Aba, Congo - December 16, 1945

Ralph describes the wildlife and transportation details of returning to Aba, and also a surprise Mission Field Council meeting at Rethy 3 days after arriving!


Aba, December 16, 1945

Dear girls,

The first letter from Aba.  It's like we are writing the first one to you after returning to Rethi from your vacation - and yet so different!

I believe our last letter was written and mailed on the Nile steamer when we were nearing the end of the trip and were seeing the crocs and hippos. It seems to me I wrote about them and about the many kinds of large birds we saw.

The steamer could not take us and the barges all the way to Juba as the water was too low, and so it left us off at Mongula where about six station wagons were waiting to take us. We (Mother, Miss Short and I and two other passengers) were fortunate enough to be in the first of these, and so missed the dust and saw the animals. The first we saw was a very large ostrich, and it was astonishing to see how fast that bird could run! It looked as it if took ten feet at a step. The stupid thing kept running in the road ahead of us for about a half mile before making a dash for the jamba.  Shortly after this we saw a hartebeest standing at the left side of the road with a tiny baby. At first the mother dashed away into the bush but when it saw its baby was running in front of the car on the left side of the road it quickly turned back into the road just ahead of the car, keeping itself between the car and her little one, and so gradually edging the babe off of the road and into the bush.  It certainly was a pretty sight to see how the mother risked her own life to protect its young one, and how it gradually eased it out of danger. You remember the hartebeest is the large antelope with the long very narrow face such as Eddie killed at Misa's when you were with him. I missed the next sight but Mother and the others saw it - about six mongooses running beside the road. Not long afterwards three beautiful bushbuck jumped out in front of us and sprang down the road ahead in great graceful bounds and then off into the jamba.  The jamba there was much like around Aba with short grass and sparsely scattered scrubby acacias and a few large trees, and so the animals could be seen for quite a distance from the road. We also saw a skunk, a few guinea fowl, and signs of elephants but nothing really exciting like lions, although there are many lions in that area.

After a ride of about four hours we got to Juba in time for lunch at the hotel. There we met Mr. Potamianis, the Greek who works for Mr. Luusi and learned that he had arranged to have a truck to take our luggage to Aba, and a car with room for three passengers. There were no other cars going to Aba that day and so we finally decided that Mother, Miss Short and I would go ahead in Louis's car (in which his wife also was going to Aba, the rest staying the night in the hotel and following the next day in a SHUN car). Our car travelled very slowly as it had poor tires and we didn't reach Aba until around 8:30PM. But the Customs official (a new one) took a peep into our bags and let us go to the Mission.

When we pulled up hospital hill we saw a light in Mary's house, and our house all lighted up. It took a few minutes before anyone appeared, and the first to show up were Mr. and Mrs. Littlejohn. Pretty soon Mary came running down from her house - and you can imagine the glad reunion we had. On entering our house we found it looked just exactly as when we had left it - the same furniture, pictures and drapes, and a nice big bouquet on the desk. Onitasa had done a beautiful job of keeping everything in order during all the time we were away and it certainly was lovely to find everything in such beautiful condition. The grass had just begun to turn brown but there was plenty of color about, with the bougainvillea, golden shower and poinsettia all in bloom.Quite a few natives came around to greet us and many more the next morning.

It was Friday, December 7th (Pearl Harbor) when we arrived at Aba. Soon after we got there we learned that we were all to go to Rethi the following Monday to meet the Field Council. The others of our party (Miss Green, Miss Cribbs, and the Fosters with Mis Riebert) arrived Saturday afternoon but their luggage, including overnight things, didn't get to Aba before Sunday Noon. And so at 6:00AM Monday we all appeared at the Customs to declare our things, then went back to the Mission for breakfast and reloaded for the trip to Rethi.

Mother and Mr. Imhoff and I went with Mr. Littlejohns in his car, and Misses Short, Cribbs and Green and Mr. Brill went with Mr. Senff in his car. A couple of the ladies rode outside behind and above the cab.  As they stopped at the Kitambala turnoff, went into Adi, and stopped at Aru and Aungba, they couldn't make the trip all in one day. The following morning they started very early and nearly froze on the trip  but had the fun of seeing a leopard and some other animals. We stayed at Rethi until Thursday and then returned to Aba. There we met a lot of old friends, the Pauls, Uhlingers, Boyces, Mixes, and many others, but space is too limited to write much about that.

Missionaries are still very few on the field and many have to do the work of several others besides their own. Brills are going to Aungba and that will leave only Miss Lutz, Mary, and us at Aba until Lanfords come out. We hear Miss Hayes is on the way out, but she is to go to Todro for the present so that Miss Settles can stay there after Miss Wightman goes home. Bells are also leaving soon and so Beckers will have to run Oicha besides the deara.  And so it goes.

I'm going to look around next week for a car to use until the one Eddie sends us arrives. I'm afraid this letter has been all about ourselves, but that doesn't mean we haven't been thinking about you. Just the opposite and we're praying constantly for you and thinking of your first Christmas in Florida.

Lots of love,
Daddy

Aba, Congo - December 12, 1945 Part Two

A Bangala letter and notes from Coralee, probably included with a letter to the girls.  

(Translations kindly provided by Mom (Esther Meyers) and Bill & Ruth Stough. My Bangala is non-existent!  I have included a copy of the letter in Bangala so that you can see the language written.  Mom says the emphasis should be on the penultimate syllable.)

Elisa Akolo letter, page 1

Adi, Congo Belge
December 12, 1945

Doctor K and Madame,

Greetings to you in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Are you well? We are well including Raele (Rachel) and the children (child) is also.  However one of the children, Estere (Esther) has scabies.  Thank the Lord that He has returned you again.  Thank you, now my thoughts are correct, and (kubika?) accurate, because every day (if) the doctor is present he is sufficient for the problem.  But when there is no doctor ... But thankfully now I can think 
correctly again.  Thanks, thanks, truly God has heard our (your) prayers. I want to see you again with my eyes.  We had a conference here at Adi.  It was a good conference.  We are considering that person who was at the very beginning, John l:1. Those baptized were 52, those who joined the church. Those brothers who went to their home country like Mr. Pont (Pontier) is he well?  Mr. Schuit is he well?  Mr. St (Stam)are they well? Are they returning also? Raele (Rachel) sends you a lot (of greetings). 
Greetings to Miss Mery (Mary White). I am Elisa Akolo the nurse

Elisa Akolo letter, page 2

(Coralee must have been short on paper, or trying to save weight in the letter, because she appended her notes to this letter.)

I've been almost too busy to even pick flowers.

Eleya Akulu has painted the cupboards and table (legs) in the kitchen a pretty green. They look nice and fresh now.  Tomorrow I'm going to have them paint in there.

The Scopelitis have just returned from Cyprus.  I didn't see them yet.

There are at least three huge adult ostriches in the poste.

Araba's dog is still here. The one with the crooked tail.

Last Sunday evening we ate in the yard. Mary, Dorothy (Lutz), Mrs. Bill and her children (Mr. Bill was away) and Francis Sevec (he came over to confer with Charles Hurlburt).

I had a nice letter from Mrs. Grimshaw. Bumps [1] added a line.

I'd better stop here. Lots and lots of love. Thanks for your good letters and also for your report cards with their excellent grades.

Your loving Mother

FOOTNOTES
1.  Bumps was the girls' nickname for Mary Grimshaw.

Rethy, Congo - December 12, 1945

In which Coralee reports on the Christmas program at Rethy.[1]

Rethy
December 12, 1945

Dear ones,
As I watched this program alone (Daddy was in a medical committee meeting), I relived again those I had seen in former years.

Christmas Program at Rethy [7]
December 11, 1945

It was so different not to have two little girls taking part. I missed you terribly but I am so glad you are having an opportunity to study there in the homeland.  The program was in the girls dorm but no one lives there as there are even rooms vacant in the old dorm. I believe they have 25 students. It is small because of the lack of workers. Mr. & Mrs. Uhlinger [2] have charge of Rethi station as well as the dormitory.

It seemed so strange not to find Miss Wambold [3], the Longmans, Camps, Trouts, Lasses, Macintoshes [4] and Miss Clapper and the Millers.

The flowers at Miss Wambold's were lovely. I picked a bouquet of carnations from Mrs. Miller's garden.[5]

We stayed in the new rest house just beside the Miller's home. It is between the Miller and Lasse house. It has three rooms and is a neat little building.

Mr. Litchman [6] lives in Miss Jarrod's house. He has charge of the dispensary.

I'll stop here and go to the lepers. [8]  Then I'll write you an air mail. Always you are in our thoughts and prayers.

Much love,
Mother

FOOTNOTES
1.  It is not clear why they would have gone directly to Rethy at the end of their trip instead of proceeding to Aba. But the date is firm because of the printed date on the program - the letter was written on the blank reverse of the program. The next letter I have from Aba is dated December 16, and notes that it is the first letter from Aba.
2.  Bwana Andrew Peter Uhlinger also served with the Meyers' at Oicha.  Mom remembers that she and my dad learned Kingwana from Mrs. Uhlinger.
3.  Burnetta Wambold.  See this footnote.
4.  Alan and Marjorie MacIntosh were in charge of the dormitory (the Old Dormitory).  They had 4 daughters - Janet, Marjorie, Catherine (Tassie), and Myrtle. They were from Canada and were very proud of being Canadians.  Mom has memories of Vespers in front of the fireplace and they also read the children stories, not just Bible stories but also other interesting stories. A special memory was of the story of Bob the cattle dog.  They had a small library including Amy Carmichael's books and poetry, which very much impressed Mom and began inspiring her to become a missionary.  Mrs. MacIntosh was a great one for brushing hair every evening before bed.  Mom remembers the big grosgrain ribbons that the girls wore to church.  The daughter Marjorie attended my aunt Edith's wedding (at Lubero in 1957) and her daughter Gracie was Edith's flower girl.
5.  Being at a cooler, higher elevation, Rethy could grow beautiful flowers.  Miss Wambold's garden was particularly memorable according to Mom. Carnations grew very well - there were red, pink, and white varieties, and redolent of cinnamon. There were also smaller varieties.
6. Jack Litchman (known as Bwana Jack) was a single missionary, greatly loved by the local people who came to chat with him and also for counsel. He ran a little "store" with pencils, paper and other little things.  A close friend of Ralph and Coralee. Mom remembers that he was engaged but that his fiance died of malaria before they were married.
7.  Christmas Program notes:  Miriam "Mim" Paul, daughter of Austin and Betty Paul, was a very good friend of Edith and Esther. She married Dr. Dan Fountain (his obituary here) and served as a missionary in Congo for 35 years.  (Her obituary here.) James was her little brother.  Fay Brill was a student, her father was Roy Brill, and the family was first stationed at Aba. (The Brills were on the ZamZam when it sank in 1941. You can read more about the sinking of the ZamZam here.) John Stauffacher was another student, son of Ray Stauffacher.  Verna Williams and Frieda Paul (Mim's older sister) did the Organ Duet listed in number 14.
8. There was a leprosy patient village walking distance from Rethy.

Naples Harbor, Motorship Gripsholm - October 29, 1945

Part of the continuing letter written to the girls during the voyage on the Gripsholm.  

Naples Harbor just opposite Vesuvius

Dear girls,
We didn't find a way to mail the letter after all. This morning the ship came out here and anchored in the bay. Now they have posted a notice, saying we will be here at Naples a week while they repair the ship's engines. None of us are the last bit thrilled to sit here and not be allowed ashore. But we hope if possible this delay will mean the salvation of many on board. Then none of us would  mind it a bit. The bay is a beautiful blue and there are large numbers of white sea gulls everywhere, really hundreds and hundreds, the most I've ever seen anywhere. We saw many damaged ships in the harbor and much evidence of damage to the buildings near the docks. Much like we've seen in pictures.

The view of Naples from here is gorgeous. The buildings line the shore and creep up the sides of the hill sand two fair sized mountains. Each has a castle on top. We can see a number of historic old castles or forts among the buildings. The view of Vesuvius crater is lovely this afternoon. We've thought of you as we have looked at all these interesting things as we know you'd have found them very interesting. But I'm glad you have such a nice home and so many so many interesting things there in Zellwood. Some day you will travel again. I'll leave this note here and add more later if we don't find a way to mail it to you.

With love,
Mother

Kosti, Sudan - November 25, 1945

In which Ralph tells his daughters about travel in Egypt, and illustrates the methods of drawing water for irrigation. 

Kosti, Sudan
Sunday, November 25, 1945

Dearest girls,

Well here we are at last, really on the Nile Steamer with the next stop Juba!  When in Cairo we wondered whether we would find a place on this boat or if we would have to wait at Khartoum for one or two weeks for another boat. But we learned there that the SIM people had reserved some places on this boat and would not be using them after all, and so we telegraphed to have them reserve the places for us.

Pole and counterweight irrigation method.
Drawing by Ralph Kleinschmidt, 1945

We left Cairo at 8:00PM last Monday.  We had a comfortable sleeping compartment on the train. There was a beautiful clear full moon and we could see much of the landscape, first along the Nile and then in the desert. The Arab villages, with roofless or flat-roofed houses were very interesting. Later, during daylight we saw more of the Nile and we were especially interested in the irrigation systems. They had two ways of lifting water from the Nile to spill it over into the irrigation ditches. One was by means of a long pole with a counterweight on one end and a rope and skin bag at the other. Two men would pull on the pole until the bag was lowered into the water. When the bag was full they would let go and the weight would raise the water and then the men would tip it over into the channel. They would keep this up a long time and so send water all over their fields.

Water wheel irrigation method.
Drawing by Ralph Kleinschmidt, 1945

Another way they used was by means of water wheels. These consisted of a very large wheel made of wood with clay water pots tied all around the circumference. Also around the circumference were wooden spokes like the teeth of a gear, and these mesh with similar spokes in a horizontal wheel near the ground. This last wheel is attached to a pole and that is pulled round and around by a camel or a donkey. The clay pots pick up water when they enter the river and when they get to the top they spill their water out into a trough that leads to the irrigation ditch.  This drawing isn't quite right as the water pots must go lower to get into the water.

The desert wasn't very interesting after having seen it for a while. We did see lots of camels (some baby camels too) and donkeys. Once we saw a tiny dik-dik running away from the train right out into the desert.

At Assuan [1] we stayed in a very nice hotel and were taken on a tour to see some old Egyptian ruins which were very interesting.  We went in an Arab "dhow" or sailboat and that was a lot of fun.

From Assuan we took another short train trip to Shellal where we got on a Nile boat for a two day trip to Wadi Halfa. That trip was not very interesting for it was through high water on account of the dam [2] at Assuan, and on each side of the river was desert. One very interesting feature however came at night when they took the boat very near the bank and shone a powerful searchlight on four colossal statues of Egyptian gods or kings which were carved out of the solid rock of the cliff. We were sorry it wasn't at daytime so that we could take pictures of it. (We bought a small box (Brownie) camera in Cairo.)

At Wadi Halfa we took a train to Khartoum and a few hours later took another train from Khartoum to Kosti where we are now on the boat. At Khartoum we were very much surprised and pleased to meet Mr. & Mrs. Chas. Sharland of Loko and Mr. Cook of Yei, who are going along with us on the same boat [3]. Mr. Cook you remember is the man who brought the telescope to Aba one time.

Our boat is due to leave today but we have heard there is something broken and so we may not go until tomorrow. This next part of the trip should be the most interesting, I think, although the hottest. We'll write you about that later.

With loads of love,
Daddy

FOOTNOTES
1.  Assuan is the older spelling for Aswan.
2.  This dam is the Aswan Low Dam, not to be confused with the Aswan High Dam, which was started in 1960 and completed in 1970.
3.  See this post regarding Mr. and Mrs. Sharland.  Note also that the spelling of "Yie" is more correctly done here as "Yei".

Kosti, Sudan - On board the Nile Steamer - November 25, 1945

In which Coralee tells her daughters about Cairo, and the Nile Steamer. 

Kosti, Sudan

On board the Nile Steamer [1]

Sunday, November 25, 1945

Nile Steamer, about 1936
Photo from the Library of Congress. Photographer G. Eric Matson. 

Dear girls,

There are so many reasons why I am longing for you and wishing you were here ready to travel up the Nile with us.  We have very lovely cabins, and everything we need for comfort.  We know the river trip will be interesting, and we wish you could enjoy it with us. 

The Lord has wonderfully blessed as we have journeyed. We have made connections at each change and if no unforeseen delays come we ought to be in Aba by December 7^th. 

Those traveling with us are Misses Short, Cribbs, Greene and Koscher.  Mr. & Mrs. Giddings flew to Kenya. The Feltons stayed in Cairo expecting to leave in a day or two by air for Tanganyika. The train trip was tiring but interesting too. Dad will tell you details. It was so nice yesterday to reach Khartoum.  The SIM folks met us at the train and helped in the many details regarding our luggage. 

Then we went to a hotel for lunch. While there a Greek we knew, Mr. Crassas (Parilo who took your doll, her uncle) came in [2]. He was so glad to see us and gave us lots of news about Greek folks we know. Then he insisted on paying for all our party’s lunch. We were eight. After lunch we went to the SIM home and had a lovely visit there until train time.  Our train was due to leave at 5:30. We were so surprised to find Mr. & Mrs. Sharland  [3] and Mr. Cook from Yie (the telescope man) [4] traveling on to their stations. They are here on the steamer with us. It is so nice to have fellowship together once again. They left England November 10. They have had a speedy trip.  Mr. Allison, the man we stayed with at Juba, went on to Juba by air yesterday.

Now let’s go back to Cairo for a bit.  We dislike Egypt and cannot understand why the Israelites wanted to return there.

One day we went to the Zoo just to see what they might have. It wasn't much. A very good variety of birds. The lions and leopards were very nice and sleek. I thought of you when I looked at one who had a very “gentle” soft look, like a big pussy, as he lay resting. One mother lion had three cubs about the size of a small native dog. They were so cute.  The only other thing worth mentioning were the HUGE HUGE turtles there. They were enormous, almost big enough to ride. [5]

The Stoughs and Klines expected to sail on the Gripsholm from Alexandria on November 22^nd. We were so happy for this definite answer to prayer. Mrs. Stough was very well and Philip was improving. They ought to get home about the days before Christmas. 

Our stay in Cairo cost a lot of money for everything is so expensive in Egypt. Our hotel bill for two weeks was $150.  Daddy had such a busy time there seeing to all arrangements.  [Illegible] and endless details enter into traveling these days. We didn't buy a single thing but post cards and stamps. Oh yes Daddy bought me a box of candy and he got a billfold, a better size for Congo money, which is bigger than American bills.

Yesterday as we were coming along we saw herds of goats and sheep. The goats had long black hair, the sheep long tails, they almost touched the ground. There were lots of camels too. We didn't see a tiny baby one. The people ride donkeys a lot too.  They remind me of pictures of Mary and Joseph escaping into Egypt.

There were flocks of those white cow birds. And what do you think we saw – two big storks flying toward the train. We teased Daddy saying they knew he was coming. They were like them we have seen at Aba. [6]

The Nile here is very wide and blue. It is pleasant to see the green on each bank after the bare black desert. The dust, even with the windows closed, was awful dusty and hot.

We can hardly wait to get to Aba and receive mail.  It seems so, so long since we heard from you. We were especially thinking of you on November 21, just a year ago we arrived in USA. Then on Thanksgiving Day we were, [illegible] last Thanksgiving and remembering all that the Lord has done for us during this year. He has wonderfully blessed and supplied all our needs and guided us each one. We hope it has been a blessed thanksgiving for you both and that you have been conscious of our prayers for you. 

Remember that there are those praying for you all around the world. When I read in the morning at six AM and pray for you I often think it would be 11 PM with you. [7] Perhaps you’re weary and getting ready for bed.  Then at night when I go to bed I think of you again and try to think what special needs may be yours. So all thru the days you are constantly remembered. So many folks ask about you. It makes me very proud to have two daughters like you who love the Lord and are seeking to live for Him.

On the Gripsholm there was a couple, Mr. & Mrs. Redhead, SIM missionaries [8] who were graduates of Taylor University. They told us lots about the school (Marjorie Trout was there for a while when she was going to study medicine.) It sounded so interesting and since we thought it might be a possibility for you girls we have asked him to write to his friend who is the Dean to send literature to you girls and to us. When you receive it, carefully look it over and let us all pray about it. This might be a college possibility for you after you leave Du Bose. [9]

Now my paper is finished and so I will close here with lots of love to you.

Your Mother

FOOTNOTES

1.  She makes it sound like there was only one, but it appears there were several that operated along the Nile from various ports.  Here is a wonderful link that gives a narrative of the journey from around the time that Ralph and Coralee were making this trip.  Great old photographs and a map with Aba on it! 

2.  It is very unclear who this person is, and I'm not sure I've transcribed the name correctly. Mom does not remember the name.  She does remember that when she and Edith left Congo they gave some of their dolls to various local children, and Parilo might have been one of them.  

3.  Very likely this was Leonard Sharland.  I'm confused about the "Mrs." since Wikipedia doesn't list him as being married until 1951.  UPDATE! Thanks to Roger, the son of Leonard Sharland (see comment below), I now know that the Sharlands referred to are Charles and Freda Sharland, who were with CMS in Loka, Sudan. 

4.  Mom doesn't remember who this person might be, or the reference to the telescope. 

5. The Giza Zoo is still operating, and I wonder if these African Spurred Tortoises  pictured are the ones that Coralee wrote about. It's possible!  (Here is the Wikipedia link if you want to know even more! They say that the oldest in captivity in the Giza Zoo, and is 54 years old, although I don't know when the entry was written.)

6. This is a reference to the obstetrical practice which Ralph was obliged to do. Mom remembers that he said that it was his least favorite specialty in medicine, and yet the one he practiced a great deal. Many of the missionary children were born at Aba.  The storks were the White Stork, which migrate through Africa.   

7.  The time change would not be this great, so I'm not sure what Coralee was thinking here.  The difference between Aba and Florida, where the girls were, would have been perhaps 8 hours.

8.  I believe this could have been Paris and Marjorie Reidhead, who were traveling to Sudan-Ethiopia border to do a survey of tribal languages.  See this link and this one. 

9.  Edie and Esther were at Hampton Du Bose Academy to complete their high school education.  Mom remembers that for Christmas this year (their first in the US alone), Coralee and Ralph arranged for a $15 extra allowance for each of the girls to get a pearl necklace for Christmas. She said that those pearl necklaces were their only jewelry until sometime in college.  In the end Edith and Esther didn't go to Taylor.  Because they both wanted to be missionaries, and they were short of funds, they decided to take Bible training at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. 

Cairo, Egypt - November 17, 1945

In which Coralee and Ralph detail the complications of ocean travel just after World War II, and complain about conditions in Egypt.  (Be sure to check out the map link at the bottom of the post.)

Cairo, Egypt

November 17, 1945

Dear folks,

The first letter from Africa!  But this doesn't seem at all like Africa, and I’m certainly glad our part is not like this.  We have been in this noisy dirty hole for 10 days now and will be mighty happy when the time comes to leave it. That, we hope, will be day after tomorrow.

This is a borrowed typewriter with a lazy carriage, and that, with “seek and ye shall find” typist is a bad combination. Take your choice as to which to blame for the results.

The last few days before our sailing were a dizzy round of getting visas and other papers in order, for we didn't know we would be able to sail until the Friday before the Tuesday of sailing. However, the ship really sailed on the scheduled date. It was quite a rush to get aboard by 9 AM as was required, and then we didn't actually leave until 7 PM. All the way across to Naples, and from there to Port Said the sea was unusually calm, more so that we have ever experienced for so long a time. As there were around 100 missionaries aboard among some 800 passengers we made lots of new friends and renewed acquaintance with some old ones who had passed through our home at Aba years before, and we had a really good time.  There was a prayer meeting every day and a Gospel service on Sundays, and morning and afternoon meetings for children.  The passengers made up an interesting mixture of folks representing many nationalities and callings. Among them were some Arabs and some Jewish rabbis, and that during the trouble in Palestine; but fortunately all remained calm on the Gripsholm. There were teachers and college professors, engineers and oil people, doctors and nurses, and men on business of many kinds going to places like Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Irak, Iran, Egypt and India. Most of the missionaries were going to various parts of Africa, Egypt, Sudan, Nigeria, Congo, Kenya, Tanganyika, Abyssinia, and the Rhodesias [1]. Most of the others were going to places in the Middle East. It would have been interesting to know how many different languages were spoken by those on board. It certainly was a motley crowd, and that made this trip so vastly different from that of our return to the States last year where there were 5 passengers besides ourselves.

Another thing that made this trip different was the very poor quarters to which we were assigned. We were among the very last to be booked and so although we paid the same as all the rest we had third class cabins which were miserable holes compared with the de luxe quarters we had on the freighter. Among other minor annoyances the refugees of the last trip left us a heritage of bedbugs! But the food was fairly good and plentiful and the sea was very kind to us, and so we really had a good time after all.

We reached Naples on time, but soon after arriving we learned that our ship had developed serious engine trouble, which might mean an indefinite delay. We were thankful the delay was in beautiful Naples Bay and not in the middle of the ocean, especially when we heard that a ship a couple of days behind us had had a couple of days of very rough weather – a part, probably, of the big storm that was raging around England while we were serenely sailing along around Gibraltar. At Naples we were not allowed on shore – an order of the War Shipping Administration. But from the ship we could still see plenty of evidence of the havoc of war. We docked at the nearly ruined famous Mussolini Docks, and all around the harbor area were the remains of bombed out buildings, and in the harbor or bay quite a number of wrecked or half submerged ships. The American Army of Occupation was in evidence all around the place with their trucks and Jeeps and all manner of odd vehicles. We got into conversation with some of the soldiers who came aboard and found that one of them was from St. Louis and used to live on Lee Ave., near Grand, just opposite the car barns [2]!  I think his name was something like Niehaus. He spoke of Eliot School and Gast the barber, and swore that when he gets back to St. Louis he will never, never leave it again. They are all fed up with Italy, and no wonder, especially in its present state of poverty, confusion and disorder. 

USS General M.C. Meigs. This photo
taken July 1945 in Brazil. 

After four days at Naples it was decided to transfer us to another ship and eventually we were taken aboard the U.S.S. Gen. Meigs, a Troop Transport run by the U.S. Coast Guard [2]. It was a very large ship and made strictly for business, with all the fol-de-rols left out. First of all we were all herded together in a small room and given a little initiation talk. There was no “it is kindly requested of the passengers” but “you will be prompt at meal times, anyone more than 10 minutes late will miss that meal” or “you will wear your life belts at all times except when asleep; anyone caught without it will be sent to his room.” The ladies slept in rooms of about 15 beds, arranged in layers of three, and no ladders to reach the top with. This section of the ship was “out of bounds” to all men, they had to kiss their wives goodnight on deck. The men had another part of the ship for their territory. Some slept in rooms with 8 or 10 beds, but some of us chose to sleep in a “compartment” which when carrying troops accommodates around 500 men. With only about 50 using it there was lots of room and plenty of air. You were given an armful of bed clothes, chose your own cot, and made it up yourself. Every morning there was inspection, but nobody was put on K.P. The trip on this ship lasted only 4 days, as it was very fast. The Gripsholm had been scheduled to stop at Piraeus, the port of Athens in Greece, and possibly at Salonika (Thessalonia) and we were looking forward to seeing a bit of Greece even though we knew we would not be permitted to land. But the troop ship skipped all that and went direct to Port Said instead of Alexandria.

At Port Said we had to go through Customs, and that was the most awful scramble I've ever seen in my life. I’ll spare you and not even try to describe it, for you wouldn't believe it anyway, and it makes me mad every time I think of it. It took us a day and a half to get 7 pieces of baggage sorted out of the pile and through Customs, and then we had to pay down a large deposit on it even though we were merely going through Egypt in transit. If we’re clever enough we may be able to recover most of the amount when we leave Egypt. When that glad day comes we’re going to join the Israelites in singing the Song of the Redeemed (Exodus 15).  Why on earth they ever hankered to get back to this land once they had got out is more than I can figure out. If you ever go on a tour skip Egypt!  I don’t deny it’s interesting to see the many different kinds of people and their ways of doing things. They still plow with a forked stick like their father Abraham must have done. Old Abraham surely made a mess of things when he begat Ishmael. He little realized what he was letting the world in for… Then too the pyramids and the Sphinx are worth looking at if you are nearby anyway. The only thing that’s decent is the weather, which is perfect, but they can’t help that. 

From Port Said to Cairo is 5 hours on the train, and on that trip we saw a number of British military camps on the edge of the desert. That certainly made us feel sorry for the poor fellows who had to live and fight here a short time ago. And some of the soldiers say Egypt is fine compared to Iran and Irak.

We have been in Cairo for 11 days now and almost every one of those days I have been running around town trying to find some way to get out of here. And every day there has been frustration and uncertainty and change. But now at least it really looks as if we will leave here tomorrow evening and that we will be able to get right through to Aba without any long delays en route. We go by rail to Assuan tomorrow night and stay in the hotel there the following night. Then we go a short distance to catch the boat on the Nile which takes us as far as Wadi Halfa in the Sudan. 

"Sudan Wadi Halfa RR Hotel From Garden 1936" by
Matson Photo Service, photographer.
(G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection) 

There we get another train to Khartoum, change to still another there, and go to Kosti to get another Nile steamer. From here to Kosti takes 5 days, and from Kosti to Juba takes 11 days on the steamer provided the boat does not get stuck in the floating islands of papyrus and “sud” that grow in the river.  From Juba it’s only 5 hours by car to Aba. If all goes according to schedule we should be at Aba around December 8, which will be just 22 years to the day since we first sailed from New York for the Congo. Until a few hours ago it was still uncertain as to whether we would be able to get booking on the steamer that goes from Kosti to Juba. But this morning I heard that places that had been reserved for some others would be available for us.

Two of our party, Mr. and Mrs. Giddings, left Cairo by plane this morning to go to Kenya, and Mr. and Mrs. Felton expect to leave by air next week going to Tanganyika. One other of our party, Miss Kosher, will go with us as far as Juba, and then branch off by another route to Kenya. That leaves only five of us to go to Congo; Misses Cribbs, Green and Short, besides ourselves.

Much to our surprise, when we had our first meal in this hotel, we saw Paul Stough walk into the dining room with two of his sons. He is the man who married Rachel Winsor, who died some time last year [4]. Paul married again recently (Miss Quackenbush [5]) and not long ago they started home on furlough, going down the Congo and hoping to catch the Gripsholm on its way back to America.

A day or two after they reached Cairo his wife developed appendicitis, with perforation and peritonitis. An operation was done in the middle of the night, and what with penicillin and Sulfa she has recovered and is going to leave the hospital today after having spent nearly 3 weeks there. And then shortly after the wife was taken to the hospital the youngest son, aged 11, became ill with some peculiar sort of paralysis and has been in hospital ever since, unable to walk. No definite diagnosis has been made as yet, although they do not now think it is Infantile Paralysis [6]. However, he is steadily improving, and since the Gripsholm is going to be late because of its engine trouble, the Stoughs will probably be able to catch…[illegible]… so good for the Klines who also came this way to get the Gripsholm and have been held up all this while, paying high hotel bills while waiting for it. But at that they are far better off than the Stoughs and our two weeks wait here is as nothing compared to the time the Stoughs have had.

That’s all I have paper for, and about all there is to say anyway, so here we stop.

Love,

Ralph and Coralee

Forgot to say we're well, and lonesome.

Map created by George Meyers, Map Wizard.  Thanks!  

 FOOTNOTES

1. Abyssinia was an older term for Ethiopia, and the Rhodesias were Northern (now Zambia) and Southern (now Zimbabwe).  
2. My mother and dad agree that this would refer to street cars, or trolleys.   
3. Here is an additional source of information on the Meigs, which was laid down in September 1943, served in WW2 and the Korean War, and then while being towed to salvage in 1972, was caught in a gale and broke up on the rocks at Cape Flattery, Washington. 
4. Rachel Winsor Stough died in March 1944 according to the Billy Graham archives.
5. Elizabeth Carolyn (Quackenbush) Stough. See her biographical sketch at the Billy Graham archives.
6. Infantile paralysis is an old term for poliomyelitis (polio).  Phil Stough was later diagnosed with polio.