New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-04-23
ATLANTIC STEAMSHIPS.
NOTES AND SUGGESTIONS OF AN OLD
TRAVELLER.

before, and making preparations ior IT, I''iJ V
and corner Of their ships Is being converted INTO steep
| ing accommodations Bulkheads that were put up III
n fI giving spaces previously devoted to freight are
henc taken down and restored, all OF WHICH
will test the table accommodations TO the utmost, lno
latter day steamers have very generally auop'eu 'ne
midshp saOon-a great improvement on the o'u-ti"0
saloon nj the stern with staterooms surrounding Every
body knows that steamers have way OF putting 'uei
noses down between their foreegs like oueKing
Mexican mustang and 1t always as II the stern en-
tered into the sport with malicious zeal and III CIV tse
twice "a high the air "a was either necessary VI
ayr, cable And every who has ever been seaslcA
eau wildly remember the effect OF this sudden motion o
the internal construction and the doubt arising whether
the nme Is really safely secured the sense OF ftng ana
! .r,vard tendency" OF the internal system causing
grave apprehe sion on that point Again REASONABLY
good appetite can he utterly destroyed In Just one MN
ute by the publicity given to the woes oil your hegnpo
IL takes woman, though. to announce her misery III
striking manner. She can do 1t IN more ways WIN
| more variations and tones OF voice and convey
more positively the situation than could dozen nen
She al ways announces that shall die and sometimes
fellow gets tired OF hearing 1t that he may DC par
doned for hoping that she will keep her pi onlse bt
AZ what the doctors il true, and OF course they aie
never known say anything thOt not 1t Is great
relief to groan and when In palm III So soue Ol
| the poor things should experience a sudden cure
The new style OF saloon amdships abaes oil TINS ola
time nuisance and being nearly the centre or gravity
o. motion 1t Is comparatively quiet; and having no STATE
berhs within hef ring distance the passengers
who unaffected have luxurious and delightful place
TO lounge the soft velvet cushions and read can
conceive nothing cheerful and palatia than the
OF the modern OF the crack lines present
when the weather permits OF full attendance at dinner
the racks OF cut and c00red glasses OVereah reheet
ing I'm prsatic colors bright light OF the lamps the
snowy table cloths the tables loaded with the chocest
vands and bouquets Of flowers interpreted, the popping
| oIa Ia he
looking walters ready to attend to every want the laugh
and oke and such appetltesl As paises and looks
across the OF tables and listens to the fun
and chat the conviction forces Itself on his mhd that
this Is progressive and man is really an ingenious
animal The idea ia not patenabe, but let US compare
the luxury OF travel the Atlantic In these days
with what our fathers endure. when passage TO
Liverpool by the old Black Ball Line was serious mat
ter involving months OF preparation as well a. months
to accomplish. l never cross the Atlantic In one OF
these fine that the fact does not strike me most
orcbly that in 10 part OF the world under no condition
OF travel much given for the money as on the
trip from New York 10 Liverpool vice versa. Taxing
into confederation the luxury thai surroun Is YOU the
attention the cleanliness. the table, which IL equal to
that OF any rstcass hotel the style and good taste OF
the tout" you feel really II you were in the society
OF unusually wel-brcd people; and have noticed that
the very tone OF things checks any natural disposition to
| hoggshness." The influence OF tho good form OF
things l. felt restraint and as say you
get great deal for yonr money
Take the price OF the winter passages for instance say
$50 time twelve days for you are generally twelve on
board sp-you could not get all the Injuries you lind
for les. certainly 50 per day shore equal to $50
Then the evening expenses about town. the treats
billiards, appointments with afriend" odd fellows,
etc. at a couple OF dollars per day-that IL 81
seven times twelve SSi really 1t costs you es TO 10
than TO stay at homo And then n you happen to get
really seasick. what clearing out you get and how
gay you feel after III Your doctor would charge you
more money to make you sick You could not hire
boat 10 buehshing, with the same result under
SO aud you do tine thing more thoroughly for
half the money. when I look back and think what we
fellows for money in the old days OF steamers via
the I-thnu. California It makes wonder. We were
herded Ike pigs and lett TO look ont for ourselves This
Is quite different affair and the conundrnm Ia how
these steamers make any money. They are merely
luxurious floating hotels and getting scarcely nestclass
hotel prices
There one idea AID notion that Is about
obsolete Is that it Is great advantage TO have
n letter OF introduction to the captain under the iu-
preston that II Will be n good thing Well, 1t won't
Firstly no. one half dozen are men OF any social
attainments. They mostly rough old sea-dogs with
bru,aue manners. and eynce plainly that they desire
TO he alone that you quite willing to crafty them
IL is their business sail tho ship and that Ia all that Is
expected and all you want Of them bad rather see the
captain on the bridge than In the cabin and It Is not
always safe ask questions, especially after he has
.ueut the night on the bridge II Is great deal more
important he good terms with the steward than
the captain In fact. the captain OF less advantage to
you than any aboard tho ship. He has nothing 10
say about and nothing 20 do with, the internal arrange
ments of the ship. Your table Toy and room steward
are your men, do for yon than the captain
can or would with ladies the stewardess il the main
dependence and universally good, cheerful, accomrno-
dating ouls they and attentive 10 every want and
within Of their large family of invaliis. The attention
you get oil sides isrcally wonderful Every want Is
anticipated. and courteous civiy Is the rule You are
not out west and the walters don't carry pistols to ter
ry you into calling for pork ana beans anu check any
foolish fances Of your appetite.
There are however, some things permitted which
merit restriction. 1t should not be permitted TO convert
smoking room into gambling den There Is usually
on board every steamer lot OF sharps-commercial
travellers buyers for NewYorK houses, drummcrs and
ex-sporng oharaoters-that form into ring or rings
day or two out and begin the various systems OF gamb
ling First tIsa spool" the run of the ship. so
many numbers chances are put into n nat and say
thirty persons put in ten shilngs (S2 50l each The
numbers are then drawn and assigned To subscribers,
then nuctioned and the premiums added TO the pool
running II frequently up TO thirty or forty pounds The
number calling for the number OF miles the ship has run
wtns Then follows poker and three or four tabes are
runnng at and the passengers crowd III to see the
oome until those who would like to have quiet smoke
ana read are driven ont by the crowd and gamblers
The yerdan young man Just setting out Tor hls tour OF
Europe with plenty OF money falls an easy victim. aud
nj course cleaned out by the sharps ana this be-
nning could often for appeals to the governor
9r the Indnlgent mother for funds 50 much more
evnansye 10 travel than anticipated etc. IL Is
oerneious In example and effect is great annoyance
and deprivation Of comfort to those who do not play,
sadly deraciA the responsibility and character OF
the sb and ia generally demOralizlng and objection
able II ought to bo embodied In the regulations of the
Shin that gambling should be allowed IN the smoking
room n they TO play for money let them do 1t in
their staterOOms where Others will not be annoyed or
course there will be howl by these gentlemen sharps,
who boast that they fail 10 make their expenses
each way. know Of young men who could I'll afford 1t
hTvhu I'm
DOr Ddsser temps" or course one line can stop
IL without the oOperatiOnO OF the others, and the opening
OF the prOpitiOus time to inangurate the rule
II l. the thiL needed to make the present day Euro
pean steamers simply ERECT In discipline and manage
| iuent To nOw them to DO converted into gambling
saloons l. neither proper nor respectable Pool selling
may not perhaps be seriously Objectionable, but POKER
No inV with hundred, OF