San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-10-01
TELEPHONES: 2O1 and.45e.
UNCLE JESSIE IN EUROPE.
His Trip Across the Briney and the
Fun He Had-What 1t Cost to
Guess the Log.
FOREIGN CORRESPONDENCE NO. l.
BERLIN, Germany, Sept. l

FOREIGN CORRESPONDENCE NO. /.
BERLIN, Germany, Sept. Is.
For the Daily LIGHT:
Nv physician advised me to take
slow craft for Europe and suggested a
sailing vessel. finally OTprOmlSed and
took a ten days Cunarder from Boston,
and sailed-which was not very patriotic,
on July 4th from Boston HarbOr, bound
for Queenstown, Ireland. Our ship, the
Catalonia was one of the smaller fleet
aud yet remarkably steady and most
comfortable and SeawOrthy boat. The
officers and help were all extreme
courteous and attentive and I did not
hear complaint during the trip. Then
| found another advantage in the slow
ten-dayerS. they are not so crowded. the
people seem more at home. Then there
is the advantage OF paying $50 instead of
Sl25 for your passage, which tritle is Of
some moment to most folks.
! had a room Innate. jolly, fat. 25O lbs.
chap. named Briggs, and when he would
come into my room things were rather
crowded until ! got out. 1t was fun to
see Briggs play Switchboard on a wet
day. Sometimes his feet went from under
him, then the passengers thought there
had been collision: so there had and
Briggs knew it. ! noticed one strange
and interesting custom aboard, that ! had
not seen in any of my previous voyages.
Some Of the ladies received letters every
morning. The letters had been placed
with the steward, marked with the dates
when they We're 10 be delivered. 1t
seemed strange to see people receiving
and reading letters in mid-OCean. This
plan also gives great scope to the mag
inatiOn. and some Of the prophecies were
wonderful, and when the readers (and
audience) were not too SpaSck, produced
roarS of laughter. The number OF
miles made per day is an important
question aboard ship and the custom
was started early in the voyage of the
gentlemen each guessing the run for the
preceding "A hours. and the fellow who
came fartheSt from the facts had the
pleasure OF treating tO cider, soda, or any
thing required. | aid not see anyone in
dulge in cider or plain soda. Ii was fun
when som" other fellows were honOrably
elected. ! laughed at them. ButOne day
j was elected and it it is astonishing how
those scOundrels did charge for a few Ie-
freShments. | made them think did not
care, well perhaps | didn't, but ! took
something. hot Scotch think they called
it: it made me feel real jOv.al for the
lime There was a long, sanity, theOlO-
gical faced individual that used to lister
TO some pretty lively stories ny the smOk'
rs,wno laughed and quietly njoyedthem
tell you the ocean and the railroad
are the places to study character. TIL,
niclle plating drops off and you see the
actuality and sometimes you find, {
real good fellow. under the cover. | have
seen dignifed men, that you would nevel
think of taking contract to make then
smile say nothing of laugh, when once
they were away from the necessity o
Drolonging the graveyard resurrection
day-face literally shake things up ant
laugh and say things that make other
laugh. | have imagined that these char
acterS go for months bottling up fun ant
wait for an auSpciouS occasion TO let /
out. One night the Stateroom, next th
boiler. got so hot that took my mattreS
out and made my bed in the hallway be
tween two huge piles of trunks and lug
gage. luggage is English you know
Twas not very comfortable, ] dreamed
was in some sort of trouble with John l.
Sullivan and John was getting the advan
tage OF my innocence. l called loudly 10
help, and | thought San AntoniOreport
er ran up and commenced helping Sulli
van. ! then felt a tremendous pain amid
ships. between my feet and head, an
awOke rapidly, when ! found a large, ia
valise had slipped its moOrings and wa
holding me down. / escaped and felt sal
isfed That was alive. Some of the ladit
and young fry gave an exhibition or
evening of Jarley's waXworks, and SON
OF the people thought it was real cute, e.
pecially one young lady's mother who;
daughter was going to "Urup"
find a rich or titled husband, a
my officer or something worth Will
and then go back to Uncle Sa
and make enough of the useful to ke6
the charming gentleman comfortably 4
the remainder of his days. | don't knO
how this effects you, but it makes 4
tired. with an emphasis. l am still on Il
wing and will MARBLE again soon. a
doing Europe and shall continue until
is time to go home. j. M. EMERSON. j