The Passage, Thursday, July 22 to Friday, July 30, 1909

      Greve's ship was called the Megantic. It was owned and operated by the White Star Line who was to lose the ultimate luxury liner Titanic on her first crossing in April 1912. Incidentally, the owner of the Bonanza Farm where Greve stayed in 1912, had perished in this tragedy, while his wife was among the first class survivors. All White Star Line ships were named to end in "-ic." Initially named "Albany," she was meant to go to the Dominion Line, Liverpool, when she was launched on December 10, 1908, from the dry-docks of the Belfast builders Harland & Wolff. As the Megantic, she was delivered to her rightful owners in Liverpool on June 3, 1909, and went on her maiden voyage two weeks later, on June 17. The route for most of her life was from Liverpool to Montreal and back. During the War, she was used for transporting troops. After the War, she briefly serviced the Liverpool-New York route via Halifax as well as the familiar Liverpool-Montreal track. Once she was sent to Sydney, Australia (1920), and once to China (1928). During the Depression, due to reduced tourist traffic and coal shortages, she had to be laid up in Rothesay Bay in July 1931, and in February 1933 she was taken to Osaka, Japan, for breaking up.[25]

      The Megantic was a rather obscure steamer in the stable of the White Star Line. She had a more famous sister ship, also built in Belfast as the "Alberta" for the Dominion Line. Launched on September 9, 1908, she was delivered as the Laurentic to the White Star Line on April 15, 1909, and assumed her Liverpool-Montreal route on April 29. Sometimes, she went only as far as Halifax. She was identical to the Megantic in each and every respect, but may have traveled slightly faster, since in addition to a powerful experimental engine, she was also equipped with a low pressure turbine. Fewer cabins in First Class (230 instead of 260) in the same amount of space suggest slightly more comfort and luxury for "saloon" passengers of the Megantic's older sister. The Laurentic ran into mines laid by a German submarine near Northern Ireland in 1917, and 354 of 475 on board perished when she sank. Down with her went a gold cargo worth £5 million which divers were trying to recover until 1924.

      When Greve sailed on Saturday, July 22, 1909, it was probably the second voyage of the S.S. Megantic, the "S.S." seems to stand for "Steam Ship."  Lieutenant Harry Smith was the commanding officer. She had a total capacity of 1,690 passengers, according to the published source about her and the Laurentic. The "Manifest" form for the harbour authorities is filled out in clear handwriting, and lists as her maximum capacity 1,213 "Adult Passengers, exclusive of Master, Crew, and Cabin Passengers." Above the signatures of the "Second Cabin" and "Steerage" inspectors on the opposite side, her name is stamped in, which is an indication that she was expected to return many times to Montreal. She was carrying less than half of her capacity: there were only 739 people on board, including 109 children. "Saloon" passengers numbered 137 (of 260 possible); "Second Cabin" could hold 430 passengers, but Greve had embarked as one of 220; 382 instead of 1,000 sailed in Third Class or "steerage."

      The crossing took eight days, and when the ship arrived at five o'clock in the morning on Sunday, July 30, 1909, at the "Port of Quebec" Montreal, the ship surgeon Dr. Robertson, had already signed the printed affidavit of the "Manifest" that none of the passengers was "insane, epileptic, or consumptive, or ... idiotic, feeble-minded or afflicted with contagious, infectious, or loathsome disease; or ... deaf, dumb, blind or otherwise physically defective."

      The Canadian medical and civil inspections were jointly carried out by Dr. Lessard and L. Morisset from 6:00 to 6:45 a.m. None of the 137 saloon passengers, and only one of the 220 second cabin passengers were detained by these authorities. The crew of steerage inspectors, Dr. Dobbin, Dr. Nadeau, Mr. Byrne (?) and Mr. Beaulieu, did their duty from 7:55 to 9:00 a.m. They seemed to disagree with their British colleague's global assessment, and denied a disproportionately large number, namely twenty-one, of the 382 third class passengers permission to land.

      On page four of the list of second cabin passengers, Greve is number twenty-seven of thirty, or the fourth from the bottom. There are thirty-one columns recording details about each passenger. His "No. of S.S. Contract Ticket" is 4825. If there was any "cash" entered in the next column -- in some cases, $25, $30, $80, or even $ 160 are noted -- it is illegible.

      Where Grove's name was recorded, the paper has suffered some waterstain damage, so that the photocopies of the relevant microfilm pages for July-August 1909 might as well be empty. According to Bruce Thomson, the microfilm reveals faintly, but clearly, the name "Grove," quite definitely with an "o." Of the given name, only the initial "F" is visible. "Frederick" would be too long for the remaining space, while "Felix" would fit very nicely. He is male, and his age is thirty (30). In the column for marital status, there is a forceful "m" for "married;" it is quite distinct from the check-mark used for "ditto" for the single, eighteen year old German blacksmith en route to Winnipeg listed above Greve, or the "s" for the thirty-seven year old French professor visiting Toronto in the row above the young blacksmith. Greve's "m" is not too surprising, since he started referring to Else already as "meine Frau" (my wife) in late 1902, when she was still married to the Jugendstil architect August Endell. And Else was addressed as Else Greve by Kippenberg, even though it is none too likely that their common-law union was ever sanctioned by either religious or civil authorities.

      "Tourist" is stamped in the column where children, if any, are listed. He has not been to Canada before, and a handwritten "T" for "Tourist" is filled in again, where details of previous visits to Canada are given for some others. He has no intention to settle in Canada, and yes, he can read and write (this is indicated with check-marks). His "Country of Birth" is Germany, his "Race of people" is German.

      Where fellow travelers have listed their "Destination" and their "Occupation in Country From Which You Came," Greve has, as quite a few others, "Touring," and like none other, "Author" filled in. He has blanks in the next three columns which deal with previous farming experience. The space for his "Religious Denomination" is either empty, or any writing in it is too faint to see. The last listing above Greve's line is "Church of England," and "Salvation Army" is noted for the twenty-six year old single woman whose entry is immediately below his. A strong and clearly visible "Lutheran" is spelled out for the person in line thirty, and this would have been Greve's denomination as well. Like quite a few others, he intends to travel inland by Canadian Pacific Railway, as indicated by a "C.P.R."stamp.