Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-07-25
FROM HONOLUIDt TO MANILA
Pleasant Quarters p at Moderate
Prices EasiIy;Found.
PROCESSION ON A FETE DAY
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star

and we expect to sight land early tomor-
row. This will bring US to anchor off Ma
Mia, barring accidents or delay by wind
and weather, Wednesday evening. June 13.
seventeen days from Honolulu and twenty
seven from San Francisco. Of which three
and a half were spent at Honolulu.
The voyage has been over summer seas
and in the steady northeasterly and easter
ly trade winds that have generally kept up
a few white caps. but have been almost too
light for comfort because our westerly
course lessened the force and cooling effects
of the breeze. Still. it has not been I'M
comfortably hot, and even the most finical
have little fault to find with any feature Of
the voyage. If this ship be fair sample,
the army transport service may be regard
ed as a success.
The only break in the uninterrupted disc
of the horizon occurred the night of June {,
when We passed through the Ladrones close
to the tall, conical peak of Assumption
Island clearly visible in the bright NOON
light, with its summit in the clouds and an
Impressive air of lonely, solitary grandeur.
Not stick nor spar nor sail has been
seen all the way. and every navigator OF
the Atlantic votes this a most unsociable
sort of an ocean. The pretty flying fishes
We have with us always, and the lovely
strong-winged birds. Occasionally a flying
fish will land on board. and several birds
beautiful ''bo sun bird. with two long red
tail feathers, a strong red beak, flashing
black eyes, and firm, glossy white neck and
breast Surely these birds must navigate
by means of the sun and stars, as we do
how otherwise could they find their way to
their island homes? Possibly, in these lati
tudes the direction of the wind may be a
guide. But it is hard to explain un ess they
have a sense of which We ignorant.
The young gentlemen in the port gang
way-known here as ''Hogans aliey'-have
made 1t lively for themselves and others
with songs, practical jokes and various es-
capades that have helped to pass the long
warm afternoons and evenings. Their early
morning baths under the hose when the
decks are being washed down received a
sudden quietuS yesterday owing to little
contretemps and it has been decreed that
they shall battle only in the bath rooms.
Fortunately the pleasure was allowedsfor
all but the last three days of the voyage,
but the presence Of ladies' and children and
too early rising on their part led to its
forced abandonment. They say that on the
mail steamers out here they rig up big
tanks or ponds of sais and tarpaulins. fiji:
them with salt water by means of the
steam hose, supply bathing costumes aud
all the cabin passengers go in swimming at
regular hours. Not a bad idea to adopt
aboard our transports.
Variety of Costumes.
With lot of army officers aboard.
crowd of postal and other civil officials,
and the regular ships officers and quarter
masters clerks, We have a very motley set
OF costumes, from the trim blue and gold of
a well-dressed cavalry colonel 10 the coat
less cowboy style of those who affect that
fashion. Everything goes, and each is left
to his own good ior bad) taste. The pretty
summer costumes of the ladies are, need
less to say always appropriate and in good
taste. and the children, Of whom there are
seven. serve to remind us (whose little ones
are 10000 miles away of our own darlnSs.
1t seems that many physicians do not con-
slider 1t dangerous to take little children to
Manila. | supposed that the climate, especially
in summer. was difficult for them, but ones
circumstances may perhaps be such as TO
make a decision very difficult sometimes
Army ladies' have not yet acquired that
familiarity with long separations that the
wives of naval officers know so well and
endure perforce so patiently.
We passed the 1Shh meridian at III. Inn.
pm. so while that forenoon was called
Thursday, May 81. the afternoon was called
Friday, June 1. Usually entire day is
dropped, and from Thursday one passes di-
rectly to Saturday. Several of us puzzled
over this problem. Suppose you start with
the sun at noon Monday in Wa hington.
and accompany 1t westward. Yod will of
course reach Chicago at noon Monday, and
San Francisco and Honolulu the same, but
when will the day change? win you skip a
day when you reach the 1S0th meridian?
When you get back to Washington 1t will
surely be noon Tuesday. and not Wednes-
Watching Sundays Birth.
Il stood the bridge at midnight"
meaning the bridge of this vessel, Satur-
day. June . and felt queer thrill 1
thought that we were among the very first
to welcome the new Saturday, then only an
hour DID, at its birthplace in the vast solt-
tudes of the Pacific. At that moment, sur
rounded only by the purity of a summer
mi af h
consultations and the Southern Cross also
sparkling in the depths of the tropical sky.
l thought of the glare and heat of the
In London. Paris and Madrid There 1t was
Saturday, and the MONDAY sun was beating
down upon poor humanity in its daily
struggle for existence 1t was Saturday.
too. far south in Africa, and the hottest
part of the day Perhaps battle was rag
ing IN the Transvaal. Passing in magma
ton across the Atlantic to our own dear
land. l thought of the rays of that same
Saturdays sun just lighting up our eastern
states. peertng over into the Mississippi
valley. and bringing the dawn of day to
the peaks of the Rocky mountains. while
the Pacific slope was still In darkness. And
l thought OF that quiet midnight hour ush-
erfng In the Sunday as 1t passed swiftly
westward. at the rate Of about 800 miles an
hour. until the entire world had fallen
uhoer It's infuence. But 1 had to admit the
moment that happened a new day would be
born and the light Of another day succeed
me TWO chaplains on board held services
that Sunday morning in the open air under
the awnings on the hurricane deck. and
Nearer My God. to Thee" seemed pecu-
naNy beautiful and solemn. About that
very hour our friends at home were sitting
down to their Saturday dinner. 1 wonder il
they thought of us at church!
rms army transport service, 1t must be
candidiy admitted. Has come to stay-at
least, so long as we have distant colonies
AS regards possible naval management,
there are rev naval officers who would
want to go into the preight and passenger
business for the army, which Is what it
would amount to- and probably no serious
EFFORT will now be made to- interfere What
may result Is that special genus of officer
VIII be added some day ito the quarter
masters corps of the army. to be called a
transport quartermaster.r. and the duties
or both quartermastes! and captain will be
combined in him. In other words, the army
VIII nave corps Of ARMY naval officers"
l fall to see how this result can well be
avoided and think 1t would prove more sat
isfactory and more logical than the pres
ent system It is easily within the limits Of
the capabilities of man to acquire a good
working knowledge both of the quarter
masters duties and Of those of the captain
OF a merchant steamer. which is all that will
De needed TO make the transport Quartermas-
ter OF the future. 1t will be much ca sier how