The record-union., 1897-01-25
A MANIA FOR THE OCEAN.
nRS. ELIJAH CARSON DIED AT
ANAr1OSA ON FRIDAY.
She Had Crossed the Water to Europe
Two Hundred and Fifty
Times.

CHICAGO, Jan. 24.-MrS. Elijah Car
son, a most remarkable woman, died
Friday night at Anamosa Ia. Mrs Car
son had crossed the ocean go times and
possessed the extraordinary record of
never having missed trip on the Lu
cania since that splendid vessel was
launched. For thirty years she has been
travelling across the Atlantic, until her
face had become a familiar one not only
to the officers of the vessels of the Gu
nard line but to the Custom House Off
Gals on both sides of the Atlantic. She
is said to have been received on intimate
terms by the Masters and Vanderbilts
and other families of the country who
had long been accustomed to meeting
her on her trips across the sea. Mile.
Patti, the prima donno had the strong
est liking for Mrs. Carson.
Mrs. Carson was the wife of Samuel
Carson of Belfast Her name was
Newell before her marriage, and her
brother, William B. Newell was a mill
ionaire Of Nashville, Tenn. Shortly after
the death of her husband in 1864, Mrs.
Carson, accompanied by her daughter
Elizabeth, came to America to visit her
brother. This was Mrs. Carson's first
ocean trip and was the beginning of
her infatuation for the sea. Mr. Newell
prevailed upon her to remain in America
and on his death bequeathed to her
half million dollars in cash and prop
erty. This formed an ample fund to
permit the indulgence of her eccentric
desire to be continually on the water.
1t was in the year 1866 that Mrs. Car
Of bn, 70 l,0,.
penchant She left her young daughter
in the hands of friends and took her sec
ond trip to Belfast. She returned in a
few weeks, saw her child was in safe
hands and from that time until the day
she was seized with her last illness, a
month seldom passed but she took a
voyage across the Atlantic. In the year
1883 her daughter was married to julius
Rohrbach a travelling man. Mrs. Car
son then felt that she had no more fam
lily ties which would restrain her from
keeping continually on the sea. Since
1886 her entire time has been spent in
her voyages.
Mrs Carson had the strongest affec-
tion for Captain Mckay and all the Off
GERS of the Lucania and remembered
them in her will. 1t is said Captain Nc
Kay was bequeathed $4,000 and the
ssubalterns sums proportionate to the
esteem in which she held them. The
exact terms Of the will cannot be
learned, as the document was filed at
Belfast Mrs. Carson was we'll known
in Chicago. About two years ago her
son-in-law, Julius Rohrbach, by the ad
vice of his wife made an effort to re-
strain Mrs. Carson from taking any
more trips across the ocean. While she
was stopping at the hotel here on visit
to her daughter. Mr.. Rohrbach went
before a local court and asked for the
appointment of a guardian, making the
statement that Mrs. Carson had already
spent S25 900 in her sea voyages and
that unless a stop was put on it, her
entire fortune would be spent Mrs.
Carson violently fought this legal move.
In her vigorous manner she announced
that she would submit to no restraint
and that If her son-inlaw dared to de-
prive her of her liberty she would cut
him off without cent. This so
alarmed Mr.. Rohrbach and his wife that
the proceedings We're dropped and Mrs.
Carson was permitted to resume her
Journeys. The incident, however. made
an impression on her mind, for on her
next visit to Belfast she made and
placed on record a will in which she left
but 81 900 to her daughter SO, 900 each
to her banker at Belfast and her agent
in New York and the remainder of her
fortune to the officers and crew of the
Lucania.
Mrs Carson made her last voyage
across the Atlantic five weeks ago. On
the trip out from Liverpool she was
seized with an attack of pneumonia and
when the steamer reached New York
she was failing rapidly. She was taken
to hotel where she remained two days,
when her daughter of Anamosa Ia. ar
rived and took her West. Mr. and Mrs.
Rohrbach arrived this evening
from Iowa with Mrs. Carson's
body They We're on their way to Nash
vile, Tenn, where the interment will
take place. Mrs. Carson was "a years
old.