St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1897-03-12

the Fulda is only one OF lou ooat' VI
the biggest steamship company the
world has ever seen. The North German
LLOYD runs three lines OF steamers from
the United States to European ports ana
has inst opened fourth route to Calves
ton. Texas. Then it has lines to South
America. Australia the Maylay Arch'-
pclago, China and Japan. The company
have rs boats as large and larger than
the Fulda and are building six new ones
for the American service. Thecompany's
headquarters are at Bremen and their
wards at Bremenhaven.
The day before we reached Gibraltar
we organized a party OF six and visited
the heart of the great ship. Under the
leadership OF the chief engineer we saw
the triple compound engine, the new
steel shaft, the six double boilers and the
coal bunkers which contained 100
tons of coal when we left New York.
Some figures may be of interest to those
mechanically inclined. The engines were
built in Glasgow, are $500 horse power
and on our trip about 5000 horse power
was utilized. The coal costs So ton at
the New York dock and 1876 tons are
consumed every day. The six boilers
have furnaces at each end. The shaft is
115 feet long, contains nine sections, and
is built by the new German gun process.
1t was placed in the ship at its last visit
to Genoa 1t is % inches in diameter,
makes SO revolutions every minute and
each revolution has a lead of 80 feet.
That means that at every revolution the
boat moves 80 feet, allowing 8 per cent
for the resistance of the waves. The
propeler or screw has four blades, each
one of which is about 10 feet long. My
state-room is an inside room over this
great machine yet SO delicately is every
fitting adjusted that | get no more jar
of machinery than were | 100 feet from
the spot
The incoming steamers had such a
rough massage that we were anticipat-
ing a stormy time, but were very happily
disappointed. The boat rolled well the
first few DAYS and after that the great
ocean was almost as smooth as glass.
Some forced acquaintance were made at
meal times when everything you had or
dered slid into your neighbours lap, but
after one such occurrence you held your
soup plate in your hand with yourelbow
conveniently near the cup OF coffee. The
fourth day out the sea was unusually
high, the boat rocked like tub and once
the water came up on the hurricane deck
1t was a strange sight to see every chair
strapped to the cabin and to watch the
big waves form, dash into sunit spray
and then form again. On this day The
wind blew 60 miles an hour, and thu
boat made only $50 miles in "a hours
Our best run was 39l miles.
Saturday was the browning day of tn
trip. full of changing scenes and lastin!
memories At o'clock the early riser
sighted the Azores, Mt. Pico rising 7,60t
feet out OF the sea with its summit burie'
in clouds as one often sees Mt. Washing
, ton. For 40 miles We skirtcd this isant
and watched the cloud effects 20 mile
away. After lunch we came to the in
habted island, San Miguel and the town
were as white as the cities in Mexico
The houses are all white and the gree
around them is very vivid. The inhab
tants live by fishing and raising olives
figs and other scmi.tropcal fruits. TIL
h mountains come close down to the coas
V and in many places the coast line is e!
t cecdingly preciptous. The governmer
c buildings are OF pink and present a stril
$ ing contrast to the whitcness OF the
a surroundings. Another quaint leatur
l. of these interesting islands is the numb,
e OF windmils on all sides. They are larg
II tower.like structures and their big am
e were wildly beating the salt-ladt
p air. As we left the islands we pass,
< within halt a mile of Ponta del Gard
n the largest city on the islands. T.
Y fishermen came out in their boat
p the officer threw our little box of lette
A. into the sea and when it was quick
n picked up by the natives rousing che
IF went up from all those who had writ
ID home when "half seas over BY a Ion
is standing arrangement whoever picks
" the box takes it to the German cons
rs and he sends the mail to the Unit
S States by the first steamer that ca!
e All nature smiled on us as we left t
er tabled site OF Atlantis about 6 o'clo
IN that night. Before sunset there was
y. beautiful rainbow and then came t
ri sunset, followed by an afterglow viii
ed extended half across the western 81
p the darkness deepened and to add to t
ed sadness OF the parting glimpse of our fl
AS land, the gulls who had followed us
er the way from New York slowly turn
&c their faces hopeward as if in pursuit
the setting sun. A. +. $
re. In the Blue Mediterranean.
id We were due in Gibraltar at 6 o Gle
ey in the morning, but an hour before tn
lis we were awakened by perfect lusila