Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-05-15
First Letter Received From Calvin
Manning, Commissioners to Paris:
REPORTS AVERY DELIGHTFUL VOYAGE
He and Other Members of Family En-.
joyins Best of Health-Communi.
cation Received by Mrs.
f. M. Hunter.
Iron Fridays Daily.J

Mr.. and Mrs. F. NJ. Hunter are in re-
ceipt of the first letter from Calvin
Manning and family since their arri-
val in England. The communication is
descriptive of the voyage, and is dated
May 1. having been mailed at Queens
town Immediately upon their arrival.
The vessel on which Mr.. Manning and
his family made the voyage is 'sThe
New England" of the Dominion line.
1t is SIS feet long, and has a tonnage
OF 1900 pounds. 1t is of the twin
screw pattern, and was built at Belfast.
in 1898. 1t has Lightweight state
rooms and 1857 berths. The vessel
draws 1914 feet of water. It has six
boilers II SO feet long and 16 5-12 feet
in diameter. They are made Of steel
IL inches thick and carry with safety
200 pounds of steam to the square
inch. The New England can accom-
modate 1874 passengers and crew of
157. Its captain is James McAuley.
Mr.. Manning's letter was written
while the vessel was 1900 miles in
mid-oceon, and is as follows:
1t is indeed a blessing to, be able to
talk with friends, and especially so
when out on the oceans depths. What
a wonder and experience to me; some
thing new each hour. We are all well,
and are taking our regular meals.
Mrs. Manning, however, is IN her state
room, or on deck. She is getting
along well, II think. We met our
friends. Messrs. Jansen and Paxton, in
Boston. Mr.. and Mrs. John Orr and
Miss Zoe Hill completed the party for
lunch. In the afternoon we visited
the ship for the purpose of looking af-
ter our baggage and other details, and
were told we could come aboard any
time during the evening as the vessel
would sail the next morning at $3.50
o'clock. In Boston the harbor is quite
shallow and they have to take advan-
tage of the tides to get out. It was in
teresting to me to witness the loading
of the ship, with the great steam der
ricks at work, one fore and the other
aft. The mountain of baggage and
supplies for the ship, and the people
all busy with their individual cares.
1t seemed to me in the afternoon it
would be several days before they
would be loaded, but after dinner we
attended the opera, 1.-THE Singing
Cod" by the Alice Nelson company.
1t was very fine. Our friends went TO
the ship with us. We have a
splendid location, and like our
company. We are favored
with seats at the DOCTORS table, OPP
posite the captains table in the cen
ter of the saloon, and we suppose he
has exempted us from all sickness.
Mary has only missed one meal, and
that was because she was asleep.
On our arrival at the ship, about
11:30 p. M, we babe farewell TO
friends and retired. The next morn
ing bright and early we were all On
deck 1t was a beautiful spring morn
ing. The signal sounded promptly at
$3.50, when the great ship was ioos-
ened from her moorings and the tugs
pushed and pulled her out Of the har-
Dor, and Boston and its surroundings,
beautiful as they are, faded away.
| Even the old Bunker Hill monument
soon sank behind the clouds, and we
parted with the pilot in the tug, last
messages were sent, and out Of the
historic old harbor, made so by a
| little tea party some years ago, we
Isailed into this great and grand old
ocean. We have been blessed with
good weather, not all sunshine, but
no rough sea. After several days eN.
Lperience / can say this is grand
Iship, and one of the very best that
crosses the Atlantic. and to think o,
this floating palace, with its twelve
4 thousand tons of freight, all ships
Iisupplies, and, about 1000 people
aboard is a marvel to me when I in.
|vestigate the ship and the working
|jof the machinery. The doctor took us
to the chief engineer and he gave us
lguides to see the boilers and stokers
There are six boilers, each having sis
4 fire boxes. Two great shafts, ffteer
and a half inches in diameter drive
the wheel. The great rudder thai
4 guides the ship, turned so. easily by
| the pilot in the wheel house, is guild
ed by the help of a steam engine.
i ] enclose menu of our daily living
| which includes even more than is to be
/ had in the first class hotels on land
The log of the ship is reported eacl
day at noon, and we set our watche.
ahead about one-half hour. This brac
ing sea air is splendid for me, and each
night we are rocked to sleep in the
cradle of the deep. Please remembcl
us to all our friends. Very truly,
i Calvin Manning.