Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-07-19

Wakeman Studies Humanity During
a Painful Period.
CUNNING PRACTICES OF SOCIETY.
SorroWful Pen Picture of q Seasick Girl
of the Period.
THE SAD SIDE OF AN OCEAN VOYAGE.

tween their New York docks and Queens
town. This is for q most interesting little
incident and ceremonial, of which first
trippers have no knowledge, and which even
old voyagers seldom quite understand. 1t
is called dropping the pilot"
If you are still upon the promenade deck
and have got the mists of parting out of
your eyes, you have perhaps wondered what
that bronze-faced man in citizens clothing
was doing up there among the bespangled
officers upon the bridge. He seems the
quietest fellow on board. His eyes are
singing out the row of channel buoys, or.
with glass, rapidly scanning the lower
Jersey shores and the cleaning lines of the
Long Island sands, or again glancing at this
point or that along the sea horizon. His is
an anxious face. The lines in it uncon-
-sciously picture the human look that tells
of something lost, or of great danger that
may be. 1 have seen men like him stand
where he is with that same look, and the
perspiration dripping from their faces in
streams in the coldest of weather. This man
is not the ships captain; but while he stands
there, now and then giving low-toned or
der, he is absolutely the commander of the
ship. He is q New York pilot, detailed
from the lower Wall street pilot Office to
take your ship to sea. In ordinary cases
his fee would be based upon the ships ton
mage. With the larger ocean steamships
dumped" price is made. He must remain
aboard until Sandy Hook is passed, and as
much further out as the steamer captain de-
sires. When he leaves the ship the big en-
gines resume, a farewell cheer rings out
over the port side, and your voyage has
now really begun.
A FOOLISH WASTE.
There can nowhere be noticed more dol
orous change than that which in "a hours
time after salling-day has come over the
manner, appearance and environment o.
from ], 900 to 1000 souls on your great
ocean steamer. The quiet people in dark
gray serges and tweeds hold their own hand
somely. These were the least hilarious and
obstreperous at sailing. But they comprise
but trif1ing percentage. Nearly all the
rest have come aboard as they would attend
reception or the opera, with q view 10
making something of an impression. That
quite forglvsble human weakness of ever
being on the alert to be thought well of, has
had every form o expression. This one has
held q veritable levee on the wharf. Another
has arranged to receive all manner Of
needless correspondence and kilograms.
Another has actually sent to a choice circle
p. P. c. cards, with name of steamer, sail
ing date and hour, with a delicate intima-
tioD that the presence of dear riends at sail
Ing would be q charming token o regard.
This brings score of carriages, a crowd of
folk, dozen or SO regrets by messengers,
and what is still more accountable, because of
Its impressiveness, a perfect ovation in
fruits, bonbons and flowers. 1t is least to
this class OF departing ones to overhear
covert inquiries like, "Who are those peo-
rala hnf &c hot IiOh l.
ers, that crowd, eh?" And the silks, dia-
monds and laces o. these people are over
whelming. They know it, and pleasant
little thrill of conquest comes of it all. But
the height Of delight or despair to these
nouveaux riches is found in the matter o
parting floral offerings. The chief steward
OF the great liner upon which am now
writing estimates the value of flowers sent
to the cabin within "a hours previous to
sailing as often reaching fully 81, 500. One
stand never cost less than $3.50. How its
possessor, a wicked old crone O. 20, hid un-
derneath paint, wigs and bangs and be-
spangled with diamonds, glared with scorn
at the $50 or 800 offerings piled upon the
cabin tablesl But some of our New York
worthless are very clever about this steam
ship flower show.
SOCIETY TRICKERY.
asked the steward, pointing to a piece four
feet in height artistically formed into SEM
blance of the coat-of-arms of quite a cele-
brated English house. 1.-THE lady o. the |
family to whom this was sent, claims to be |
of noble birth, although her husband sells |
rum for living. She crosses often with us: |
and she usually has the handsomest offering |
sent aboard. know her florist very we'll. |
She makes the order herself Just before |
'goin' ashore going is sounded, if you keep |
a sharp lookout, you will see that her offer |
ing is suddenly whisked ashore. 'fScores |
of 'sm do that"
'Where is the point in the maneuver?"
"Oh, 'crasher' on the rest OF the passen- |
gers, at half price. The flowers 20 back to |
the florists, are taken to pieces, and are all |
sold In cheap bouquets at the ferry houses |
before night"
1 did keep sharp lookout and did see a |
number of the finest pieces "whisked |
ashore" 1t was pretty little bit Of society |
cunning l had failed to know about before. |
Quite theatric, too. But these steamship |
flower shows are something really tremen-
dous At the first meal or two, their pos. |
SCISSORS are literally banked in flowers, to the |
great Inconvenience and modification of |
others. Near my own seat were a mother |
and daughter in desperate way. Probably |
not more than 5000 or $500 worth of flowers |
hedged them in like a fairy chevaux-de- |
frise. They were contemplating another |
castellated battlement of the same sort fur |
ther down the table, a trife more gorgeous |
than their own. "I don't blame you,
Helen" said the mother with naughty dis |
dain. at showed a very mean spirit in |
him."
"Mean spiritr' retorted the daughter,
writhing with anger. "George's a hogl |
That's what he is. I shall just order the |
steward to pitch them overheard at once. |
He said should have the finest on the |
stesmel-the brutei This settles him. He'll |
get his congo at Liverpool. No-TIl cable
it from Queenstown"
George was evidently betrothed to this |
being. He had only sent her $780, instead |
of $500, worth of flowers; and had probably |
gone back to the Office, at parting, to cover |
mp the shortage in his accounts.
APPETITEs SUDDENLY LOST.
Two or three meals at farthest sponge the
banquet airs from the cabin tables Fifty
plates will suffice for the second day at
table for breakfast; perhaps no more than
twice that number for luncheon and dinner.
White-gloved table stewards, solemn as
mutes at funeral, stand idly by for the two
hours of the double sittings, stead lastly re-
garding the artistic lights of the gay cabin
dome; or receiving with stately and com.
passionate reserve the humble apologies of
those having sudden engagements in their
state rooms or upon deck. The flowers have
wholly disappeared from the main tables,
and, for courtesy's sake, tarry little like
shuddering array of hectic ghosts upon the
spare tables in the alcoves, az if each with
cred and trem bling bud knew its tate of be-
ing tossed into the sea on the morrow.