The New York herald., 1921-06-26
AMERICA IS FORCED
TO DELAY SAILING
1900 Passengers Told That
Vessel Cannot Be Put in
Shape Until To-day.
BIG SHIP TOPSY TURVY
Limited Time for COmplet-
ing ST. 100000 Contract Is
Blamed for Confusion.
HAS 5000 SACKS OF NAIL
Consignment Equal to Heavy
Christmas Business for the
Postal Department.
HAS 5000 SACKS OF MAIL


America or of Pier 8, Hoboken, where
the one time crack passenger and mai
ship Of the Hamburg American Line
lies docked. Objurgations in severa
North American languages and score
of European tongues bounced upon the
decks of the liner and rebounded from
the pier when 1900 passengers, 470 Of
the first cabin and more than 1000 OF
the third, learned that the ship could
not sail at P. M. yesterday, as had
been advertised and that the depart
ure had been adjourned until IL A. M
to-day.
The truth is that the America be-
tween decks was sight to make a mer.
maid weep when her seagoers went
aboard yesterday and her hard worked
officers, neat persons all. good house.
keepers in traditional sailqr fashion
translated blue thoughts into bluel
speech as they looked aroand over the
setting straight job that had to be done
before sailing time this morning. I'm
tidiness and disorder go hard with sea-
faring men, and there was enough o.
such In evidence here and there through
the tall mall ship 30 darken their lives
for days to come
The purser's office was a giddy tumble
"a mess. This office, by sea custom as
straight and systematized as bank
presidents, looked like a business office
on a bat. Desks and chairS were piled
in conftrsion| The poor purser sought
for needed appurtenances and tore his
thinning hair. Carpets were missing
Not an inkwell could be found. In
many of the best suites there was no
bedding or the carpets were missing. A
pipe or two had sprung aleak and was
trickling water through cabin ceilings
nothing important SJ>it an item contrlbut-
ing further to the strange picture.
Everything shipshapeIess.
Through this jamboree of unreadi-
ness wandered the hot and muddled
passengers, unable to comprehend a
ship that presented an appearance so
untidy With what patience they could
muster officers of the United States
Mail Line and of the ship received
the passengers in groups and explained
the situation. Woe broke all over the
ship when word went out that IL was
simply impossible for the America to
get under way at p. NJ. yesterday,
and that every minute of the time
until II A. NJ. to-day would be required
to put the lights in order. set the purser
up respectfully, equip the cabins and
generally put the tumble to rights.
The first class passengers went grum-
blingly ashore seeking hotels for the
night. Most of them came over to
Manhattan, but many found accommo-
dations in Hoboken. AS for the third
class folk (the America carries no Sec
ond class passengers), many OF them
settled down in the pier shed for the
night, making themselves as comfort
able as possible among the odds and
ends of their baggage.
For this state of affairs, really quite
trivial, however annoying, according to
Julius r. Mayer, president OF the United
States Mail Line, the explanation was
simple. He had spent Friday night
aboard ship In general direction OF the
work OF clearing UP and expected to stay
on the job last night. With him were
subordinate officials of the company
and q representative of the United
States Shipping Board.
President Mayer, sitting in the cap
tain's quarters last evening, made the
following explanation,
The America was not in perfect con-
dition for sailing at the advertised time
because the period we had for getting
her into perfect condition was too short.
II was fifty-thres days. and any steam-
ship man knows that fifty-three DAYS
isn't enough to complete in every de-
tail a contract calling for upward OF
81. .000. 600, such as we made with the
Morse Dry Dock Company of Brooklyn.
That's the whole story-the necessity
for hurry.
Mails Most Important.
'"The ship was In the Morse yards
for the length Of time state. The Morse
people did the best they could, I as
sumo. Certainly i attach no serious
blame 10 them. We had advertised for
six weeks that the America would sail
on June 25. and many of our booking
went back that far. We could not disap-
point our passengers by postponlng the
sailing for period lengthy enough 10
make every detail perfect. Then there
were other and even moro important
considerations.
"As a matter OF business policy. Of
actual patriotism, we decided that we
had TO get the America to sea, In the
actual business of carrying passengers
and malls, as rapidly az possible, even
IL everything wasn't in apple-ple order.
There were the malls. especially 10 be
considered. The America is taking 10
Europe about 1900 sacks of malta
tremendous consignment. an amount
equal to what used to be considered a
big Christmas mall. Vow. as a matter
Of patriotism. IL Is a big thing for sn
American ship 70 get that mail on the
sea and to It's destination at the time
expected by the Postmaster General.
We have hard competition In mail car
rying. Such a consignment OF mall as
we are taking Is worth 1000 passengers.
Our rivals would like II or any part OF
Il. We can't afford to let them have
it. The Government has been fair and
liberal with US. We are trying to be
fair TO the Government.
such being the case, we decided 10
sail at II o'clock tomorrow az the latest
even II there are superficial defects here
and there. As a matter Of fact the 200
men we have at work and that will be
busy up 60 sailing time will put about
everything 10 rights by the time the
whistle blows. All they need r. n few
hours more. The Amecira IS one Of the
most comfortable ships aflost to-day. I
spent all night In her engine room and
her machinery Is IN perfect condition.
She Is thoroughly we'll found. What you
SEQ is superficial and trivial"
Actual inspection Of tho shin by a re-
porter FOR THE NEW YoRK HERALD
seemed To- corroborate Mr.. Mayors state
ment IL seemed apparent that the work