The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1895-10-19
ON THE OCEAN.

ON THE OCEAN.
Distance, Latitude or Longitude
are not posted on the Bulletin till
on the ocean proper, and then at
noon every day the passengers may
note by consulting the Bulletin
their exact location on the sea, for
not only are Latitude, Longitude,
+ distance from initial ocean point,
and distance since previous day
noon on the ocean proper recorded,
but there is a map in which small
flag with sharp pointed staff is in
serted at the exact MONDAY point,
and all flags remaining till end of
voyage after once stuck, a line of
small flags indicate the exact route
travelled. Passing Cape Henry our
course is n E. toward the banks of
Newfoundland this to get in high
er latitude to shorten the distance
across the Atlantic-it will be re-
membered that a degree of Longi-
tude in the Latitude of Newfound-
land has a smaller number Of miles
than a degree in the Latitude Of
Baltimore-and to escape what sea
men know as the Deep Hole"
or Devils Hole in the
Atlantic between New York
and southwark, and France and
southwark. Too deep sea has no
charm in stormy weather, owing
to correspondingly high waves
Steamships have a regular track
from eastern Z. S. to European
ports. This track in summer is
about 80 miles wide extending
from near the 49th parallel north
ward, the east bound steamers tax
t ting their right or southern side and
the west bound taking their right
or northern side. This track is
shifted southwark about 100 miles
in cold winter seasons.
Poorly informed men are always
the best advisers and law makers in
their own estimation and [ suppose
| am no exception; but it seems to
me that, were steamship companies
required to send a secondary vessel
to accompany every passenger or
freight steamer as kind of life
saving duplicate steamer which
would always ply in sight of the
other, very many hundred precious
lives might be saved and many an
otherwise unheard-of Inflated,
steamers disappearance could be
either obviated, or the loss and re-
port Of same be respectively lessen
ed and duly made. Even the iso-
lation at sea is intensely painful to
most passengers and detraets very
much from the real value and pleas
ure of a voyage. For days we saw
no sign of any other floating object
save alone our steamer.
The following will show the di-
rection of our vessel: The first
set of figures are Longitude, the
End Latitude, and the 3rd distance
at sea since previous day noon, in
each case: Thursday noon 73-48,
37-49, 113 ;-(bear in mind we did
not reach the Atlantic proper till
a. m. of this day. Friday 67-59,
1924, 293; Saturday 62-12, 41-18,
287; Sunday 55-58, 1912, 299;
Monday 1916, 1910, 292; Tuesday
1919, 1858, 300; Wednesday s.
80, 1896, 292; Thursday 29-06, 49,
10, 294; Crossed the northern linn
it of the U. S. today,) Friday 21-41,
1916, 291; Saturday omitted to
copy but distance was SOL. Sunday
5-58, 1914, 3OS; Monday 100 east,
crossed the Greenwich meridian to-
day, 51-08, 305; the bulletin stated
that we were 297 miles from the
mouth of the Weser, and Tuesday
noon we had no bulletin as we had
left the North Sea proper and were
slowly steaming up the Weser
against the outfowing tide. Dis
lance from Baltimore to Bremen
Haven 1880 sea miles, 4467 statute
miles. A special train meets our
steamer to bear us to Bremen, 40
miles distant to which point our
tickets on steamer are good. Land
ed at Bremer-Haven about 8 80 D.
m. Thursday after a quiet voyage
of II days and % hours. Capt.
Kuhlmaun-( he was a t'cool man"
indeed and a sturdy but genial, and
most affable and courteous gentle
man and endeared himself to eve
ry passenger aboard, told me that
he had been on the ocean since
1856, and that with one exception,
once in Dec. and Jan. we had the
stillest waters, all the voyage con-
sidered, he had ever experienced.
At Bremen Haven before we can
take the train we must be subjected
to the indelicacies and inconveni-
ences incident, in travel from one
country to another, to that SEEM
ingly indispensable provision on
the part of nations for raising rev.
enues, tariff-customs duties. But
there is no escaping. Every trunk,
grip, &c. of the first cabin passen-
gers is opened and searched. Eth
er my own poor German, my natu-
rally dark color intensified by ex-
posure on long sunny sea voyage
added to my ordinary appearance,
or perhaps my assumed expression
of utter indifference as to what the
Customs Officers do with my Gep-
acke, one or all these causes relieve
me from undoing my carefully
packed trunk and dress suit case,
the officer simply running his hand
adown the inside and "slamming"
them to-Now, perhaps the best
explanation lies in the fact that
all he saw within was so extremely
ordinary looking that he at once
decided 'Nichts da." How the
poor Storage passengers suffered
at their hands, VERY ordinary look
ing persons are too often taken for
dishonest ones. Their trunks We're
ODened and every niece it seemed