Evening star., 1951-12-31
Churchill Sails
For u. ). After
3Days' Delay
Held Up by Storm,
Trouble With Liner
And Other Difficulties
BY the Associated Press

SOUTHAMPTON. Eng, Dec. 81.
The liner Queen Mary, carrying
Prime Minister Winston Church.
i'll to America for talks with Presi-
dent Truman put out to sea three
days late today.
Delayed first by the heaviest At
lantic storms in years and then
by balky anchor, the 81 ,000-ton
luxury vessel finally got away at
11:58 am. (6:58 am. EST.
She originally had been sched-
uled to sail with her 1,104 pas
sengers on Friday.
Mr.. Churchill and his party of
IS, including Foreign Secretary
Anthony Eden, had been waiting
on board since IS minutes after
Saturday midnight.
damned Anchor Repaired.
Hope of sailing yesterday was
dashed when the port anchor be-
came jammed in it's housing.
Workmen had to cut through a
plate into the housing to release
the jammed fluke. Then they had
to replace the plate.
Final tests on the anchor were
complete in mid-morning. Even
then, fog in the harbor raised
doubt whether the big ship could
get underway with the tide. Not
until 1890 am. did Cunard Off
cial tell newsmen:
"The Queen Mary will sail at
noon"
BY that time the fog had lifted
and the harbor was calm.
One hour before the Queen Mary
was due to leave, further delay
threatened when union chapter
chairmen Of the 1900 crew men,
bers held a grievance meeting on
board.
They complained Of lack Of leave
for the men during the recent
over-long, storm tossed crossings
and against certain working con-
ditions."
Messenger Fatally Stricken.
The Southampton representative
Of the National Seaman'S Union
promised to take up their CON-
plants with the Cunard line.
Five minutes before the last
gangway was taken down, 20 sea-
men went ashore in an attempt
to start another protest meeting.
The union representative talked
them out of it and they went back
on the ship.
A tragic note was added to the
1ast-minute confusion by the
death of a messenger bringing
papers to Mr.. Churchill.
The messenger. Frederick May.
IS, collapsed at the dock gate and
died, apparently of a heart
attack.
Mr.. Churchill also had trouble
with a slide fastener on his shoes.
It was mended only an hour before
sailing.
Another passenger on the liner
is Walter S. Clifford, the United
States Ambassador to Britain.
who said he was returning to-
Washington for general consulta-
tions" in connection with the
Churchill visit.
Must Rebuild Wealth.
Passengers gathered in the
main lounge of the promenade
deck last night to hear carols
sung by 20 choristers from Win
chester Cathedral.
Mr.. Churchill dined with Earl
Mountbatten, fourth lord of the
Admiralty, who has been ap-
pointed commander chief of
the British Mediterranean fleet
effective next May. The Prime
Minister also worked on the papers
he is carrying to Washington for
his talks with the President.
In New Years message to the
Primrose League. a group Of
Conservative Party leaders, Mr..
Churchill declared 1852 presents
us with momentouS challenges
and opportunities" He added:
Abroad our first task must be
to win peace through a policy of
strength. The liberties which we
prize, and which our ancestors
won for us in the struggles of
many centuries, are threatened by
an alien doctrine, which is quick
to exploit weakness but pauses
before strength"
The task at home, Mr.. Churchill
said, is ITO rebuild the material
wealth which we sacrificed in the
defense of freedom in two world
wars"
"Ony a Britain that is earning
her own livelihood" he declared,
"can make her proper contribution
to the solution of the worlds
problems.