The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1931-03-26
SEA VOYAGE OF WASHING
TON AND HOOVER

President Hoover'S visit to our
island territories in the Caribbean
creates an historic parallel to another
voyage to those waters made 1870
years ago by a young man destined
also to be President of the United
States and a world figure, although
the young man was not then aware of
it. The young man in question, then
nineteen years of age, was George
Washington.
Even at that early age Washington
was the methodical man that he re-
manned through life, and faithfully
kept a day-to-day journal of this first
and only sea voyage. Of all the vol
luminous papers of George Washing
ton that have come down to US, this
journal is the most cut and mutilated
says the Division of Information and
Publication of the George Washing
ton Bicentennial Commission. Whole
pages of this priceless record are
missing, and many of the surviving
pages are mere shreds with but a
word or a line of writing.
What the young Washington does
reveal of his experiences, however,
stands in dramatic contrast with this
voyage of the 31st President whose
day-to-day acts are radioed from the
battleship that in ten days will have
taken him to the Virgin Islands and
Porto Rico and return.
The youthful Washington set forth
on sailing vessel from the Potomac
River on September %, 1851, and il
took him a month and five days to
reach Bridgetown in the Barbados,
His errand was to be companion to
his half-brother Lawrence, who had
been advised by. medical counsel to
try the climate of the West Indies as
possible cure for tuberculosis.
The United States battleship which
carried President Hoover was almost
as safe as dry land itself. Note the
difference in this experience of Wash
ington who, in his 10Th year, was OBJ
servant enough to jot down this en-
try for Oct. 10: lizard squalls of wind
and rain. Sea jostling in heaps oc-
casioned by wavering wind which in
"a hours veered; the compass not re-
naming two hours in any point. The
seamen seemed disheartened, confess
ing they never had seen such weather
before. 1t was universally surmised
there had been violent hurricane moi
far distant. A prodigy in the west
appeared toward the suns setting
about six p. m. remarkable for its
extraordinary redness."
On Nov. 2 land was sighted unex-
pectedly and almost by accident
"when by our reckonings we should
have been near $50 leagues to the
windward," Had the land not beer
fortunately sighted, the vessel bear
ing Washington might have beer
three weeks or more in discovering
the error.
On Dec. %, 1851, young George
records: "Took leave of my brother
and embarked on the Industry, Capt
John Saunders for Virginia" 1t was
March 4th before he reached Pope's
Creek, Westmoreland county, near the
place of his birth at wakefield
From there he went to Fredericks-
burg, and arrived at Mount Vernon
then the property of his half-brotheI
Lawrence, with messages to Lawren-
ce's wife. The doctors had held out
hope for Lawrence's recovery.
The hope was in vain. Lawrence
Washington failed to recover. And as
he had always been as much father as
brother to George, he left Mount Yer
non to his young half-brother, who
there was to nourish the mind and
spirit that dominated all discourage
ment during the struggles of the
Colonies and finally founded the ma.
ton and it's line of Presidents, the
present one of whom has steamed
over the sailing route of the youth
who was destined to be maker OF
American Presidents. What round
ing of the circle, and what mass OF
history and progress is enclosed with
in that ring of $50 years!