Among the many and highly diversified duties that a naval officer may be called upon to perform in these piping times of peace, is the handling on board a man-of-war of American, and possibly foreign, refugees. Such duty recently fell to the lot of the Nebraska at Vera Cruz, and the executive officer found that he had neither experience nor available information to aid him in handling the large number of men, women and children that precipitously availed themselves of the hospitality of the ship. That others may benefit from this experience and improve on the methods used, if occasion arises, they are briefly described herein.
The very fact of having to receive refugees on board a man-of-war indicates that there is thought to be danger in their remaining on shore, and that other means of removing them are not available. This danger may be from natural disturbances, as volcanic activity, earthquake, etc., or from war-like operations, either between internal factions or against our own country. The last of these contingencies is the one with which we are most concerned, but in each case the actual handling of refugees on board presents practically the same problems, though the state of military readiness in which the man-of-war is to be kept may vary greatly and may thus complicate the refugee problem. It is understood that to run a hotel is far from child's play; to run a man-of-war, we all know is a man-size job. Further than this the writer is able to state from personal experience and in a most positive manner that the running of a hotel on a battleship presents problems of a degree of originality undreamed of in the routine performance of duty in ordinary service channels.
As is likely to be the case in most instances, the necessity of taking off refugees came on rather suddenly, but such action had been anticipated, and a general form of procedure decided upon in advance. A few hours notice was all that was necessary to complete preparations, and at the appointed hour we were ready to handle refugees with as little confusion as possible, and of course confusion is one of the features to be most carefully avoided, particularly in handling unorganized numbers.
Necessarily, the method of bringing off refugees from shore must depend upon the particular circumstances in any given case. We used our motor sailing launches which ran at regular intervals, that all might not try to come off at once, and that refugees might not be left on the water-front between boats, subject to the possible annoyance, if nothing more, of the inevitable crowd that gathers at such times.
On board we had prepared and posted in a number of places "Instructions for Refugees." These covered such subjects as, general location of refugee quarters, location of toilets, baths, etc., place and hours for meals, cleaning of quarters, obedience to orders of officers and sentries, restrictions as to women and children going beyond certain parts of the ship, location of drinking water, opportunity to purchase certain small articles needed from ship’s store, daily inspection of quarters by executive officer, lost and found articles, necessity of turning out promptly and of getting to meals on time, all women and children to be off main deck by 9.00 p.m., necessity for economy in the use of fresh water, etc. In these instructions the fact was emphasized that the ship’s officers not only had to carry on their usual duties but additional ones as well, and the hope was expressed that the privacy of officers’ quarters would be rigidly respected. Also it was pointed out that a man-of-war was not designed for passengers nor supplied with the requisites for their comfort, but that every effort would be made to make refugees as comfortable as possible, and it was further hoped that refugees would meet the situation in a spirit of cooperation and in an uncomplaining way. That our refugees fully met our hopes in the foregoing can be cheerfully stated.
As each boat came alongside an officer detailed for that duty took station behind a high deck on the starboard side of the quarter-deck. Here each refugee was required to give name, Mexican address and home address in the states. That none might inadvertently escape without registering, lines were stretched across the deck and a chief petty officer was stationed to see that no one passed aft until registered.
As each adult registered he or she was directed to the quarters of the executive officer, temporarily used as a "Refugee Bureau." Here each person was questioned more or less closely as circumstances seemed to require, the women and children were assigned places to sleep, and the general scheme of handling refugees was explained.
Orders were to care for Americans first, except of course in case of imminent danger, and the object of the questioning of refugees was to establish their citizenship, and to locate suspicious characters, as the political situation at that time was very tense, and a suspicious character on board a man-of-war is a trial at any time. It may be said in passing that a number of people were detected who said they were Americans but who were not, and several suspicious characters were weeded out and promptly placed where they could do no harm.
We were told that we would probably have to receive about 40 women and children and as many more men, but the first day we took on board 143 refugees, and before a transport arrived we had on board no less than 466. Men, except a few aged ones, were required to sleep on deck. Our enlisted men were asked to turn in all blankets that they could spare, all cots were collected and spare mattresses were gathered wherever found. The women and children were assigned cots or mattresses aft and on the starboard side of the gun deck, side curtains being used to screen off sleeping quarters and make them as private as possible.
The starboard side of the gun deck was also used for messing refugees, the ordinary mess tables and mess gear being used, and one messman for each mess being detailed from the crew. Individuals were not assigned to particular messes but all were instructed to form their own messes, friends and families messing together and always the same. However, in case of reluctance on the part of anyone to fill up vacant places at meals seats were assigned without regard to race, color, or probable congeniality. The fact that the Nebraska was "operating with reduced complement" was of great advantage to the "hotel," though decidedly detrimental to the man-of-war.
It was decided that, as nothing is more conducive to discontent than idleness, the refugees should be used in every way possible in duties considered proper for them to do. They were required to police their own quarters, serve their own food, handle baggage, take mess benches and chairs to and from the quarter-deck, run errands having to do with refugees, etc. Certain men having a good knowledge of Spanish were designated to stand watch with the officer of the deck, night and day, for the purpose of hailing boats in Spanish and doing duty generally as interpreter. During the day a man was kept by one hatch to keep it clear for the use of ship’s officers who sometimes had to go to or from the deck quickly, and after the first day a refugee was used to register the new arrivals. All of these and other duties were done cheerfully and with apparent pride in being able to assist.
The men were divided into squads of 25 and a squad leader for each was designated. All boys from 10 to 15 years of age were put in one squad. At quarters each morning all men fell in by squads on the port side of the quarter-deck in an orderly manner, were mustered and reported. The women and children sat on the starboard side of the quarter-deck on mess benches. After muster announcements were made, instructions given and found articles distributed. Each day refugees were instructed in case of emergency to proceed quickly and quietly to their stations as at quarters, where further instructions would be given them.
After announcements were made the executive officer, accompanied by several women selected each day, proceeded to inspect refugee quarters below. Very little fault could be found after the first day, when it was learned that on a man-of-war instructions were not given only, they also must be followed.
In the meantime the interests of the man-of-war could not be wholly sacrificed to those of the hotel. The political situation was critical and no one knew what tomorrow, or tonight might bring forth. It was necessary that no possible precaution be neglected, that drills be continued, that the organization of the refugees be not allowed to produce disorganization in the crew. For some days before refugees were received the ship had been held in momentary readiness. She was partially cleared for action, stanchions in wake of guns removed, interfering lifelines taken down, etc. At night secondary battery guns were supplied with ammunition and crews slept by them. Machine guns and rifles with ammunition were kept on deck. An extra watch was kept on deck. Searchlights were kept manned. Sufficient boilers were kept lighted to move the ship in case of necessity.
After quarters refugees were kept on the quarter-deck while the crew had a short drill, after which the men among the refugees were encouraged to go on the forecastle to relieve the congestion on the quarter-deck. Also the children were formed on the quarter-deck and given a short physical drill, conducted by a physical instructor among the refugees.
One of the things that lurked in the background during the entire refugee period was the fear of contagious disease. The ship's surgeon met each arriving boat at the head of the gangway and carefully looked each person over, taking any suspected cases below at once for closer examination. The feeling of utter dispair that came over the executive officer one night when the doctor informed him that a small boy who had been on board for several days had developed smallpox, is beyond description. There we were packed and jammed with women and children with whom this boy had been closely associated, and now he had smallpox. What could be done? If the knowledge got to the ears of the refugees, the panic of mothers would be but little less serious than further cases of smallpox. The situation was explained to the boy's father, and without suggestion he saw that the greatest good to the greatest number required that he take the patient ashore. We landed them at daylight next morning, disinfected everything possible and the refugees were none the wiser. No further cases developed.
Two cases of chicken-pox, detected as they came on board, likewise saw the course of wisdom, and several cases of youthful whooping cough were merely relegated to the comparative solitude of the otherwise childless forecastle.
Hand baggage only was allowed on board and clean clothing was soon at a premium among the women and children. To relieve, at least partially, this situation a space on the port gallery was screened off, buckets supplied and a clothes line rove. Never before on a battleship was seen such a "scrub and wash clothes.'' Unmentionable garments flapped placidly over the deck of a man-of-war and the temper of the women noticeably improved.
Americans are proverbially lax as to passports, consular registration, etc., but it was never realized before how large a percentage of people who consider themselves Americans are not so legally. Refugees came on board born in the states of foreign parents who thought they were American citizens, though they had taken no legal steps in the matter. One born in Europe of naturalized Americans and having lived there until 21 years old but never registered as a citizen, said he was an American. Copies of "declaration of intent" were shown as proof of American citizenship, though these documents state explicitly the intention to forswear allegiance to…"of whom I am now a subject." Others deliberately stated they were Americans knowing full well they were not. Each case was handled on its own merits, and many of them were very disagreeable.
Suspicious characters were definitely classified as such with difficulty, but when so classified could be handled without gloves. As an illustration, take the case of Miss X—. She was brought off to the ship by a shore boat late one afternoon, though it was most difficult to get a shore boat to come to the ship. The man who escorted her off did not come on board. She was identified by a person from Mexico City as being the wife or "companion" of Mr. Y—, a notorious Mexican political renegade. Her escort in the boat was identified by other refugees as being Mr. Y—. When questioned as to why she came off in a shore boat she said she did not know the hours for our boats, though another refugee said he personally had told her the hours in a hotel on shore. She said further that she did not know the man that escorted her off, and had never seen him before. He simply came along as she was standing on the landing and offered to take her off. She was quite noticeably confused when told he was recognized as Mr. Y—. She had the only technically correct passport that came on board. There were many minor suspicious circumstances. By the time the cross-questioning was concluded it was after dark and we ran no boats at night. She was assigned a room alone behind armor, and a sentry and a civilian interpreter were put outside her door to see that she was not annoyed. Her baggage was subjected to a very careful inspection for articles not allowed on board a man-of-war. The next morning she was interviewed again, and told that she could go ashore if she choose, or remain on board in the status in which she had spent the night. She elected to remain, and subsequently begged to have her status changed, but without result.
It was realized that reports and rumors allowed to go ashore would assume an exaggerated importance by virtue of coming from a man-of-war, therefore as a precaution against the possibilities of to-morrow, refugees were informed that there could be no communication with boats alongside, and letters could contain only private matters or business and they were all censored by an officer detailed for that purpose. Judging by some of the deleted matter this was a very wise precaution. More than one woman sought the executive officer with tears in her eyes and anger in her voice that her private letters had been actually censored when she understood it was merely a form. A polite explanation of a few moments and an appeal for real co-operation generally sent them away smiling again.
Not all of the experiences were serious ones. Some were full of humor, though it must be said the humor is more apparent in retrospect than it was at the time.
The executive officer went up on the quarter-deck one afternoon to get some information from a certain refugee. He had been up until after midnight the night before, up at five that morning and had not been able to get to a meal on time for a week. An attractive young lady came up to him and said with a sweet smile, "Please tell me, do naval officers never have anything to do?" The unintentional compliment of having things go so smoothly that no one seemed to have anything to do was appreciated at the time, but the humor of the remark was not appreciated until some days later.
One woman advanced the helpful (?) suggestion that all the women and children should change their berthing assignment every night that everyone might get equally good assignments. As it was, the executive officer had to go around about 9.30 each night and almost literally tuck half the women and children into their "beds," and the suggestion was truly a brilliant one to make confusion worse confounded.
One evening about 9 o'clock a woman rushed up to the executive officer on the half deck and reported that she had lost her son, age 10. The executive was just going on deck to give some instructions to the officer of the deck. "Wait just where you are. Madam, for a few minutes and it will be attended to." As he stood talking to the officer of the deck he spied a small boy playing near the turret. "Who are you?" was asked. The lost boy. When he was delivered to his waiting mother the executive officer established with her a reputation for cosmopolitan efficiency which the facts were far from warranting.
One afternoon a very nice looking man came on board, and as he entered the "Refugee Bureau" gave a sigh of relief and said " I am certainly glad to be here. I came into Mexico on the northern border just 11 days ago. I seem to have had barely time to get out." The executive officer looked him over and said, "Will you kindly tell me why you came into Mexico at this stage of the game? What is your business?" He replied "A Presbyterian missionary."
So the days went, 10 of them in all before the transport arrived to relieve us of our burdens. Days to try the ingenuity, temper and patience of all hands. We are all prone at times to complain at the shortcomings of our men and officers, but they do show up well in an emergency. Both officers and men labored from early dawn to dewy (or rainy) eve for the safety, convenience and contentment of our refugees and did so cheerfully and gladly, realizing that our navy has no higher duty than rendering aid and assistance in time of danger to our nationals domiciled in a foreign land.
We had handled all told, safely and without accident, 475 refugees, nine of these having for various reasons been returned ashore. When the transport finally arrived there only remained the problem of transhipping safely the 466 in what was practically the open sea, though only a decided ground swell was running.
Soon after the arrival of the first refugee notices had been posted informing refugees that they would be charged 40 cents per day for subsistence, and no one would be allowed to leave the ship without showing to the officer of the deck a receipt for subsistence paid, or an acknowledgment that they were without funds. On the afternoon prior to the arrival of the transport, due at daylight next morning, the supply officer collected mess bills at a table on deck. Each day lists of refugees arriving had been prepared, and. all lists were kept corrected to date. All refugees were assigned numbers as they arrived on board, beginning at one with the first person to arrive. On each receipt given by the supply officer was placed the number opposite the name of the refugee on the list. By checking off these numbers on the list it was easy to ascertain and round up those negligent in paying their mess bill. Notices were posted that people would leave the ship in the order of their numbers as shown upon their receipts. Each person was instructed to write on a piece of paper his or her name, address and number, these also to be shown in leaving and to be turned in at the head of the transport gangway to facilitate matters there. The transport was given a copy of our list of refugees, and the numbers were for assistance in checking refugees as they arrived, as well as for the same purpose in leaving us.
At 8.00 a. m., the transfer began. When the first boat came alongside numbers 1 to 50 were called and got into the boat, showing their receipts and being checked off on our list by number. Then came the next 50, etc. Each person took his own hand baggage, several men among the refugees being detailed to assist women traveling alone. Thus the transfer was made without disorder and very expeditiously, and by a few minutes after ten the man-of-war had ceased to be a hotel, and the executive officer heaved a profound sigh of relief, as' doubtless others did.
During the refugee period the duties of the executive officer ran the entire gamut of the human scale, from caring for toddling infants to assuaging the tempers of irascible grandfathers. It was all in the day's work. He can but admit that there was one thing that continually aroused his secret ire, and that was to be addressed by man, woman and child as "officer,'' as though he were the policeman at the crossing in a strange town. An instance will illustrate. One afternoon a woman entered the "Refugee Bureau" to ask for some assistance. She began as per formula, "Officer, will you," etc. She had been on board about a week, having with her a mother and six children. She was a woman of intelligence, force and character, but her requests had been many and the executive officer had outdone himself in doing favors for her, that her troubles might be reduced to a minimum. He said to her in the most friendly manner, "Mrs. A—, will you pardon me if I ask a question purely for its bearing upon the study of human nature? Is it possible that you have been on board a week, during which time you have seen me many times, and your curiosity has not prompted you to ascertain either my name or my title?" Her answer was a direct and unequivocal "Yes,'' and the executive officer thought of the words of Captain Hopwood:
"If ye labor from morn until even.
And meet with reproof for your toil,
It is well—that the gun may be humbled.
The compressor must check the recoil."
At least two things stand out in memory from the refugee period with crystal clearness, viz.:
Organization is a priceless jewel, and
A soft answer turneth away wrath.