Evening star., 1948-10-27
Ample American Food
Adds 10 Seasickness
Aboard Refugee Ship
By ChoImers M. Roberts
Stor Staff Correspondent

TRANSPORT GENERAL BLACK,
Oct. 27.-"Its like going through
purgatory to get to heaven"
That was the reaction of a Cali
fornia-bound Polish DIP as q wave
of seasickness swept this Army
transport carrying 813 displaced
persons to the United States, the
first to find a new home in Amer
lea under the Displaced Persons
Act of 1948.
But If seasickness has put lot
of DPS in their hunks with that
miserable feeling in the pit of the
stomach, many Others are taking
the sea in stride. For most of the
DPS this is the first time they have
seen the Atlantic.
The children-there are 104 Of
them between 2 and 10 as well as 10
from 6 months to 2 years-are up
at dawn daily, searching the ship
for new thrills. Hour after hour
the public address system blares out
in German, the common Language
of the DPS, because it was chiefly
Hitler who brought them together
in misery.
Ship Chartered by IRO.
This ship is under charter to the
International Refugee Organiza-
ton, the United Nations agency
which runs the DIP camps and fur
nishes the transport for those emf
grating overseas. The ship has to
call on DIP help to man the dining
rooms and keep the quarters clean.
The food, of course, is the thing
that makes a DPS eyes bulge. And
it's the food as much as the roll of
the vessel that caused the early sea-
sickness. Normal procedure on the
General Black, which has made NIL
merous previous trips to other parts
of the world carrying DPS to new
homes, is to introduce the passen-
gers to American food gradually.
The two items on the bill of fare
which are hardest to get used to
are meat and oranges. DPS have
been eating practically meatless
meals for years and an orange Is
something many of them never
have tasted, because they are luxury
items in Germany and Austria.
Capt. M. r. Hoffman, is taking
his ship in a southerly swing across
the Atlantic en- route to New York
Ito give the DPS a little sun and
take off that DIP camp pallor."
Big Reception Waiting.
Reports on shipboard are of a big
reception planned for the General
Black when she reaches New York,
probably Saturday, October 80. Nor
mally these Army transports dock at
Staten Island but the General Black
is scheduled to dock at the foot of
one of the midtown Manhattan
. cross streets. New York's noisy re-
ception for major ship arrivals is
expected to be turned on for the first
boatload of DPS.
Ugo Carusi, chairman Of the
United States Displaced Persons
Committee, which has the job of ad-
ministering the Displaced Persons
Act, is flying to the United States
to be on hand when the boat arrives.
He saw it off at Bremerhaven, Ger
many. october 81.
The boat sailed away from Ger
many on drizzly day after a round
of dockside farewell speeches by
IRO, U. S. Army and other officials,
including those from the American
voluntary agencies which are taking
a major part in the emigration pro-
gram. The ship showed of to the
tune Of "The Star Spangled Banner"
played by an Army band.
The lump in many . DIP throat
was compounded of mixed emo
tions-relief at leaving Germany
after 50 many years yet sorrow at
leaving the continent of Europe and
the memories of happy days In pre-
war homes.
On shipboard mothers with small
children and the very aged are using
what normally are quarters for
Army officers on this transport. Men
and women are segregated in the
normal troop compartments but all
have the run of the ship and the
decks are crowded with family
groups.
California Is first among the