St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1893-03-02
NEW YORK TO GIBRALTAR.
An Interesting Letter from the Under.
cJyfe Party.


ested in the Underclyf1e party an,
would like to hear of their journey
ings thus far. February has proveC
itself good month for sailing, tn
winter storms having exhausted
themselves and the spring storms
not having begun.
We said goodbye to the last o
our St. Johnsbury friends at 7 a
M, Feb. 4th, at the door of the Fiftl
Avenue Hotel and drove over to tn,
steamer in Hoboken. The morning
was bright, sunny and cold, and a.
we steamed away from our friend.
on the pier, two of whom had come
all the way from Chicago to see oul
party off, with the German band or
board playing a lively air, we felt
that our journeyings had fairly
begun. The sail down the harbor
past Bedloes Island, down through
the Narrows, was smooth and de.
lightful, very good beginning for
those likely to suffer from the
horrors of the sea. Soon after leav-
ing Sandy Hook our pilot went off,
and eyes and kodaks were aimed at
him as he climbed down the rope
ladder into the little boat, tossed up
and down on the waves like nut
shell, while our great steamer hard
ly swayed to either side. Tied in a
neat little packet and let down to
the pilot by cord were the letters
written after our start, our last
words to the friends at home before
starting for foreign shores. The
first three days on board were very
cold, an occasional snow squall
alternating with the sunshine, but
since then it has been growing
steadily warmer and all the pas
sengers spend the greater part Of
their time on deck.
The Fuerst Bismarck is an ideal
ship in which to cross the ocean.
The accommodations for the first
class passengers are in the center of
the vessel, thus giving far less motion
or Earring than is apparent at either
end. The ladies saloon and music
room are hung with quaint tapestry
and furnished with comfortable
chairs, lounges, etc. The dining
saloon is large and airy and its walls
and ceiling are deliberately painted
in panels. Neurological scenes,
landscapes and gardens are repre-
sented and, appropriately enough,
the picture by the table OF the St.
Johnsbury party is a snow scene re-
minding us three times day of
what we have left in Vermont.
On Feb. 9th, we passed the Azores
and were within five miles of one
rugged, barren looking.island tower
ing six or seven thousand feet into
the air.
On the morning of Feb. 18th we
came in sight of the Spanish coast
and after an early mist had passed,
shutting off a view of Cadiz, we had
glorious bright sunshine all day.
On the south rose the grand African
mountains, range upon range
towering up, while on the north was
the Spanish coast dotted here and
there with round Moorish towers
used as signal stations when the
Moslems held the land. Steadily we
steamed on past the bay where
French and English had striven in
mighty conflict, but where the VIC
tory was grief because Nelson had
fallen; further and further we went,
till Tarita, the most southern point
of Europe, had been passed Wehad
gone between the Pillars of Hercules
and had come into the bay in which
lay the rock Of Gibraltar, the pride
OF the English and the thorn in the
flesh to the Spaniard. In the harbor
lay a large Italian steamer INTO
which were crowdiug men, women,
and children, with their worldly
possessions tied up in bundles, more
ready than the Spaniards of old to
seek the new Ell Dorado of the West
An lnman steamer was just ready to
sail and moved around slowly as we
looked, but all these sights were lost
in our absorbing interest in Gibral.
tar. The fortress cannon were visi.
BILE on the heights, and with our
glasses we could distinguish what
we fancled were the entrances to the
rock galleries which perforate the
mountain on the land side. The
town and the barracks with their
white and yellow buildings lie on the
western slope of the rock with the
Alameda gardens between, and on
the highest point we watched the
hags OF the signal station and won.
dered If already the message of our
coming had flashed over the wires
to our friends at home. Along the
sea lies the "line-wall" solid mass
OF masonry two miles long and well
defended with guns and alongside is
the mole or deck used by the English
gun-boats.
AS soon as our anchor had
dropped, the government boat wao