The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-06-30
ON TIE MIDDLE OF The DOT
JOLT FOR A MAN WHO THOUGHT
HE HAD A GOOD WATCH.
He Went 20 See a Steamer start on . Voyage
to Europe n Discovered How They
DO Such Things in the Present DAP
Might Have Set Watch by Steamer.

w ANu ebu @'>s
DO Such ThInEs in the Present Day
Might Have Set Watch by Steamer.
And l thought my watch was such a
good one.
sd been down." the man ven on, 'to
see some friends of on a steamer. First
time I'd lone that in quite some ~years-in
about twenty, as near as l can remember
and / found things now quite different.
THAT steamer OF twenty years g that
| vent to seemed a big one, n she was
counted big then, about 400 feet long she
was and a fine, handsome, fast boat. a boat
counted a crack in her day.
when we went down to go aboard Of the
steamer we found the wharf alive with peo-
pie, and we vent aboard Of her by a gang
plank laid from the wharf to the vessels
side. We had been looking at the vessel
herself and her decks through the openings
in the side Of the wharf shed as we went
along, and when we came to the gangplank
we found that thronged with people passing
up and down, and looking at it we could see
the hustle and activity on the boat alongside.
people on the decks there talking and
laughing and walking around-a lively
| scene, whichever way you looked.
I'VE went across with the crowd and saw
our folks, and when the time was up we said
good-by and anne ashore again and stood
around to see the steamer sail.
THAT boats sailing time was 7 A. NJ,
and she cast of and started backing out at
7.os, which we thought was sharp work for
a great ocean steamer starting away on a
5000 mile voyage.
THE other day, now, when we went down
to see our friends of. instead Of finding
everything all activity, there didn't seem
to be anything doing on the wharf at all;
no hustle, no confusion anywhere. In
fact the wharf seemed surprisingly quiet,
and it lacked less than an hour OF sailing
time, too. We didn't understand it.
THE steamer was there all right; VI could
see her side through the opening in the side
Of the wharf shed. In fact we began to see
the steamer through these openings the
minute we struck the wharf, but we couldn't
see her decks. All we could See was her
silent sides, rising out OF sight above the
tops Of the opening in the shed, rising all
along like a long, high iron wall, Of which
we could see neither top nor ends.
And what struck us now when we'd got
about half way down this long. wide, singu-
larly quiet wharf. and had looked down still
| IUTlDeI, WIRE lIdI VIC Il w all pld
with people moving to and fro on it. There
were some scattering people coming and
going on the wharf where we were. but
nobody going aboard the steamer, and we
didn't see any way Of getting aboard OF her
either.
Then just as we'd come to the foot Of a
fight Of stairs about half way down the
wharf we heard a man standing there, in
uniform, saying to lis: This way TO the
steamer and then the thing began to dawn
on us.
aThe boat that we had seen OF twenty
years ago was a boat Of that day; this boat
that we were going TO see of now was q
boat Of the present day; a boat In every way
go much bigger in proportions that as we
walked down the wharf we couldn't see her
decks at all, but only her tall sides going up
somewhere out Of sight, and we'd have TO
climb stairs TO get aboard Of her.
$50 we went up those stairs, making, with
two turns, three flights; TO come out on the
wharf's upper deck, thirty feet. / should
say, above the lower, and when we had
come out on this upper deck Of the wharf
there, sure enough, lay the steame along
side, with her decks stretching to right and
left almost Unfortunately fore and aft, and
here was the gangway from the wharf's
upper deck TO the steamer, and the people
going and coming. and the crowds standing
and walking around aboard, and talking and
laughing, and hoping you'll have a splendid
time and don't forget TO WRITE and
'eood-byl' and i wish we were going with
you,' and I wish you we're, and flowers and
gifts, and crowds everywhere. and ali the
lie and hustle and animation Of the stirrinR
scene on board q departing steamer.
SThis steamer was TO sRil az 4 p. NJ, and
at s:45 her great hoaree whistle blew and
stewards went around on deck saying 'Al
ashore that's going and tie shoFeEoeTs
began 20 start right away. Everybody
seemed 70 understand that IL was time 10 no.
that the call meant business, and there seti IN
from the decks around steady streams oon-
verging on the gangway, which was crowded
now with people moving Of not hurriedly
but steadily.
AT $50 the steamers great siren was
sounded-a note hat could not fall 10
reach everybody on the ehip-and the crowd
down the gangway t~hickened, and then
the last goodbys were said, and the laSt
Of the 'shoregoers were passing down
the anyway at s.55, when the second
note Of the siren was sounded; and then
there lay the great ship with none aboard
Of her but her passengers and crew. ready
70 sail the a~horegoere now all down on
the open, river end Of the wharf waiting
70 zee her back out into the stream. and,