Todd war diary, 3 August 1914-29 February 1916 / Arthur Todd - Page 106
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[Page 106]
the funk signs on neutral shipping.
The era of submarine frightfulness had begun and the ships of neutral nature had their country's colours painted in huge streaks across their hulls for all to see.
In the early days one or two enterprising British skippers presented foreign flags on their ships and so ran the blockade. This one hears, was afterwards stopped by the Admiralty. In the morning of April 6th the Sydney entered the Harbour of Rio de Janeiro and one was able to compare the two most "beautifuls" in the world.
Speaking as a casual tripper one would say that from a shipping point of view Sydney wins, at any rate one did not see rows of wharves right up against the town where ships might unload luggage. But as a sheet of water it is surpassingly beautiful and the high craggy peaks which surround the town and stretch away into the blue distance form a majestic setting beside which our own foreshores pale. To sum up Sydney for ships Rio for scenery would seem like a just estimate.
All the mountain peaks around Rio are linked up by aerial railways and the sensation of swinging along suspended on a cable is nearly as good as flying. Rio as everyone knows is the Capital of Brazil and is a large well built city about the size of Melbourne or Sydney.
The general lay of the town reminds me of Melbourne