Page:The Gillette Blade, 1918-02.pdf/18

18 gers a week were allowed on the regular trains, but there was one extra train a day, for passengers only, from Vladivostok to Petrograd, which took fourteen days to make the trip. These unusual conditions precluded our considering taking the goods as personal baggage. Many concerns would have given up in despair, but we believed some way could be found. We interviewed the Russian Consul—our Shanghai agents in New York—the Japanese and Chinese Consuls, and found we could ship by freight to Vancouver, across the Pacific to Yokohama, Japan to Kobe, transfer to another boat and cross the Yellow Sea to Darien (Dalny), Japan, where it would be possible through an agreement between Japan and Russia to forward 10½ lb. parcel post packages wrapped in burlap to Petrograd.

Here, at last, was an available plan; space was engaged on the S. S. "Empress of Asia," scheduled to sail from Vancouver on March 15th. Mr. Pelham applied for passports to Russia by way of Japan and secured stateroom after repeated telephoning to Montreal, as reservations were not obtainable in New York or Boston. The goods were then unboxed and wrapped in 10 lb. parcels, repacked in tin lined cases and freight transportation engaged to Vancouver. A special car was placed at our disposal and everything in readiness for leaving Boston when we were advised there was an embargo on freight. It seemed that Russia was to be deprived of Gillette razors, but wait, we were not yet defeated; why not ship by American Express to Vancouver steamship dock? Thirteen tons of Gillette razors and blades were loaded February 16th on four American Express auto trucks and left the factory for the 15,000 mile trip across two Continents and the great Pacific Ocean to Russia. Mr. Pelham accompanied this shipment to Darien and personally superintended the transfer for shipment to Petrograd. The story of Mr. Pelham's experiences in his trip across the Continent, the Pacific Ocean and through Japan, China, Siberia to Petrograd and from there home, is best told in his own language.

"My voyage across the Pacific from Vancouver presented no difficulties. The "Empress of Asia" is the largest and finest ship sailing from America to the Orient. The crew, including the room stewards and table stewards, are all Chinese. The service was most excellent. The food was good, well prepared and also well served.

The trip to Yokohama was made without incident. Crossing the Pacific brings home to one more fully than does a trip across the Atlantic, the fact that the world is pretty large. On the steamer were Hollanders going to Java and other Dutch colonies, natives returning to Manchuria and the Philippine Islands, Chinamen returning to their homes in Shanghai, Japanese business men returning to Japan, Hindus and Englishmen going to India and to Mesopotamia, in fact, nearly every country was represented and the passengers were going to almost every point in the Orient. During the voyage of nearly two weeks to Shanghai I became acquainted with most of the passengers and found the great ma-