The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1939-10-12

The only praise came from IL
Catholic priests who signed a state
ment of thanks to the United States
government for sending the convoy.
There was a profusion of black
eyes among passengers who had
been rolled from cots and deck
chairs during the storm. Miss Mar
garet Ninihan, 81, New York, who
had one, said she was thrown from
chair at breakfast. The ship
pitched so badly that it took five OF
the IL priests aboard to say one
mass, two devoting their whole time
to holding the celebrant up.
There were nine masses OF thanks
giving when American waters were
reached. Seventy-year-old Mrs.
Mary OLeary said she expressed the
sentiments Of all passengers in
saying, Thank God We are safe;
this ship should never have been
sent to sea because she is not pro-
per for the North Atlantic"
The 12-year-old, 6,00O-ton Iro-
quois, coast-wise cruise ship when
the war broke out, had been hur-
riedly refitted for an ocear crossing
to return some of the Americans
stranded in Europe by the war.
Chartered by the United States lines
from the Clyde-Mallory line, she
left New York Sept. 10 with Capt
Edgar A. Chelton, veteran Of World
War transport ships, in command.
She loaded 81 passengers at Liver
pool, Oct. Q, $40 at Cobb, Oct. 3, and
started home. Every one of the
passengers and crew of 2l1 was an
American citizen. Most Of the pas
sengerS were riSh-Americans who
had been visiting the old country.
Last Thursday, when the Iroquois
was two days out Of Cobb, President
Roosevelt announced that Grand
Admiral Erich Raeder of the Ger
man navy had informed the United
States naval attache in Berlin that
the ship would be sunk as she
neared the American coast under
circumstances similar to those
which marked the sinking of the
British liner Athena" the implica-
ton being that the British would
do the sinking.
The informatio was messaged to
Capt. Chelton on the Iroquois, but
he was told not to notify and alarm
the passengers.
But the passengers were having
other troubles. A storm broke, high
waves lashed the ship, all but so
passengers were too sick to 60 to the
dining salon and 80 were treated
for injuries. The passengers thought
they were in hurricane and, ac-
cording to the Rev. Michael Grace,
OF Shelbina, MO-, many passengers
were saying the Rosary most Of the
time" The storm lasted three days.
Then, mysterious things began to
happen as Capt. Chelton took pre-.
cautions in view of the radioed
warning. Ships officers removed
tubes from all radio sets in state
rooms; the sending of radiograms
was forbidden; every Granny of the
ship was searched for bombs; pas
sengers were lined up and taken one
at time to the trunk room where
their luggage was searched in their
presence, and they were warned to
open and inspect packages handed
to them at Cobb before sailing. The
passengers then thought the United
States had gone to war.
The passengers were "watered" in
half hour periods three times a day
because the Iroquois, not having
been built for ocean crossings, could
not carry a large supply.
Finally, at a. m. Sunday, the
coast guard cutter Campbell hove
into sight in mid-Atlantic. That
scene was described by the priests,
headed by Rev. Edward Griffin
army chaplain at Randolph Field,
Tex, and Rev. william Griffin, st.
Louis, Mo-, in their letter of thanks.
1.-THE dining room steward who
bug!ed us to meals set his cornet to
his lips and blew out across the
ocean the American National An
them. ALI on deck sang to his ac-
compartment and cheered for the
cutter and the nation it represent
ed"
That afternoon, Capt. chelton