Viewing page 25 of 46

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

In Etretat & Le Havre altogether I [[strikethrough]] met [[/strikethrough]] found a marvelously heterogeneous crowd. I knew the Richter sisters, Otto Lang & his wife, [[strikethrough]] Eric Von [[/strikethrough]] the John Lodges, & Emmy Dick & husband. Those we met & saw much of were Baron Eric Stroheim & his mistress, & Micheal Farmer, & Mrs. Fuller & Billy Fuller. Our fear that women & children would go first on the Wash. & Poyo get left behind was alleviated by [[strikethrough]] our [[/strikethrough]] the slim chances of any of us getting off. If Loya & I had - [[strikethrough]] I would [[/strikethrough]] we would have given up our passage to stay with Poyo.

Meantime Germany is taking Poland fast, & Germans are fighting England by sea, but barely France. The sinking of the Canadian ship "Athenia" - full of Americans caused the Ital. Consul in Le Havre to say the English want the U.S. to join the war. ie. England blames Germany for the torpedo - but who did it?

Fri Sept 8

We definitely found we have no passage on an Amer. boat, & heard that because Le Havre is a dangerous place the whole American outfit is to be moved to Bordeaux.

In order to find out about Ital. boats we had to get to Paris. The boats in Bordeaux are only 3 small ones & there is doubt about all Americans fitting on them. I get a cable from Engand "send news name of boat date of arrival." Either it was sent by mum to the N.Y. office - or was from her. No word about them & no conception of our lack of boats - & most unsatisfactory! I went to John Lodge & his wife who leave on the Wash. which is delayed one day by picking up torpedoed English boat which sank in 6 mins. I gave him messages for family & a letter. We had to get a stamped