Report from Ross Eaket
(Editor's Note: Ross Eaket, of Iron Bridge, who is overseas on a two-month tour under sponsorship of the Commonwealth Youth Movement, is sending back articles for Sault Star readers telling of his journey. In his first letter, the 16-year-old Blind River Continuation School student tells of his trip over on the "Empress of France. In his next letter Ross will tell of the coronation.)
LIVERPOOL (May 22-29)—The first stage of my journey took place aboard the Canadian Pacific steamship "Empress of France." It is a 20,000-ton vessel manned by a staff of about 300. The front half of the boat is reserved for first-class passengers. The stern is made up for tourist accommodation and recreation. The rooms are finished with beautiful varnished veneer panels and with carpet-covered floors. Fresh air is forced into every cabin through two or three air ducts.
We were requested to be on board by 10 a.m. Friday, May 22. The two hours which remained before sailing time quickly passed due to the great activity on board . . . farewells, meeting new friends, checking baggage and inspecting rooms. Right from the start it was cloudy and we had only 20 minutes of sunshine during the whole trip across.
On the first afternoon out we had an abandon ship drill so that we would know the proper way of putting on our life-jackets and getting into lifeboats.
We passed through Quebec City about nine o'clock and I was really thrilled by the pattern of the city's lights.
Early in the morning of the second day we went by Father Point, which was our last touch with the folks at home until we reached Liverpool. I spent the rest of the day getting acquainted with the deck games which included tennis, shuffleboard and horseshoes.
On Sunday, May 24, the captain led us in a half-hour worship service. Although the day was foggy we could see snow on the Labrador shore. In the afternoon we saw scattered icebergs and passed very close to one.
The winds increased rapidly during the night, and the following morning the winds appeared to be at their worst. Later we learned that they had been listed in the log book as "strong gales" which is only three points from a hurricane.
Needless to say, very few arrived for breakfast and I myself was not overly enthused in eating. During the day as the winds died down to a "moderate gale" our appetites returned. We had our "first dance in the lounge in honor of a couple of the boys who celebrated birthdays.
 Every midnight we turned our clocks forward an hour, thus losing an hour of sleep each night, but most of us caught up,Tuesday morning when we slept until nearly one o'clock. The rest of  the day was very cold and wet.
On Wednesday there was a moderate roll compared to the preceding part of the journey. We had a coronation dinner. The dining room was gaily decorated and the orchestra played quiet dinner dance  music. We also had a dance to celebrate the coronation.
Thursday was pleasant. We played deck games all morning and spent the afternoon packing and cleaning clothes because our luggage had to be packed Thursday night when we sighted Ireland.
Friday morning we arrived at Liverpool at 11 o'clock and, after
going through the customs, headed for London. -----