The Sailing of a Refugee Ship - Dedication and Preface - 1914

Dedication

To The Committee of Guarantors

MR. R. A. C. SMITH

DR. NICHOLAS MURRAY BUTLER

MR. GANO DUNN

MR. FREDERICK W. VANI)ERBILT

whose noble self sacrifice and steadfast patriotism made possible the "refugee" voyage of the Principe di Udine from Genoa, August 12, 1914.

PREFACE

So many unusual circumstances attended the "refugee" sailing of the Principe di Udine from Genoa to New York in August that a permanent record of the voyage seemed appropriate; a record which would include refugee sketches, an accurate account of the chartering of the ship, and a log of the voyage.

With the hope that a booklet containing these three divisions of the crossing -- its cause, start, and maturation, -- might serve as a reminder to every passenger of the events he experienced in the refugee flight, and also as a permanent -- if small -- monument to the self sacrifice and steadfast patriotism of the men who undertook the responsibilities of the sailing, the editor compiled this little volume.

Its completion was made possible by the generous assistance of fellow passengers. To those who kindly related their refugee experiences and to those who in any way contributed to the publication of this record, the editor gives his sincerest thanks. In particular, he feels indebted to a group of passengers who gave invaluable assistance in the physical construction of the book. Miss Rose Churchill, of New Britain, Connecticut, suggested the general form and sketched several of the line drawings; Mr. Fred H. White, of New York City, generously loaned the pictures for the illustrations; and Mr. Gustave Schirmer kindly had the manuscript placed on the presses of his busy establishment as soon as it was ready. Mr. Dudley Rogers, of Dedham, Massachusetts, aided the compilation materially by taking charge of the subscriptions.

New York City, September, 1914.

ARNO BEHNKE

Note about the Great War from the Gjenvick-Gjønvik Archives

Within a space of less than a week from August 1, 1914, five of the six "Great Powers" of Europe became involved in a war that quickly developed into World War I. The European conflagration long foreseen by statesmen and diplomats, and dreaded of all alike, had broken out.

Beginning with the thunder of Austrian guns at Belgrade, the reverberations of war were heard in every capital of the Old World. Austria's declaration of war against Servia was followed by the alignment of Germany with its Teuton neighbor against the forces of Russia, France and England. Italy alone, of the six great powers, declined to align itself with its formal allies and make a determined effort at the outset to maintain its neutrality.

Causes of the War

• National and Race Prejudices
• The Triple Alliance
• The Triple Entente
• Teuton vs. Slav
• Influences of Russian Diplomacy
• Russia vs. Austria
• Control of Balkan Seaports
• England's Commercial Supremacy Challenged by Germany
• Assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria by a Serb.