Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-07-19
ence Of THE EVENING srAR,
SAN Francisco, U. s., ]

Correspondence Of TIE EVENING star.
SAN Francisco, u. s., July /, 1890
HE JOURNEY from New York to San
IA Francisco may be made in q much
t. cheaper and more pleasant fashion
than by rail, always supposing that
V1NW one has plenty Of time, by taking one
OF the comfortable steamers Of the Pacific
Mail Steamship Company from New York
and sailing down the grand old Atlantic,
to later on experience the delight of plow-
ing the waters of less familiar deep, the
divinely blue Pacific, slumbering beneath the
blazing rays Of tropical sun. One cannot imag
inc a more novel and delightful well as restful
experience for even a veteran tourist than the
glimpses OF strange peoples and tropical cities,
shadowy mountain chains and distant volca-
noes which this voyage brings. And last, but
not least, who that has seen them can forget
the ever-changing grandeur of the two mighty
oceans. Verify to one who loves the trolling
main even remembrance of it is 10y for
ever" though apt TO be married in some cases
by other memories not altogether pleasant, as
for instance touch of NAL du mer, which
most of us, being mortal. are probably doomed
to suffer from during the thirty days consumed
by our journey from Gotham" to the Golden
Gate"
As see "Pier "a" fade away in the distance
on bright Saturday in June, to be followed
by heeting vision of Miss Liberty holding
aloft her torch on Bedloe's Island (it had long
since become physical impossibility TO discern
the manifold bits of white cambria futtering
to the breeze, those silent emblems of our fast
receding home and friends), begin to pull
myself together" to use an inelegant express
sion, and take glance at others who are, lit
a Wi m
self. l find we have not an unusually large
quota of passengers, most Of the travel south
ward. especially that done by the genus tourist
pure and simple. being accomplished during
the fall and winter months, although June as q
month Tor travel in this direction is pre-emi-
nently one Of advantages. We have on board,
though, quite cosmopolitan gathering, in
which the Spanish predominates. There is,
fortunately, but a small proportion of those
weatherwise and seafaring(?) cranks whose ac-
tual experience in such matters has been con-
fined to the perusal of "Old Probs" and the
almanac and an extensive patronage of the
ferry boat. But as an Offset to this blessing
there is
FIEND ARMED WITH A CAMERA,
not a respectable labor-saving Kodak" but a
recent patent from London that keeps us in an
atmosphere Of solutions-alum. nitrate of
silver, &C., for some time after the actual
subject has been released We are posed and
grouped in every position on the after deck,
and some Of the ships officers are finally
''rOped in rs martyrs to the cause. We con-
sole ourselves by imagining our friends de-
light when they recognize us, If they ever do,
for the pictures are not strictly speaking, al
ways success, the owner OF the camera being
somewhat OF novice in the art. However, We
are all calmly informed by the aforesaid
owner on day when he knows we are feeling
rather qualmish that the pictures all for
'.Mein frau, she vas in Germany That set
ties it, and breaks up his studies from life at
once.
Among our Spanish friends are several men,
bers OF the Pan-American congress and an eX-
governor Of Ecuador, who is fond Of singing
Spanish love songs while watching the silver
moon sail slowly up the southern skies. He
and his fellow-countrymen who are with US
keep up the reputation Of their race for gal
lantry and general hirtatiousness remarkably
we'll during the voyage, much to the embar-
rassmsnt in some cases of our fair country
women. Of whom. by the way, we have several
on board, and chief among them reigns Yam
kee girl travelling alone to join relatives in
Southern California. She is charmingly indie
pendent and frank, but her soul is tried by
the fact that her vis-a-vis at meals is un-
mistakable crank, on whom her brightest sallies
are hopelessly lost.
AS our good ship steams farther southwark
and the thermometer steadily rises our gallant
Spanish-AmerIcans enhance their charms by
uOuulLS ueSliSee cOatS OF pale lemOn-cOlOreQ
silk, which form effective setting for their
olive skin and languid brilliant eyes. Our
friend OF the camera. too. blooms out in q
gorgeous suit of cream hued flannel silk negli-
gee shirt and q dainty pink tie.
HINTS TO voYAaERs IN THE TROPICS
If you think Of coming to ''sail the southern
seas" let me give you q few timely hints
Bring just as little state room luggage as pos
sible, and having reduced your needs to as near
zero as practicable it would be advisable to go
over your list and prune out again. Under
fiannels should be worn constantly in whatever
latitude, and your warmest at sea, with the
heaviest hose, except the hannels aforesaid
and one warm coat or wrap-no heavy clothing
is necessary anywhere in South America, but
mostly such garments as are worn on the aver
age days Of May and September in the United
States or in the northern part of them. Don't
forget to provide yourself with a cane steamer
chair, for they are one Of the most important
items in point Of comfort during long voyage
and can be checked with your trunks to any
point IN creation.
Our course lies almost due south
for the first 1,O7s miles, along the
seventy-fourth parallel sudden up
ward jump Of the thermometer makes Us
palpably aware that We have entered the gulf
stream-that current that dispenses SO much
life and verdure along its course. Upon our
fifth day out we pass San Salvador, where, ac-
cording to Bill Nye's version, Christopher
Columbus shouted Hello, Indiansr Some
vandal, evidently Of the same turn of mind,
has rechristened it Mattngs Island, but let US
venerate the great Columbus enough to give
his name for it the preference. The flash light
on this historic spot, just 99S miles from the
statue of Liberty in New York harbor, shines
far and wide over the heaving sea, as il to
draw attention to its claim to notice. Further
on we reach Bird Rock, a small island owned,
like others OF the Bahama group. by England
and governed from Nassau the revenue from
1t being only enough to support its light house
A DISAPPOINTMENT AT FORTUNE ISLAND.
The next evening we reach Fortune Island,
which we hail with great satisfaction as all our
spare time and energies have been devoted for
some days past to sundry important documents
Gas our homesickness has increased they have
grown more and more importantly in the way
OF letter. to our dear ones left SO far behind
and rs we have been told that at this point a
boat would be sent of from shore to us and
our budget of letters taken to be sent north
ward by some steamer of the Atlas or Pacific
mail lines. We are feeling rather jolly over
the idea OF letting our friends know that we
still live" Our hopes are blasted, however,
by en- announcement from the mate that the
sea is SO rough. &C., that he doesn't think they
can send out the boat tonight And 30 it
proves, and our missives are consigned to our
portfolios to emerge again from their retire
ment at Colon, where we send them back to
New York by the same ship. Letters sent in
this way go without stamps, being ships mail,
and double postage il collected Mt the other
end Of the line.
Some miles beyond this island We enter the
windward passage between Jamaica and the
western end Of Cnha and IA WA hnpne, IN raa oh