The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-12-18
CHRISTMAS AT SEA.
HOW TIE HOLIDAY IS OBSERVED
ABOARD OCEAN LINERS.

Many Boxes and Parcels "Not to BE
Opened Until Dec. 2o"-The Ships
Christmas Trees and Christmas
Dinner-Gifts and Good Cheer for
Everybody in Saloon and Fore
castIe-A Christmas Bali in the
Mediterranean.
New York, Dec. 6.-The big passenger
ships leaving port during the next few
days will carry lots of mysterious bundles
and packages marked mot to be opened
until Dec. %" Some of these are SNUG
gled on board unknown to those who are
to receive them; others are delivered into
the hands of departing travellers, with
solemn injunctions mot to look before
hand" Even the great vessels them
selves, as they lie at the docks, take on
the festive air of the holiday season. while
preparations so busily on for the enter
tainment of those who, from necessity or
choice, are likely to spend Christmas dav
at sea.
1t is not at all a desolate experience, that
of spending Dee. % on board ship, for it
is hard to find spot to which st. Nicho-
ant spirit of the day makes itself felt
even more strongly at sea than on land.
It is wonderful how the prejudices and an
imosties of other seasons melt away on
Christmas day aboard a Liner. Even a
Spaniard and a Yankee can fraternize IN
der such circumstances. Nor are the crew
forgotten in the general good feeling. One
New York woman well known for her
charitable work makes habit every year
Of remembering the sailors on board the
American line ships. When the Paris sails
on her next trip she viii carry a consirn-
ment of warm muhiers which this wo-
man 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.
THE man who spends his life on hoard
a big passenger ship sees about ~ MANY
different kinds of Christmases as any
body, / guess" said Capt Richard Me
rich of the North German Lloyd steamship
Adler, as he sat in his cabin the other
day preparing for a holiday voyage to tbe
Mediterranean. Some Christmas DAVIS 7
have spent on the North Atlantic. others
while in the China trade, still others in
the South Pacific and the Mediterranean
The fact is that I have spent only ono
Christmas day at home since 1 was mar
AiNA-tlAt' 4 ia ven I bteH q DaclelOr
good many years. Now We sail from, Neu
York very soon, and win touch at Gtbral-
tar, Genoa, and other ports; and before
we reach here again Christmas viii have
been passed.
when your ship is running on vovapo
to the Mediterranean, with q crowd Of
jolly passengers aboard, who are Off on "A
trip TO enjoy Themselves. Christmas IS a
day 10 be remembered. Friends ana rela-
uyes send gifts ON ahead so that they nav
be handed 10 passengers az the right time.
and, OF course, this personal remembrance
from home makes more enjoyable the cele-
bf4tlon which Is always prepared on board
the ship itself The, 2ith Of Decembor
passes about ls DO other days miu dinner
time arrives and then the chefs ana STOW.
4rts Quito Themselves On providing nm
elaborate menu and in table docorations
if tle weather is fine. as b rs likely 10 bo.
tle passengers ore in hiah sWr.ts. Tor tbe
Christmas feeding b. infectious DO matter
whore you 20. Toward tbe end of the
dinner speeches are made. songs arc ren.