Mount Vernon (AP 22) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 71 text:

The Transporfafion division, working wifh 'rhe permanenf Army sfaff b d a oar , was responsible for 'rhe handling and caring for fhe six 'rhousand passengers. lf insured proper berfhing and messing schedules, and main- fained cleanliness in fhe froop living spaces. One of fhe few larger frans- porfs fo do so, fhe Mounf Vernon served fhree meals each day fo all passengers, a fofal of nearly 20,000 meals daily-over eighfeen fons of food! Affer one monfh af sea, inferrupfed by only fwo days in Melbourne, fhe Mounf Vernon docked af Ballard Pier in fhe harbor of India's mosf famous cify-Bombay. Then began a fwo week educafion in fhe arf of bargaining which made fhe members of fhe crew experf fradesmen. If had been rumored fhaf diamonds, rubys, and ofher valuable arficles could be had af a cheap price in lndia, buf if soon became apparenf fhaf fhe shopkeepers were selling nofhing cheap. The rupee, worfh abouf fhirfy cenfs, and fhe anna, worfh a liffle less fhan fwo cenfs, became familiar words fo fhe ship's personnel, who soon learned fhaf fhey were nof ex- pecfed fo pay fhe price firsf asked. The Indians were masfers of fhe arf of barfering, and could wear a pained expression 'rhaf would give fhe buyer fhe impression he was sfealing from fhem rafher fhan purchasing an arficle. The firsf liberfy parfy refurned fo fhe ship wifh ornafe fables and baskefs, silver filigree pins, ivory carvings, and brassware wifh colored designs. The favorife souvenir was a mounfed mongoose-snake fighf. Nighf found many af 'rhe Taj Mahal hofel, or fhe Green hofel relaxing

Page 70 text:

K n - 'X vc 1 .X N 1

Page 72 text:

wifh a cool drink of Soufh African brandy or gin. The drink was very differenf in fasfe from fhe usual American beer or bourbon, buf if had much fhe same effecf. People in Bombay were sfrange in appearance and cusfoms. On fhe sfreefs women could be seen wearing a small iewel in fhe side of fhe nose iusf as in fhe Sfafes women wore earrings. Women also wore saris which fhey gracefully draped around fhem. Some of fhe saris were embroid- ered in a fine gold fhread and cosf 'hundreds of dollars. ln confrasf fo fhe expensive garmenfs were fhe mulfifudes of penniless beggars. Everyone walked around fhe sacred cows, and fhe killing of fhem was considered a sin. Such men as enjoyed playing fhe horses found fhaf Bombay had a beaufiful racefrack, buf fhe ponies were nofin fhe same class wifh fhose on fracks of Sanfa Anifa. , There were many femples, rich in gold, silver, and iewels, for fhe sailors fo admire. Crawford Markef, where one could buy anyfhing from flowers fo monkeys was an unusual sighf. The bazaar consisfed of peddlers on fhe sfreef, shops which were mere sfalls, and elaborafe silver shops. The ship sailed from fhe land of fhe hobba hobba and bum boafs in company wifh fhe Mariposa . Less fhan fwelve hours affer depar- fure, an ammunifion ship, near which fhe ship had been moored, blew up, sinking and damaging several ships and sfarfing large fires on fhe shoreline. Had fhe Mounf Vernon been fhere she would probably have suffered serious damage. Among fhe passengers embarked af Bombay were a group of lndian Hindus, whose cusfoms and mode of life offered an inferesfing sighf on shipboard. Since if was necessary for fhem fo cook fheir own food, fhey sef abouf if af once. Only prompf acfion prevenfed fheir building an open fire on fhe deck forward on B deck. They were fhen faken fo fhe galley where fhey prepared fheir own dishes, while fhe ship's cooks looked on in amazemenf. Few of fhe crew envied fhe passengers fheir meals. Their sfaple dief consisfed of curry and rice cooked wifh fish-heads. Sfeaming away from Bombay was nof wifhouf ifs fense feeling of ex- pecfafion, for af fhaf fime fhere exisfed a serious submarine menace in fhe lndian ocean and fhe Gulf of Aden. Several ships had been recenfly forpedoed. The frip from Bombay fo fhe Sfafes was bound fo be long. Thaf, no one doubfed. When fhe ship, almosf home, made a wide sweeping furn and headed soufheasf, all hope of an early arrival was doomed. Where was fhe ship going? Hadn'f fhe cruise, already a monfh af sea, been long enough? Why was fhe ship diverfing? Diver+ing, fhaf was if! , fhe scufflebuff sfreamed forfh. Righf if was. On May I4, fhe Mounf Vernon enfered fhe Panama Canal, ending her Pacific fravels.