The Savannah morning news., 1902-01-05
REV. Mr.. STRoNG'S LETTER.
THE STARTING POINT OF A TRIP
TO EUROPE.

DESCRIPTION OF n snip Ihut is N
Floating HofeI-The Luxuries
which First-CIass Passengers
Have-The Arrangements and Con-
veniences for COmfOrt-The Pro-
visions which Are Made for Safe
ty-How the Time Is Passed on the
VOynge-The Quarters of the I'm
nYiErnnts-Other Matters of In
terest.
1.-THE following is the first of a series
of letters written by the Rev. Charles
H. Strong. who left this city several
weeks ago for a visit of six months in
Europe. Mr.. Strong is close observer
and an entertaing writerl
On Board Steamship Feurst Bis
mark, Nov. 23.-An iron boat named
after an Iron Chancellor and worthy
to make of the German peoples a
united nation and in the execution of
his design rode rough-shod over all op-
position, so this modern namesake
crushes the waves which to a petty
coastwise steamer would seem uncon-
querable, beneath her steel PROV. and
recoils not a hairs breadth from the
shock. Her deck rail keeps parallel
with the horizon and does not continu-
ally sink and rise in a sickening sort
of a way. And as to the unity of her
internal arrangements, the military
solidarity which Bismarck established
is not a cipher to it.
Italy, we have learned at school, is
in Europe, but our geography will
have to be revised Italy begins at
Hoboken-at least, it does on one Of
the days when one of these giant Ham
burgers is unloading its 1000 steerage
passengers from Fair Italia Ho-
boken on the outside of the pier; Italy
ON the inside-a surging, shouting mass
of dark skinned immigrants, men coat
less, women hatless and children like
the boy models of Raphael sitting on
the lude trunk that constitutes all the
worldly goods of their forbears, and
kicking their little feet against its
rough sides.
A really good description of one of
these modern mammoths of the sea is
needed. We had no idea of their COM
fort, convenience and safety until we
had trod their manifold decks from
bilge to hurricane, from aft to fore
aastle. An experience of sea voyage
% years ago will furnish no compari-
son for one of the present day. I'm
agine a big maritime hotel capable OF
2,000 guests-a Waldorf Astoria on
keel. and it's roof garden thrown in.
Well, we apply for rooms at this sea-
hotel a month or two in advance. AT
that moment perfect system begins.
Together with our tickets are given
us printed labels, gummed and ready
for us: Hold" i. e., trunk in hold
of the steamer; "S,'' j. E., that is state
room trunk; Numero, i. e., for small
packages. On the day of sailinS,
armed with these tickets, and labels
gummed to the proper articles, we
present ourselves at the gangway. We
and our belongings are sent to our diff
ferent apartments; we suppose it is
we'll with our trunks-certainly it is
well with us. A good sized room, with
every convenience. Think, ladies, of
bureaus, and closets, and cubbyholes;
think of an electric apparatus for curl
ing the locks of hair tossed by the
boisterous wind. and an electric food
warmer for heating the babys milk
at night Comfortably settled in your
stateroom. then follow interviews
with sundry interesting stewards; the
bath steward, to name your hour for
your daily salt bath; the deck steward,
to secure a steamer chair and a loca>
ton for it; the chief steward, to OBJ
tain your seats in one of the dining
rooms, the one of the captain presum-
ably the best.
There interesting personages having
provided for your future. you are now
at liberty to look about The Hotel
idea now takes possession of you; the
lower four storys Cor decks) belong to
the ships company and the emigrants
the upper four are the property of the
Hotels guests. True, there is no lift
or elevator, there will be some day.
but there are cunning little stairs
every where, and innumerable little
corridors dividing the habitable part of
the boat into maze of apartments.
If on pleasure bent, you go to the front,
where will be found music hall, library
and very much gilded and very rocco
dining rooms piled up three deep; if
seeking the vulgar conVeniences, you
go aft, where are sea- baths. barber,
toilets and smoking-rooms. You need
not look out after the fire escapes. but
the sea escapes are worthy of atten-
ton. For 1000 passengers Uncle Sam
requires 2.400 life preservers, II metal
life boats. and 6 life RATS. For safety
against the rocks that bound the
shores of the Azores a double steel
bottom is provided. And then, as the
best precaution of all. the entire ship
is divided lengthwise by a water
tight compartment, so that, like a
man, if wounded in one member. it can
creep on with the other. These long
itudinal divisions are again divided by
transverse doors making the ship d
vast collection of floating boxes. On
the occurrence of a fog. 1t is suggestive
Ito say the leasD to see the stewards
hurrying everywhere to close those
doors. All members of a family should,
in selecting their rooms, endeaVor to
get in the same box or section. The
other four decks of our WaMorf de-
scend into the deep as far as the up
per four tower above It.
Now so strict is the discipline of this
German line that the officers will not
talk about the ships, the voyages. or
those thousand and one things which
travellers like to ask, consequently it
is difficult to get below your deck into
the lower world. had to exercise my
fascination on captain, purser. en-
gineer for several days before ] was
invited 10 "go below" There were sew
eral millions of gold down there-per-
haps that was the reason. ] never did
overcome the engineer, so all | know
is that somewhere down there is a big
machine shop with several hundred en-
gines Of one kind and another occu-
pying the whole length of the steamer
But | was invited to visit the emf
grants and their quarters; 1t seems
that the Italian goes home as soon as