St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1903-06-17
ON BOARD THE "KAisER."
The sousheas. African Poris.

for basket of fruit and a present TO
mark our wedding day, we set sail at
8. 80 a. m. for Oar Els Salaam, where our
boiler is to be repaired. / think in one
letter / mentioned that our ship was very
full of natives of many tribes. Some
were taken by the "Kaiser" to be landed
in Durham, Natal, but as few cases OF
bubonic plague had occurred in that
town the authorities refused to take any
East Coast natives into port and these
had to be brought back. In addition to
these others had come on at Delagoa
Bay, Beira, Chinde and Mozambique
and 800 or 400 were huddled together
on the hatch deck, and in the storage.
Probably SO dialects were spoken and
the curious crowd represented natives
from many tribes OF South, East and
North Africa, as well as Chinese, Hindoos,
Parsees, Zanzibaris, Arabs and Joanese.
All these left at Zanzibar, and the decks
were cleaned and cleared, and the hold
and matches were filled with thousands
of bags made Of straw mating and
filled with cloves. Thousands of cocoa
nuts and bags of copra Tor cocoa nut
meats) were also taken on as cargo. 1t
was relief for ears and nostrils to have
a clear deck, for the din and noise Of the
natives had been terrible. We reached
Oar Es Salaam about lunch time, sailing
slowly and carefully among the coral
islands and reefs, and found it truly
port, quite the most beautiful
one on the East Coast. / cannot think
of anything fairer and lovelier than the
view that met our eyes. In Mozambique
a few lofty palms wave over the town.
At Zanzibar, the deep, rich tropical foli-
age is relieved by dozens of tufts of palms
and these are seen as background in
groves and gardens. But at Oar Els
Salaam they crown the hi!lsides in hum
dreds and form ma gni6cent avenues as far
as eve can reach. There is profusion, a
glory, a wealth of coco'palms here unlike
have known. This town is
the seat of government of German Fast
Africa, and has been laid out at great
expense and with great care. Skill,
method and science, good sanitary pre-
cautions, and all that modern means can
procure indicate faithful paternal care.
There is large and strongly built gov
ernor's residence, surrounded by fine
garden, and the public buildings are
massive and well planned. From the
sea the large hospital, with its turrets
and balconies looks like palace, and is
very picturesque and well adapted to the
hot place. 1t is located in large garden
near the governors house, with finely
appointed residences for the physicians
near. We walked through the hand
some, airy, tiled corridor, and saw many
of the private rooms, but were taken
only to the entrance of the fever ward,
as many bad cases of malaria and black
water fever were reported. Each ward
has good American wire screens for
doors and windows. The matron, a
German lady. has been in charge three
years, and she has a staff of three day
and three night nurses under her, and
every patient has an orderly Ia native
boy), to watch at his door and to be
ready to call the nurse il needed. Great
care has been taken to make this model
government hospital. The Botanical
Gardens near the governors residence
have been started with care, but are not
kept up very well. AS the governor was
away, and as illness often lays low offic-
ials, it may be that we saw these gar
dens under unusual auspices. 1t is posi-
BILE that they may be made of practical
use, and that they may eventually prove
test place Tor local cultivation and
with view to the decentralization oil
many CHOICE plants. These gardens are
splendidly located, and the plants have
fourished and grown marvellously when
VIC iSuSSl tudt Liz nave DCSu III >tAlS-
tence only few years.
There are 10000 natives in the district
and much cultivation OF coffee, grains
and fruits in the vicinity. The German
portion Of the town contains two long
side streets, beautifully made and lined
with wonderfully fine shade trees, of the
fcus Tor hg) and mimosa varieties
There are large native schools carried or
both by German Protestants and Roman
| Catholics. The native quarters are
wider and cleaner and show more in
| dustries than those at Zanzibar OF
Mozambique. Here fruits OF all tropica
varieties can be bought, and many
native curios, leopard skins and trophies
brought down from Central Africa. Blu
have failed to tell you the most pleas
ing objects visible as soon as the shil
reaches the entrance Of the bay. Thes
are two large. well constructed, verv
neat and substantial churches on tn
wide handsome street facing the bay ant
with fine squares in front. The NOR
picturesque one to the east, with the rec
tiled root, and the quaint tower is tn
Lutheran church. 1t is substantially ant
elegantly furnished with oaken seats, ;
fine organ, richly carved oak pulp
and is model Of neatness and comfort
Next to it, and surrounded by prett'
garden. is the German pastors handsom
and cosy house-made to suit the climat
in every way--and looking so inviting
that we took the liberty of calling an