Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1896-04-02
A MEDITERRANEAN TRIP.
A Rough Voyage Across the Atiantio-An
Exciting Episode-Rescuo of tho Cap
tain and Crew of n Sinking steamer
Four Hours in AIgiers.
From a private letter from a Burlington
la1yl


day-this being the seventh day of the
voyage-the sun shines for the first time,
and luncheon to-day was our first meal
without racks on the tables. All the pas
sengcrs, mon, women and children alike,
were used up by the storm which we
struck as soon as we got outside OF New
York harbor, with the exception of one old
lady, who at several meals had been the
only woman out. Thursday night was
awful. The way things flew about our
state room was a caution ana FRIDAY
morning We were black and blue from
pounding about, and sore In every mus
Gle from bracng ourselves In our berths
That day the sea smoothed out little
under a pouring rain; but that night every
one was driven in by the storm; Saturday
brought no change in wind or weather
That afternoon came the excitement OF
the trip. About o'clock the cry OF "a
saill'' brought various comatose bodies TO
life aud we all went to tho rail to watch
the first ship we had seen on the broad
ocean. II was long, low steamer with
one smokcstack, with no smoke issuing
thcrefrom and a rag of sail on one mast.
Those with glasses soon exclaimed that
something was wrong, and presently the
reversed union jack made 1t plain that
those on board of her needed help. Soon
our course was altered and as we came
nearer we saw that she was drifting ut
the sensation of our engines stopping,
when we were less than a quarter of IL
mile away; and boat was lowered with
! four stout sailors to row, in command of
our first officer. Won Schroeder. and away
they pulled. We could see them plainly
as they drew alongside the tramp" and
| could see tho men on the wreck fairly
| throwing themselves into the boat; and
| then back our men came with their load.
| Five times they went back and forth over
seas so high that II did not seem as If such
n cookie shell could mako any Roadway;
but 1t and its crew did their work spcnd-
! idly and the cheers which greeted our Of
ficer when he finally stepped on deck wore
surely we'll earned.
| The ship was coalcr. which had been
purchased in Halifax by tho Northern Pa
cihc Railroad company, and was being
taken to Vancouver. on the Pacific coast,
! by captain and crew of is men, with coal
enough for ballast. but not n fun cargo.
| They left IiaifaX OH the Cd Of February
three weeks before we sighted them. and
| all went well with them for nearly q
week, when In n terrible storm which came
up, the boiler shifted slipped about for a
day or so, ana on the Sth broke partly in
pieces. They then got along with sail
powc- till something happened to the
steering gear, ana then, in an awful storm,
the loosened boiler went through the side
of the ship, making a fearful hole, They
had tried TO stuff 1t up, and pumped to
keep the water down till their last pump
gave out on the Sunday before they. sight
ed MS. Then for six days the poor fellows
were bailng with buckets down among
the coal: and their grimy and blackened
appearance, when rescued, con be imag-
incd. Many of them were exhausted with
the incessant labor and strain, day and
night and when the seams of the ship
began to open on that day, they gave
themselves quite up for lost. But thanks
TO the good Normannia, they are all alive
and well, and they even saved their bag
gage When all were on board we steam
ed away from the poor. leaking wreck
from whose sides we could see the water
oozing as she rolled. They said she would
20 to the bottom in the night. without
doubt Darkness had come before this
episode was over. and you can imagine
! the way the tongues waggcd at dinner.
We lost four hours by this event. and
SO lost the sight of the Azores. on Mon.
; day, as it was p. m. when they wer,
sighted ana we had to he content with
the faint outlines of mountains and islands
but the 10 lives saved were surely compcn
sation enough.
on Sunday II was very rough again. I
has been an unsociablc voyage, becaus,
so rough and rainy that people could no
move about on deck and most of then
have felt too mean 10 talk to even thei
/ I
nearest neghbors.
1t has been much warmer for two day,
now, with sunshine: but this Afternoon
II is clouding up again and the sea 4
: hicking away as If We We're nowhere nca
} 0arm waters and sunny skies We hav
yearly 300 cabin passengers. and NOR
hsidal pairs than one can shake a sticl
? ~"
\ Thursday evening Feb. q.
9 bp la uf "a
i though last night was one of the rourhes
% the voyage. The water was brilliant.
G Nue-green when | got on deck this morn
~. and soon the coast of Portugal cam
u sight, the colors of the cliffs being ex
0 Gfisite-soft pinks. yelows and browns
. md tho shrubs dark green. while the build
o ings were dazzling white in the clear sun
@ shlno, After luncheon we went out o
o F2ht of land again; and at sunset tn
[ And began to show family once more
o 2nd now the passengers are studying ligh
e houses We shall make Gibraltar at
O'Clock TO night, they tell us, and shah Ii
there all night
Sunday morning, March /.
O AS we did, having a tedious rolling an
pitching time at anchor. Since have dis
covered the Nor-1annia's rolling propensi
:, ties ] can un erstand why they did no
- make the stata rooms larger. One get
:, quite headNaN enough. as IL is, for n skat
=, from one end to the other; and If the stat
> room was larger | should only be tn
:, blacker and bluer.
:, We left the Rock of Gibraltar benin
Il Friday forenoon; ard found the Meditei
a ranean no moro propitious than the Al
lantic. No one indeed. could dream tina
, 1t was the Mediterranean when gazing Il
Or the angry pillows and still more dis
n tressed sky, The weather cleared yestei
day and all the morning We were in sigh
OF the coast of Africa. 1t was more pic
tusesque than had expected and the viii,
villages among the hills were quite numel
n Gus. The bay of Algiers Is beautiful, tn
city rising up the side of a hill for half
mile or more We went on shore in or
~ OF the small boats which came crowdin
W around the ship, after lunch. In the oil
," town the streets are simply flights of steI
. and the yelled and trousered women an
- draped men-the sexes seeming to HAY
~ changed clothes-going up and down thel
- added to the scene. After strolling for a
- hour through the baZars and going in
" the market, where we could find nothin
~ to eat that we dared venture on, and VII
20 iting two or three cafes and flower booth
g. we took carriage and drove for near
a three hours We went into the outer pa
M Sages OF mosque and were allowed
- R,ok In at the windows. We drove up
c. the fortress browning the hill, and to
-, sort of park about the barracks; the
No, DOWN again and into the French and En-
. 9esh quarter where the houses are qui
10 fine and gardens lovely; and finally out
nc Mnstapha, beautiful suburb where Il
View the baV and city