The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-10-13

tory. even. if I We're not in position
to scruflnlze too closely the discount
made between Europe and America.
Among the distinguished people-on
our ship. We're John r. Mclean, brother
1n-laW OF admiral Dewey and proprietor
of the Cincinnati Enquirer United
States Senator Steve, EIkins. of west
Virginia, and Mr.. Charles Gimbel, of the
Gimbel Bros, Philadelphia, Penn, a
department STORE firm which spends
about half million dollars year in
advertising, carrying a page every day,
but Sunday, in four Philadelphia news
papers. Their acquaintance added
much pleasure and interest to our trip.
Senator Elkins entertained us by the
hour, relating his experiences in the
west. He said he had shot prairie
chickens in the 50's on the site where
Topeka stands He was born at West
port: near Kansas City. and was mixed
up in the early troubles between. the
Missour1ans and the Jayhawkers. He
was always with the Union sympathIz-
ers and forces, although his father and
Drothers were on the opposite side in
main,the story which has recently gone
the rounds of the press, about Cole
Younger saving young Ellzins' life. He
knew Plumb and Ewing and Moonlight
who helped to start Kansas up TO the
stars.
The fog lifted just before our ship ap-
preached Sandy Hook and that point
of land was quite the most welcome
sight of the five weeks just passed. We
Joined with other Americans IN the
sentiment that our country was the best
of them all.
Approaching quarantine, several hours
out from the dock, Il number of smaller
vessels hailed the Kaiser and began
calling through the megaphone:
hot -
captain?''
Fair was the reply from the
bridge.
What made you late?"
Fog and rough weather. was the
answer. ~
One of these boats was the Post
master General" which came alongside
as we anchored, to receive the hun
dreds of sacks of foreign 1etters. which
were to be taken ashore first. Another
boat contained the health officer and
the customs inspectors.
We were a healthy crowd There was
no trouble on that score. Two passen-
gers had been added to the list since we
left the last port; there was one birth
in the steerage and another in the sec
ond cabin. This made up the 2,529 per
sons. There were thousand cabin
passengers, lacking one, and nine hun
dred odd steerage. With the crew. six
hundred, we were, all told, quite a
tl14S lOWD -Oitt lilnll NeAo 81 SIN
that he was carried ashore on
stretcher; one lady wore her arm in a
sling, having broken her wrist on the
slippery deck at time when Things
were generally in a state of agitation
Nineteen customs officers came
aboard and the heads of the families
went down into the dining room to give
in their statements. An Inspector sat
at the head of nineteen of the tables,
and the passengers seated in line,
nv
formal questions. We gave our names,
home addresses and occupations, the
number in the party. the number OF
trunks, grips and parcels and also the
number of pieces OF baggage We 'op ta
with us on leaving America. with the
date of sailing and name OF the snip;
also, the total cost of all articles pur-
chased while abroad
had been informed that by providing
A list of purchases travellers could save
much time and annoyance. This is lit
orally true. Although ridlcpled. TO d
slight extent, for doing this, by people.
who had been abroad a number OF
times, discovered afterwards, tnaC
while we got away Nrom' the dock witflin4
an hour after landing, some of my
friends, who did mot have such list,
spent four hours around the pier before
release.
AS the inspectors were recording
the answers of the passengers, the ship
went on up the bay. After the de-
elaration was signed the passenger was
given a numbered ticket. which READ
that after all baggage be landed the
ticket should be presented to an lnspec-
tor on the wharf, when the actual ex-
animation of the trunks and DarceIs
would be made. The trunks were tagged
with the initial of the passenger ana
were unIoaded at the particular portion
of the long covered pier devoted to that
particular letter To this spot we look
ourselves and our grips.
There were one hundred and tNentS
inspectors assigned to look after the
passengers on this steamer. AS soon
as my ticket was handed over at the
the paper L had signed, on board: it
bore the same number as the TICKET.
He called an inspector, whom directed
to our trunks. l also turned over the
list to him. Our aggregate purchases
amounted to a tfif1e more than one
hundred dollars. We were allowed. by
law, one hundred dollars each, provided
we presented a list of all purchases
and were prepared to produce the orig
inal bills, if necessary. We had them.
gloves and all. The trunks were opened
and quickly examined. very little being
disturbed. A few questions were asked
about the steamer rug and some of the
other articles. The whole performance
was comparatively brief. The inspect
ors were gentlemanly desiring to cause
as little annoyance and trouble as pos
sihle.
We were home again. One of the
hundreds of cabs in waiting for the
ships. big load took us across from
Hoboken into New York, completing
the Five Weeks Abroad" F. P. NJ.