Day-to-Day Journal

Side note: Helen is floating east at 14.21 miles per hour, towards San Pedro, California, with six days of Pacific Ocean to go. This sea seems angrier than the ones before: literally, with its heaving and burbling waters; and figuratively, with warships all over South East Asian harbors. And then news from abroad is heaped with literal dread.

At 5:00 at Shag's listening to the news from London, Nazi troops are pouring into Austria, Schusnieg has resigned. France is hastening to form a new Cabinet and she and Britain have sent strong notes of protest to Germany. The insurgents have captured more villages in the Saragosa district, China is bombing Nanking. It is a warlike world we're going back to. 

Side note: March 1938 was just plain crap, but if you were headed towards a country not about to be embroiled in crap — at least not on its own shores (Hawaii wasn’t a state yet when it was hit a few years later) — you were lucky. Her timing was pretty impeccable. Ships like the Silverwillow were used in the war and many, including the Silverwillow, were blown up by U-boats.

*Also, Saragosa aka Zaragoza is in Spain and this was during the Spanish Civil War, Franco, and the Aragon Offensive. Case in point about all the crap.

Heard the first radio program from the States - it was Paul Whiteman's orchestra playing "Rhapsody in Blue". We grabbed each other and shouted "home" and when realized that "Rhapsody in Blue" is the perfect theme song for us.

Side note: That is my favorite part!! I knew it was coming, because I’ve read her journal before (more than once), but in my memory, Rhapsody in Blue happened when they were docked outside Singapore watching war planes buzz about. My brain blocked out the ‘first radio program from the States…’ part, which is key to the story. The first time they hear U.S. radio in five months, and Gershwin’s 1924 mega hit Rhapsody in Blue, with all its legs-akimbo frenetic jazz-age energy, is blaring.

Katy's 73rd Birthday. She and Sam get into a hot argument at dinner. He claims the masses ought not to be raised up, that environment may work wonders - with Shag until 9:00. Sailed from Cebu some 10 T of water short. We're using distilled from sea water for washing - it's hard and horrid.

Side note: Sam is a passenger they picked up in Java (and whom I picture as Indiana Jones) and here he is arguing with a feisty senior citizen named Katy on her birthday, but I’m not sure we know which passenger is Katy. There are four female senior citizens out of eight civilian passengers. One is named Helen so she is out. At the beginning of the trip, Helen notes that one female passenger is 72 and one is 73. The 73 year old is also out. So it’s between the 72 year old and the a woman of unnamed age. Who of these would be likely to get in a fight about the rights of workers with a man hitching a ride across the Pacific in 1938:

• The 72 year old, Mrs. Sigrist, is a woman who Helen liked early on, but about a month into the trip, said was ‘a hag out of a Dickens novel’. So maybe it was poor Sam who was being picked upon!
• The other contender is Mrs. Cargill, who is noted as a “Prototype of the pioneer woman, has known hard work and back breaking toil – is sweet, serene, friendly”. Though she is sweet, a pioneer woman might not take sass from a young freeloader crapping on the working class.

So it’s a toss up.

[Present location:] 
Lat. 31° 34' N 
Long. 160° 41" W
Dist. 335 mi.
Av. Speed 14.21 mph 

Sat. Mar. 12: Had good luck with Lat. And Long. Today. Capt. was pleased. Had no help and came out just like the bridge. Typed from noon to tea. Wound yarn. Looked at Shag's pictures. Want dozens of them. Talked to Jim for hours.

Side note: For someone who kept so much pertaining to this trip, there are probably only a dozen pictures total. That’s still pretty good for 1938. Here are most, if not all, of them.

[Present location:]
Lat. 31° 42' N
Long. 154° 21" W
Dist. 324 mi.
Av. Speed 13.74 mph 

Sun. Mar. 13: Finished choosing Shag's pictures, was late getting topside. Did a long. - made a mistake as usual. Lovely warm spring-like day, seas smooth, everyone out on the weather deck after lunch. Sam and I sunbathed. Typed until tea time. Started the sweater on my suit. S. and I got a bit reckless after dinner.

Side note: For all her knowledge of health and the human body, she should know that recklessness on a full stomach could cause a cramp. Throwing caution to the wind!

(I am sure the S. is Shag, even though there’s now another S. on board — Sam)

Jim has his apprentice exams today and this evening a final lesson on another subject. Sam and Kate had a blistering argument on killing senile and insane, and on capital punishment.

Side note: I’m gonna guess that the person who didn’t want the masses to have power (Sam) is also pro-execution for the ‘senile and insane’. But one cannot be sure.

[Present location:]
Lat. 32° 02' N
Long. 147° 32" W
Dist. 348 mi.
Av. Speed 14.78 mph 

Mon. Mar. 14: Did a longitude in the a.m. Sam and I had a little hop-scotch after lunch and then a deck tennis match on 4 Hatch over the boom. Most exercise since the trip began. Figured out my declaration for the customs. Best morse I've done but much too slow yet. Sam read another chapter from his book. Had several G and V's and came to the point. Beautiful moonlight, and a following wind swung my hammock and slept out - until a shower drove me in. Shag in the depths with jealous notions.

Side note: Are G and Vs navigation terms or booze, like they would be with me?

I do not blame Shag for being jealous. Helen is with this Indiana Jones type doing hop-scotch and tennis and book reading. Who wouldn’t be jealous??

[Present location:]
Lat. 32° 26' N
Long. 140° 45" W
Dist. 345 mi.
Av. Speed 14.65 mph 

Tue. Mar. 15: Rolling seas, the glasses began to slip at lunch time. Did another Longitude. The sun came out at noon for a moment for a sight. Ruth castor-oiled my head. It's frightful with dandruff and not getting it clean in our distilled salt water. Threw some paper over board and was surprised to see it blow forward instead of back. Strange to have a following wind. We're blowing toward land altogether too quickly. Had boards around the table at dinner. 

Full moon, silvery seas. Shag and I made a wish — I'm sure it was the same one. Jim writing an assay for his exam. Took my pictures up to Capt to choose.

Side note: Helen is the least ‘make a wish’ person I can think of so she must be so ga ga.

[Present location:] 
Lat. 32° 49' N
Long. 134° 37" W
Dist. 336 mi.
Av. Speed 14.26 mph 

Wed. Mar. 16: Up on the bridge for my first Longitude sight, with 3 Mate, Capt. standing by the chronometer. At nav all a.m. 

A gloriously beautiful day, but cold and snappy, didn't get really warm until Sam and I had our game of deck tennis after lunch, and then found #3 Hatch warm enough for a sunning. Got my negatives ready to send for reprints. Morse after dinner. Visit with Shag. Grand radio music from the States. Still rolling.

Side note: The chronometer! Remember from the last post, a chron tells a lat.

[Present location:]
Lat. 33° 14' N
Long. 127° 25" W
Dist. 338 mi.
Av. Speed 14.35 mph 

Thru. Mar. 17: The days are too beastly short. Had good luck with my Long. and started on Azimuths. Just when it's getting exciting I have to quit. Had a washing session, then had Jim borrow me a bucket of soft water to wash my horrible hair. Finally got the soap and the castor oil out. First time in two weeks it has been free of soap.

Side note: Azimuths looks like scary graduate level math, and certainly not exciting.

Helen is constantly fighting with her hair, on ship or not. My mother (Helen’s niece) said Helen got the bad hair of the family, in Helen’s own telling, while her sister (my grandmother) got the good hair.

The news tonight was not reassuring. France is mobilizing, Germany has sent 400,000 troops to Spain, Russia is preparing to march thru Poland and aid Czeco-Slovakia if Germany moves in that direction. 

Had a thrill this afternoon when I heard a plane. Dashed out to see a pursuit job swoop across our stern, another across our bows. Last night at sea — feel blue to think it has to end. Jim and Shag do not help lift the depression, what with war talk and good-byes. Up writing letters with Capt. until midnight. 

Side note: War and bittersweet woe pervades, but there must be comfort in blowing towards peaceful shores.

[Present location:] 
Lat. 33° 43' N
Long. 120° 47" W
Dist. 333 mi.
Av. Speed 14.24 mph 

Fri. Mar 18: Found a Longitude which will probably be the last on the S-willow — and made a mistake because ship's time went on 38 min. to Pacific coast time and apparent noon was ahead of ship's noon. 

Sighted land on the port bow just after noon and the gulls are white ones today. Cold and clear, about tea time it was warm enough to sit on Hatch #3 to take a sunning. Most passengers had been cooped up in the saloon with doors closed and heat on, so I stirred them all up to get out in the air. 

Had tea outside, and Ruthie read knitting directions to me while I typed them on Sam's machine. 

Took some star sights as sunset. Visit with Jim and Shag. Dropped the pick at 9:00 with the light of San Pedro ahead. 

Well, California, what are you going to do about it.

Side note: Indy is traveling with a typewriter? This adds a new dimension. What we know about him: he was ‘acquired’ in Java. He is sporty, playing tennis and hopscotch. He likes to sunbathe. He thinks that the ‘senile and insane’ should be executed. Shag is jealous of him. He is writing a book. But who travels from continent to continent with a typewriter?? Not an Indy type, I don’t think. That would slow down the adventures.

Anyhow, we’re almost back on U.S. soil!! Just one more leg to go. But not before a grand tour of Los Angeles. Shall we?