The San Francisco call., 1896-02-22
LIVES ON THE OCEAN.
A Rich Lady Who Has Boarded on a
Steamship for Years.

Steamship for Years.
For the third time since she began her
trips in 1893, the steamship Lucania came
in here last week without having Mrs.
Carson on board, and it was an event in
the history of the steamer. 1t did not
seem like the same vessel with this strange
boarder absent.
Any one in search of a good boarding
house might get some points from Mrs.
Carson-address the North Atlantic Ocean.
The old song tells of a Home on the
rolling Deep" but Mrs. Carson is probably
the only person whose home is really
there. Officers and sailors ''go down to
the sea in ships" to ''do business on the
great deep" and leave their homes on
shore, but Mrs. Carson has ner home on
the sea. and only goes ashore for business
and plea sure. Her present floating home
is the Lucania, and she is greatly attached
to it.
For how many years Mrs. Carson has
been making her home on the North At
lantic nobody seems to know exactly, but
she was going back and forward between
New York and Liverpool for some time
before the Lucania set forth for the first
time.
When the big steamship was launched
Mrs. Carson inspected her and concluded
10 take DOdrU OH neT. one Sel6CLeQ a rOOmy
cabin, and settling up her Lares and Pen-
ates therein, settled down comfortably to
enjoy her new home.
The Lucania is now in her twenty sixth
round trip, that is, she has crossed the
ocean fifty-one times. Only twice before
the present trip has Mrs. Carson been ab-
sent from the steamer when she plunged
1.-The ocean blue" Therefore she ha.
crossed the ocean forty-six times on the
Lucania.
For two years the ship has been her
floating home. She has been on deck in
the gentle hreezes of summer and the fierce
gales of winter; has seen the beauty of the
sights of the starlight and moonlight. and
| the sights of darkness and storm. Some
times, when the vessel is in port she goes
to hotel for day or two more often she
does not leave the ship, for she Is a steady
! boarder.
| OF the reasons for Mrs. Carson's choice
of boarding house, only the bare outlines
are knawn. She is supposed to be widow.
She is known to be woman of means,
and to cordially dislike and diStrust the
relatives to whom her property will go
upon her death. She does not want to be
where they can get at her, and she does
like the sea. So instead Of going to some
out-of- the-way place Oh the Continent to
live, where she would be lonesome, she
chooses the Atlantic Ocean as her home
and the Lucania as her boarding house.
| Mrs. Carson is about 45 years old. and is
slight in person. She is a woman of edu-
cation and refinement and seems to enjoy
thoroughly her strange life. Nobody
knows how many times she has crossed
the ocean since she took up her home on
the bounding billow," but her long ex-
perience has made her good sailor, and
she knows all about the ship and the hand
ling of her in storm and calm.
1t is supposed that some important bust
ness connected with her property caused
this break in her life. 1t is confidently ex-
pected that she will be aboard next trip,
for she has shown no inclination to change
her clearinghouse. 1t is possible that
Mrs. Carson has gone to inspect some
other ship, with an idea of moving, but
the Lucania's people do not think it prob
able.
Mrs. Carson spends her money literally,
and, it is said, has announced her in ten
ton of getting rid OF all she conveniently
can, so that the heirs she so much dislikes
will not have SO much enjoy after her
death. She is an English woman, it
should be said, and her property is in Eng
land.
One of the Lucania's people said yester-
day: 81 do not know why Mrs. Carson did
not come this trip, | am sure. 1t must
have been something very important to
keep her ashore. Only twice before has
she missed trip since the ship was
launched, and we miss her very much."-