St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1900-06-06
En- Route to the Paris Exposition.

the Paris Exposition, for the Trans
Siberian Route is not open. But IN
spite of the distance the water and
the expense of it, it is safe to say
there will be three times as many
Americans at the Paris Exposition
as there were Europeans and Asia
tics together at the Chicago Exposi'
ton. Next to the English, we
Americans are the greatest travellers
in the world and since we and the
English speak the same language
and spend more money than all the
rest of the globe PAGERS of the world,
the language spreads and spreads.
1t is far more spoken and printed
and read than any other two Ian
guages. 1t is no longer necessary to
know French, German, Spanish or
Italian in order to travel in those
countries, though it is of course
more convenient to do so and will
add greatly to the pleasure and edu-
cation of travel. Our language is
spoken in all the important hotels
and shops of Europe. Even the
French, so impervious to anything
that has not originated in Paris,
have begun in the last ten years to
learn English and are able now to
cajole and cheat US in our vernacu-
lar.
These reflections came to me at sea
on my fourth trip to Europe and my
second trip to a Paris Worlds Fair.
In 1878, twenty two years ago in
this month OF May, l sailed on
steamer, the Swevia, of this same
Hamburg-American line. The Swe-
via was boat of about 5000 tons.
This boat is 10000 tons. 1t took
us then twelve days to cross; we
expect now to make the passage in
less than seven days. These improve
ments are suggestive of recent pro-
gress in ship and engine building. I
have crossed in four ships of this line.
| have d preference for these German
manned boats. Their martinez dis
cipline which is seen in the crew and
in the attendants, whether on deck,
in cabin or in the dining saloon,
affords sense of security and pro-
lection that one does not feel with the
lax, go-as-you' please management of
some other lines. 1t may be that if
we should collide with something
and our boat should start in a YER
teal Decline for the nearest land at
the bottom, these machine-like
Germans would initiate the French
sailors in the recent wreck of the
Bourgoyne, jump in the boats them
selves and beat off the 6rst-class
with the oars. But men
and sailors have been known in
deadly peril to think of others before
themselves and | believe there is
something Of this Berkinhead spirit
in the seamen who man the Ham.
burg boats. The danger of sinking
has been reduced until it is no longer
possible except from collision or fire,
and the dangers from these sources
have been minimized almost out of
sight by the selection of safe ocean
routes and by fre-proof construc-
ton.
The three distinct achievements of
the twin'screw system are increased
speed, regularity in the arrival of
vessels, and, most important of all,
high degree of safety at sea. By |
this system the vessel is divided into
two parts entirely separated from
each other by a strong steel wall or
running the whole length
Of the ship. Two non-communi-
rating parts having thus been es-
each one is equipped with
an engine shaft and screw, working
of and wholly I'M
affected by the movements of the
other. The advantage gained by
this principle is obvious, for a de-
arrangement of the engine on one side
n no way affects the other which
will continue its work with but little
oss OF speed. Each half of the shin
S divided by transverse bulkheads
INTO numerous water-tight compart-
nents and double bottom insures
rom injury from below. Another
advantage of the twin screw is the
control held over the direction of the
ship. In case of accident to the
'udder the vessel can be accurately
'teered by driving one screw ahead
and reversing the other.