The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1888-12-12
FROM FATHER pREFOaTAlsE
His Observations in Crossing the
American Continent.
An EvsHtfuI Tsans-Atl4ntfe Voyage
Thoughts Upon His Approach, 60
Irish ssfi-saSe Arrival AZ Liver
pool.


LfTEEzoCEs. Nov. -, ISIS.
To TIE EDTToRs VII yea allow me
= small space in your columns 20 i'm,
part 10 my friends in Seattle few o.
my Impressions de voyage ] have
only few words 10 say about my
journey from Seattle through the coa-
tinent Of America via the Canadian
Pacific. There might he a season IN
the year when. travelling by this route
= VERY different impression from mine
might be gathered. I have no doabi
that. Is regards mountain scenery
nothing can equal il. and ia places il j,
20 axfuliy grand that il battles sny at
tempt at description There is 10
doubt. also, bat the road Is substan
TALLY built. Money Is not heine
spared either 70 protect il against tn,
ayzlsnehes OF SNOW, which otherwiss
would soon impede is being Operates
during the winter time. Granting al
| this and that il has been q stupend0ai
and costly undertaking, after COINS
over il it, fall length ! have come L
I the conclusion that il Vas certainly
not for the small amount OF sgrieul
turai land which borders il. whers
crops are supposed 10 b. 4 failure OF
account OF the short summer season
storms and wheat plaques, that fhi.
! road was built Ii i the very imags
OF aesoiation all the way through. I'll
John A. Mcdonald, from the top OF the
mountain peak in the Selkirk.
which bears his name. might
unrayel the mystery. As II Is
the general impression j. that
il was this pet railroad that elevated
and maintained him al the height o.
his aspiration IN the political affairs q
Canada. II j. built, however, ] travel
| ed over il ana | must say J was vel
pleased with the urbane and polite
manner with which ] was treated By
the company.
Now a. my sojourn East amongst
my friends cannot be ot any Interest
to the readers, ! viii simply say that
| had IL not been for the constant raiI
which actually deluged Canada sines
August would have enjoyed my visit
home A. il was, everything was done
that could be done u make me lee
happy.
viii now come 20 the eyentful par
| OF my travel thus far: After short
visit 10 New York attending 10 bust
ness incident 10 a long journey in q
foreign country left for Liverpool OF
| the steamer mbria, OF the CunarC
| line, on the 10th Of November AT 1879
O'Clock a. ~. Everything was cheer
| ful around us. 4 beautiful ship
spacious and strong, with a good
record for speed. large list OF passen
gers. over 700 all told, most OF then
crossing the Atlantic TO meet theil
| friends. But to look at il in another
light, the weather was not so propiti
| Gus, il was thick with fog and rain. s.
much so that on going out OF tbs
harbor the great Bartholdi statue o
| liberty eniightning the world, could
| not lie seen however near We we're &
il. 4 thought struck me then, how
| inventive i the genius of man
what wonderful things he ha:
J and can accomplish. Still h'
/ is powerless when he has to contend
with the natural elements and ha'
| failed in every attempt to find safe
way of navigating through fog.
To me there was something parucu
larry strange in our movements. Oui
ship was blowing the sea at the rate o.
| II and some said 10 knots an hour
with her deep sounding whistle every
minute. Then the automatic sounds
| of the buoys, the fog horns ot a ieei
OF sailing vessels coming and going
out of the harbor give rise to queei
and alarming thoughts in nay mind
something like a presentlment thai
something frightful would happen
! We had not vet passed Sandy HOOK
when behold issuing out OF the log
and only short distance from Us
! going in the same. direction, but at O
slow rate, was the steamship La Nor
mandie. | thought 4 collision newt
able, but fortunately we escaped with
not more than 10 feet OF margin be
| tween the two steamers. The excite
ment over. il was time for lunch, but
scarcely had we found our room at
! the tables when an indescribable sen
satiou a. il sinking with noise like
the grinding OF a hard body over a
rock was felt and heard. Everybody
jumped TO their feet aad made rush
| for the upper deck. On reaching
the hurricane deck the sailors were
! hurrying and preparing to launch the
| boats. BY the side of US and stu adj
herring TO our ship was the stern OF a
vessel in few minutes It sank and
disappeared Nothing else could be
seen: we were in the fog. II took
about - minutes before we could
back out 10 where the disaster had oc-
Cured There lay the steamer Iberia
with her stern cut off about 10 feet,
Just A. clean as if il had been done
With a knife. Still she was atioat. We
understood then that she was built
with water-tight compartments, and
that very likely no lives would be lost.
We stood by the wreck all day Satur-
dav. and in the evening took all her
crew on board, where they were made
as comfortable rs possible.
The [ mhria suffered very little by
this collision 4 hole about three OF
four feet in length was stove in her
bow a little above waier-mark. On
sunday morning We made for New
York where the repairs were done.
On Monday NJ l. m, We were on
our way, but this time with clear
weather and smooth sea We had a
splendid passage all through. and
made the run from sandy Hook TO
Queenstown in & days and 3 hours. the
quickest time on record.
IL was by moonlight on sunday
evening that first caught
IA glance al the coast OF Ire
land. I cannot express the feeling
/ experienced at that moment and UNI
I'll our arrival at the Cove of Cork,
when the hubbuh Of the transfer OF :
part OF cat passengers diverted my
thoughts into another channel.
First. here was the land after over
six days when We had seen nothing
but waters and the heavens. What a
feeling OF JOY In the second place q
land with a history OF thousands OF
wears differing in this respect from any
thing had ever seen before A land
most beautiful. but holding Ike q
fond mother in her embrace, iOr cen
tufies the most oppressed people on
the face 90 the earth From the deck
of the ship looking towards the land
on the west shore, almost fancied |
could discern the light issuing from
the hovel- OF these unfortunate and
starving people. What a SaIthonsht,
particularly Ter a free American cit!-
zen, and this on the eve OF landing
upon the soil 81 q nation that claims
the highest state OF civilization, and
still is guilty of such inhuman oppres-
sion. Let rs hope ami pray that this
NAV not last much longer.
Wishing Won and all my friends
happiness, ! remain
FIX PEEroNrsrSE.
\ curious idio~yuCrs~y j, said g
have possessed Miss Elizabeth Pea
fs.F,- .f l..r1.-r stfs last az a -ir,ais az