The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-02-10
TRAVEL ON WESTERN LAKES.
Terrors of Winter Trip on an Icy
Inland
From the Chicago ohronicle.)

Terrors of Winter Trip on an Icy
Inland Sea.
From the Chicago Chronicle.)
Hello. old man. when you goin' to take
that "trip to Milwaukee you talked about
last week.
Good enough. Got to go myself to-
aHurrah, Let's go together and have
a high old time"
I'm with you
AN right--meet you at the depot.
Which road will
Road nothin I'm not goin up on any
railroad
"How's that?' asked the other as his
chin dropped and he looked in blank
amazement at his friend.
Il said l wasn't going up on any rail-
road"
Coin to fly. skate. or Walk"
None of EN-: goin' up on a boat
Go on go on. what you talkin' bout ?
This is winter. I'm afraid you're gettin'
'em again. guess you think this is sum
mer time and you're figurin' on a hot
weather excursion
MY boy, you are displaying your ignor-
ance. You don't know any more about
this than lot of other people in Chicago.
You follow me and we'll have nice,
cheap comfortable trip to the place where
the beer grows.
The protesting friend succumbed to the
inducements held out for a winter water
trip to Milwaukee and at quarter OF
O'Clock the two went down to the river and
boarded a boat that started up the lake
fifteen minutes later.
Probably comparatively small part of
the city is aware of it, but two Chicago
boat lines-the Goodrich and the Barry
run passenger vessels all winter long when
the river ana the lake are not absolutely
impossible from floating ice. 1t is very
seldom, however that there is ever enough
ice in the river TO seriously interfere with
the passage of a steamer. All of he yes
sells used in the winter are strong, large
boats capable of cutting through all ordi-
nary fields of ice almost as if they were SO
much foam. So far this winter noats have
not been DELAYED a single minute in start
ing on account of floating ice but in other
years there have been times when the ice
was so heavy that boats were kept in port
for two or three days
Every night over fifty people leave Chi
cago for Milwaukee by boat The boats
leave early in the evening and arrive in
the Milwaukee harbor long before sunrise
the next morning. The passengers can
have their breakfasts on board the steam
er in the morning or can go 10 the city be-
fore, just as they please. Milwaukee is
about eighty five miles from Chicago and
boats easily make the trip in eight hours
or there abouts After a brief stay in the
harbOr OF the cream city the boa. starts
back to Chicago with passengers and also
freight. Once a week a beat leaves here
for Sturgeon Bay, which is about 2i0 miles
from Chicago. and twice a week boats
leave for Kewaunee and Algom& which
points are approximately 200 miles from
the city. Twice week boats go TO Mani
towoc and three times a week vessels
leave for Waukegan and Kenosha. The
Milwaukee boats of one lire stop every
night at Racine on the way
All of the steamers except those bound
TO Milwaukee are really of more import
ance as freighters than they are as pas
senger liners for there are compare Cively
few people who leave Chicago for these
smaller towns. But the freight business
to the minor points remains just as strong
in the winter as in the summer and the
lake freight rates are such that steamers
get a good per cent OF the trade. There
are accommodations, however, for pas
sengers on all of these boats bound for
the little cities with cargoes of freight
and all of them have few passengers as
a rule. but the passenger business on all
other than the Milwaukee boats is almost
infnitesimal in comparison with the
freight traffic.
Usually a winter trip on Lake Michigan
from Chicago TO the north is not pleas
ure iaunt by any means. The bowling
winds that come down from the north
sweep the decks of the passenger boat
like hurricane. while ever and anon the
bitter blast carries aboard a driving sheet
of ice-cold spray that cuts like knife.
In the worst weather this spray often
turns to ice almost as quick as it touches
the deck and the vessel comes into port
yeneered with ice from stem to stern.
OF course few boat passengers take to
lake travel on account of any great fond
ness for icy blasts and freezing fpray.
They don't get out on the deck and wander
up and down, chatting about the pleasant
evening while 10-below zero wind is
sweeping across the jibboom poop of the
boat They stay inside of the cabin where
it is nice and warm and where only the
sounds of the bowling blasts penetrate.
1t may not all be so pleasant and safe
as travelling in luxurious sleeping car,
is phpaDpr