The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-09-03
TO EUROPE ON
| "A CATTLE BOAT
Boys and Steers in Bad
Humor.
BY ONE WHO WENT
A Trip That Helps Fellow to Discov
er The Stuff That is in Him. The
Way in Which Wide-Awake
American Youths See Foreign
Countries.
Countries.
BY John A. Park.

about the beauties and wonders of
Europe that it would be difficult to
to give any new descriptions of what
the tourist usually sees while travel
ing abroad. But things seen from diff
ferent points of view are sometimes re-
vealed in as many different and inter-
esting ways. 1t is not my intention to
render a brilliant discourse on some
hackneyed subject neither to give
fatherly advice to the rising genera
tions. l shall simply tell of a few eX
periences received during a trip of les.
than three months that meant more TO
me than two years in college.
First. | decided to cross the At
lantic by working my passage on Il
cattle steamer in spite OF many warm
ings and as an object of many jest
for daring such a thing. a few days
after accepting a position with a cattle
exporter at Newport News, L received 4
telegram saying, make ready to sail t
once so in company with four friends
from Raleigh, hurried off to the port.
We all fortunately secured passage to-
gether on the Chesapeake II Ohio
steamship Rappahannock. a fine vessel
375 feet long, $4,000 tons displace
ment, bound for Liverpool with d
cargo of lumber, tobacco and cattle.
After signing as cattlemen aud
completing all preparations, we steam
ed out of Newport News early in the
morning of June End, on our journey
of $500 miles. We anticipated a good
view of the harbor and it's surround
ingS, but We're soon ordered below 10
tie up the 359 Western steers aboard.
Many of the steers were in bad
humor-So were we presently-but
they became quieter when hay was fed
to them. In a short while the Rap
pahannock reached the open sea and
began pitching about in Il most eXaS-
perating fashion. Sea sickness soon
set in and it wasn't long before there
were five boys wishing they were back
in old Raleigh. Before night, however,
we were alright and there was not
another sick moment for any one.
A few words might be given here
about the other cattlemen working
with us. There were ten men aboard
to attend to the stock. There was
foreman who officiated as boss of the
cattle deck" and a tough old jail
bird he proved to be, who never utter
ed a sentence without an oath. He
was of the usual type, which is we'll
illustrated by the well-known story IF
an incident of a few years ago.
'cow-puncher" was sent forward for Il
pitchfork and he accidently fell over
board and was drowned. The foreman
Swore three days because the fellow
took the fork with him. There were
two other experienced hands. each in
charge of an alleyway running the
length of the ship. These were each
assisted by three helpers. One of these
Sub-boSSeS was an Australian eX
pugilist-now a degenerated hobo
who so nearly resembled the familiar
pictures of Happy Hooligan'' that
Happy" became his nickname. The
other sub was a young fellow who had
seen better days; of fine education and
very clever. but having ''bummed" SO
long there seemed no likelihood of
him doing anything else. The sixth
inexperienced "puncher" was a
'bloody Englishman." as our ex-priae
fighter dubbed him-a lazy, ignorant
laborer who was going back to his
own country disguised with hard work
in the States.
And then there was a crack-bralned
Welshman of about forty-nine sum-
mers. who was supposed to do duty
as night watchman. He was detailed
to walk around ali night to see that
none of the ropes became tangled and
to keep the cattle from inJuring one
another 1t is supposed that cattle
are never allowed to lie down, but this
is not the rule now 1t is singular
fact that during the time we were
an oath was thrown at one of the five
nor were we treated with dIsreSpect,
although the professionals" among
themselves were exceedingly uncom-
plimentary.
In regard 70 our work. that began at
in the morning, each man being
carefully awakened ) minutes before
by the watchman. For about two
hours we were kept busy drawing
water into buckets from the pipes
along the alleys and giving each steer
as much as he would drink. We gen
erallv got thoroughly wet during this
onera ton Then the hay was fed. and
If there were a few minutes to spare
before breakfast we got out the corn
for that DAYS feeding. The full sacks
wejehed about 125 pounds and we
oorr;ed these on our backs. After
hroalxfasf straw was placed in the
etaue and at 10 O'Clock the corn was
fod we were always glad to rest a
nooment at noon dinner time. and in
1-ariohlv went to sleep if we sat still
tbroe minutes with nothing to do.
Met of the afternoon was taken up
b,, tbrowing the heavy bales of hay
m out of the hold ana rolilng tnem
49, nositions for feeding. Feeding
,,ore bav at o'clock and sweeping
+ho alIevwavs after supper concluded
o,,, duties for the day. When not too
.;rod we would sit on deck and sing
-, tally of home and calculate the
hours it would probably take to reacn
TiverpooI. Almost invariably every