The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1895-06-29
LETTER FROM j. c. MCGREW.
An Interesting Account of a Trip
Across the Turbulent Atlantic.

Before Mr.. J. G. McGrew left with his
aud daughter for Europe, he Was
by the editor Of the INTELLI-
aENCER to write an account OF his trip
for publication in this paper. He con-
and it Is our good fortune this
week to give our readers his first letter. II
is both interesting and Instructive. The
letter follows:
ION board steamer Kaiser Wilhelm,
8, 1895, Atlantic ocean,
the Editor of the lntelligencer.
As per promise to you Of letters on our
trip abroad ! give you this as a starter.
My good wife, n our daughter Eliza
beth, ana myself, left home on Monday
evening, May 18th, via Kansas City,
to 81. Louis; thence direct TO
Washington City. Here We arrived We'd
nesday, May 29th, AZ noon. We were met
here by my wife's sister, Dixie" and her
husband, Mr.. Wilson Offutt, who live
some few miles out in the suburbs of the
capital city. After n carriage drive with
them around through the city, We went
out to their beautiful home and spent the
night. We came into the city the next
morning. May 30th, it being Decoration
day, every body seemed to turn out with
bea utiful lowers to decorate the graves OF
soh se
sight to US to see the soldiers, aud the
grand parade with their cavalry and foot
men, marching to the many bands OF
music. After seeing his Tor u while, we
again took our train from Washington
City on to New York, where We arrived
at six o'clock, on Thursday evening. May
30th. We stayed 10 New York nearly i've
days, stoCping at the Fifth Avenue hotel.
While here We had the discomfort OF the
extrems hot weather until the evening OF
June Sd, when 1t suddenly turned quite
pleasant. While in New York we had to
make many purchases such as are neces-
sary for an ocean trip, and especially 80,
for the trip we are looked 1ur. AND that
our readers may know about what Is
necessary for one To take on such a trip, l
will briefly tell you. FIRST, being three OF
us, We get three steamer trunks. Ihese
must be- OF a certain regulation Size, thir-
teen inches high, thirty -four to thirty SIX
tnche long q twenty-five inches Wide,
20 they Will 60 under the berths In the
state room on board steamers. Next We
get US three steamer rugs; then my vile
aud daughter each y Leavy goin cape TO-
cloak, i having brought my heavy winter
O%vercOat from home Tor myself; next we
get y steamer hat each, which Is q very
necessary article 10 lounge around in.
These, with our heavy clothing We pro-
vtded ourselves with before leaving home,
together with u lew minor articles, cOu-
stitute u equipment iOr our trip across
the ocean, aud To Norway, the land Of
the midnight sun, Sweden
Russia, Germany, France, England, etc.
Alter u pleasant shay, seeing many things
Ia busy New YORK City, the time comes
for vs. to leave for our steamer, AZ she IL TO
sail ct three p. M, Tuesday, June 4th. We
get = carriage At eleven q. m, have our
three trunks, three steamer chairs (which
are, blythe. way, folding chairs OF hard
wood, cane bottom and backs, with extern
| AN~~ N.~De woDtA aAs.ras A. sAvopA mai.
tom of ease aRd c0mfort), these, with a
grip each, with our small necessary arti-
Giles In. q Q shawl strap securely
strapped around our rugs, we start. Our
line Of steamers, "the North German
Lloyd" have their pier across the North
river, ct Hoboken, where the numerous
large ferries cross every few minute
10 we soon lind ourselves on the pier and
at the foot OF the gang plank, where Q
uniformed officer of the ship receives US,
and nj cabin steward, another uniformed
servant OF our ship, 1 our hand bag
gage, and we are soon ushered aboard and
into our state-room, No. ID, where we are
TO make ourselves ~ easy las we CAM fol-
nj journey across the broad Atlantic
ocean. ! might add here, We had o o
learned it was quite necessary to get to
our steame quite early, 30 a. to somewhat
acquaint ourselves with a ship before
the crowd began to come. 30 we give
ourselves full three hours before sailing
time to get aboard. We found this quite
. good move on our part, az We got oul
chairs we'll located on the promenade
deck, got Q good % at our steamer, and
learned many points necessary, especially
for III unused to ocean travel. We found
IL quite Interesting to watch the people
coming aboard. In fact, by one o'clock
two hour before sailing time, they began
70 come on board very fast and soon u
found our steamer crowded full of people
/ Aanuv HpsAAAa - knuA Al aall n . mn IN ao q
goodbye and to scatter flowers In theiI
state-rooms. Many with large boquets o.
hne roses, and with our steamer flag
flying, presented q beautiful o long u
be remembered scene. We really had ha6
no thoughts OF our party being no kindly
home, friends INC loved ones, when sud
denly, 70 our great sstonishment anc
pleasure, here right ct our aide, stood MI
John Abendroth, of the city OF New York
The name all Lexiugtonians will remem
Der AZ being the gentleman who owns on
water works 10 our good old MT
Abendroth said he thought we wer'
strangers In New York, and possibly n,
friends would be at the Ock to wave us
last farewell. So he, the good Samaritan
left bis businesA 10 the middle OF the da,
to come over TO not only say goodbye OF
the steamer, but stood on the dock, aut
amidst the great crowd OF those who wer
waving handkerchiefs, he was waving hi
hat, and with his handkerchief on hi
cane, waved AZ enthusiastically as any o
the others; while we stood waving GU
hat, the ladies their handkerchiefs. 70
can rest assured 1t made US feel Xix
friends were worth more than money
J This was not all our good friend Aben
drothdroth did. When we went to on
cabtn and state room, our cabin stewar
had for Us nice baskets and boxes OF frui
> with compliments OF Mr.. Abeudroth I
. AAl-- s- -
: soon q the small mail steamer, Rosa.
. along our side and isshed to US, and tn
mail soon carried aboard our boat. Som
few friends here left u steamer aud "
were Oh for our trip In earnest. 1t not
. may be- Q good suggestion to oner to an
one contemplating . trip across the ocear
> to engage your passage and state room
b at least one month or more ahead Of you
date of calling, as 1t 10 impossible to e
accommodations on q OF the reguis
: passenger steamers from May until Qctc
q Der, ~ they are always engaged aheat
o We engaged oprs some Two months hefoJ
= sailing, and long ago every room an
berth on our steamer was taken. Now 10
3 Q description OF our ship. She 10 not ou
. OF he fastest, but 10 one OF the MOI
elegant. She Ii about 40 feet long, has 9
= elegant promenade deck, some 200 fes
about fourteen feet wide, covered over q
9 a. to protect you from sun or rain. w
have two main first cabin dining room
one right over the other, each accommu
dating about l60 people at u sitting {
n the table, besides this, 10 the second cabi
:. which will accommodate fully as many
: more. Our state-room IL No. ~, wit
three berths In, berths bOu two fes
a wide each, folding up wash ftauds, two I
them, when down the bowl sets right, an
with push button to push to make Ii
water How in. When through washing
q turn up your wash stand out of the wa
/, and the water empties itself, and you the
have Q nice looking piece OF furniture !
your room. We haye an electric light
each room, one round port hole, abo.
o one foot In diameter In each outside roo
:, tours being an outside 0ne.) We have
!" nice little ladder (movabie) to get up int
L with our three steamer trunks under OF
berths, our room being about ten fe'
Ioug by eight feet wide, completes o,
accommodation for q trip across the gre
water. We also haye electric call bells
each and every room, and prompt servi'
10 rendered all calls OF bells. Our steam'
10 complete In all of the details of o III
Q pcesp stsamer; is equipped with ever!
a, thing to WSke passengers az comfortab
i full bands Of music aboard, o OF sixtee
d musicians, the other OF nine. So you Gu
see we will not lack for music. II 10 no
$3.50 o'clock OF our first day out. We a
70 outside of land, the sea 10 q little rOue
and we are feeling well. The bugle blow
which IL q warning to passengers to pr
pare for dinner Dinner IL served at 81
We all 20 into the dining saloon, hr
having been assigned seats at the tab
Al seats we have all the way across. TT
10 dinner In aerved In COuPs0a. uinR course