The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-02-01

-'-'A t-t@'t %AhLit oNaAs 49, 'Eas asSH-
don on tho Goth OF last month and
reached this point in Southern Italy on
the 4th day OF tho now year, after ten
days voyage In tho waters OF the At
lantic and Mediterranean. We were
booked to sail OH the 9th, and wcro on
board on that day, but tho fog (ofwhich
no doubt you have read) that had hung
over London like a pail since the 22d
did not lit Tor four days and conse.
qucntly our steamship could not leave
her dock. So We spent tho Christmas
Of 1891 ON board the Bengal in tho Al
bcrtdocks, twelve miles down the Thames
below my late headquarters at tho
National Liberal Club. l think mono OF
us will ever forget that Christmas. Very
few people can recall how they spent
half dozen Christmases in al average
life time, but occasionally ono OF tho
long series becomes impressive, rs in
this case. Nor will We forget tho day
before: for instance, tho struggle
and difficulty to get TO the station III
timo las oil the metropolitan trains were
bolated and Off their schcdules) and tho
shivering wait OF two hours wo had ut
the station when finally we did reach it.
1t was fully ono hour, oven after the
gate to our specific platform was opened
and tho guards had cried "all on board
for the 7. & O., before the =. & 0. train
came. BY and by you will understand
what P. < o. means. Meanwhile am
OH tho subject OF the fog.
You have read OF London fogs, and SO
had l many time in years gone by;
but do not need to read any more on
that subject; have been there; l have
had all | want OF London logs. Once a
year or so--hardly that oiten-you have
4 night or early morning fog on the
Ohio river, enough perhaps TO impede
navigation for few hours, and have
been in New York when the ferry boats
had TO feel their way to the sound OF
their whistles to tho Jersey shore, and
yet, with that much experience TO start
with, realize that lneyor was really in
n log until got sample after sample OF
tho London article, which, like somc
kinds OF British goods, is tho only gen.
uine article OF the kind 10 be had any
where. In November got three SAM
pies that were fair to middling as re-
CARDS their dirty dun color, their sui
phurous character, their omniprcsencc
in doors and out, and felt as if l had
all l wanted, although everybody said,
"You have not yet seen genuine Lon
don fog" And now by the dim light
land how very, very dim twasl OF my
experience from December 22d to. the
Goth can endorse tho entire truth OF
their remark, for had l left prior to that
date l should have felt perhaps that
after all London fogs were not so black
us they had been painted.
RUNNING FROM THE FOG.
And yet even now, after those four
days Of December 22-26-those dies irac,
as l was about to characterize them
those Egyptian days-days that called
out one oil the most pathetic and de-
spairing editorials in tho London Times
! ever read-I was told by my friend,
Mr.. II. c. Drinkwater, who escorted me
to tho ?. & o. train at Liverpool street
station on the morning OF the 9th, that
it really seemed pity that should be
leaving London without seeing Il gen.
uinc Jog, for said he land Mr.. Frcw will
remember how we'll posted he isl "this
is not yet nearly so dense as l havo
seen it." What he meant was that
there had been logs, occasionally, when
for an hour or two, or more, you could
not see your way at NIL in the streets
when policeman did not know his
whereabouts on his own beat; when
not bus or cab stirred, out OF all the
$4,000 vehicles OF London, and when
people, with sufficient money in their
pockets, would pay sovereign to be
conducted to their homes or places OF
business, and when people without
money would fruitlessly bewail their
calamity and wiring their hands in de-
spair. There have been, no doubt, 4
few hours now and then OF this kind in
London, and yet fancy the readers of
the Times issued on tho oath OF Dcccm-
Der last will not soon forget the article
referred 10 nor the dark and dismal &C.
casion that called it out The cold was
intense and very raw, damp and penc-
tratiug, and this is the reason that tho
outward bound passengers q. tho sta
ton chailed, stamped their feet, swung
their arms, grumbled land some even
swore) as they waited and waited for
tho train that would not come for over
an hour after they had been hurried
through the gate to get OH board Of it.
1t was calling them through the gate
and budding them on platform No. g.,
with no chancc to promenade, that got
up so much irritation. But what could
tho. tram people do? They were run
ming on block signals, feeling their way
by the noise OF torpcdocs, and despite
all their caution several people were
killed. In fact travel to and from the
suburbs was all in 4 jam for four days.
THE P. ( o. LINE.
But enough about the fog. Tho P. &
0. train came at last and by great good
luck delivered US safely at tho Albert
docks within the very reasonable time
OF threc-quarters OF an hour; and once
arrived and out OF the cars there was 4
rush OF bcnumbed people up the steep
gangway OF the steamer in quest OF q
warmer atmosphere in the main saloon
OF the. cabin. And now will tell you
something about the ?. so. III London
tho P. & 0. steamship line is as well
known as tho B. & 0. railroad line in
Wheeling. 1t is one OF tho Oldest, most
successful and most powerful OF the
British steamship lines, and in point Of
ago antcdatos the Cunard Company BY
three years, having begun to run to Lis.
bon, Portugal, in 1887 whence its first
name, Peninsular); then, few years
later, to Alexandria, Egypt, {whencc its
second name, Oriental.) After the
building OF the Suez canal. which con.