Los Angeles herald., 1892-09-26
A SAILING DAY SCENE
ON THE DOCK WHEN A BIG OCEAN
STEAMER MAKES HER START.

Some Of the Amusing and Ludicrous In
cidents Witnessed on the Wharf on .
Day When Well Known Steamship
Is About to Sail.
A sailing day at the docks of any Of
our huge ocean going boats is an inter-
esting and amusing occasion. The dock
is nothing more than long shed stretch
ing out several hundred feet into the
river, with two offices, one on either
side, and Uttered over with casks, bales
and cases of merchandise, either un-
called for from the last steamer in or
waiting for the next outgoing vessel.
And the baggage! 1t comes down on
the transfer wagons, and on the hotel
buses and carriage ootboards-moun-
tains of it. Some Of it is labeled "cabin,"
but most Of it ''hold,' and you see it run
up the baggage gangway and swung out
over the open hatchway. There is rat
tie and crash at the donkey engine as
these American ''boxes" are consigned
to the depth below
Next in Importance is the hand bag
gage, and this consists not only of bags,
but oyercoats, rugs and wraps Of every
conceivable description. The inexperi-
enced traveller has been told that they
weigh all the trunks in Europe and
charge accordingly, SO he loads himself
down with bundles and boxes galore,
forgetting that the first principle of a
successful going abroad is to travel in
Eight marching order"
1t is surprising. too, how much en-
thusiasm can be kindled in the breasts
of your friends when you are going
abroad. la fact, you never can tell the
measure of your own popularity until
an occasion of this kind, when they
combine to give you II ''sendoff," often
going SO far as to hire tug and an
"Eyetalian" band OF music to accom-
pany the party going abroad as far
down the bay as the chartered steamer
can keep pace with the Cunard, White
Star, Guion or Inman liner, or, what is
more to the point, when the ''sendoff"
party reach a few of the white caps and
the inrolling swell from the lower bay.
Some friends have come all smiles and
cheers, others lachrymose and full of
sighs. And there by the rail is party
of five, silent and constrained amid SO
much light heartedness and hilarity.
1t is mother and father and two sisters;
the brother is leaning against pile of
steamer chairs, and the wondering,
eager look, that brilliant sunken eye,
and hectic flush ON the pale wan cheek,
tell why he, when too late, is going
abroad.
And how many times some people
will kiss each other And how many
last messages, and frequently, too, COM
missions which mean an infraction of
Uncle Sans custom laws at the end of
the return trip, are exchanged at the
last momentl
In the midst of all this turmoil and
crowding and pushing to and fro, the
old timers, with their record of many
voyages, look on in amused disgust, and
wonder why some people cau make
such fuss about such little thing as
going abroad.
A fortune, too, is spent ON flowers.
Huge baskets, set pieces, wreaths, bou-
quets and cut flowers ad infnitum cover
the tables of "social hail." and make
the already close atmosphere heavier
and more unbearable yet by their sweet
perfumes. To me this floral extrava-
gance means ridiculous waste of
money. In day they have wilted and
dropped and are thrown overheard.
Here comes an excited group up the
companionway. You hear confused
tumble between man and woman about
keys left on her bureau, and you are
conscious she has left the keys Of her
steamer trunk behind. The man fairly
shoots down the gangway, leaps into the
nearest cab and begins wild drive for
those keys. Meanwhile the woman
haunts the entrance to the gangway,
and five minutes after the man has gone
she finds the missing key securely
slowed away in her pocketbook. Her
troubles of going abroad are beginning
early.
Now that ponderous whistle deafens
the ears of all on board. There are final
tears and smiles and embracings,a a rush
down the gangway by the well dressed
mob and then some climb on the near by
cases or gather on the outer end of the
dock to catch the last glimpse of the
ship. Handkerchiefs are tied to canes
and parasols; there is much cheering
and last farewells. One young man
calls out in a stentorian voice, "Give my
love to Maryp whereat there are cheers
and laughter. And now at the far end
of the dock there is rattle and rumble
and two cabs come tearing along. One
contains belated passenger, who has
just time to scramble on board, the
other the man who went after the key.
And as the lady holds up the missing
article, conciliatory smile upon her
face, that man sinks back upon a bale
of goods, looking unutterable things.
The key to the situation is plain to
everybody. Now the ''planks" are down,
and slowly and silently the huge black
ship, that seems SO high out of the wa
ter that she looks like great warehouse
afloat, backs out of her dock and is soon
in midstream. Slowly yet she swings
around and finally squares away, her
nose pointing for the Narrows. A mo-
ment she seems to hang and to be taken
aback by the tide, then forges ahead
The flag is dipped, then hauled down
from the fiagpole on the dock and those
on board are at last going abroad
Harpers Weekly.