Below are my great grandmother's journal and comments on the Colby family's trip to Los Angeles 100 years ago last November. The use of the name "Girlie" was my grandma Langton's nickname as a young girl and even into later life depending on who you were talking to. "Jack" refers to my great grandpa Colby (John Colby) while "Jackie" refers to John Colby, Jr., my grandma Langton's eldest brother and my dad's uncle Jack. Miss Perkins is the family nanny and housekeeper brought along as part of the family, although not related in any way, to assist with caring for the children. After the children were grown and had left home, she remained in California residing in Hermosa Beach. She always sent out fruit cakes to everyone each and every Christmas.
THE DIARY OF DORA COLBY
November 1913
Comments, incidents, and
description of the journey by John and Dora Colby and family from
England to Los Angeles, CA.
Left mother’s on
November 11 for Southampton. Stayed the night at the Flowers Hotel
and started for the boat which we boarded about 10:30. Mother and
(Auntie) Lil came with us and settled us in our cabins and we said
good bye to them at 12 o’clock and started off for Cherbourg. We
soon found we were in for rough weather and after lunch Girlie and I
retired to our bunks where Jackie soon joined us. Girlie had a nice
sleep and Jackie was not sick whilst he kept quiet. Miss Perkins
soon gave in and had to lie down and was very bad and about 4 o’clock
Eric, who up to then was in highest spirits, came to lie down.
I was quite all right
thanks to Mothersells (sp?) and Daddy was quite well on deck. The
waves are very big and we pitch and toss about dreadfully and some
big waves keep washing right over the porthole, but we hope for the
best.
Jack has come to lie
down, and seeing everyone ill has made him qualmy. Poor Jackie very
bad and Girlie had to come to me she felt so seedy. We all felt
qualmy until the boat reached Cherbourg Harbor when we had a blessed
respite and all perked up wonderfully. Had some dinner and walked
about the deck.
A lot of emigrants came
on board and we were very interested in watching them. The women
carried all their worldly belongings in striped bags on their backs
and many had little babies with them. None wore hats, but a few had
shawls over their heads. I got the children to bed comfortably and
we left the harbor at 8:30. John and I soon came to bed to, to get
settled before the pitching and tossing began again.
It is a beautiful
moonlight night and the lights of France twinkle in the distance. It
was very rough all night and we only slept in snatches. In the
morning we all felt qualmy and Jackie and Miss Perkins very sick.
After lunch it was less rough, and we all, except Miss Perkins, sat
on deck.
We reach Queenstown
[Ireland] at 5 o’clock and were all charmed by the beautiful
harbor. I photographed Roach Island and the children were much
amused with the hundreds of seagulls that followed the boat. We had
a long talks with Mr. Fry, the first officer, and watched the old
Irish women come on board to sell lace, pipes, etc. We had letters
here and took in over 1200 bags of mail as the Mauritania
could not get into the harbor for them the day before as it was too
rough. We all had dinner at 6 o’clock, roast gosling and ice
cream, which later the children all enjoyed. I got them to bed
before the boat started. Miss Perkins perked up and came on deck,
and we thoroughly enjoyed a stroll on deck in the moonlight, talked
to Mr. Fry again, and watching the various lights flashing. We
returned in good time in case of bad weather. The steward had left
one porthole open until he went off duty at 9 o’clock.
Saturday Since
the night before last when the steward closed our porthole, I have
been very busy lying quite still to keep off seasickness. Mr. Fry’s
prophecy came true. About 2 o’clock Friday morning we began to
meet the full force of the Atlantic and the rolling, tossing, and
pitching with the screw coming out of the water was awful. Jackie
soon started filling his tin and when I move I was sick so kept quiet
as when I lifted my head up it whirled and I think Jackie’s did
too. Eric was as lively as a sand boy, also Girlie. Jack got up on
deck twice, but mostly lay quiet, thus he wasn’t ill. Today it is
rough, but not quite so bad as through the night when we seemed to
sink down into the depths and then slide up and then shake all over.
Jackie says he shall never come back again. He’s had enough of the
sea to last a lifetime. Eric played about on one bed then on another
till 4 o’clock when he suddenly said, “Oh Jackie, I do feel so
ill” and the two of them took it in turns till the tin overflowed
and I rang for the steward in a hurry. No more was heard from Eric
and the steward had to carry him back to his cabin which he shared
with Miss Perkins who hasn’t left her bunk yet. It’s so rough I
must stop.
Sunday The gale
was worse than ever and the engines went dead slow as the waves were
as high as 60 feet; they washed over the captain’s bridge. It was
baby’s birthday, and what a day. We pitched and tossed so much she
couldn’t stand out of her bunk, but she was very good lying there
with a picture book. Jack got up on deck for a few minutes and he
said the waves were awful and everything awash. The forward screen
was washed away and all the forward hatches were battened down as
they were flooded with water. For an awful 10 minutes the engines
stopped, the condenser had broken, and everyone wondered what was the
matter. Then we started slowly again pitching, tossing, and rolling.
Girlie’s birthday menu was very nice, but we were satisfied with
chicken and ices. We had one or two crockery smashes in our cabin.
All night the storm raged and all day Monday when the engines stopped
for repairs.
Tuesday wasn’t quite so
bad and I managed to get Girlie out her birthday present from Auntie
Mary, a box of bricks, and they amused her for hours building on my
hat box. Wednesday was much better and everyone was thankful. The
captain never left the bridge Sunday or Monday. It was an anxious
time. She is such an old boat and only makes one more voyage before
she goes into dock for three months of repairs and then goes on a
slower line. The third officer took a good photo of the waves and
gave one to Daddy.
The sun shone on
Wednesday and most people got on deck to enjoy it after a week of
storms. We carried a record mail, nearly 6000 bags as it had been
too rough for over a week for the boats to put in at Queenstown for
them. Wednesday night we had a concert, and amongst other items, was
a performing ape belonging to a gentleman on board. Her name was
“Cantata.” She smokes, plays the piano and various other things.
One girl danced twice, and there was heaps of singing. Thursday was
cold and choppy, but we all got on deck and were very pleased to see
Nantucket lighthouse which we passed at 8 o’clock.
Everyone was up early on
Friday morning, breakfast at 6 o’clock as we steamed up the harbor,
passed the Statue of Liberty, and docked about 10 o’clock. We
passed the doctor and got through the customs very well though it
took over 2 hours. All our luggage with us was opened, but not
muddled about. We walked a little way and then took tickets for the
2 o’clock ferry, and while waiting, got something to eat, but
things were horrid, fishcakes in red sauce and pickled cabbage and
onion. Ugh! We crossed the ferry which took twenty minutes and got
our train for Chicago, a nice drawing room, comfortable and
everything most luxurious. We slept one night on this line, the
Erie, and hope to reach Chicago at 7 tonight.
Boiling hot at Chicago.
Got the train for Los Angeles which was packed and found there was no
drawing room reserved for us. The conductor was very kind and after
arranging for our sleeping as best he could and got us a private car
the next day. We all enjoyed the 2 ½ days run to Los Angeles
especially the latter part where the mountains were magnificent. We
spent a little while at Albuquerque and inspected some Indians and
their weaving. Arrived in Los Angeles at 2 o’clock Tuesday, where
Godfrey Edwards and Tom and May Plumb were waiting for us at the
station.