Wichita eagle., 1886-08-19
A LETTER FROM SWEDEN.
An Old Time Wichitan Writes from Over
the Big Pond.

the VALLEY of the Nile OF America.
AS YOU know, we left Wichita on the 10th
of June last ana arrived in Chicago by way
of ST Louis, on the morning Of the 18th.
We had not seen much life in any place on
the trip but here seerlad TO be a real Wicil-
tia boom. We left Chicago in the evening
of the 18th Of June by the Chicago and
Atlantic and arrived at the American me
tropClis in the morning OF the 18Th. Passed
some fine agricultural country near Chicago,
but WE soon got III among the hills and
timber. How the farmers can live on such
land is to me a secret, and as they can live,
we farmers of Sedgwick county Kansas
certainly onght to, and / more than ever
have faith in Sedgwick county land In
New York we met with Morris kohn. If
business in Chicago seemed good it did so
here much more; some places fairly smelled
strong with money.
! We sailed on the steamer Germania of
the White Star line, with about 800 passen-
| gers Said vessel has crossed the Atlantic
over one hundred times The ship is 1856
feet long, 10 feet wide, 500 tonnage and
1000 horse power. 1t is considered fine
and safe vessel, but not by two or three
days as fast as some others, and many a
New Yorker will not cross in any other
$50 say the agents) Close to New York
we met the CITY of Rome, said by good
judges to be the finest vessel that floats.
Our boat, at all events brought us safely
over We landed in Liverpool on Sunday
morning June eth, and right glad were
we that we could step .once more
on terra firma. Nothing occurred on
ony but the rescuing of two fishermen
who had got lost from their ship, which
was anchored on the banks of New Found
land. They got astray in a heavy fog and
had been tossed about three days without
much food or water, when one night, by q
mere accident, we heard their cry for help,
the ship was stopped q the instant and the
men and their boat taken on board. They
were for some time the observed of US all
and both were rather young; one OF them
German born in Stettin, the other Swede
from Karlskrona, both good sailors
Very little playing or dancing occurred
on board and the observations Of the old
Irishman may have been correct when he
said: "The boys have worked all the life
out Of them in the states" There was some
seasickness on the voyage, l was one Of the
victims
Several famous Americans were along,
such as p r. Barnum, Henry Ward
Beecher and others. We did not deem it
safe to make their acquaintance or swapp
Jokes with them, as both are, or used to be,
very practical.
Upon landing in Liverpool we had to
pass through the custom house The boys
who used the weed were quite anxious to
see the performance over. An oldish, jolly
man had good supply of his favorite
brands that he distributed carefully On his
person and among his effects. We all
claimed that he would not pass through
the custom house unscathed, but he was
sanguine, and when the moment came we
were curious to see him handled, and the |
way he had to eXtricate package after pack
age from around his premises (D gave us
all, but him. a picnic. He was taken to a
higher court, and when, on his return, we |
asked him his experience he answered, |
''The longer you live by cheesus krist the |
more py cheesus krist you will learn At |
ter getting TO our hotel and fixing up we
strolled out into town. 1t is an old one
and very interesting. We hungry and
tried to get some refreshments, but all was |
shut mp till o'clock p. H., and we had to
submit to the customs Of the country as we
did not know their back ways
We entered a church but ii was so quiet /
that we got sleepy, and had to leave or get
disgraced and we chose the former.
While in Liverpool we visited the expo
sition open to all nations, and though a
local affair, gotten up by local enterprise, it
was a creditable one and well worth seeing.
The scafaring trades were especially well
models for the smallest canoe |
up to the modern ocean steamer were there.
America had little or nothing there worth
except pop corn and chewing
gum, and the local papers in commencing
the chewing gum manufacturers enter
prise. hoped for the sake of the British
people that the chewing gnm habit
would not take root in the queens do
main
GlaGstone's visit to Liverpool at this
time caused great deal of stir, and his
speeches were listened to by thouSands-or
as many as could get near enough to listen
1t looked to us almost like presidential
election times in America
Henry Ward Beecher WAS also with tie
Grand Old Man, and so seemed the masses
Of the people.
We also visited the Great Eastern which
was on exhibition in The Mercer. Some en-
,erprising Englishman had hired the old
thing and was doing land Office business.
1t was well worth the price and time and 4
we were very lucky in getting acquainted
with an old sea captain who vouchsafed
such information in regard to sea matters l
Is we land-crabbs did not possess, but it is
100 lengthy and we viii not send it here. :
On Tuesday. June Goth, after visiting
markets and other places of interest we