle beside her, all
thought of pulling her off before high
tide tomorrow having been allan
doned. The next problem Of the party
ashore was to attract attention to
themselves, for a leaky rowboat was
the only conveyance available at the
pier.
Mr.. Harding took the lead in the
out on the abandoned pier on timbers
that creaked threateningly. He waved
white handkerchief and shouted at the
top Of his lungs Other memberc Of the