The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1907-06-20


for games OF quoits and shovel-board
and the like. Even the large num-
Der of elderly folk who travel enjoy
these games which give moderate ex-
ercise. Visits TO the ships inner
workings are arranged for those who
care to go and can stand the odors
of oils and the heat of the power
rooms.
There is something for the well per
son TO do from the time of the plunge
into the sea water bath in the morn
ing, and which by the way comes
one half to one hour earlier every
morning On the Eastern voyage, until
one seeks his bunk at night.
Americans almost exclusively held
sway to Gibraltar. (the sailor says
"Gib'D from there to Naples there
was a strong English contingent and
from Naples to Alexandria a large
party of Germans made themselves
felt.
feDptE, DOOhS anu dil nave iich-
toned are indeed attractive but /
have left the most fascinating facts
of sea going for the conclusion of this
article Let me hastily catalogue
them.
The close fellowship with the skies,
with clouds and sun, with moon and
stars. the kindly lights of the harbors
and light houses; the passing steam
ard sailing vessels; the dangerous
derelict the horror of the sea wave
in darkness and fog; the unsolved
tragedy Of an empty open boat at
sea, the schools of fat, glossy, dusky
and white porpoise, playfully swim
ming race with the II knot boat,
jumping out of the water and then the
contest over, disappearing as sudden
ly as they appeared: the strange sea
weed which the poet makes to say:
why call me weed2 Call me flower
of the Sea- the phosphorescence of
the Atlantic, the large opalescent
masses and the same of the Mediter-
ranean with it's diamond like eff
fects; the stern cutting through the
deep dark waters and plunglng them
into heaving cascades of Whltest
white upon which the sun shed its
finest blues and pinks; sunsets at
sea of which poets foil in the telling
as the setting sun makes respondent
the heavens before it drops a bail of
fire into the deep and then leaves its
after glow even more splendid with
surrounding cloud masses in grays
and green's and pinks and grays
again.
Listen to a brief statement of one
of the wonderful nights of my life.
In the afternoon to the far north af-
ter five days out Fair Flores of whose
encircling waters Tennyson has sung
in his Revenge" was sighted by the
men on the bridge and by others with
unnatural bumps of locating extraor-
binary sights with eye and glass.
This was the first of the Azores and
indication of our nearing landing.
In the evening we sighted the revolv-
ing light of Fayai and with compan-
ion I went forward until we had the
island in view. We stayed together
till midnight I would see Pico. |
thought l spied its light in the dis
lance. My friend deserted. The ex-
tremest point of the bow was mine
in the deadly quiet of the early morn
ing hours, the silence only broken by
the splash of the waves and the ship S
bells with the man in the Crows Nest,
the lookout on the mast above me,
CRYING out in the wierd mournful mono
tone .AlI's Well" Here l watched
the approach through intermittent
showers and rising wind with such
stars SO near. so companionable as !
had never felt them before, the Sea
mans friends and guides. It's worth
while to stay up to see mountain
| island poking its snowy nose 1000
feet above the surface as it rose grand
| Iy out of the tropical main. P1co
with its light houses and its several
dim harbor lights does this My eyes
| onened wide with their becoming &C
customed to night gazing. P1co. ere
long seemed close enough for me to hit
! land with biscuit. One could easily
| imagine some Portuguese or Spanlard
sailing west and shouting "Pico. Plco.
and Columbus feasting his eyes on the
mountainous island To bed at 3 a. m.
| I had had a night worth while. alone
but in the most fascinating company.
| Most men on a protracted voyage OF
calm weather ask for some relief with
/ a bit of weather. not terrific storm,
| but a touch of the high seas. We es-
capped it on the Atlantic entirely. we
had one taste of it northward bound
/ from Algiers on the Mediterranean
The wind and the waves gave us
clever exhibition of what they could
+ do if urged a trifIe. 1t was just gale
/ We were driven from the forward deck
and were protected behind canvas on
the promenade. but we too. could CLIMB
to the hurricane deck and watch the
boat toss and roll as she battled TO cut
through the big waves and here We
enioyed the great dashes of salty spray
as they came furiously over the bow
and sides. One would get wettlns
anv day for such an experience Ii
was fun for us with steady interiors
but. alas. all are not erected on that