The New York herald., 1922-12-08
WIFE TELLS THRILLS
| OF WORLD CRUISE ON
| 9S FOOT SPEEJACKS
Mrs. GOwen and Husband
Reach Norfolk After
1900 Mile Trip.
TOOK TURN AT WHEEL
Fought Rolling Seas and
tainted While Plotting
Ship in Red Sea.
SAVAGES KIND HOSTS
Oxford Man Tribal Chief
Diamonds Worn Even by
Poor in Singapore.
TOOK TURN AT WHEEL
SAvAGES KIND HOSTS

Special Dispatch to THE New YORK HERALD
NORFOLK, Dec. with just one
port, New York, TO reach, the yacht
Speejacks arrived here to-day, almost
completing a trip of more than 10000
miles around the world. A. Y. Gowen,
owner of the yacht; his wife and ten
other persons are on board.
The SpeejacksS is ninety-eight feet
long and weighs sixty-four tons. She
is the only craft Of her length that
ever made a voyage around the world.
When Mr.. Gowen stepped ashore
here to-day his first words were: Eve
have seen all the world but we have
not seen anything that is as pretty
as the shore line OF the United States"
The Speejacks left New York on
August 81. 1921. came TO Norfolk and
other lands She returned to Miami
on Thanksgiving Day of this year.
Mrs. CIowen has passed through an
experience unusual for a woman. She
has been with the speejacks in every
mile of it's trip and has done her turn
standing watch. With Mr.. Gowen she
has explored wild lands all over the
world and has enjoyed the experience.
Her husband to-day said Mrs. Gowen
knows more about the trip than he does.
z L a.. 80 4la
talking.
Thrilled by world Cruise.
This was not honeymoon for Mr.
and Mrs. Gowsp. They had beer mar
ried almost two years before the trir
4 began. Mrs. Gowen IS Texan and has
loved outdoor life. but thas never been
Z a sportswoman OF the extreme type.
! and the adventure OF cruising around
the world in little craft that seems as
frail as the SpeeJacks was Just as much
novelty and thriller TO her. as II
would have been TO any other woman.
! Commodore Gowen, ex-commodore OF
the Cleveland Yacht Club and a nenl-
] Der OF the Chicago Yacht Club, Is a
Z yachtsr1an of parts. lie has always
loved the water. lie is a Harvard man
and is vice president OF the Lehlgh Port
land Cement Company. He has had
the means to crafty his hobby OF
yachts and is a good sailor.
But even he got a thrill from planning
this trip around the world. After they
were married in 1919 in New York. Mr..
and Mrs. Gowen lived mostly In Chi
cago, where Mr.. Gowen had his offices.
/ And there they planned the SpeeJacks
and the tour. They didn't plan for
fame, however; they planned It because
they wanted TO see the places they did
see and wanted to do something no one
else had ever done before.
speejacks Cost 100000.
The Speejscks before she was finally
ready to start cost upward of 10000
Several times her specifications had to
be changed. Everything was built 'by
twos"--two engines. two propellers and
two sets Of lighting apparatus-two OF
everything This feature stood the little
ship in good stead on at least one occa-
sion when she ran on an unchartered
coral reef near the savage Solomon
Islands and one Of her engines gave out.
She was able 20 run on the other engine
until she reached dry dock.
Outfittng the Speejacks ocst, besides
great time and trouble, about s1 900.
Mr.. Gowen manned her largely with
young college men who were eager to
go But when she came back she had
only two Of the original crew, the others
having been dropped by the wayside,
with their places taken by seamen OF
the particular nationality which hap
pened 10 predominate In whatever port
one Of the crew decided to dsembark.
Besides Mr.. and Mrs. Gowen there
was I. J. Ingraham. we'll known photog-
rapher, explorer and lecturer. who has
taken some I00.00 feet OF moving pic
ture fin1 and hundreds OF still pic
lures. some OF which are expected to
contribute largely to the advancement OF
the study Of some Of the less civilized
races OF the far south. There was the
steward. Bill Souiby. and Jack Lewis.
chief engineer, both Of whom left New
York when the Speejacks sailed August
81, 1921. The other seven members OF
the crew represented many different
nationslities and have their home ports
scattered all over the world
Confident of Success.
I'VE always knew VIC were going 10
win out" Mrs. Gowen said And then
there came a weary look on her face as
she remembered how hard II had been
20 win. Laughingly-for she can look
back on II all now as a joke--she told
OF the great trip--she told of monsoons
that seemed just 10 take the very heart
out OF things she told OF rolling seas
that threatened every minute to en-
gulf the little SpeeJacks and yet she
told OF beautiful sunsets in rugged har-
bors, OF islands of savages. OF the bur-
nlshed twilight over Pompeil. of the
splendor. OF Arabia and tho wealth OF
Singapore.
The spcejacks sailed from Miami
early in September, 1921. and arrived at
Kingston. Jamaica, without unusual in
cident She was held up there for four
DAYS. however. because of heavy seas
which prevented her crossing the Csrlb-
bean Soa 10 Panama. II must be- re-
ineinbered that tho Spcejacks is only eS
feet long and weighs 60 tons
After the four day wait. however she
proceeded 10 Panama and went through
the canal and then was towcd by the
American steamer Eastern Queen "a
Tiokca. about 500 miles from Tahiti