Evening star., 1940-08-04
BY I. WILLIAM HILL.


moored the new luxury liner Amer
lea, cleaning in the sun. She had
been idle since a trial run early in
June and the 26,000,000 pounds of
steel in her great hull were full of
the summer heat. Nevertheless, to
the 862 men who streamed aboard
her this July afternoon, she was full
OF the promise of escape-escape
from responsibilities. escape from
the necessity of effort, most of all
perhaps. escape from the heat. In
the Americas every streamlined
contour was the promise of life-giv-
ing breezes from blue-cool sea.
These men who scrambled across
her gang-plank were guests of the
United States Lines for the Amer
ica's first trip to her home port of
New York. They included members
OF Congress, business and profess
Sional leaders, maritime experts and
representatives of the press and
radio. Though the voyage was only
from Newport News, Va, to New
York, they came prepared. Baggage
lorried to the ship ranged from
handbags the size of a f1ve-pound
box of candy to full sized trunks
There was one, presumably certain
that anything as luXuriously modern
as the America must have every
thing, who brought a full compile
ment of golf sticks.
Cracked Ice and Breezes.
Once aboard, the passengers, whom
the soggy heat had made strangely
uniform, became individuals again
There is a sense of remoteness about
getting aboard a great ship that
bestows careless mood of freedom.
People become very much them
selves. On this occasion, since the
invited guests we're limited to men,
there was not even the restraint on
conduct imposed by the limpid blue
eyes of the lovely blond in a white
pique sports dress. Before the liner
was an hour away from dock, GER
tain of the passengers had peeled
to bare midriffs and were counting
sea breeZeS on the topmost of the
ships II decks Others sought the
H-shaped cocktail bar, done in
ebony, green and aluminium, and
slipped cool drinks while they prac-
tically stood on their heads to study
the ship-life cartoons on the ceiling
that were executed by Constantin
Alaialov, famous for his covers on
the New Yorker Magazine. There
were those, too, who settled down
for bridge or poker on the promen-
ade deck, unusual in two features,
windows that reach from floor to
ceiling to afford perfect view of
the sea and new and special type
of rubber floor covering. The ma
jority of passengers, however, were
wandering over the eight decks open
to them and through the % public
rooms.
Soon after 6 the America sailed,
her deep-throated whistle echoing
far across Hampton Roads. Crowds
on the shore waved and numerous
small boats bucked the ship-wash
to see the liner to the open water.
A walnut-brown bathing girl on the
prov of a motor boat waved and
a Congressman sighed.
IT suppose that's the last woman
we'll see until we get to New York y
he said. "Oh, we'll, at least We'll find
out whether it's women who make
ship glamorous or whether it's
the other way around"
$4,000 Tons to Waste Time.
Sailing from Newport News, Va,
at pm. of Saturday, the America
was scheduled to dock Monday at
noon in New York. where Mayor
La Guardia was to welcome her
as the largest ship ever built in
the United States and the flagship
of the United States Lines. With
guaranteed service speed of 20
knots the America might have made
the voyage easily overnight. Like
a sub-deb going to her first real
party, however, she gave herself
plenty of time, 40 hours where IL
or IA would have been ample. There
were. of course, instruments to be
calibrated and tests to be made.
It was found, incidentally, that she
could be heeled about in complete
circle in 512 minutes, an unprece-
dented performance for a 35,00o-
ton, 723-foot- ocean liner.
Despite all her tests, time hung
heavy on the hands of her COM
mander, Capt. Giles C. Stedman,
who up until last spring commanded
the United States liner Washington.
There he was, atop the Americas
curved bridge with 340G0-horse-
power ready to speed him to port,
and his problem lay, not in making
q schedule, but in keeping from
showing up before the welcoming
party was ready. He directed the
America about 100 miles out to sea,
through a school of whales off the
Virginia Capes. and then probably
felt like a man with a speedboat
and no place to go. From the view
point of his passengers it seemed
he took advantake of his oppor-
tunity and had himself good time
The America Zig-zagged this way
and that, the creamy wake astern
sometimes indicating the boat was
trying to make figure-eights like an
ice skater.
Once, during a radio broadcast
from the ship, Capt. Stedman an
IOlislGuOC niiA AooAeaAS
of the ship. A look of apprehension
spread over the face of a nearby
newspaperman.
Sub Scare i'm the Bud.
"Gosh, now the submarines will
know where we are!" he cried out
The anxiety of the worried one
spread to others few minutes later
when the boat began to zig-zag and
then turned completely about and
started back in the direction from
which 1t came.
II say, officer, is it true we're try
ing to escape submarine?"
The officer only chuckled.
The worried ones took heart from
the American flags painted on both
sides of the hull, and another on a
hatch cover on the forward deck.
In little while they were back in