The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1878-07-11
miscellaneous.
LIFE ON THE OCEAN WAVE.
How one Wise Man Of Gotham Went to Sea
in n Shin

gard the passage as anything but the ne
cessary unpleasant ConComitant OF trip
to Europe, an evil which is borne with
as much patience and fortitude as one
can summon up, but which 1t is deslra'
BILE should be of as short duration as pos
sible. Accordingly, many persons re-
gard il as the first consideration to secure
passage on swift steamer, and will not
hesitate to incur what they think may
be an additional risk TO save few days
time on the voyage. OF course, when
ones holiday is limited and, as is often
the case, the traveller feels that he must
"do" certain number Of places in a GER
tain number of days, the week or two
spent on the ocean seems like 30 much
wasted time. 1t is wasted time to such
travellers but if a man enjoys the sea
and does not like to live in close quar-
ters with a miscellaneous crowd Of his
fellow mortals, and can afford to take the
time to 90 to Europe by sail, he will find
himself vastly more comfortable if he
goes on a good ship land there are plen-
ty of such) than he can be on any steam
or that sails out of this port. A steam
ship is instinct with life, There is a
Ceaseless hustle and activity, and the
throbbing machinery is an ever.present
reality, a jarring interruption of the poe
try Of motion. The passengers begin
specializing as soon as they leave one
shore how long they must be before they
see the other. They never can feel
sense Of repose, the separation from the
cares of the world and the uselessness of
worrying about it, the resignation of
ones self to the novel conditions of life
on shipboard, the Indifference which
comes after in a few days as to whether
school keeps or not" the opportunities
for quiet reading, idling and sleeping and
the frame of mind which enables one to
take a positive delight in rehecting
when he "turns in" that he has lost a
day. Such joys are not for the man who
crosses the ocean on a steamship. The
Cockney might as we'll expect to learn
the real pleasures Of country life by pass
ing the month of August in suburban
hotel, or the bachelor to enjoy in
boarding house those mysterious and un-
defnable luxuries known as the "com-
forts of home"
Life on steamship is very much like
life in a hotel, except that in the former
one can not change his quarters if not
suited, You meet the average number
of agreeable, neutral and disagreeable
persons. There are the old pleasure
seekers whose advice and experiences
are 80 eagerly asked for by the fresh
faced youth Just from home the "com
mercial gents" who 60 twice year to
buy goods, and whose conversation is OF
spring and fall trade-they are on conf
dental terms with the stewards and get
the best of everything for themselves
and their wiyes-the men who spend all |
their waking moments in a smoking |
room or state room playing poker and |
drinking and betting, and the irrepressi- |
BILE and social men who are always get
ting up concerts and mock trials and |
games, and want all their fellow passen-
gers to enjoy themselves. If you have |
fair weather and are not sea sick you can |
have a very good time perhaps, but at
the end of the ten days or 80 you will not |
know anything about the pleasures of
life on the ocean wave. If you have
stormy or "dirty" weather, as the sailors
call it, you will have all the discomforts
of life at sea with the additions peculiar
to steamship-the wretChed sea sick
crowd with the attendant exhibitions OF
selfshness and other unfortunate human
keaknesses, the close air of the cabins
and the smell of food and machinery.
The writer last fall went from New
York to London by sail, and afterwards
returned in the same manner, and there
fore knows whereof he speaks. There
were no other passengers on either trip.
The ship only had accommodations for
four passengers at the utmost, and often
makes the voyage without any, as in the
case with others of the same line. The
cabin which he shared with the captain
was about fifteen by twenty five feet,
well furnished with sofas and chairs,
table and stove, and was bright and
pleasant. The two state rooms for pas
sengers were larger than is customary on
steamships and were light and well ven
tilated, and one of them contained full
sized bath tub, in which the luxury of
salt water baths could be had without
trouble, the tub having cushioned COW
or whereby it was transformed into
lounge. In word the cabin and state
rooms were all that one could ask. The
after-deGk, on which passenger could
take his walks abroad, was SINE eighty
feet long, but if so minded he could also
go over the rest Of the ship.
The first thing to be done in making
preparations for voyage on a sailing
ship is to find out what sort Of a man the
captain is. This can be done by person
al interviews and inquiries of the own
ers or consigners. The passenger must
share the cabin with him, take his meals
with him, and associate with him more
or less. II he be a surly, ugly.tempered
man, he can and will make his passen-
gers life thoroughly miserable, therefore
this inquiry is all important. A good
natured, kind hearted, thorough sailor,
such as the writer made his voyages
with, will be companionable and con-
stant and amusing study of new type
of character. All the passenger needs to
do is to put up with any little annoyapc-
es he may at first be subjected to without
making fuss about them, and avoid any
interference with the discipline of the
ship or any familiarity with subordi-
mates. If he takes an interest in his
new surroundings he will find more to
learn than he ever imagined, and with
the charts, nautical books and explana-
tions of the captain and watchful OBJ.
servation of the management of the ship,
he will be surprised how much he has to
do. There are numbers of little things
he can help in and which the captain
will be only too glad to give him to do
such as writing out the accounts, bills and
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