New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-08-19
THE SCYTHIAN'S CRUISE.
MISS DAYS NARRATIVE OF HER WAN
behring's IN WEST INDIAN WATERS.

summer people. Even the ou'siue VI
linen. with the Scythisns bursee hoating over
. tng patch Of sea blue tells that TINS Is d poo
for yachts and easy deck chairs. to be READ
,,nasr sunny skies incidentally. moreover some
Information about the West Indies has oeen
,ntro8uced into the pages The author has not
made assertions in regard 10 the conditions anu
Government Of the islands without carefui STUDY
q, their history. There are many pictures IN the
hook Some Of them are due TO the authors
non as witness the following fragment:
Coaling in the West Indies in indeed strsn e
SIGHT The coal Is piled in great black MUS Oh
The shore and around these heaps are tne
women who are to coal the boat Ihey are ciat
tering and jabbering ike MONKEYS 49,, m'n IN 70
their knees and baskets in their hands; AS SON
as the planks are placed from the oechs ~ .no
wharf signal is given and the women toi Ia
IN lina Each one fills her basket with one nun,
dred hounds Of coal. and swings IT 10 her heao
with q skful motion. with TINS puIuelI sne
climbs the plank walks 70 the opening OF siIe
coal bunker and emptieS the contents OF her
basket In a second she is off the plank TOT an
other load and repeats the operation endlessIy
through the hot, tropical noon. Ihere Is d SoI Oh
tinuous stream Of these women. ana as thelI
faces grow smutchy with the coal dust ana the
perspiration trickles In unbecomlng drops uoWh
their noses, II is impossible to distinguish one
from the other. 1t is not IN any way so1 G,
moral but II is none the less true that the only
really degraded looking people we saw curing
onr tr,,1 we're these same hard working women,
with their gTimy features muscular legs anu
hard unsexed features.
The father of Mr.. Paterson (the American
Consult the first TO inaugurate inns inetIou
of ooaling ship and employed the women SIN
ply because he could not persuade the men 10
work The women only submitted 10 IL because
The money they earned during the week enabled
them 10 eclipse all their idle sisters on sun
dav by the gorgeOusness of their purple and me
linen. Not that their work is well paid. Each
woman after emptying her basket, receives
from man on deck a metal coin, which she
nuts in her mouth Cor safe keeping When the
coeuna is over these coins are redeemed at the
rate of five cents for every four This means
that to earn 81 a woman must make eighy
rounds up and down those planks, IN the oroll-
ing sun. carrying eight thousand pounds or TOUR
tons of coal on her weary head. Is 1t any
wonder that most Of the negroes WIN less
vanity in their composition prefer well fed.
sufficiently clothed poverty TO an underpald
work which bends their shapely backs, draws
their features into haggards lines and saps the
very life from their limbs?
Among the many illustrations we note some
displaying the pleasant quarters of the scyth-
fan These rooms were all designed by the cap
tain herself It may be explained here that the
Yacht was originally tramp vessel and tow
boat In the changes that were made when
she became a pleasure craft the old towing
bits and a great steel hook at the mainmast
were left untouched. The Scythian is as strong
as iron can make her, with heavy plating on
her sides and a general construction that is to
be relied on in the shaking up Of heavy sea-
After her last purchase she was completely
cleared Of interior decks. and the spaces thus
occurred were filled in according TO womans
notion Of what the inside OF yacht should be.
The femninity of the Scythian comes to the
front markedly in the huge quantity of cup
board room that has been secured But every
where the touch Of woman's hand is visible.
Miss Day got comparatively cheap craft, that
is as strong as the Sandy Hook LigEtship, and
converted 1t, in short into woman's home. In
which she lives about six months out OF the
year She Was the first to make the experiment
and is proud Of her vessel, for its stirdiness as
we'll as for its dainty comforts She compares
the Scythian to a bulldog, on account Of It's
wide bluff front and general stanchness. All
through the book her affection for this marine
bulldog comes out. When the decks are coated
with ice and the spray is sheathing the smoke
stack with salt. and when the wind whistling
through the rigging lends &c each line and spar
its own particular shrek" the boat Is praised
with special warmth by its owner. And when
she enters a cross sea in the Gulf Stream
Miss Day exhibits her JOY In the way in which
the vessel acts She says: LAS We sat in the
stern of the boat watching the great following
waves, each seeming higher than her mast, they
seemed to come so fast that We felt sure each
one must swallow us UP. But our little boat
knew her business well: she would give a big
lift into the air, wriggle herself with curious
motion, come down triumphantly, and we could
see the great watery mountain rolling ahead
leaving us in safety" The author protests that
she has always had great respect for the Gulf
Stream. But when its heavy cross seas begin
10 smash her china the statement Is made that
1t is much easier TO listen with equanmity to the
smashing OF crockery a Cunarder than to
hear similar sounds on ones own vessel.
When the Scythian was being taken into the
harbor Of Santo Domingo the black pilot was
asked to be very careful of the ship.
"Oh, Signorita." he exclaims, "h no fear! I
don't want to be shot"
Failing 10 see any point 10 his remark, we IN
Quired further.
why" he answered, airily. you know II I
lost your boat President Heureaux would shoot
me at once. The pilots here used to make great
profits by putting boats ashore and then getting
them of again. But HE with much emphasis
on the 'he') stopped all that. He published that
he would shoot any one who grounded vessel
That is his shooting place over there" he re-
marks casually pointing 10 group Of palm
trees peacefully waving their feather buster
leaves in the gentle breeze.
silence falls on our party, and the captain
asks, in voice that tries TO sound Indifferent II
he is fond Of shooting foreigners.
Foreigners. Dios MICS. No. he loves them
especially Americans. He knows you are COM
ing. and is expecting your visit
We are relieved. 1t is pleasant to think that
President is waiting for you. even If he be a
black President who shoots pilots without trial.
We came 10 anchor opposite the shooting
place" or rather we were tied bow and stern to
a couple of palm trees on the shore.
The meeting with President Heureaux when
the travellers presented their cards at the pal
ace. is very interesting. He is described at great
length. and is called 1.-THE black Napoleon OF the
West Indies undoubtedly cruel, rapa-
cious and selfish. with will Of iron, keen
judgment and an extremely level head, always
fair TO those who did his WILL but sudden and
sure in his methods when disloyalty made itself
known . man who came to power through