The daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Ind. Ter. [Okla.]) 1898-1902, 1899-02-01
CHRISTMAS ON THE OCEAN.
How the Day Is Celebrated on the Big
Liners-A Memorable In
cident.

1t is not at all desolate experience,
that of spending December rs on board
ship. Nor are the crew forgotten. One
New York woman makes habit every
year of remembering the sailors on
board the American line ships. When
the Paris sailed on her last trip before
Christmas she carried consignment
of warm muffers which this woman
has provided as her gift to the crew.
"The man who spends his life on
board big passenger ship sees about
as many different kinds of Christmases
as anybody, l guess said Capt. Rich
ard Nierich, of the North German Lloyd
steamship Adler. "Some Christmas
days / have spent on the North Allan
lie, others while in the China trade,
still others in the South Pacific and the
Mediterranean. The fact is that have
spent only one Christmas day at home
! since | was married-and | haven't
been a bachelor for good many years.
Now, we sail from New York very soon
and will touch at Gibraltar, Genoa and
other ports, and before we reach here
again Christmas will have passed. And,
tell you, on a moonlight night, with
calm sea and soft, pleasant air, in the
Mediterranean, for example, Christ
mas eve ball aboard great ship is
something for most passengers to re-
member. I'm sure can't imagine any
thing more charming for those who
enjoy dancing. The romance, the
poetry of it all must be delightful to
the passengers, especially to the
younger ones.
The band plays lively music and the
passengers dance on deck; but if they
imagine they are the only ones aboard
ship who are celebrating Christmas
eve they are mistaken. If they were to
look into the forecastle they would see
| Christmas tree there covered with
little decorations and gifts-the sail
ors' tree. For, you know, a German is
only half German without tree on
Christmas eve, and every German ship
has one. Long before the ship 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 particular sailor man might have
his surprise al the right time. OF
course these gifts are inexpensive. for
the sailors family has little money to
spare. but a pipe, warm stockings or
some such article is received aboard
the vessel ard carefully kept until the
proper time, when all are hung on the
tree. The company gives the sailors
little wine or beer and Christmas
cakes. This applies also to the fire.
men, who have a tree of their own in
their own room"
Capt. Nierich has reason to remem-
Der one special Christmas. Eight years
ago he was running ship from sgd
ney, Australia, TO Samoa. and had as a
passenger Robert Louis Stevenson.
This was by no means the only time
Mr.. Stevenson was aboard my ship.
the captain said; but il was the only
time ] had him along when anything
happened. This time the Lubbock broke
shaft. That was bad enough, but al
| most as soon as we got il repaired il
broke again, and after that for the
third time. Then we put out all the
sail we could and made for Sydney
without trying to fix the shaft. shall
never forget Mr.. Stevenson at the time
He cheered everybody up by telling
| funny stories, that were better, com
ing offhand from his lips, than most
literary men could write if they worked
over them for weeks. He knew, too
that it was only short time before he
would die OF consumption, and that he
could never again go home for more
than brief visit. 1t was simply won
| derful what a difference that one man
made among the passengers; and
guess almost all of us would gladly
| spend the time to make port under
sail, with machinery disabled, If we
could have Stevenson aboard"
Stevenson described the disabling OF
the Lubbock in his volume entitled
"yailima Letters" and therein gives a
fiattering picture of Capt. Nierich's
composure in the face of what threat
ened to be a serious accident.-N. Y
| Sun.