The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-09-26

recently appointed by the republic to
represent its interests in the internA-
tional tribunal at The Hague, and also
named By President Roosevelt to be
one of the three commissioners for the
United States on the same occasion.
Mr.. Bowen was our most distinguished
and prominent passenger. He is over
SIX feet tall, commanding in presence
and agreeable and forceful in CONVEX
sation. This seemed quite natural for
a man or his long and successful expe-
rience in the consular and diplomatic
service for the United States at Car
accas, Barcelona. in Italy and Persia.
He comes of newspaper family. his
the New York Independent. He is a
crack marksman and terror to Span
| iards by reason of a chance shot he
once put through a visiting card out
of easy range.
We soon learned that one of the
principal occupations on shipboard is
eating. The menu is complete in every
with view to satisfy to its fullest ex-
tent the palate of the well man and
10 torture to the utmost extremity the
appetite of the victim to sea sickness.
fortunately on the way over our ship
was SO steady and the sea SO moderate
tnet Few were III and the larder of the
passengers.
When 1t is related that it costs thous-
anos TO provision the ship for a round
trlp and that there are eight different OPP
portunft1es for partaking of refreshmenr
some IDEA Will be formed how carefully
the company provides for internal well
fare of those aboard. OF course fnclud-
ed IN the steamer ticket is the payment
for all this provision. AS rule 1 felt
we obtained to the fullest extent in al
most every case the value for which We
paid for every incident of our entire
trip l did realize in one instance that
l had been imposed upon. This was
during the return voyage, a rough pas
sage, at the conclusion of which the
New York papers referred to the snip as
floating hospital. The time to which
reference is made was from a certain
period at sea extending from Wednes-
day evening until Sunday morning, an
interval during which Mrs. MacLennan
had no desire to appear in the dining
room and during most of which days
her diet was toast and tea, neither of
which adhered to her with that fondness
which attends a we'll enjoyed meal
Though / was myself impertinently
we'll all the time. this is not said boast
fully or unkfndly, for the motion of the
ship and its elevating tendencies were
followed by fine health and strong con-
stitution which my companion could
| doubtless have never SO thoroughly and
promptly secured. though possibly by
longer and more staying courses of
dieting.
We could eat, with appetite and in
clination, at the following hours:
500 a. m. coffee and rolls in state
room.
500 a. M. breakfast, fruit, cereal.
eggs, meat and coffee.
1890 a. m. boullon and sandwiches on
deck
100 p. m, luncheon. a square meal in
the dining room.
200 p. m. coffee in the smoking room
or reading room.
400 p. m, lemonade, ginger snaps,
sea cake and crackers.
700 D. M, dinner. table dhote and
quite swell
900 p. m, tea
Is it a wonder that oeopIe who cross
the sea in modern ships escaping sick
ness are heroes ashore?
One midnight with three other gentle
men visited the Marconi telegraph Of
f1ce on the upper deck of the steamer.
About that time in mid-ocean the COM
panion ship, Kaiser Wilhelm II, was
due to pass in the opposite direction and
about so miles to the northward. An
exchange of messages was contempla-
ted The room was small. about eight
by ten; the noise somewhat oppressive
to the ears and the electric flashes daz-
zling to the eyes. The key Of the opera
tor was as large as the rim of coffee
cup. He was calling for the Kaiser.
but by the rules of the system, any
ship hearing must answer. Two hours
passed, nothing happened. My compan-
I
the instrument. Finally toward three
o'clock there was peculiar clicking of
the sounder, the tape began to unreel
with the dots and dashes stamped upon
it; the operator raised his finger as if
something were doing and said:
I'VE have got them I think
A quarter of an hour passed with
neither sound nor tape legible to the
operator. Then there were more mys-
terious clickings of a uniform charac-
ter. Now was translated the signature
of the Saxonia. This ship, the charts at
hand said. was Cunard steamer which
had left Liverpool several days before.
These messages were then exchanged:
Good morning Saxonia. How are
your
In a moment came the reply:
Good morning KronprinZ. All well.
How are your"
Have you heard the Kaiser Wilhelm
II?"
No"
Word was then sent to our captain
that we were in communication with the
Saxonia. The latitude and longitude of
our ship was given and wired to the
Saxonia which was soon figured to be at
a distance of 240 miles.
Asking the price of a MESA ge, I was
told it would be sent for 81 word to
New York. The Marconi was YET too
high in the air for me and 1 concluded
to wait a few days and use the old
fashioned cable at thirty-six cents per
word.
About fees: Tipping is another and
continued story to the end of the trip.
F. P. NJ.