[First 4 pages on single folded White Star note paper, continued on 'Homeric' postcard and thence continued further on 9/11 on Regent Palace Hotel stationary single octavo sheet written on both sides.] postmarked London W1 Nov 10th 1924 7.15pm
White Star Line SS Homeric
3rd November 1924
Dear Mother,
On an ocean liner again on our way to London this time and we hope to reach there on Saturday next 8th if lucky but this trip has been rough crossing for quite a while now I am told and the big ship "Berengaria" was a day late coming into New York on Saturday last as we were leaving instead of Friday as scheduled.
This is a big lump of a boat as you will see from the card I will enclose. It is only a week across so we are going second and it is not too bad in fact nearly as good as the Tahiti's first.
I am sorry I have to revert the old pencil again but the pen was beyond me. The vibration of the boat combined with the roll and pitch is too much for a median penman like myself. Well since last writing we have received no more mail from you so suppose there are no more boats in from Aussie so have left word at the Express Co to send in all on to the Wales in London for us and by this time you will have had word from Mrs Treloar to the effect that we have left America and will be sending your mail on to London.
Well to get back to figures again I spent the whole of last Sunday writing letters at the hotel in NY on Monday we spent the morning in booking our passages to England and all the lot with the Customs and Tax people and at night we saw a show called "Scandal of 1924" a scene in which the scenery and dressing was very good but beyond that it was not anything to write home about. On Tuesday we spent the morning shopping in the afternoon had tea with a woman we met off the "Tahiti" and at night we took the trip to New York Chinatown down in the slums of the city. We saw the renowned Bowery and then on to Pell St where the underworld of N.Y. have their headquarters. The place was alive with police in consequence of the Tong riots and murders that were in progress there at the time. It is very interesting as we saw the breadline and all the poor devils down and out coming in for shelter in the missions for the night and from that we visited the Doss house and a cafe run Chop Suey fashion.
Next we returned to civilization via the Bowery and Broadway seeing all the wonderful lights of the latter. Saw the largest electric sign in the world advertising Chico and Ginger Ale composed of 28,000 bulbs a wonderful affair. Thence on to see New Yorks night life at a cabaret but as it was not as good a place as our Palais I was disappointed and returned home at about midnight.
Wednesday we spent sightseeing around the city. We went up 5th Avenue to 114th St and then through Columbia University to Riverside Drive and Grants Tomb back to the City again and down town seeing all the large buildings and having them described to us. We saw the aquarium, ?Songer Building, Woolworth, City and Metropolitan Life Buildings and thence over to Brooklyn via the Manhattan Bridge across the Hudson thence back home via the Jewish Italian and Negro sections of the city and being a bit tired went to bed early as were to have a big day on Thursday. In the morning we took ferry over to the Statue of Liberty and inspected that, came back and saw through the Aquarium and in the afternoon took a tube to Coney Island which is about an hours ride from N.Y. All the amusement places are closed now for the winter but it must be a great place when in full swing as it is an enormous place entirely devoted to amusing the young and old. On our ride to the island we went underneath the Husdon River so on our return we took an elevated and crossed Brooklyn Bridge. At night we met a chap who came across with us on the Tahiti and took two Australian ladies and a Yank to the theatre "Passing Show of 1924" which was very ordinary.
Friday was a busy day packing and saying goodbye to our acquaintances and at night we saw a nigger show [continued on postcard p5] which was not too bad. They called it "from Dixie to Broadway". We quite enjoyed it. Saturday we came aboard this tub at 9.30am and have been here ever since. It is not much chop but alright for the 8 days we have to spend aboard her. We have the ugliest woman in the world aboard. The poor thing has been to Coney Island trying to earn a living by her misfortune. She is awful to look at. Well must close it is too rough to write longer. [to the top] Hope you are all well. We are Bill not quite so well as he was but that is ship life I suppose.
