St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-02-24
BEATS MONTE CRISTO
Ocean Life on the Vanderbilt
Yacht Is Perfect
Bliss.
Floating Der the Equator in
Two-Million-Dollar
Palace.
ice Cooled Rooms as Luxuri-
Gus as the Boudoirs at
Versailles.
a Trip Which Will Cost Over
One Hundred Thousand
Dollars.


months cruise in the Mediterranean.
What does six months on the Alya
mean?
If the Windsor hotel were suddenly
transformed into huge vessel with the
power to speed fifteen knots an hour,
and were moved from its place OH Fifth
avenue to the bosom of the ocean, the
people nit would gain some idea of
what living in the Alya means.
The Alva has been described as an
ocean palace, and the description is, a
true one. Lighted from stem to stern
with electricity. fitted with bath rooms,
electric bells, smoking room, library,
drawing room, chef that is umequaled
in the cOuntry--life on board is a beau
tiful dream.
And there will be no steady diet of
salt meat there. Two fine Jersey COWS,
who since their infancy have sailed the
ocean. have padded stalls on the for
ward part of the vessel, and a constant
supply of fresh milk is guaranteed.
Next to the cows is a cage: 12X20 feet,
IN which four sheep were stored. These
VIII be transformed into mutton before
the trip is over. In another cage. as
large as that occupied by the sheep,
were forty Leghorn chickens. who viii
keep the pantry we'll supplied with
eggs.
The first stop to he made by the Alya
will be at Madeira, which will be
reached in ali probability before the
end of the month. Lisbon will be the
next port touched at. Here the party
will make a stay of ten days or two
weeks, as Mr.. Vanderbilt is very anX-
lonS to study the habits of the Portu-
gueSe.
Gibraltar will next he visited, and
then various Spanish ports, which will
he decided upon at the time, will be
stopped at. a prolonged stay will be
made at Nice, and after that the yacht
will CRUISE slowly through the Mediter
rdnean until the latter part of July,
when her prOWs will be turned home
ward.
This is the plan in brief, but supple
mented with the glorious furnishings of
the Alva, the lavish hospitality of her
owner. the gorgeous mode of living on
board, 1t becomes verItable fairyland
existence.
Not only is the Alya the costliest, but
she is also the largest pleasure craft
allOat. She cost over 100000 to build
and decorate her, and she contains al
most another millions worth of books,
unbreakable pieces of bric-a-brac.
tapestries, hangings and silyerware.
Like the big ocean craft that she is,
The Alya's sides are painted good sea-
going black, the only ornamentation
beng a faint gold band which girdles
The craft. The Alva'S overall length is
!!S5 feet, and her water-line length is 252
feet. This leaves an overland of thirty
three feet, which is divided between the
clean-cut, graceful clipper bow and the
1aperlDg extended stern.
Beginning with the bow below decks,
the first place the visitor strikes is the
sailors quarters in the forcaStle. When
it is taken into consideration the fact
that the regular working crew of this
craft is composed of tifty-fve men and
two stewardesses, the necessity of con-
siderable sleeping room is very ap-
parent.
In the forecastle, ranged on three
sides of the room, are tiers of berthS
three high to the number of forty.
Here the four QuartermasterS. the six
teen abie-bOdied Seamen, the eight fire.
men, three oilers. eight assistant stew
ards and two mess boys sleep.
Directly aft of the StateroomS of the
owner, and well into the stern of the
craft, are the quarters of the officers.
These are Capt. Henry Morrison, for
merry of the American line; Chief
Officer Cushing, Second Officer John
Macdonald. BOatswains Lynch and
,jink. Chief Engineer Hand and MS two
assistants. Chief Steward Bartlett and
Electrician Stagge.
On the upper deck forward the first
apartment is spacious smoking rOOmt
elegantly finished in mahogany, and
with mahogany settees upholstered in
embossed leather. An extensive table
OF the same material is fixed
in the center of the room, and
III deftly made lockers, with silver
mUuntings are kept every brand of CT
gar, cigarette and pipe tobacco for the
convenience of the guests: Most of the
cigars are wrapped in silver leaf to pIo-
tect them from the saturating influence
of the salt air and preserve their flavor.
Within convenient reach of every set
tee is an electric button, which, on being
pressed, will summon a uniformed
steward. whose duty it is to furnish the
guest with any mannerof liquid refresh
ment from champagne cocktail OF
cooling mint julep to glass of smoking
hot whisky and water.
A short staircase leads from this
pleasant room below to a perfect laby-
rinth of artfully arranged apartments,
which, although arranged so as to util-
IZe every inch OF space. do not impress
amy one with the idea that they arc
cramped.
Directly beneath the smoking room i:
the children'S nursery or playground
Soft. luxurious carpets cover the floor
and beyond the lines of seats which eX
tend around the sides of the room there
Is little or no furniture. Here the gov
erneSseS Of the children instruct then
in their daily lessons, and here alsC
they receive their meals, as it is moi
~ fFai IN oil nt,f r.
dine with their parents among the
gilded swells of New York.
Tiny halls lead from the nursery Il
the sixteen stateroomS which are gen
orally given over to the guests. These
rooms are as unlike the average sleep
ing apartment OH board ship as they
possibly can be. Instead of the narrow
uncomfortable berth, each room has it!
bed i'm oak or cherry, its bureau, dress
ing cases, wardrobes, Scotch marble
basins and running water. Tapestrie:
that represent dozen fortunes orna
lnent these rooms, while rich carpet:
and rugs are StreWn about in luXurian
confusion.
A peculiar feature of each sleeping
apartment is a cIeyerly arranged batf
room under the floor.
The removal of a small rug diScioSes
a highly polished handle in the floor
which, when raised, brings into view {
gnod-sized bath tub, into which hot
cold or salt water can be turned at ths
Will Of the bather.
The children's rooms open immedi
ately into the nursery. Instead of ;
bed each room has a berth built ab0u
four feet from the floor. Here the chile
is placed at night by the nurse, whose
couch is directly beneath the chitd's
berth. Each of the Vanderbilt chill