Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1897-10-14
THE HOMEWARD VOYAGE
Correspondence Alexandria azette

We'll, there is an end to all things
and the time had come for me to leave
the old world. l took last long look
at some of the crowded streets and 9
number of the more historic points O.
London, and on Friday morning bade
adieu 10 the British ca pital. took q
train at Euston station on the London
and Northw estern Railway for Liver
pool and reached that city in the after
noon. / desired to spend one day il
looking around this famous seaport and
IN inspecting its renowned docks and
D lblic places As is generally known,
snips are locked in the basins in the
same manner as canal boats, and ships
, masts and steamers tunnels can be seen
some distance up in the city. You can
see every flag in the world there.
Il was raining gently as the the train
pulled into the Lime street station, and
aas Immediately waylayed by port
r. from hotels, newsboys, bootblscks
aud street peddlers. The latter class
is legion. They seem to imagine every
stranger is out of shoestripgs, and
hanks of these articles are showed into
your face incessantly. Thousands Il
men, women aud boys importune you
10 buy matches, and one old woman.
who had nothing for sale save three
c)rnered files at penny 1.-TWO cents) q
piece, seemed to tn nix | was sorely ID
need of such an article. Here, as in
London, it looked as though the tails OF
all the horses had been sawed of. The
rain continued and 1 found myself q
prisoner in the Imperial Hotel, opposite
the station, where I had TO remain un
Ill there was lull in the rainfall, after
which | walked about the city. Next
morning was clear aud cold, and
aked through some of the main
rec of Liverpool. st. Georges Hall
pposite the hotel in which [ Was quar-
cred, is colossal structure. 1u the
.ouare there is column and statue to
the Duke of Wellington, one to Lord
Besconsfeld, an equestrian statue
to the Prince Consort and a
imilar one to Queen Victoria.
Huge lions crouch on this square, and
L
ach looked as though it had been
pl oxen of and stuck BACK, and was sug-
sestive OF the work Of some of the tail
w listing jirgoes in the U. S. Congress.
IN the afternoon boarded Car and
started for the landing Stage from
which I was to board the steamer for
the United States. There were thou
sands of people on the wharves, many
Of whom were booked for voyages, but
the majority were spectators. Nearly
all the passenger steamers leave from
this stage and it is doubtless the most
animated pier in the world. About
half-past three o'clock the Lucania, of
the Cunard line, on which vessel | was
to sail, steamed alongside and |, with
hundreds of others, went aboard. This
steamer is much larger than the Um-
hria which took me over, and is mora
modern. The steward gave me seat
No. 1S7 at the saloon table and l was
assigned to state room 40. This room
is at the foot of the companion way
forward. 1t Was a good location; |
could not hear the pulsations of the en-
eines, but when the steamer reached
lhe ocean and b. gan her pitching l
had to accomm odate myself to the SEN
sation of going to sleep in swing.
had heard of people who, after u
visit to Europe, would have given five
hundred dollars could they have been
transported to America without re-
crossing the ocean. | must say rather
anticipated the trip with pleasure. In
fact I felt much more at home and safer
on the steamer than lodging in strange
hotels, especially when | was assigned
to upper rooms. The only regret to me
was that had but one week Of my eX-
cursion left, and what had been the
most pleasant and longest vacation i
had taken in the past third of century
was drawing to close.
Between FIVE and six o'clock the sig
nal bell was sounded and feW minutes
la er the huge steamer (625 feet long
and of $4,000 horse powerl was moving
out of the Mersey. Darkness soon set IN,
and at 7 o'clock the saloon passengers
were summoned to dinner; and what
spectacle; four hundred took seats at
the tables. 1t was world in itself. The
| ladies, or many OF them, were gorgeous
lv ariayei and diamonds flashed in
the glare of the many electric lights
which rendered the capacious saloon
as light as day. Course followed course
while corks popped from bottles o.
wine. But oh, what difference IN
the morning." when the dreaded ma
de mer got in its work, and how many
vacant chairs could be counted at the
breakfast table! again escaped thi:
malady, and ate heartily. We reached
Queenstown early next morning (Sun
oay) where FIVE or six hundred steerags
passengers were put aboard from ten
der. making with the crew nearl y two
thousand souls about the Lucania, ano
about S o'clock the steamer was agalr
under way. We ran by the coast o
Iceland until about , o'clock, when VIZ
uassed the last lighthouse, and Launched
out into old ocean. Icould make many
reflections on the immigrants taken OF
at Queenstown, hut will only say
never felt more comcisseration for an!
class of people in my life than did fol
them. They ali seemed to be eoot
nstured hard working people, anu mos