Thirty Days in Lithuania in 1919Saurusaitis, Peter
History
Thirty Days in Lithuania in 1919
Saurusaitis, Peter
Lithuania
It was not an easy task for me to get a passport, as the United States
government objected to letting me cross Germany. There being no American
consul to Germany, our government would not take the responsibility of
protecting me in that country. To avoid crossing Germany I was advised
to ask for a passport through Denmark, Switzerland and Libow, which I
did. But the consul at Denmark refused to put the visa on my passport
unless I would send a cable to Denmark and get the consent of the
government. I went to Washington to see the ambassador of Denmark
personally, and he told me the same as the consul in New York. I then
went to the State Department asking to have a change made in my
passport which would permit me to go through France. This the State
Department refused to do. Finally I went to Mr. Walsh, the Senator from
Massachusetts, who sent his secretary with me to the State Department,
and the change was made immediately. I then went to the French
ambassador who put his visa on my passport, and I was ready to go by way
of France. It took me about two months to get the passport.
On August 30th, 1919, I embarked from New York, West Fourteenth Street,
on the ship Transatlantique La Lorraine, to Havre, France. The second
night of my trip was very foggy. Our ship sounded fog horns all night. I
felt that the ship was standing still and went on deck to see what had
happened. I saw lights flashing in two places, as if two ships were
sinking not far from each other. On making inquiry from the sailors I
found that our ship had collided with a fishing boat from Canada,
cutting it in two. Fortunately all the fishermen were saved by our ship.
I saw them struggling in their small boats against the waves near our
ship, till they came close and the ropes were let down, by means of
which their small boats were pulled up to our ship and the men were
saved. Next day a collection for the fishermen was taken up among our
passengers which amounted to 3000 francs, and they were carried to
Havre.
All the voyage to France was very stormy except one day at the beginning
and one day near France. Eight days' trip from New York to Havre. Sunday
night about eight o'clock we reached Havre, but we were obliged to sleep
on the ship because Monday morning the inspectors came to examine all
passports and luggage. It was after one o'clock in the afternoon when I
reached Paris, where I called at the Lithuanian Legation to get
directions for going by way of Switzerland and Libow to Lithuania. They
directed me to cross Germany, assuring me that two Lithuanian priests
just before me had crossed Germany without any trouble. They were
ignorant of the fact that one of those priests lost in Germany two suit
cases valued at about five hundred dollars. This priest told me this
later, when I met him in Lithuania.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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