Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-07-21
PEOPLE GOING ABROAD.
General Notes on Steamship Habits
with Some Advice About Seasickness.


transatlantic steamer that forces them to do
queer things in spite of themselves. Apart from
the seasickness which makes the lining of their
stomach their most prominent personal fea-
ture. they seem to act. speak and think differ
emily and to adopt ideas which they do not
take with them further than the Gus
tom houses in Europe One of the ideas
which the Traveller cherishes as soon as the yes
sci on which he has taken his passage slips from
her dock is that he and not the captain is in
charge 1t does not take him long to decide
that the devoted officers with whom he has
trusted his life know nothing about seaman
| ship They persist in steering a course directly
| opposite to that which he thinks is the right
| one. and he denounces them for it.
| They go too fast or they go too slowly
and he lets them know it. He is ever
| at hand in case they want his advice. and if
there is any danger it is always he who first dis.
cerned it and. to use one of his favorite ex-
| pressions. put the captain up TO it,
ION this trip have carried two hundred pas
| sengers aud one hundred and eighty of them
have come forward and told me how to run my
vessel. said the commander of one OF the
| largest steamers that ply between Europe and
| the United States. to arepOrter. sometimes
they tell me that am carrying too much sail.
| Or am in danger of bursting my boilers. If the
slightest accident happens there are a score Of
people who can with perfect veracity eXclaim:
| i told you sO' for every conceivable mishap
| that ever occurred to a vessel is predicted for
lis by passengers several DAYS ahead. Ali cap
| tans who cross the Atlantic have the same sort
| of time"
''DOes it make you miserable or keep you
awake at nightf" asked the reporter
occasionally" returned the prosecuted mari
ner, heaving sigh as his thoughts went back
to martyrdOm long since endured. and he re-
membercd that there was lots more to come. II
have literally to run away and hide myself very
often. When we take our observations at mid
day with the seXtant passengers are apt to ina
CINE that we are calculating the distance to the
bottom Of the sea and estimating how long it
Will take for steamer of five thousand tons
burden to get there. Signaling for help they
often eXclaim when we are scanning some dis
tsnt bark with ten-hOrse- power telescope.
and when the sea is smoother than a mill
pond"
The captain who spoke was standing on the
bridge OF a steamer entering the port of Liver
pool. Every few minutes he gave half-hunted
look and lodged from port to starboard and from
starbOard to port to escape vOlleys of questions.
DO you see that buoy, captain?" said a pas
senger with nose that was naturally blue, but
which was made bluer still by sea-sckness. AS
he spoke he pointed to thing about as big as a
house that had been sighted at least ten miles
OIL. The captain affected not to hear. 81 don't
believe they see it," rOared the man. i'm an incip-
lent stage of distraction. 1--WE shall run onto
it. We shall get wrecked. knew it all along"
And he darted up and down the deck. spreading
terror among the women and children.
THAT'S the kind of man l was talking
about" the old salt said. looking after him
with eyes that were anything but friendly.
The gentleman of the nautical profession took
few turns from right to left. gave the regula-
ton hitch to his trousers and spoke some words
to sailor. who immediately seized hold of a
rope and began pulling it. Then he allowed
himself to be questioned
lone OF the funniest things about people on
an ocean voyage. he presently observed, sis
the way that they rig themselves out" He
chuckled as he remembered it. ION the first
Gay they have the appearance of Christians. but
gradually they grow more heathenish and more
pratical- First OF all. they don ferOcious hat.
Then they put on blOuses and shirts that Indians
might wear and be consistent They affect the
nautical and wear their trousers loose. There is
man who looks more like q guy in a comic
opera than anything else l have ever seen. Look
at it. Here it cOme.'
The skipper was right. There staggered bv
with huge pipe in his mouth man who might
nave escaped from circus. He wore top boots;
round his waist. without rhyme, reason or
meaning at all. was heavy leather belt, into
which he had stuck an open pocket-knife; his
head-gear was wOman's bonnet; the end of his
watch chain was fastened in his buttOnhoie; I'M
Der his arm was big telescope and field glass
In q leather case hung round his shoulders On
land he would have been called a '.crank" At
sea he was up with the latest fashions. His tel
escope made him an authority on naval matters
with feebe-mnded persons. His leather belt
proved to others that he was an old sailor and
knew all about seasickness, and his entire garb
made some imagine that he was one OF the Of
ticers or the pilot
IAN elderly man went on the promenade deck
the other day. dumped himself down among a
lot of ladies. cOolly took off a shoe and a sock.
and began cutting his cOrns," the captain went
on. I'VE put it down to the sea air. have
known man to rush into the saloon when
concert has been going on and yell out We're
breaking up fast, they re getting out the boats,
when in reality We were steaming along on
sea without ripple on it. The prOvOcatiOn for
the mans belief that our planks were parting
company was that he saw some one greasing
the pulleys of the davits. 1t is common prac-
tice for people who see splash in the ocean to
roar out, Man overheard
DO you know cure for seasickness?" the
captain repeated. ''Well. yes-champaone
The main trouble is that people won't diet them
selves. saw a lady, who, from the green and
blue hues Of her face might have been on her
death-bed, order her dinner on deck from the
deck steward. She was, as many people are,
afraid to trust herself away from the friendly
side of the ship. She told him to bring her roast
goose and gave him shilling to get her an
extra help Of onions. Of course when she had
dined, the roast goose rebeIled and the onions
did. too. People go in too much for pork and
sausages. l will give you few pointers, If you
like" The speaker took from an inside breast
pocket little bill of fare, which he allowed the
reporter to copy. He guaranteed 1t as seasck
proof. 1t read:
B'eahfast-Oat meal porridge, tea, dry bread
and biscuits. apples, oranges.
LuncheOn-Any soup not of a greasy nature;
If luncher can stand it roast beef without
gravy, plenty of dry bread and biscuits and fruit;
avoid pastry.
Dnner-Light soup. spring chicken, oat cakes,
beef. tea, raisins and few almonds and grapes;
Ice cream not injurious.
General Directions-TO many people at sea
coffee is a good emetic. Fish should not. as a
rule, be eaten. Do not let the stomach get too
empty. If faint before rising, drink tea and eat
few sea-Dscuits.
People who follow that bill of fare won't be
Sick the captain said confidently. II find
that Americans suffer much more than British
ers. don't know how it Is. l never heard Of
any one dying of sea-sckness. although every
one thinks he will AS said before, champagne
Is the only thing that has ever been successful
for sickness. although 1t Is neither certain nor
radical; | once heard a man say that the most
comfortable way is to cross the Atlantic In q
drunken stupOr, but l haven't much faith in
that fellow, and wouldn't advise people to fol-
low his prescription. Some say that seasick-
ness is all imagination but II that is SO, how is
1t that horses and dogs and babies few months
old are martyrs to it? The canary birds in the
saloon used to suffer little at first but thew
have got hardened now. Thew laid their heads