Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-04
TEDIOUS VOYAGES.
The Long Trip of Vessels Bound Home
From China.

OF the three warships on their way home
from far distant stations-the Lancaster
the Alliance and the Marion-the last nam
ed was the only one concerning which the
least apprehension has been felt at the
Navy Department, and whatever fear may
have been secretly felt for the safety Of
that vessel has been completely removed
by the news Of her safe arrival at Homo
lulu, and her subsequent departure, after
two days stop for coal. for San Fran
cisco. The Marion has been on the Chinese
station for several years. and was ordered
home for service in the Bering sea She
started from Yokohama on her long voyage
across the Pacific ocean. but had not been
out more than two days when she encoun-
tered terrible typhoon and was so badly
shaken UP that she had TO return to port
for extensive repairs. This delayed her de-
parture until April last, and she was
rot heard Of again until a steamer arriv-
ing at San Francisco Saturday reported
her arrival at Honolulu on the 22d ultimo
The apprehension for her safety arose from
the groundless fear that she might not have
been put in complete repair at the japanese
port.
Word has also been received at the Navy
Department of the safe arrival OF the ALL
ance at Barbados yesterday. forty-five
days from Montevideo. She will take on
coal and fresh provisions and then continue
ner voyage TO Norfolk.
1t is confidently expected that the Lam
caster will also be heard from this week.
The Lancaster was the flagship of the Chi
nese station. She started home by way Of
the Suez canal and the Mediterranean sea,
and left Gibraltar May for New York,
via the West Indies.
Tedious Voyages.
The story of the homecoming of anti
quated ships from the China station is one
Of pathetic interest. Some have stayed
there until they had to be sold. because it
was unsafe to bring them home. and it is
not many years since Capt. Houston Baker
died his friends said. of anxiety in bringing
home from China an old sailing ship that
made the voyage with such difficulty that
the commander passed many sleepless
nights on the bridge fearing that she would
be lost.
Naval officers are so accustomed TO the
delays of the older ships that the fact of
such a vessels being many days overdue
eXcites no great alarm among officers sta
toned ashore. In the voyage across the
ocean coal is saved for great emergencies.
Everybody knows that the sails will suffice
to fetch the ship home If no accident hap
pens, and, as the old ships are amply pro-
visioned. the sails are used until they no
longer serve. The number of miles that the
ships coal will carry her is also known with
reasonable exactness. and as the coal is
last resource, Ii is husbanded until the
commander is sure that it will suffice to
bring the ship into port.
With a ship as sound as the Lancaster a
long voyage is taken without uneasiness on
the part of the men or officers, and the chief
drawback OF such a voyage lies in its te-
dium. With the newer ships twenty days
between ports is long time. and a ships
Company is seldom so much as three weeks
at sea. Even with the slow ships that have
hitherto made up the China squadron the
voyage between the ports of the China sta
ton was seldom very long and there was
enough variety ashore to save the ward
When the old ship comes 10 port everybody
on board will feel relieved. not so much at
having successfully passed the perils of the
deep as at having escaped the tedium of his
messmate's talk