The Lord is well pleased with your labors and His servants are also well pleased for you have done a good work in these lands and we feel to bless you in the name of Jesus Christ and say to you, inasmuch as you are released to return home go on your way rejoicing for ye shall return home and your brethren, the presidency, shall accept your labors and the Lord shall manifest Himself to you. And inasmuch as you have been blessed heretofore with the spirit of revelation and prophecy you shall again be blessed, only more abundantly than you have ever been that you may in time of need have the revelations of the most high to rest upon you that you may comprehend all things that is necessary for you to understand from time to time. We also say unto you, Brother Dana, mourn not because of the circumstances which have transpired with your family nor yet the loss of your property for we say unto that you shall receive an hundredfold, yea an hundredfold, and you shall live many years upon the earth and do much for the building up of Zion and we say unto you receive ye the gift of the Holy Ghost, even so, amen.[A blessing given to Charles Root Dana given by Elder Pratt at the end of his mission.]

Wednesday, March 4 - Today I received my notification from the office to be in Liverpool on the evening of the 21st instant. The ship George Washington has been charted to take a load of Saints to sail about the 26th or 27th. This was good news to me.

Monday, 23 - Brother Pratt informed me that he had appointed me to [-] Brother James P. Park in presiding over the Saints to sail in the George Washington. This was not in accordance with previous arrangements but I hunched up my shoulders and determined to work well on the "offside", also having, I believe, a very good idea of who had influenced others.

Friday, 26 - This evening the George Washington left the docks and in the morning we found ourselves out in the Mersey on the good ship at anchor there.

This day, the 27th, the government officers came on board and discharged their duties and on the 28th, Saturday, the steam tug came and towed the ship out into the channel.

Monday, April 6 - I proposed to Brother Park as this was the 6th day of April that I should like to have a conference on deck and sustain the authorities of the church, etc. This he agreed to and a very good time we had. The meeting was at two o'clock in the afternoon.

On Friday the 17th the wind blowed from the south this morning and we run very fast but it changed into the west. The seas were running high and the ship rolled from side to side and all of a sudden the cry of "Fire, fire" [-] my ears, turned me around, and gazed upon the awful sight that I ever beheld. The cooking galley was all in a flame, the blaze issuing out of each door with a tremendous fury. The blaze also issuing out of the stove pipe to the height of several feet above and that too up to the main stay sail. But through the good providence of God it had been raining and the sails rigging, etc. was of course wet, which if it had been dry and the stay sails wet (but at this time it was broke), the fire would have communicated with the sails and rigging and as the captain, Mr. [-] Cummings, said, it would hardly have been stayed and if the hull of the ship had been saved it would have been by cutting the mast, etc. However, we were saved this calamity and even a worse one for it happened that a cask of water stood at hand and one of the brethren was very active and the flames were soon extinguished. The fire originated from the barrel of [grease] which stood between the stoves and by the rocking of the ship it emptied a part of its contents on the red hot stoves and of course it took fire instantly.

Friday, 19th - At nine this evening I saw a light in a lighthouse on Cape Cod which was forty miles from the city of Boston.

Monday, 20th - I arose early this morning and beheld the lights on shore for we were within a few miles of Boston but we had to go bye bye for a short time waiting for a pilot. He soon came and we were safely anchored in the bay of Boston, having made the voyage in twenty three days. The wind increased to a regular storm, so much so that the ship dragged her anchors about one mile and was near being driven ashore.

On the 22nd the tug came and towed the good ship to the docks. Elder John Taylor soon came on board. He had made arrangements for our passage through the states by railroad to Iowa City for ten dollars and fifty cents each adult.

On Thursday the 23rd we unloaded our luggage and got it hauled to the station and left Boston at half past three in the afternoon.

Monday, 27th - We arrived in Toledo about noon and tarried there until nine in the evening. We had suffered all sorts of abuse at Buffalo, Cleveland, and other places but at this place I think that we suffered more than at all other places between Boston and here.

Thursday, 30th - We arrived at Iowa City about eleven in the morning. Brother Little met us there soon after we arrived and the Saints generally went to the campground three miles. By Elder Little's request, I went to Chicago to pay a debt of one thousand dollars which he owed for wagons and also to purchase yoke, bows, etc. and on the 11th of May I took the train and arrived in Chicago the same day at six in the evening. . . .[p.167]

BIB: Dana, Charles Root. Autobiography, p. 167. (A)
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