Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1880-12-09
NEW ZEALAND LETTER.
Pair OF Grant County Men Tramping tho
Torrid Knobs and Places beyond Eur ope.


Pair OF Grant County Men Tramp,ns tho
Torrid Knobs and Places beyond Europe.
LAKE WAKILUPA, Otago Province,
New Zealand, Oct. 2, 1880.
EDITOR GRANT COUNTY HERALD:
Dear Sir During the summer of
1879, while engaged at the construc.
ton OF Fort Assineboine, Montana
Territory, MFR. Roswell Patch, of
Patch Grove, and myself decided to
take a trip for year or two to the
New Iceland Colonies, and as many
of your readers expressed wish to
hear something of our adventures,
aud as several OF them are comrades
of ours at Assineboine, we take the
means of your columns to give them
some account of our wanderings.
We left Bridgeport depot early IN
in November, 1879, for Chicago, and
thence to Detroit, Mich, our inten
ton being to travel through Ontario,
Canada, in order to visit Niagara
Falls. After passing a day at the
Falls, we went to New York where
We stayed few days taking In the
sights of the city. We looked from
thence TO Liverpool, per the steam
ship England" of the National
Line, splendid boat of 5000 tons
register and $50 feet in length. We
had decided to leave New York 10
the famous steamer "Arizona," of
the Guion Line but, wishing to get
to London, did not wait for her,
and fortunately, too, for us, as i,
turned out. On our arrival at
Queenstown, ireland, we learned
that the "Arizona," which is the
largest passenger steamer afoat, had
collided with an iceberg and been
compelled to put back to st. Johns,
New Brunswick, for repairs.
Our passage across the Atlantic
was uneventful, excepting that when
about twelve hours out, we met a
little Norwegian barque, tossing
about at the mercy of rough sea.
Our engines were stopped and a
boat lowered to render assistance
but the Captain said that the storm
was over and that he could rig up
sail that would carry him into New
York harbor. Every one admired
the pluck of the brave fellows who
were ollnging to the deck up to their
middle in water.
After voyage of IL days, we
landed at Liverpool, and the next
day proceeded by rail to London.
We bad not much opportunity of see.
ing the country as we were carried
at the rate of SIS miles per hour. We
stayed in London nearly three weeks
and in spite of November fogs, had
good tue. We worked hard at
sight seeing all the time, and then
did not see half the wonders of the
modern Babylon. However, we
managed to visit the Tower, Saint
Pauls, Westminster Abbey, the Brit.
ish Museum, the National Gallery,
the Geological Gardens, the Horse
Guards, and a host of other we'll
known sights. We did not confine
our wanderings to the high. toned
regions, but visited the classic Bill.
liDgsgate, the renowned seven dials,
and the heterogeneous Spittalfelds.
Our evenings were spent at the prin
cipal theatres, and we were fortunate
in our visit, for at the Lyceum and
Drury Lane were Irving and Rignold
in Shakesperesn tragedies, at the
Gaiety the immutable Mr.. Toole in
his favorite comedies, at the Folly
Mr.. Telly the renowned burlesque.
The opera houses were filled with
French and Italian talent. The AL
hambra, with its 1000 gas lights, had
an exceptionally good company
Our means of locomotion about the
city were various. Iu fine weather
we travelled on foot or perched on
top OF a twopenny bus through AK.
ford street. Regent street, or the
Strand j; when rainy, by the wonder.
iul underground railway or in
street car. A crowded London
thoroughfare is queer sight. To
cross street is as dangerous as to
lead forlorn hope. One thing no.
ticed is the rich variety of oaths at
the command of London cabman.
We embarked IN the clipper ship
"Padistsw for Port Otsgo, New
Zealand, with about 200 others-men,
women and children.
The first night in the English
channel was terror. We had
crossed the Atlantic and therefore
had no fear of seasickness, and were
in splendid condition to sympathiz.
with our more unfortunate shipmates.
All the pautomlmes of London were
Lothing 10 it. In few days We
passed the Bay of Biscay aud began
to experience warmer weather
Through the tropics We had light |
breeze went barefooted all the time;
took sea bath every night; slept |
on the open foreastle or in the open |
boats; went up into the rigging for |
hours in The day time; sat on the
bnlwarks aud watched the dying
6sh; caught albatrosses with dsh
hooks; ran for hours together by /
the side of other vessels of every
ran up our cosors and |
spoke to others at great distances,
getting in reply sometimes the Union
.ck and sometimes the stars and
stripes. At one time, within a few
days sail of the cape of Good Hope,
there were Is vessels all within sig
mailing distance of each other, most !