Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-02
BY VICTOR KAUFFMANN.

Gloucester. Mass, August 81. 1928.
|HIS purports to be rambling
account of a trip made by
member of The Star staff over
and around Cape Cod. The
take-off.- was made from base
No. Z in picturesque Gloucester harbor
There will be no attempt to tell oil
the duties and activities of the Coast
Guard. for almost every one knows that
this branch of the service, while active
under the Treasury Department. Is COM
posed of officers and men from the
Navy who know their duty and do IL
| as 1t should be done.
AS far back as 1892, the writer OF
| these notes. went as an observer ana
| special correspondent of The Star on the
| flagship of Admiral Gherardi, which
led the big naval review from Hampton
Roads. Va, to New York. AS the fleet
that represented practically all the mar
thine nations of the world could only
90 as fast as the slowest ship, ana
as 1t was conveying the three caravels
that had come across the Atlantic TO
take part in the big parade it is need
less to say that the speed was compa-
rable to that of snail which has no
place in particular to go and has no
reason to hurry.
The same correspondent today went
in one of Uncle Sans airships around
Cape Cod. leaving the naval base rather
late in the morning and being back IN
ample time for an early luncheon.
Last year. the correspondent aiore-
said went by motor to Princeton TO
spend a night This morning he tried
to identify the inn where he put up
near the end of the cape, but 1t was
not so easy TO recognize it from an
elevation of thousand feet. We were
over Boston in less time than 1t would
have taken TO smoke three cigarettes
but for obvious reasons smoking is not
allowed on planes.
When the writer went on The Star
the late Harry P. Goodwin was the city
editor, and many old-timers still regard
him as one of the best ever. In those
days a l2-page edition was considered
quite an event. while The Sunday Star
and illustrated features were not even
dreamed of City editors never thought
of letting reporters or correspondents
sign their names To their pieces, but
50 many Of my experiences today were
of An intimate nature that can hardly
refrain from writing IN the first person
singular"
As Mr.. Hoover pointed out In ms
speech Of acceptance, there are some
bureaus that come under the lurisdic-
ton of departments that would seem
J to have been planned along different
lines altogether Thus, the Coast Guard.
while it Is manned by naval officers, Is
part and parcel OF the Treasury DE"
partment Its chief function Is TO pre-
vent smuggling. but 1t is always READY
to save human lives and come to the
i help Of ships In distress.
hSh
! THE force al the Gloucester station
comprises approximately 1874 officers
and men. and they have In regular use
ampltfier phones / scout plane IL
patrol boats and 3 picket boats H.
may or may not be true that all Coast
Guard boats are painted orange and
black but the plane in which the writer
rode was cOlored that way, and he hap
pens ~ be Princeton man 81 years ago
II Was through The courtesy Of Lieut.
Comdr Eugene a Coffin who ii IN
command Of Naval Base NO z. that
was able To make the trip, He intro
duced me 10 Lieut. Leonard M Melka.
who vas 10 be the pilot on this wonder
iui cruise ] was most fortunate for
Lieut. Meka has been flyer both IN
this country and abroad since 1916 and
is an intimate friend III Col Lindbergh
Like that famous aifman Lieut.. Meika
Ii blond and he Is extremely popular
with the enlisted men.
The pilot the radio operator and
were taken out 10 the hangar IN Navy
tug and there we donned flying t0gs
That's where / made my big mistake. !
wore sweater and when ! put on
heavy canvas suit and helmet ! felt
very much as a mummy might feel II he
we're put in Il bake oven and left 10 cook
IN his ceTements
once aboard the plane the pilot took
hts place In front, on a seat slightly
( higher than the rear seat on which !
? rode while the radio man sat on the
. floor, with his helmeted head between
my knees He had 81 safpecet so We
we're in constant communication with
The naval base There Is no noise 10 he
. heard IN the cockpit, as the exhaust Is