Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1901-03-14
IN SOUTHERN SEAS.
Extracts from Letters Of A. G. Smith
of Tunbridge.
go Miles So. East Bermudas,
Ion 2 1OoI

Jan. 5. lSul.
NY DEAR PARENTS - do not suppose
this letter will reach you Tor many weeks,
INT am going to have il ready in case we
meet a steamer that will take our mail, but
we are out of the course of any boats ex-
cent those i'm the South American trade.
However. in two weeks we shall be in
Pernambuco, Brazil, or the 10th of Jan
uary, with good weather such as we have
been having.
We finally cleared from New YORK at
2 %. m, Dec. 30th. We held direct south
east one day and then our course lays
straight south east, quarter south,
Though of course we sail in a trifiing
curve, the world being round. Ii is b,OoO
miles TO Pernambuco.
First of all / have not had a moments
seasickness nor lost meal, though III
confess felt little uncertain as TO what
my stomach was going to do about mid
night the first night, but dose OF Jamaica
ginger and walk on deck kept me up all
right and now do not mind the motion
OF the ship any more than that OF rock
ing chair.
and is a Buddhist, he says, though he has
knocked around the world so long doubt
il he knows. The steward is Santo
Domingo negro, educated in New Orleans,
five wears in the u. s. navy, lived several
years in London, Paris, Vienna, Rome,
Melbourne, Calcutta and New York and
speaks little of every language, and as
good English as anybody. The captain is
from Marblehead, Mass, and has been at
sea thirty years, in every capacity. The
two mates are both Yorkshire English
men and typical of their nation. The
third mate is Scotchman, nearly seventy.
He is still straight and strong. He has
sailed around the world twenty times and
what he does not know about cities and
people is very little The chief engineer is
a canny Scot and as mum as an oyster, but
knows his work thoroughly.
Twenty flour hours out we struck the
Gulf Stream and il has held warm enough
to go without coat ever since, and is
growing warmer fast. Only one vessel
sighted yet and that Savannah boat.
Expect il will be monotonous before we
reach Sac Paulo, but as yet everything is
new and time passes fast.
Tonight is the first really rough weather
and the spray is dashing 20 feet over the
after deck, but this is not really what
they call rough, but l cannot write plain
and will give il up till later.
January b.-For the last two days have
had winds from % to 40 miles an hour and
they have kicked up rather heavy seas.
The sails also are wet 20 feet from the
water for we carry four sails like a schoon-
er when the wind is favorable. This
steamer has 100000 worth of cargo, OF
which $4,000 worth is in my care for the
company at Sac Paulo.
We viii pass the tropic about the 7th of
this month and then begins warm wealth
err, but they say it is never very bad at sea
with the breeze.
took on board all the January maya
zines | could find in New York city, also
some books, among them "Eben Holden
and "To Have and To Hold and have
read both. The first named is novel OF
American life before the war. Am glad !
have the habit of reading for it will help
many weary hour IL the material holds
out for three weeks more. When / say
''weary hour" i do not mean homesick,
for though would like to be with you In
dear old Vermont, still / want to 90 on,
and think it is for the best. The past few
weeks have been full OF experience to me
and look for far more in the time TO
come.
The talk Of every city ON earth that one
daily hears has aroused in me a great de-
sire to see some little OF it myself, and
have plans for bicycle trip through Eng
land and France when / get back from
here, but that is in the future.
January 1--WE are in 10 north and ex-
pect to reach Pernambuco about the 18th,
and shall be there three days and reach
Santos in six more.
! fear, for the novelty is about worn of,
and my reading matter is about ex hausted.
We sighted a six-masted schooner today,
but were too far away to exchange signals.
We are now about 1000 miles from South
1000 from Africa and / 5000 from
Pernambuco. You see Brazil is a silver
and also a high tariff country,
and customs run from 500 to 1856, so il
will cost something to get our goods
through. ] am studying the Portuguese
language but it is rather slow work, also
have gained quite a lot of knowledge
about the ship that may be of use to me
sometime, but do not want any part of a
sailors life be he stoker or captain, for il
is hard and monotonous.
January 16, Latitude g. South.-The
heat today has been something terrific;
several ships in sight and at p. m. Cape
st. Rogue came in view, just a shadow on
The western horizon. Land will be in
sight most of the time till we reach Santos, |
but many miles away, though one can /,
smell different oder from that OF the sea,
like the fields burnt by the summer sun.
Whales, sharks, flying fish and several |
schools OF porpoises have been around the /
ship all day and the porpoises raced us. |
coming alongside and leaping out OF the +,
water.
January IL, IL a. m.-We are lying out |
side the city OF Pernambuco, waiting for |
custom officers, and the pilot just aboard /
says mail leaves today so will send this |
and write again later, which / hope you |
VIII receive as soon as four weeks from /
now.
ARTHUR G. SMITH.
On Pernambuco, Jan. IL, 1901.