The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-12-20

In Us, it seems to me:
No matter what our plans were then
Iodayss we're all at sea.
The opposition sheet did not appear.
i turned out to be Joke" on the edi-
The. quarTeIs between the English and
Americans continue to afford amuse-
ment. At dinner today, Mrs Frank
Pixley objected because an FngIishnan
named Hume was travelling without his
wife. In America" she said "a wife
may travel for pleasure without her
husband. but husband must not go on
q pleasure trip without his wife" The
Eng11shman was in a beautiful rage
because of the suggestion that a hus-
pand was not as free as his wife; but
Mrs Pixley stated the American posi-
ton correctly; we all admitted that.
When this ship started out from San
francisco the passengers had all sorts
OF exalted notions about each other
but We are finding out the truth one
man l thought was a lord, turns out to
pc clerk IN the office Of a London
pIancn IN Japan. When a lot of tour
lists get together, several days are re-
CURED to discover that they are plain
human beings. A woman we all thought
had title, and great estates. turns out
10 De a widow, who has about exhaust
ed her first husbands life insurance,
ana is looking for a fresh start in life I
don't believe there is anything very
promising on board, in the way of rich
men.
MONDAY, NOV. 20.
It was expected that we would land
at Yokohama tomorrow between 10 a.
m. ana noon, but we are behind time,
owing to head winds, and viii not make
II pefore p. m, according to gossip
in the smoking room. Besides, we were
delayed eight hours In Honolulu, by the
accident I have already mentioned.
the passengers began packing up to-
day; in every sroom in the ship luggage
mad been unpacked and spread out and
hung up everywhere. The sailors also
had the steam Windlasses going getting
ready Tor the landing tomorrow, so that
altogether, it has been rather a busy
day. Toward dark very stiff head
wind came up, and there was no real
comfort anywhere except in bed. When
determined to go to my room I found
it difficult to get there. Ny room is
located amidshipS, with the door OPEN
ing on the deck, and the wind was
blowing the spray against my door with
such fury that was drenched before I
finally got inside. You may think the
wind whistles dismal tunes around
house, on a wild night but you should
hear 1t around ship at sea.
The American trade with the Orient
is growing very rapidly. In addition to
the three steamship lines from San
Francisco. there are four from Puget
Sound points and one from Portland.
Those eight lines are unable to handle
the westbound freight offered; the east
bound freight is insignificant.
I received a shock today; I had been
anticipating fresh milk and butter in
Japan, but was informed by an old
traveller that the milk and butter in
Japan are Imported in tins, as the ma
tives do not use it or care for 1t.
TUESDAY, NOV. a.
There was upr1r 17aaxsr hood 4--sv,5
all through last night and at 1 o'clock.
this morning the seas were breaking
over the PROV so heavily that speed was
reduced. This will delay our arrival in
Yokohama this afternoon to 4 or 5
o'clock. The weather is SO cold this
morning that the passengers keep
warm with difficulty.
There was a concert in the music
room last night, but few attended, ow-
ing to the bad weather.
At a. m, passenger called my at
tention to two blue mounds straight
ahead that looked like clouds, but were
a little too low for clouds. They turned
out to be LAND, and we spread the
glad news about the ship. How the
passengers stood and gazed, and gazed!
japan is very mountainous, and by noon
there were mountains all about us, but
long distances away. At that hour the
run for the preceding a hours was
posted, and we found we were still 81
miles from Yokohama. BY 2 o'clock, we
were in a broad inland sea, with fishing
fleets and villages in sight. BY 8 o'clock
we began passing froWning forts. and
navy yards, and light houses, and a
smoking mountain was pointed out
which was said to be a volcano. At 4,
the engines stopped in sight of Yoko-
hama, to await the coming Of the port
doctors and the customs officers. In half
an hour, these officials arrived, and the
cabin passengers were notified by a
gong to assemble in the dining ROOM
to be inspected by the doctors.
This performance consisted in three
serious japanese doctors going about
and counting US, after which we were
dismissed, and went UP on deck to look
at the great number of ships in the har-
Dor By this time the principal hotels
had sent off private launches, which
lowered about the ship. They were
labeled in good old United States: the
Oriental Palace, the Grand hotel, etc. In
addition to the hotel boats. dozens Of
row boats lowered about. Then the
ship began to move slowly, and finally
cast anchor inside the breakwater. The
ships tender came alongside, and the
hotel boats ranged next to that. Then
we all went down a stairway which had
been let down the ships side, and cross
ed the tender to the hotel boats we in
tended to patrOnize. We selected the
Oriental Palace. and the porter of this
hotel took our baggage, first telling US
to leave 1t unlocked, for the inspection
in the custom house.
When the hotel boat pulled away from
the ship, it was after dark, and the
Siberia being lighted UP, looked like
a city: we did not before appreciate it's
great size AS soon as we landed, we
were at liberty to go at once to the
hotel, as the porter had our baggage,
and would attend to the customs exam
nation. So we called two rickshas,
climbed in. and were soon on the streets
of Yokohama. A ricksha is a two-wheel-
ed buggy, pulled by man, used here
almost to the exclusion of carriages.
The little men who pulled rickshas Il
am conscious that have not spelled the
word properly proceed at lively trot,
and it was a funny experience; being on
the streets of a foreign city at night in
these strange vehicles. You viii never
forget vO1lr FIRST ride in a Iananasa rick