Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-11-09
OCTOBER AT SEA.
Crossing the Atlantic in the Month of
Head Winds.


Head Winds.
DECK SCENES ON BIG sTEAMER-PrcrUREs FROM
THE SMOKING RooM-coMMERcIAL TRAVELLERS
AND GLOBE NOTWITHSTANDING POOLS on THE
RuS-MAKISo 'AoouANrANcEs.
STAFF Correspondence of The EVENING sr.n
LONDON, October %.
Head winds, rough sea and generally cold
ana disagreeable weather might be expected
on an ocean voyage in October, and this trip
just completed was not an exception. From
Sandy Hook to Liverpool heavy coats and lap
robes were at premium. The tide Of Ameri-
can pleasure seekers had about returned from
European wanderings during the summer, so
that but comparatively few Of the passengers,
at least Of the American contingent, were
making pleasure trip. The majority
were business men going to Europe
to lay in stock Of goods for
the American houses they represented and
English tourists who, having visited the states
were homeward bound. The fact that an Oc-
tober trip is somewhat different from those
generally experienced by American travellers
Is the excuse for this letter on rather a thread
large as it might have been and there we're
number OF empty tables at the first dinner
aboard and good many more at the second
Indeed. goodly number who came down to
dine that first day failed to put in an appear
ance until the comparatively smooth waters off
Queenstown harbor were reached, Just seven
days from New York.
GALE AS STARTER.
The second day out a real gale was ex-
perienced and many who had confidently ex-
pected to laugh at the terrors of the deep we're
compelled to acknowledge their unseaworthi-
ness. The vessels proportions, far as
greatest width and length are concerned,
corresponded very nearly with those Of the
Washington monument, and for two or three
days strong head winds gave it long pitching
motion. just as the unsteady passengers began
to get accustomed to this movement the COM
bination was broken by heavy roll. which
necessitated getting the hang of the thing all
over again. This state OF things divided the
company into
THREE SEPARATE AND DISTINCT SETS,
the state-room stayers, the deck squatters and
the smoking room loungers. The former groaned
and moaned in their contracted quarters, the
latter had good time talking, smoking, taking
an occasional nip and playing cards, while the
remainder sat i'll their steamer chairs from
morning until night, swathed in listers and
robes. Here they took their meals of chicken
broth and fruit and longed for land. Toward the
end OF the trip, however, the classes became
somewhat mingled, some of the stayers be-
coming squatters and some of the squatters
loungers.
ON DEC.
The wind blew continually from the north
east and, of course, only the lee deck was habit
able. canvas screen at the forward end
partially kept off the spray and one about the
railing protected the ankles, but nevertheless
1t was always pretty chilly. long row of
steamer chairs with their mummy-like occu-
pants filled one side of the deck and left an
open passage for steady stream of promen-
aders, who allowed nothing to interfere with
obtaining little daily exercise.
GETTING ACQUAINTED.
An ocean steamer is an excellent place to
study human nature, if one has a mind, but
October is not good month to do it in. There
are too many other things to claim ones atten-
ton. The American contingent, when they
got their sea legs true to national reputation,
became very plentiful and mingled around gem
orally. Their English cousins warmed grad
ually, very gradually, to the work of becoming
acquainted, and the representatives of other
nations loosened their tongues in time and the
ships family became toerably good friends be-
fore the voyage was over. Had it been a mid
summer trip. however, with more favorable
climatic conditions, doubtless much earlier and
warmer friendships would have been made.
TWO LoNG-DIsTANcE TRAVELLERS.
Among the smoking room loungers were two
long-dlstance travellers, slangily called globe
trotters, one an American and the other an
Englishman. They had met and become we'll
acquainted in Japan last April, when one was
circling the world in one direction and the
other in the opposite. They met again as
passengers on this trip and their comparison of
notes and "reminiscences of wanderings in dis
tant lands shortened many a half hour for the
listeners. Their rivalry in spinning the big
gest yarns resulted in a bet as to which had
travelled the most. The American figured up
twenty-five different self-governing countries
that he had visited, but the Englishman beat
him by six. The number Of cities visited gave
an opportunity for second bet, and again the
Englishman won by twenty-nine. These two
men were alike in many respects but different
in others, the principal difference being ma
tional one. They both lived apparently for
pleasure, and this they found in travelling The
American, although comparatively young man,
had made his money himself and retired from
business a couple of years ago in order as he
acknowledged, that he might have good time
before he was too old. When not travelling he
spent most Of his time in England, because he
said. he couldn't enjoy the company of his
friends in Boston except at night, as they were
all busy during the day. In London, however
he had no such difficulty. The Englishman
had been around the world three times In the
last four years and during that time owned to
uOuc Ouls WOTh, pTODdDly ar
ranging for letters OF credit. The father sup
piled all the money and the son took things
easy. The American was a dude, though, and
the Englishman was not.
THE COMMERCIAL TRAVELLERS
formed little clique, but they were all hail
fellows we'll met with everybody. They were
mostly intelligent young Scotch or Irish fell
lows who had become connected with Ameri-
can houses and by virtue of their knowledge of
certain goods, chiefly linen, became the buyers
for the firm employing them. They had been
brought up in the factories at home and we're
naturally experts in selecting goods. They had
not lost the twang of the mother tongue en-
tirely and their Scotch and Irish expressions
and EXPLANATIONS lent a charm to the hum
drum Of the smoking room. With them was q
young man Of Teutonic extraction decidedly
He looked it and he talked it, and he was full
Of fun. He took a delight in initiating his
Scotch and Irish friends, with only partial sue
cess, but his attempts always produced gen.
eral laugh. His exclamation Of ''Hoot mon!
I'll reese ye twa boob" given with a decided
German accent, being translated meant that
his companions would have to put up two
shillings more to see the five cards he held in
his hand.
THE AUCTION POOLS.
One of the commercial men was always the
auctioneer for the pool on the ships run, which
invariably occupied the attention Of the deni-
zens Of the smoking room after dinner every
evening. It often happened that the German
above referred to was the auctioneer, and he
made Q good one. For the benefit Of the un-