The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-06-14


had been absent a day.
On to Alden, ninety miles from Pc
rim, and 1895 from Port Said. Coaled
and left mails for Africa and Arabia.
Anchored four miles from. the quay,
and as it was a dark night, with a
ashore, lest he could not be returned
in time. On to Bombay, 1854 miles
from Alden, across the Arabian sea.
Reached Bombay April 4, at g. M,
making fourteen days from Marseilles,
fifteen days from London, or twenty
three days from New York. Quite
contrast to my first voyage.
Bombay Beautiful City.
Bombay is city of about 1,0O0, 900
people, with fine buildings, we'll paved
streets and lighted with electricity
the most European city in Asia. The
leading class of it's citizens are the
Parsees, fine specimens of physical
manhood, capable in business cultured
and benevolent.
It is said that among them there are
no beggars, no drunkards and no pros
titutes. It was hot during the day
but cool at night, owing to the sea
breeze, as the wind is always reverse
at night.
The plague is bad. Five hundred a.
day are dying, and probably few Of
the dead are reported, as the govern
ment officers carry the victims to the
pest houses and destroy or fumigate
the houses where the dead are found
passed within few feet of a number
OF the pest houses, where many are
carried in, but few come out alive. I
did not enter, not from fear, but be-
cause 1 hate disease and death. There
was no scare in the city. Business and
pleasure were going at full swing.
PQOnl0 hi
ferent or hardened to disease and
death
No Fear of Cholera.
Some years ago I called on a Ger
man friend here in Calcutta, the pro-
prietor of a large rice mill. 1 asked
him why his mill was not running, and
he replied that he had lost some Of
his best men the night before from
cholera, so he was short of hands. We
went through the mill and about it as
indifferent to cholera as any of your
citizens with good, sound teeth would
go through tooth carpenters shop
and feel no twinge at the sight of his
instruments Of torture.
In 1864 L was at a great mela at
Huduar where the Ganges enters the
plains from the mountains. The gov
eminent officers estimated the crowd
at two and a half millions. Cholera
were thrown daily into the Ganges to
be eaten by crocodiles and fish. 1 was
there ten days and cannot remember
that any of the few Europeans had the
slightest fear Of the disease. An Eng
Hsh engineer was on leave with some
of his friends. He invited me to
breakfast with them at 10 o'clock but
before that to go with him fishing
He hooked fine fish over two feet
long and ino he
time as a real sportsman. Just
above us on the stones was the
half-eaten body of a woman. On our
way to the tent he quietly suggested
that we say nothing about the body
to the company until after we had
eaten the fish at breakfast.
Calcutta Is Filthy.
From Bombay to Calcutta via the
Nagpur line is 1910 miles through a
barren, hot country at this season;
time, forty-four hours; fare was $13.08
second class. Most of the Europeans
in this country go second class. / had
an apartment large enough for twelve
nearly all the way to myself. The
seats were eight feet long and two feet
wide, and as I had plenty of bedding
l slept we'll. Here we always carry
our bedding with us even if we go to
"AS1t Jul 1IleAuS. mattresses are not
needed as it is cooler without them.
A closet with plenty Of water for
bathing was a great comfort.
Calcutta has nearly million popu-
latfon, mostly natives. Probably not
over 5000 real Europeans live here.
Formerly it was called the "Cfty of
Palaces but now the city of "Stinks
and Statues" The new name is more
applicable. Except a few streets and
some fine buildings the rest is a motley
mixture Of huts built of bamboos, old
boards, old metal sheets, grass and
sticks, the places of filth and smells.
On many of the streets fine houses
are surrounded by these huts, and the
natives, impudent, defying authority,
keep up pandemonium. The groan-
Ing songs; the barking and fighting
Of dogs, the miawing of cats, which
merable fires, the smells of the vii
famous cooking and the stinks from
filth anywhere, make life a burden,
especially to. the newcomer. All this
makes Calcutta disgrace to civiliza-
ton. Yet tits the capital of India.
The v1ceroy's palace, grand public
buildings. the Eden garden, form a
beautiful picture, but not far away
and extending for miles are the huts
of poverty, the breeding places Of all
diseases and death. To give an idea
of the manner Of life here will have
to give it a personal character. I
went first to the Grand hotel, the best
in the city, Rate. Rs s a day l$2.56).
Elevator to a fine upper room. electric