The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-06-22
AFTER SIXTY YEARS.
Rev. John Davy Describes Some Incidents
OF His Journey Across the Sen. TO the
Lnud Which lie Last Saw Thrco Score

Rev. John Dnvy Describes Some Incidents
OF His Journey Across the Sen. 10 the
Lnud Which lie Last Saw Thrco Score
Years Ago.
Tollard Royal, Wiltshire, Eng. June
13.-At precisely 1.40 a. N. on the morn
ing of May %, eleven OF us from Scran-
ton boarded a Delaware, Lackawanna
and Western train for New York, and
although 1t was $50 miles away, in
about five hours we were In Gotham.
Such fast travelling reminded me of the
great change that had taken place in
transportation since / rode from Green
wich Park to London bridge. sixty
years ago. That was one of the first
railroads operated and was built upon
the old canal towpath. A speed of
eight and one-half miles an hour was
attained, little faster than man
could walk or dog trot, yet I will
never forget the great rejoicing there
was in London when that little railroad
successfully carried its first train.
How great the contrast between those
slowly rolling wheels and the monster
iron horses of today!
Arriving in New York we obtained
our first view of the American line
steamer the New York, which was to
be our home for the succeeding days
and nights while buffeting the waves of
the turbulent Atlantic. Unconsciously
our thoughts turned to the wonderful
development of steam since the days
when Watts, Stephenson and Fulton
first toyed with it. In fancy we saw
ha 10 S1 acfa Ipn
ploughing its way up the North river.
Verify, as Capernicus said, after his
recantation about the revolution of the
earth, 1T does move anyhow"
The Ocean Voyage.
Having arranged our baggage on
board the floating palace" and been
assigned the room in which we were to
sleep, at II q. m. the New York backed
out of her dock and pointed her bow for
another continent. In moving down
the Narrows, passing by Staten Island
and along the Jersey coast, everything
looked beautiful. Mature was putting
on her June dress, but soon we were
out to sea and our glorious America,
'the mightiest nation on EARTH" the
home of the brave and the land of the
free, disappeared from our vision. AS
the first evening on the water ap-
preached and we We're saying our even
Ing prayer, we began to wonder
whether we could ride the waves of
Old Ocean 5000 miles without offering
sacrifices to a cruel heather god, Nep-
tune, whom Homer, in his Illiad, rep
resents as coming, or issuing from the
sea and at three strides crossing the
whole horizon; faster than bird can fly
and Swifter than the greyhound racers,
or the mighty steamships can sail
Being fairly out upon the ocean we
began to look around for social COM
panionship. / was very fortunate. For
stateroom companions I had two gen.
tlemen from Buffalo, one contractor
and the other a dealer in lumber going
on pleasure trip to England, Ger
many France and Switzerland. For a
deck chum l had Norwegian, fine,
intelligent fellow, a wholesale druggist
from New York. On the fourth day out
we saw a passenger steamer and a
man-of-war. but from that time our
voyage was monotonOus until we
reached the British Channel, and then
we saw coasters, and fishing smacks,
and merchantmen and three Ameri-
can men-Of-war lying there. to keep old
England quiet If the lion should roar
the American bulldogs are there, ready
to show their teeth. At p. m. on
Wednesday we We're soon on land and
felt to thank Him who holdeth the
winds in His fist and the water in the
hollow of His hand
Preached in an English Pulpit.
The next Sunday I preached twice in
an English pulpit. On Monday I de-
livered an address at a Sabbath school
celebration. and next Sunday they
want me to preach in the woods at a
camp meeting. so they are laying out
plenty of work for the hoy" preacher
The New York Is $50 feet long, 64
feet beam, and swims in 30 feet of
water. We had 1000 passengers on
board and 400 belonging to the ship
Her log across the ocean was. first day.
AIS miles; second, 457; third, 462; fourth,
444; fifth, 432; sixth, 44S; seventh 412;
eigth, so. which makes up the distance
of 3.150 miles between the two ports.
The village from which l write got
It's name from the fact that King John
once slept in 1t, while returning from
hunting tour. You see how they stick
to royalty here. There Is an Episco-
pal church in the village, which was
built over 500 years ago,