The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1881-08-27
STEAMSHIP DEvoNIA, /
Mid Ocean, July %, 1884,
Dear Dominion:

DeuT DOWlHt6H.
Pier No. 20, North River, New
York City presented busy scene on
Saturday morning last. Men and
women from all parts of the world,
some accompanied by many friends,
others by a few, and still others by
none, had convened at that time and
place for transatlantic voyage. At
o'clock we parted, at the foot of the
gangway, with our friends whom we
left behind us, who then rushed to
the end of the pier to catch the last
glimpse of 10 and the departing yes
sci. A few minutes thereafter our
ship moved slowly out of the dock
and passing the end of the pier, the
waving of kerchiefs and throwing of
goodbye kisses commenced and con-
tinued until rapidly dissolving forms
disappeared from view. Steaming
rapidly down the harbor we passed in
succession, on our left, the Battery,
Governors Island, Fl. Lafayette, the
end of Long Island and Coney Island,
on the right, Staten Island, the Jer-
sey Highlands, and Sandy Hook.
About half past ten we emerge
from the harbor into the open sea
and let down our harbor-pilot into q
small boat which conveys him to a
schooner. The spires of the city have
disappeared, but land remains in
view until about l p. NJ, when our
vision becomes restricted to the blue
canopy above us and the broad ocean
around us, which however is still
spotted here and there with schoon-
ers, barks, brigs, steamers and sail
ing ships, going out and coming into
port.
Certainly there are few objects
which SO nearly fill ones conception
of stately beauty as large full
rugged ship of sail moving majestic
ally upon the water under fair
wind
Eight steam ships of other lines
left New York on the morning of our
departure, but only one of these re-
NAMED in sight during the first day,
and on Sabbath morning it was no
longer visible.
Most of your readers perhaps re-
member the excessively hot weather
prevailing during this month up to
the 10th. The weather probabilities
as published in the New York papers
of that morning gave a higher tenn
perature for that day. Our expert
ence on ship board was quite the re-
verse of this. By 2 o'clock we were
obliged to exchange our summer un-
derwear for tlannels and don our win
ter over coats. There has not been a
day so far on which we could remain
on deck with comfort without our
coats and blankets. One can hardly
realize the difference between a mid
summer temperature on land and sea
without experiencing it. The same
causes operating to produce cold
temperature in summer are effective
in preserving mild one in winter
the ocean currents keeping up con
slant interchange Of the waters of
the Arctic regions with those of the
tropics. AS many of your readers
know the climate on land also is thus
materially modified-the extremes
of temperature toward the polar and
equatorial attitudes, which would
otherwise be unbearable, being regu-
lated by the sea breezes proceeding
from these inter-oceanic currents.
The weather, thus far, with us,
though requiring warm wrappings to
keep the body comfortable, has been,
in every way, favorable for comfort
able voyage. The days and nights
have been partly clear and cloudy,
only two light showers of rain and a
thunder storm at night.
A sunset here is not precisely what
it is on land. At home the sun dis
appears behind the w. Va. hills.
Here it approaches the surface of the
water at the horizon and apparently
goes down into the sea. The swell OF
the ocean rises and lowers the vessel
so that we catch glimpse of several
gradually diminishing seoments OF
the sphere after it's first disappear
ance. The rainbow also differs in
that the entire arch ie always in
view.
We have passed through several
heavy fogs lasting for hours. These
fogs have sometimes been so dense
that passengers could scarcely see
100 feet ahead; sailors could OF
course see farther. The two great
dangers in fog at sea are collision
with other vessels and with ice bergs
During fog the captain is constant
ly at his post on the bridge and the
fog horn is blowing one half or more
of the time. The fog horn can be
heard two or three miles and warns
approaching vessels which respond
and steer to the right or left accord
ing to the relative position of the yes
sci at the time of recognition. The
instructions of our captain to his men
are to stop the vessel when a fog
horn is heard and present the bow
toward the spot from whence the
sound proceeds until the position Of
the approaching vessel is clearly as
certained. If the latter persists in
it's course it takes the consequences
while ours is not injured. The ice
bergs do not, Of course, respond to
the sound of fog horns and the eyes
y