The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1884-06-14
In Foreign Lands.
From our own Correspondent.

There is probably not person who
reads these lines who has never felt de-
sire to go abroad; and in common with
many others we had for years longed for
trip to foreign lands; consequently 1t
was with the keen satisfaction which ac-
companies the realization of long cher
ished hopes, that on as bright and beau
tiful May morning as one could wish,
''gripsack" in hand, just as the ten
minute bell was sounding, we stepped on
board the magnificent steamer. City Of
Chicago, of the Iuman line, bound for
Europe At last the dreams Of our boy
hood were to be realized. At last we
were to visit those wondrous lands be.
yond the sea, whose history was old
thousand years before America was
thought of. At last we were to view
those works of nrt which have been Joy
to the world for centuries. At last we
were to see those grand old cathedrals,
whose towers and spires bave been point
ing heavenwGrd for hundreds of years,
in silent praise to God. At last we were
to tread the streets of London, the Mighty
Paris, the Beautiful Rome, the Eternal
and a thousand other places immortaliEed
in history, in song and in story. There
was joy in the thought.
Promptly TO the moment, the cables
were thrown of, the massive engines
started amid the waving of hnndkerchlefs
and the last farewells of friends on shore
to those on board, the great ship moves
slowly out from her pier and down the
Hudson river to the bay, where the pupy
batteries of Governors Island and Fort
Hamilton are soon passed, and taking
last look at the green hills of Staten Is
land, the beautiful fields of Long Island
and the low lying shore of New Jersey,
we drop our harbor pilot to boat in
waiting at Sandy Hook and bid farewell
10 land for the present.
As many of the readers of the CARBON
ADVOCATE have probably never seen an
ocean steamer, perhaps brief descrip.
tion of the vessel in which we are EN-.
barked may not prove totally uninterest-
ing. The City of Chicago was built in
1888, by Chas. Connell & Co., on the
Clyde, and is 450 feet, or about 81 rods
in length, with As feet breadth of beam
and 81 feet depth of hold. 1t is an iron
ship, with iron masts and spars, the
former rising about 140 feet above the
water. Its tonnage is $500 gross, and
is registered at g. 1888. Its engines are OF
the most approved type and are provided
with three cylinders, one (high pressure)
OF 56 inches and two dow pressure) OF
80 inches each diameter and Eve feet
stroke. There are six boilers aud into
the 80 furnaces beneath them as frsmen
shovel nearly 100 tons of coal every "a
hours. The engines are of about 700
nominal horse power, but work up to
nearly 5000 horse power The shaft ia
20 inches in diameter and the screw pro.
peller 81 feet in diameter, with pitch
of 80 feet; and at every revolution of its
massive blades this immense vessel is
driven through the water about 20 feet
The steering apparatus ls driven by
steam and steam is also used for heating,
the entire ship being lighted by the
Swan-Edison system of electric lighting.
The City of Chicago has accommoda ations
for l30 lst cabin passengers, about SO
intermediate aud 1000 steerage, and her
crew numbers about 100. She is pro.
vided with s boats, 8 life RATS and 900
life buoys and is diYided into water
tight compartments, with steam pipes
leading to each for use in case of fire.
In short every precaution is taken to
provide for the safety as well as the
comfort of the passengers and crew.
The captain, r. L. Leitch. is q most
genial and courteous old sailor and has
had an experience of over fifty years on
salt water, thirty of which have been
spent with the Inman company. He is
the Oldest captain on the Atlantic and
has made more voyages across it than
any other living man, he having accom-
plished over $50 passages.
Among the novelties found on ship
board by landsman, the reckoning OF
time deserves an important place. Every
twelve hours from noon to midnight OF
from midnight to noon is divided into
three watches of four hours each. and
each watch is divided Iuto eight bells
consequently at half past twelve O'Clock
one bell is struck; at one O'Clock two
bells, and so increasing one stroke for
each half hour until four O'Clock when
eight bells are struck and at half past
four one bell again, eight bells always
being either twelve, four or eight o'clock.
Meals are served at any time when ord
cred, but the regular hours are break.
fast, from 500 to $3.50 a. M, lunch, l2 :
80 to 1880 p. m. and dinner from $50 to
700 D. N. The food is of good quality
and well prepared aud the service ex.
cellent, the MENU comparing iayorably
with tirst-class hotels on shore.
Our voyage was In the main an unIn-
tering though pleasant one. For the
first few days the surface of the ocean
was almost unbroken and the great ship
sped on its way with scarcely any per.
ceptible motion. In spite of the good
weather however large number sue
cumbed to either fears or their imagina-
tions, and one after another a dreamy,
thoughtful look would creep over their
faces and they would silently steal away
TO render involuntary tribute to Neptune.
For sea sickness no cure has as yet beer
discovered, but though incGrable it is
not fatal; although it is common re-
mark that the victims of it would be bet
ter satisfied if it were. Some medical
, writers affirm that it is a disease of th,
brain. others of the eye, but so far as W,