The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1881-01-28

the conclusion that salt water improved
them. Flour is very expensive in Ha
vana 1t costs twenty dollars q barrel.
We went back to the steamer the after
noon of the 11th without one regret at
having visited the city, as we had SEN
very many interesting things there. At
4 O'Clock we started for Progrecso. The
18th we sighted Central America, and
Friday, the 18th, we reached ProgrecsO.
Here We took on some passengers.
The governor of the state of Yucatan
was among item. Some of the natives
came aboard with sea shells, which
We bought of them. We bad among
our passengers an artist from Washing
ton, District of Colombia, who made "a
request that he might paint my picture
| gave him some sittings and he painted
a very good portrait. He is here to paint
some of the fine scenery by order of peo-
pie IN the states. | must not forget tn
mention the PHOSPHORUS lights which
were visible every evening after leaving
Havana. and sometimes they were al
most brilliant enough TO see To read b..
We had seen Il great quantity of flying
fish, porpUises and sharks, the latter com-
ing close TO the steamer To get the food
which WAS thrown over to them. Friday
night We went through Campecha Bay. 4
Our captain remained up all night TO see
that all went we'll with US. Ones
rather amusing inciden- occurred
the day OF the fire drill. [ was sick
and had been taken on deck, and the
stewardess came to me and told me not,
to be alarmed when the firemen came
out with the hose, as il was only the
drill. So / was prepared. as was also
my husband and few ladies who were
sitting with US. Almost instantly the
fire bells began to ring, and every man
from the captain down to the cook was
running to his post of duty. The cap
tain and first mate were shouting their
orders TO the men. BY this time most of
the passengers were getting excited, and
some had run for their life boats, as each
passenger Is assigned a small buat. Here
they stood waiting for them to be low
cred, looking anxiously around expect
ing every moment to see the flames burst
ing out somewhere from the boat.
Some became so impatient that they
asked the men why they did not
hurry, and were greatly amused when
told il was all hoax. This caused q
great deal of merriment Although had
it been III reality, it would have been
very serious to US all. Sunday morning
the 21st, We reached Vera Cruz. This
ended our ten days trip by water, which
had been a very pleasant one for US all.
Here we could see the snow capped noun
tain of Orizambi. While on the coast,
| the heat was almost unbearable. Here
all steamers have to anchor about
mile from land, So we had to go ashore
| in small boats. The baggage has to go
through the custnm-hOuse, both at Vera
Cruz and Mexico City. At both places
we found the officers very obliging and
| not at all thorough in their search,
/ Arar,i5anr Iaa han n
| of form. We had to stay at Vera Cruz
| from 10 in the morning until II at
night, and the heat was suffocating. We
only went out once during the day, and
| that was Just across the street from the
| hotel, to visit the cathedral, which is
wo hundred and fifty years old. The
outer walls and dome of the building are
| blue and white porcelain, while the in
terror is covered with quaint and curl
Gus paintings which are hundreds of
years old, and great many life-siZe fig
| ureS in wax representing the different
saints; also many antique pieces of sill
yer. We did not care To- visit the city
very much, as they were having yellow
| fever. We saw four persons taken by
| the hotel who had died of the disease
| So we were we'll satisfied to remain in
| doors anu were glad when it was time
| for us To take the cars, which we did at
IL O'Clock that night The cars were
| English coaches, and each apartment
| held eight persons. Sleeping cars are an
unheard ut thing here as yet, but we
made ourselves very comfortable. There
WAS quite long train as there was an
! unusual number of Americans on board.
The passenger trains all have guards of
armed soldiers which go out on every
| trip, 50 We felt we were we'll protected
as Tar as ammunition was concerned. In
| the morning we beheld the most beauti-
| full country ! think that ever was Great
| ed. Here we had been riding all night,
and still were in sight of the same snow
| capped mountain we had seen at Vera
| Cruz. 1t looked as near to US as it did the
morning before. Here we saw the most
elegant tropical trees and flowers. We
were riding through fields of oranges,
] lemons, bananas, and fruits of
eiifferent kinds, and the whole country
seemed garland Of beautiful flowers
/ Large treea stood loaded with clusters
! OF scarlet and purple bloom aud flowers
! of every color aud kind Some of thd
/ taller ones we could pluck from the car
Windows. Part Of the tifsae We were
riding through these lovely valleys, then
! again We were on the tops Qf The nl0unk
aims. looking down s;lnusan-ls OF feet be
| low US into the valley and on the beau
| uful farms growing grains Of different
| kinds Some of the time sFe were
above the clouds and could see thea
| floating along below Us, then We would
come 10 cascaEies Of rushing water and
the rocks would be covered with ferns
and creeping vsnes and the water would
| fall from such a distsnce that it would
| form perfect foam below. California
cannot compare with the country we
rode through from Vera Cruz to Mex
leo City as far as scenery IS
concerned / have been ii
| California but never saw such magnifi-
cent sights as have seen here. At ey-
cry station the cars stop from fifteen TO
twenty minutes, and at every station
there were guards drawn up in line to
| keep order, as the lower class of natives
would be troublesome to passengers were
there not some restriction kept over
them. Sometimes, after riding an hour,
we would look out and see the town we
had left directly below US. We were
seventeen hours reaching the City of
Mexico. After reaching here we were
taken to the Hotel IIrobeda, which, by
the way, was at one time the private res.
idence of the Emperor Itrobeda. We
remained there one week lwhen we came
to the Hotel COmSufort, where 7 coaId
have more rooms. l now have
my private dining room, where
have my meals served which
is much pleasanter than going out
to the restaurant, which l would other.
wise have TO do, as they do not serve
meals in the hotels here as they do in
the states. We have all kinds of fresh
acknowledgement peas, lettuce, radishes,
straw berries and different kinds OF
fruits, the year round. In the nexl
rooms to mine the ex-empress Itrobeda
l hn t. lioI, nd e
pleasant lady. There are a few Ameri
can ladies boarding here. So we man
age to amuse ourselves 10 some way
We are all striving to excel each other
in learning to speak Spanish, a language
it is very necessary for US TO know, as
/ we can not make ourselves understood
|, in English, and where is a woman's
happiness unless she can go shopping
and interpreters are very scarce ar
ticle here. We have visited Maxi
, millian's castle at Chipaultepec
French expulsion. The grounds art
most magnificent, as they are still caret
for and the castle has been a very grand
place in its day. 1t stands about a
. mile from the city. The grounds arr
: enclosed with very high wall. VIZ
passed through the gates and found our
selves in a dense mass of foliage anC
trees o. the most immense size eve
saw and all covered with Florida mos
growing in such quantities and trailing
{ from every branch There is
beautiful lake and the trees are bendin:
: over the water with their burden of THU
! moss which sways in and out of the wa
| ter at every motion of the wind. Tn,
: lake is provided with row boats so tha
z visitors can amuse themselves Tn
c castle stands on high ledge of rock
= which are also covered with trees, bush
e es and flowers, and creeping vines of al
: kinds are woven and interviewer unit
D it would be impossible for one 10 pas
1 through them. Geraniums. Of their owl