Evening star., 1898-12-17
CHR MAS EVE AT SEA
An Occasion of Real Enjoyment for Every
body Aboard.
Big Dinner and n Ball on Deck-Tree.
and Presents for Passengers
and Crew.
Special Corr espendenee of The Evening Star.


mysterious bundles and packages marked
| Not to be opened until December 25''
Some of these are smuggled on board un-
! known to those who are to receive them;
others are delivered into the hands of de-
parting travellers with solemn injunctions
| not to look beforehand" Even the great
vessels themselves, as they lie at the docks,
! take on the festive air of the holiday sea-
son, while preparations go busily on for the
entertainment of those who, from necessity
or choice are likely to spend Christmas day
| at sea.
| 1t is not a all a desolate experience, that
of spending December % on board ship, for
it is hard to find a spot to which st. Mich
olas cannot make his way, and the pleasant
spirit of the day makes itself felt even more
strongly at sea than on land. 1t is wonder
| full how the prejudices and animosities Of
other seasons melt away on Christmas day
| aboard a liner. Even a Spaniard and a
Yankee can f1aternize under such circum-
stances. Nor are the crew forgotten in the
| general good feeling. One New York wo-
| man well known for her charitable work
| makes a habit every year of remembering
| the sailors on board the American Line
| ships. When the Paris sails on her next
| trip she will carry q consignment of warm
| muffiers which this woman has provided as
! her yearly gift to the crew of the doughty
| vessel that has done such good work in war
| and peace during the past year.
| On Big Liner
THE man who spends his life on board
| big passenger ship sees about as many DIFF
| ferent kinds of Christmases as anybody.
| guess said Capt. Richard Nerich of the
| steamship Adler, as he sat in his cabin the
other day preparing for a holiday voyage
| TO the Mediterranean. Some Christmas
days l have spent on the North Atlantic
| others while in the China trade, still others
1 ha l.i iti,,s
| The fact is that l have spent only one
Christmas day at home since l was mar
rled-and l haven't been a bachelor for a
good many years. Now. sail from New
ork very soon. and will touch at Gibral-
| tar, Genoa and other ports. and before We
reach here again Christmas will have been
PASSED
When your ship is running on a voy-
age to the Mediterranean, with crowd of
| Jolly passengers aboard who are off on a
| trip to enjoy themselves, Christmas is a
day to be remembered. Friends and rela-
tives send gifts on ahead, so that they
may be handed to passengers at the right
time; and of course this personal remem-
brance from home makes more enjoyable
the celebration which is always prepared
| on board the ship itself The Path of De-
cember passes about as do other days until
dinner time arrives, and then the chefs
ana stewards outdo themselves in provid-
ing an Ella borate menu, and in table decora-
llons. If the weather is fine, as it is likely
Tor the Christmas feeling is Infectious no
matter where you go Toward the end of
Inc dinner speeches made, songs are
rendered, stories are told. and toasts are
gwen; and when this is completed all go to
tha main saloon, and the Christmas tree is
revealed, standing there in the middle un-
der the big Skylight. 1t is a big tree too:
just as big can be obtained and nut in
place, and on it are hung gifts from the
snip for every passenger; not COSTLY at all
but remenbrances that are likely to be long
preserved as souvenirs of a pleasant occa-
sion. Then, If the sea is not high, the can
dIeS are lighted, and the tree bursts into
beautiful illumination.
The Ships Christmas Tree.
This suggestion of a tree covered with
hundreds of lighted candles, on a big
steamship, may sound rather dangerous to
landsman, but it is safe enough in reality.
Men are stationed close at hand, although
out of sight with buckets of water, fire
extinguishers axes, and so on; and If it
were necessary other men above, on deck
stand ready to snatch tree, candles, gifts
ard all right through the skylight at an
lnStants warning; and three seconds later
a blazing tree would be over the side in
salt water But while such extraordinary
precautions are taken, they are not needed
for ordinary foresight would determine
whether it were safe to light the candles.
After the distribution of gifts from the
tree concert is given If the weather is
bad; but whenever Christmas eve Is pleas
ant and the latitude is suitable, the pas
sengers go on deck, which they find to be
shielded from the wind by canvas, brilliant
ly lighted, and decorated with flags and
bunting. And, / tell you, on moonlight
night, with calm sea, and soft, pleasant
ar, in the Mediterranean, for example n
Christmas eve ball aboard a great ship is
something for most passengers to remem-
Der. I'm sure l can't imagine anything
more charming for those who enjoy dane
ing Inc romance, the poetry of it ali,
must be delightful to the passengers, es-
pecially to the younger ones But while
they are gliding over the deck some of the
older ones are certain to be contrasting
inns CHRISTMAS eve with others in years
gone by; and perhaps a ships officer
off duty will be in his room reading
again and again the letter that came in
the Christmas parcel which has just been
delivered to him, and wondering what wife
ana niue ones are doing at that hour in
some German village or in an English
town, or perhaps in far-off Yankeeland.
In the ForecastIe.
THE band plays lively music, and the
passengers dance on deck but if they i'm
agine they are the only ones aboard shin
who are celebrating Christmas eve they
are mistaken. If they We're to look into the
forecastle they would see another Christ
mas tree there also covered with little dec
orations and gifts-the sailors tree. For
you know, u German is only half a German
without tree on Christmas eve, and every
German ship has one. Long before the
snip sailed from her home port on the
Christmas voyage friends and relatives of
each sailor prepared some little presents
which they sent forward in care of some
acquaintance in the crew, so that their par
tcular sailor man might have his surprise
at the right time, OF course, these Gifts
are inexpensive, for the sailors family has
little money to spare, but pipe warm
stockings, or some such article is received
aboard the vessel and carefully kept until
the proper time, when all are hung on the
tree The company gives the sailors a little
Wine or beer, and Christmas cakes This
applies also to the firemen, who have a tree
OF their own in their room, So as YOU will
see, there are usually as many as three
trees aboard the ship.
The 10Th of December we observe as q
holy day on our ships, and all work is sus-
pended aboard ship excepting that which il
is absolutely necessary to Perform If there
Is clergyman among the passengers he is
requested to hold religious services for the
tourists and also for the crew; and these
are fully attended. On German vessels the
captain does not offciate, as do English
captains, at such ceremonialS.'
Captain Nierich h@ reason to remember
two Christmas seasons, although he cannot
recall any untoward happening on a Christ
mas day. Eight years ago he was running