Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1900-05-31
THE GREAT EXPOSITION.
The New Dominion Correspond
ent In Gay Paris.

to Those of Other Lines Promises
Us Some spicy Letters During the
Summer.
En- ROUTE TO THE PARIS ExPoSI,
moN, Nip OCEAN, May, 2l.In or
der to reach the Paris Exposition,
We Americans must EMBARK There
is no dry road either Embarkation
on q great liner is an act on a
great stage with comic, melodramas
tic and even tragic seense. The huge
vessel looms alongside the pier. The
hour for sailing is IL but three
hours earlier the passengers begin
to arrive with bag and baggage,
sclip and serippage, some with tam
lily, Wallets and maids, others alone.
Some with six trunks, others with
grip and an umbrella. Some in
Inverted carriages, others on the
street car Messengers arrive with
flowers, the gifts OF friends Some
of the bouquets are magnificent and
expensive They are now, three
days out, displayed in the steamer
salon, making it look like florists
bazaar. One huge bouquet Of rare
roses and orchids + am told cost at
least one hundred dollars.
For an hour or more before the
time for sailing the decks and pub
lie rooms Of the great vessel are
crowded, but for the most part by
relatives and friends of those VIII o
have come to see the passengers off
The hour for sailing is near, the
screws Of the steamer are turning,
but merely for practice, getting
their hand in before they strike the
long wet streak across the Atlantic.
The ships band breaks upon the
babble of tongues with lively pro-
menade Many, surprising the
hour has come, rush down the plank
lest they be taken TO Europe unpre
pared; but the more experienced
await the final signal, for the band
will, with intermissions. play sever
al more airs. The time for parting
hos come. Those who sail on the
Hamburg American Line are large
lv German Americans, and they
either feel more or pretend to feel
more. or restrain their feelings
less than we undemonstrative I'm
hyphenated Americans They kiss,
embrace and weep, and then, after a
breathing spell, rush at each other
and do it again. Men kiss men, and
women kiss women, Ell csce versd od
libitu8s, all the while looking at
each other with such looks of long
ing, despairing fondness as we are
accustomed to see only when the
coffin lid closes for the last time.
Finally there is signal for friends
to leave the boat and after last
repetition of narrowing paintings,
the immense steel floating hotel
moves slowly from the pier and then
with increasing speed sails down
the bay and out to sea. We had
beautiful starting weather, but fine
weather will not prevent sea sick
ness in the predisposed. for we were
not out of sight of the Goddess OF
Liberty in New York Harbor before
some Of the passengers were reclin-
ing on steamer chairs and sucking
lemons.
After having crossed the Atlantic
six times, / confess to preference
for German manned boats The ser
vice on deck, in cabin aud at the
table is the best | have found 1t
is prompt, intelligent and cheerful
without obsequiousness, and With
out the perpetual suggestion of tips
or extra pay, although no doubt
they know that will come. But /
prefer these boats mainly on ac-
count of a feeling of greater secur-
ity, which one always experiences
in the presence Of perfect order and
rigid discipline. In the crews which
man the great passenger ships of
the German miners the German En-
pire has educated race OF seamen
that is second numerically to that
of England alone, and perhaps not
SCtoHd III tllt SNtil, SphId aHd sea
worthiness of the individual sailor
1t must be remembered that these
trained men of the merchant marine
belong to the reserve force of the
German navy and can be called on
at any moment to man the war ships
that the German Kaiser is so indus
tiously building. 1t should be re-
membered by onr countrymen and
our Statesmen that within the last
year the. United States has sent an
army of seventy thousand men over
a sea route OF 1000 miles and that
England has trayersed the same
distance with more tlan 100000
and $4,000 horses. We are no long
er the isolated people sea grit as By
fire we once were and we have not
an overwhelming navy like that Of
England to protect MS Count Won