Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-11-14

of their career. though the bride smiled with
rather quivering lip.
A few hours later the vessel in struggling
through these knock-down seas entered upon
series Of gymnastics that tumbled the passen-
gers from side to side in piles like 30 many
tenpins.
REvENGEFUL PIANO.
At one time in these iurches the upright
piano in the social hall broke loose from its
stout fastenings and came crashing down upon
the people prostrated beneath. One lady was
caught under 1t and dragged with the piano,
as it dashed from one side to the other with the
rolling ship. Nobody expected she would come
out alive. but when she was finally rescued it
was found that the keyboard had protected her
from being crushed or materially hurt.
Another escaped wonderfully by being pushed
under a seat against which the piano struck.
1t is needless to say that the antics OF the
wild piano caused precipitous clearing OF the
room. There appeared something almost
human about its actions It seemed bent on
getting revenge for all the pounding and mall
treatment it had received in its miserable ex-
istence, and it was observed to follow up with
special vindictiveness some Of the lady key
Dangers who had been tormenting it and
their victims all the trip. 1t required long
chase and the united efforts Of the ships Off
GERS and dozen Of the deck hands to capture
the Infatuated instrument and lash it down to
the floor on its back. Seeing the havoc made
by this vagrant piano and the difficulty of
dealing with 1t, one could believe in the verify
of Victor Hugos graphic description of the
deadly career of the loose gun on shipboard.
The gale held on furiously all day. The en-
gines were run slowly or stopped altogether at
times to avoid ploughing into the heavy head
seas, and we made only sxty-five miles that
day.
SMOOTHING THE SEA WITH on
During this storm the application Of oil to
smooth the water was made with good results.
Bags filled with oakum saturated with oil were
hung over the sides Of the ship and the oil al
lowed to filter slowly through and drip into the
sea. The effect was very marked in preventing
the big ''comDer" waves from reaching the YES
sci and breaking over its decks.
The China, which bore us Sc fely through all
these rough knocks, Is a fine, stanch boat, ad-
mirabiy oficered, from Capt Seabury down
but, alas! it carries the English flag, though
its officers, most of its cabin passengers and its
freight are American. But an American world
rounder must be prepared to see the flag Of his
| country conspicuous by its absence everywhere
except in the Hawaiian seas. The crew of the
China are Chinese. They make good sailors
under the charge Of q Chinese boatswain, who
employslthem and is responsible for their con
duct. The walters are either Chinese or Japa
nese, and the attendance is the best have seer
on any ocean steamers, with the possible ex
ception of the German Lloyd line. We have
seventy cabin passengers, including four OF five
Japanese, and three hundred Chinese steerag'
passengers. 1t is characteristic of the two race
that the clannish Chinese, rich and poor, hero
together in the steerage, using chopsticks ant
| wearing the same costume they wore thousand
of years ago, while the Japanese, who Cal
afford it, seek cabin passage and conform t.
European customs of eating, dress, Language
| and civilization.
October IS.
For the last day or two we have been in TIL
warm Japanese current" the Gulf stream OF tn
Pacific, which, getting heated up in the IndiaI
ocean, comes sweeping around by the Japal
coast and 30 on northeast to the Alaska region
We are now &c a. NJ in sight Of the Japanes
coast and expect to reach Y Yokohama in o coupl
of hours. Stately snow-clad Fujiama, the sa
cred mountain Of the Japanese, lifting its heigh
of 10 600 feet directly from the level Of the sea
dominates everything. The scene as we 60 u
the bay is full Of animation. The water
crowded with vessels Of curious build, pre-
PEELED in all sorts Of odd ways; and the contrai
between this and our lonely course across tn
Pacific, where We saw only one sail "a Canada
steamer) in all the 1900 miles, is great.
c. 8. N.