May 11, 1896
Donna Elvira Marie Therese Henriette de Bourbon, second daughter, and third child of Don Carlos, Carlist pretender to the Spanish throne, arrived earlier today in Hoboken, New Jersey. She had traveled from Genoa, Italy onboard the German Lloyd steamship Kaiser Wilhelm II, reports the New York Times.
Donna Elvira, traveling incognito, was born in Geneva on July 28, 1871. She is a niece of Queen Maria Cristina of Spain, who is the regent of her young son, Alfonso XIII. Elvira is a "good-looking woman, and has a pleasant voice and frank manner." She was "very plainly attired."
She spoke to a New York Times reporter while she waited on the steamship wharf for her bags to be inspected. She said that her health was not food, and she had become "enervated by the climate of Italy, where her family resides."
Her doctors recommended an ocean voyage, and she had "long-desired" to visit America. She is accompanied by the Countess de Lausen and Dr Arturo Grosser, her physician, and a maid. They were met by Dr. R.D. Cortina, who had been "specially requested" by Elvira's family "to look after her comfort and welfare" while she is in New York.
The doctor told the reporter that "no public importance could be attached" to Donna Elvira's visit. She traveled to the United States "in search of health and recreation," and to learn more about the country.
As customs officials examined her boxes and trunks, Donna Elvira "waited patiently." Afterward, she and her party were driven to Holland House, "where a suite of apartments had been engaged for them."
As she travels incognito, Donna Elvira wants to "maintain the reserve," so she can travel freely and see "what she wishes without any formality or public attention being drawn to her.
Hoboken used to be a major embarkwtion point for passenger ships, despite its small size. During World War I, many troop ships left from and arrived in Hoboken. You can get t-shirts at the Hoboken Historical Museum with General Pershing's promise to the troops: by Christmas of 1917 they'd be in "Heaven, Hell, or Hoboken"!
ReplyDeleteMy parents were born in Hoboken. My grandparents were married at St Matthew's Lutheran church - the same pastor baptized my parents, confirmed them and baptized me at St Matthews.
ReplyDeleteOh, wow! I've been in St Matthew's many times. Great church. I go to All Saints Episcopal a block away, and we do things together sometimes. I also sang for years in a community chorus that sometimes performed in one or the other church.
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