Attracting almost as much attention as the appurtenances of the cruiser, the sailors who were lining up on the main deck prior to going on shore leave had their own special circle of admirers who avidly discussed various details of sleeve and headgear and even raised the question of certain racial characteristics observed among members of the crew. Needless to say several encyclopedias were probably pulled down from Shanghai shelves last night by future admirals in the search of further learning, that is, if the general consumption of home-side ice cream did not prevent it.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.