The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-08-16
MISS MARION KELLY WRITES OF
 HER OCEAN VOYAGE AND GIVES

the glorious reign of Queen Anne We cannot stop; we pass on down the way, and there is the odor of woods for alder, and broom, and trees of various kinds grow next to the wall on the banks of the moat. Another round tower, "The Water Tower" The door is ajar. We sec that no one is admitted on Saturday but just inside is a figure in armor with its tall battle-axe, upheld as if still on guard. Professor Powers stopped to tell us the history of this part of the city. Years ago when the Romans came to Britain this was one of the places where they established a camp. The word Chester means camp. They used this as landing place; in fact, 1t was the Liv- erpool of England, where all the ships were moored, and the sea came up around this tower. In digging, many pill lars have been unearthed, the kind the Romans used. Now the sea is two miles away and a railroad passes where the ships came in olden times
 In a little time we came to the Rows These, too. have their history. Many years ago before England had immolated Wales, there was great enmity between ths two countries. and whenever the Welsh could they made an invasion and the people found that they had to pre- pare in some way to defend themselves This Is the origin of the Rows a great row of buildings with stone pillarod porches that still have barricaded look. In time of war all the unnecessary inter spaces were filled without destroying communication between the houses, most of which are now used as stores. In this line there are a few wooden houses but they are survivors of a still older date, I believe. One of these has q very inter esting history. When the great plague passed over England in 1G64-66, Chester was not spared. Dead and dying were everywhere. It seemed that enough of the living would not be left to bury the dead. Only a few doctors and nurses would enter red cross houses-the plague was there-and the carts carried away the dead to be half buried. It seemed that England would be destroyed, and, frightened people passed up and down crying, God save us" Many declared that the day of final judgment had come for "In that day there shall be famine and pestilence." But the day of horrors passed and one house. a quaint, black trimmed one, was untouched and to this day 1t is called Gods Providence House"
 Then to the Cathedral, which is one of the finest specimens of Gothic architect ure in it's various transitions. But 1 do not understand architecture, even enough to recognize styles readily. l knew only that the lawn was white with English dals1es; that the stones were old ana cold; that the water ran off the roof through fantastic gargoyls. and that did not feel the fascination till we came to the unrestored part, where I was en- tranced by the Gothic style. In the Ca thedral proper are two stone efhgies, one of a master of Cambridge of 1900 CD and the other of the Duke of Westminster. One could, without knowledge of archi- lecture, stay in the old church for weeks, ia tO c Snirit Goth, I suppose. who in his belief and stubborn relentlessness has left us this as an inheritance. I cannot tell and can not resist the spirit of Roman-Gothic, mediaeval Chester.
 We raced to the station to catch the train to Stratford-on-Avon. The only thing I remember was how strangely familiar some of the places seemed. There was Shrewsbury. where a small