The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-06-20
a KANSAN ABROAD.
w. Y. Morgan Writes of His Ocean
Trip.

Hutchinson. Kansas, June 20-The
News contains the following letter from
W. Y. Morgan under a sailing date of
June L:
Il have come to realization of the
work of Christopher Columbus. It took
nerve to keep on sailing day in and
day out, week in and week out, with
no sight of anything that looked like
land. nothing but a great stretch of
water, not even a stick in it. If 1
had been on board the Santa Maria, I
would surely have joined the crowd of
sailors who wanted to quit and go
home. We have come now nearly 5000
miles through the Atlantic, and if
someone had not been over the route
before and we did not believe that land
would certainly look as il the ocean
would never end. If Columbus were to
make the trip now on the Arabic, he
would probably be al surprised as were
the Indians when the Spaniards landed
on San Salvador something over 400
years ago The monotony of the ocean
is only broken by an occasional pass
ing ship, and a high strung imagna-
ton. We have met or passed five ships
in seven days. Each one has provided
US with excitement for half day. We
would take sides as to whether the
strange vessel was a Cunarder, an
American liner, a North German Lloyd
or what not. Every line that crosses
the ocean would have partisans and
each corner of the argument would be
vigorously sustained by expert evidence.
I decided on a system. always main
tanned that the ship was an American
liner. By sticking to the text and not
changing, I hit it once, which was bet
ter than the. average Then We have
| long and sometimes bitter discussions
as to the number of miles the Arabic
would make in the next twenty-four
hours Tips are anxiously obtained
from officers, sailors, stewards and
cooks. Every man who ever bet IN
his life and some who never do at home
back their opinions with their money
And when eve are not arguing or bet
ting, we are eating. Passengers on this
line are full fed. The day begins with
8 o'clock breakfast. at 1920 a lunch is
served on deck, at I o'clock an elab-
crate lunch at 4 o'clock tea, cakes and
sandwiches are distributed. and at
o'clock a seven-course dinner. People
do all of these and eat sandwiches and
stuff between times and then wonder
why their stOmachs are disturbed.
1T takes all kinds of people to make
up the world and there are samples
of most of the varieties on an ocean se5ll,l
steamer. Some of our passengers
are very swell and some are very
bum. But they meet on the Level
provided you can call the deck OF
a ship level, when 1t is usually ulted
one way or the other at an angle of ~
to 80 degrees. In the spirit OF IN
yestigation I listened to the talk of
a couple of ladies who are society
leaders and members of the 400 at
home The subject they discussed
we're babies, servants and clothes and
they talked just about like the women
folks of Kansas. THERE'S a touch of
human nature through all of US
when I left home I decided not to
change my watch until I got to
Europe. At Boston I was only one
hour behind and could easily remem-
Der and count on that But every
day on the ocean the clock has been
showed up thirty-five minutes for the
400 miles Travelled eastward the pre-
ceding twenty-four hours. When II
got so we were eating MONDAY lunch
at s a. m by my watch 1 gave It up
and turned the hands around When
we reach London we Will be ABOUT
six hours ahead of Hutchinson tlme'
and anyone could see the RIDICULOUS
side of getting up at O'Clock in the
morning and going to bed at IN
the afternoon. By a strange colncl-
dence the sun has changed It's time
for rising and setting to agree Win
the ships clock
seThere is great system on big
ship. Everything is done JUST so ana ana
no other way. have had hdru !
time locating the stewards y never
realized what a steward, was before |
We have a bedroom steward VINO
looks after the state room, pain
steward who runs the bath room, d /
deck steward who looks after me
deck an assistant deck steward, a u
bl.srv steward. a smoking room stew
ard. a table steward and few mort
whose title 7 can't remember O 3lI
steward never gets on another me
of duty. If you want a deck cIlellL
you must see the deck steward, ~, II y ~, -
want a blanket you must see tuS s 81
loon steward. and so on. II LeiI
overheard I hope the proper sleMtii =. u
viii be around, for the system EMS -
So fine that I fear the otheI - See ~
ards would refuse to act 9iel 1z .ltS
proper steward could be calieo, E-saSll
steward will be expecting a UP .Mneu
the VOYAGE is ended, and II ne WASH
a steward. he probably eould MOI
get it so easily
sunday we had religious service IN
the saloon. (Not the kind OF a sa-
loon that Mrs Nation holds service
in.l 1t was the church OF Etgla mo
service. but out of respect 20 llie
American passengers the IeaoeI IN
in President Roosevelts name IN tllS
Draver for the royal fanny II Mds
q n14iet beautiful day and the amount
Of the collection was small was
told BY an officer that When SUNDAY
is stormy day and the boat acts