The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1896-08-19
ACROSS THE ATLANTIC.

The following letter was penned to the
Medina Gazette, under date Of July "a
by Rev. ]. R. Nichols, and as the gentle
man is well and favorably known we
take the liberty to reproduce part OF it:
Tonight finds us within few hun
dred miles of the end of our voyage, alive
and we'll and looking forward with high
anticipativns to the scenes and exper-
fence which are before us. But at the
same time our hearts turn with interest
and longing to the friends we have left
behind and we feel sure there are some
who will be glad to learn Of our safe ar
rival and to hear a few words Of our ex-
periences.
The Pennland on which we have made
our voyage was laid up four days at
Queenstown on her outward voyage on
account OF breakdown in her machin-
cry, on account Of which we left Phi!a
delphia two days late. From the time
that we left Cape May, Tuesday, morning
July IA, until we got the first glimpse
Of the rocky cOastof Ireland this morning
was just ten days to an hour, during
which time we saw not foot of land,
nor any sign Of human life except now
and then a passing sail. One would
think from the number Of ships crossing
and re-crossing this vast expanse Of
water, that the sighting Of ship would
be frequent experience, but there were
two or three days when we did not see a
sail for twenty-four hours together. So
vast is this waste Of water separating
the old world from the new. One can
but wonder at the lOnesomeness and the
trying experiences through which our pill
grim fathers passed who crossed the
mighty deep when the sails were few and
before ocean travel was made easy.
0neOft the mOsthumiliating experiences
which has met us on the voyage was to
discover after wc had left the docks in
Philadelphia and steamed fifty miles down
the Delaware that we must lie by for
seven or eight hours to wait for another
tide to carry us over the bar. We then
learned. that no large ocean steamer
could get in or out of Philadelphia with
out waiting for two tides. And this in
the face Of the fact that every congress
for the last twenty-five years has voted
millions Of dollars for the improvement
Of little creeks and harbors that few
people have ever heard of while the third
city in our republic is shut off from the
ocean by bars which can only be crossed
with the tide flowing in. While this
condition continues Philadelphia can
never rival New York as commerce
port. We have been favored with beau
tiful weather and very little storm On
our voyage. There has, however, been
wind and rocking enough so that good
many of our passengers were afflicted
with the troublesome ''mal de mer'
which has afflicted ocean travellers from
time immemOrable. Our ladies fell vic
Tins to this malady but the male mem
bers Of the Medina party were fortunate
enough to escape and have not missed q
meal or lost one after they had taken
possession of it.
The Pennland has carried ninety-two
cabin and one hundred and ten steerage
passengers, with crew of eighty-six,
and unless some calamity Overtakes us
within the next six hours. will land one
more passenger than we started with, a
baby having been born in the steerage 'en
voyage" OF this number there were
seven ministers and as many college pro-
fessors and teachers in our public
schools, with good sprinkling of busi-
ness men, college boys etc.
In few hours we shall reach Queens
town and the news of our safe arrival
will flash under the ocean and the New
York people will read the news in their
morning papers, although it is seven
O'Clock here. Early tomorrow we shall
reach Liverpool and once more be in
touch of the world"