Pauline Pesjak - As a Young Woman

Pauline Pesjak

Pauline Pesjak came to America on the Hamburg America line. She came on the ship "Cleveland", a new large twin-screw steamer constructed at the yards of Blohm & Voss at Hamburg, Germany. It was built for the New-York passenger and freight service, and was splendidly appointed for the transportation of passengers as well as freight.

This vessel afforded the greatest comfort and luxury, as it was provided with all of the modern features of this line and was classed among the most modern liners of the present day.
The dimensions of the "Cleveland", were as follows length, about 600 feet ; width, about 65 feet; height, from water-line to upper deck, about 50 feet ; tonnage, 17,000 tons. It was built of the best steel, and provided with 5 steel decks and a double bottom extending the entire length of the ship. which latter was sub-divided into numerous water-tight chambers, and the hull itself was divided into 11 water-tight compartments. Two well-balanced high and low pressure engines of the quadruple expansion type, which were supplied with steam from three double and three single boHers, gave this vessel a speed of about 151/2 knots.

It had the capacity for about
230 First Cabin Passengers
530 Third Cabin Passengers
400 Second Cabin Passengers
2200 Steerage Passengers

The crew comprised about 360 officers and men and had a cargo capacity of about 15,000 tons Pauline must have enjoyed her visit even if she did not travel first class. The accommodations in the first class cabin received special attention, and in addition to the large number of ordinary staterooms there were 70 rooms for the sole use of one passenger; several suites comprising parlor, bedroom and bath-room, and a number of large rooms with bath and toilet- The spacious dining-room, which was located on the upper deck, was equipped with small tables for two, four and six persons, and the saloon was large enough to accommodate all passengers at one sitting, even during the height of the season.

On the promenade deck, Pauline would have noticed a spacious lounge, music room, writing room, smoking room and gymnasium, and on the different promenade decks sheltered corners were provided affording protection from the wind and weather when the conditions were unfavorable.

In addition to the above-named features, Pauline undoubtedly tried out the electric passenger elevator connecting the different decks, a well-equipped gymnasium with electrical apparatus electric light baths, a dark room for photography, a book-stall, library, information bureau, etc.

For promenading there were two large promenade decks, and in addition there was a large open deck on the top of the uppermost deck-house.

The arrangement of the second cabin was also given special attention, and afforded every modern comfort and convenience. The main saloon, ladies' parlor and the smoking room were similar in size, design and decoration to those of more modern vessels. While we don't know how Pauline traveled, it is quite likely that she would have traveled in this class simply because of her breeding and her family's relatively affluent status in Kropa.

For the safety of the vessel, the doors of the water-tight compartments were equipped with the automatic hydraulic devices, enabling the Captain to close all of the doors in a few seconds from the bridge. The vessel was also equipped with submarine bell systems, fire extinguishers, a complete fire alarm system, steam pumps, etc.

A few important facts about the "Cleveland" are worth noting:

Built in September 1908 by shipyard Blohm & Voss, Hamburg
Total length of 600 feet: Beam ... 66 • ; Depth -. 50 •
Gross tonnage 17,000 tons of water-displacement.
9300 HP. Speed: 15-16 miles per hour.
Sailing time-Southampton-New York: 9 days
Travellers: about 230 per Class I. ; 900 II ; 530 III. ; 2200 in steerage
Crew: 360 officers and teams

In brief, Pauline Pesjak traveled on one of the most modern and comfortable ships of her day with some of the safety features that the Titanic touted as being state of the art. Fortunately for the Vidich family, Pauline survived her 9 day voyage across the Atlantic to spend the rest of her life in the United States.

Source: http://www.gjenvick.com/HamburgAmerikaLinie/1909-CincinnatiAndCleveland.html

Pauline Pesjak at 18 years of age

Pauline Pesjak, future wife of Joseph Vidich was an educated woman who fell in love with her soulmate and came to America to start a new life. Here she is about 18 years of age. She gave birth to her first daughter at 24 years of age and had her last child (Arthur) at 30. She lost her first son in a tragic accident when on January 14, 1920, the three year old toddler pulled a pot of boiling water over his head and died from the injuries. This emotional scar would last for many years and even the birth of their second son, Arthur, did not erase this horrible memory. 

A photo of the young Joseph before he died is shown here with his older sister Pauline. According to my cousing Mary Jauquet Royer the photo was taken by an itinerant photographer who came with a goat and cart. Their mother Pauline redid the photo and had a garden scene placed in the background around 1930 to make it prettier. Prior to retouching the photo, therre was an old shed and wood plank walk in the background. She also had the new version of the photo tinted.  

Joseph and Pauline Vidich's children

Joseph and Pauline gave their children a good education, plenty of love and an expectation of hard work. All of the children were expected to work in the family's restaurant/tavern. After years of running this small business, Joseph was able to afford an automobile and even had money to send back to his family in Kropa. Pauline's granddaughter, Mary (daughter of Elizabeth) wrote to her Uncle Art in the year 2000 with the discovery of documents that showed Pauline had sent $108 back to Kropa in the Great Depression. This incredible act of charity, was probably a months wages according to Mary and revealed the strength of their link to the Kropa family. Despite this family bond, neither Joseph nor Pauline ever returned to Slovenia. Only their children, Arthur, Olga and Elizabeth ventured abroad and rekindled the relationships that had been held by the fragile link of pen and ink. In his later years, Arthur mentioned that the Kropa relatives were eternally grateful for these acts of love and charity and this love was returned multi-fold over when he visited Kropa in the summer of 1951.