Omaha daily bee., 1908-12-27

ISYYEfSI steamship travel about Africa.
~ All Of our great Atlantic liners
now have ships which leave New York
regularly for the Mediterranean. and not
a few OF these call at Algeria and have
branch lines to Egypt. There are regular
sailings to Europe from every African port,
and there IL a continuous line Of vessels
stretched like a necklace of beads about
the black continent.
I went from New York 70 Morocco on
one Of the hlg steamers Of the North Ger
man Lloyd. which In eight days landed me
at the strait OF Gibraltar. We passed by
the Azores. almost touched Spain. and. in
coming into port. could see the heights
Of Africa over the way. I crossed the
strait IN a launch 70 Tangiers. which IL
only a few miles distant. and then coasted
the northern shores OF the Mediterranean
sea including Algeria. Tunisia and Tripon.
After leaving the land OF the Nile. I
took a ship through the Suez canal and
then went down the 1.4OO miles which COM
prise the length Of the Red sea- going out
through Bab-el-Mandeb 70 Alden, in south
ern Arabia From that port I had one Of
the steamers OF the Indian ocean 10 carry
me around the Great Horn of East Africa,
and ! went on other steamers southwark
along the east coast, passing through the
Mozambique channel 10 Beira. in Portu-
guese East Africa. From Cape Town 1
Journeyed UP the west coast Of the CONT
nent TO the Madeira islands, not far from
Gibraltar. where l started in, and thence
went on 10 Southampton and home to New
York. 1t will thus be seen that I have
circumnavigated the continent. ] have gone
over the routes Of the early Phoenlcians,
who were sent around Africa about 500
b. c. by an Egyptian king, as described
by Herodotus, and have touched nearly
all the places that Vasca de CANA and
Bartholomew Diaz discovered at about the
time that Columbus came across the At
lantic and found our new world.
.
Big steamships to the Cape.
There are now a half dozen lines Of
steamers plying between England and the
Cape of Good Hope. They make the voy-
age in from seventeen TO twenty-three
days and there are other and slower YES
sells which. stopping at the various ports,
are a month or so on the way.
Some OF these ships go down the east
coast by way Of the Suez canal and some
sail back and forth by the west coast
alone. Then there are ships which go to
the Cape of Good Hope on their way to
Australia, steamers which sail that way
for India, and other lines which make the
trip around the continent, starting in at
one side and coming back by the other and
vice versa.
The fare from London to Cape Town
ranges from $40 to $3.50 and there are sec
ond-class rates by which one can 20 as
cheaply to Cape Town as he can travel
first-elass fare from New York to LIVER
pool. The vessel upon which I came from
the Cape of Good Hope to England was
one of the big mail steamers Of the Union
Castle line. 1t was the Saxon, a vessel of
over 1900 tons. We made the trip in just
seventeen lays and were landed at South
ampton at the very hour we were told we
would reach there before leaving.
IA Union Castle Line.
The Union Castle line IL one of the Oldest
of the African steamship companies. AS
the Union line, which was founded fifty
five years ago, It sent the first steam YES
sells regularly to South Africa There were
only two Of the company's ships which
then exceeded 800 tons. About twenty
years later this line was united with the
Castle company the two being combined
by Sir Donald Currie. who is still the presl-
dent OF the organization. At that time the
contract for the mails was based on q
thirty-seven-day passage with a $500 bonus
for every day under that, and the postage
rates we're / shilling per letter. Since ther
the rates have been reduced to 2 cents and
the time to sixteen and one-half days
There are now about a score Of these mai
steamers and they all belong to the UnioT
Castle company, which has perhaps a dozeI
or so other vessels in it's African service.
These boats carry all the gold and dia
monds that come from South Africa theil
freight OF hat kind alone being annually
worth at least $50. co., o
Among the other British lines Is tn,
Aberdeen. which sails from London t.
Natal direct, rounding the Cape o.
Good Hope and calling only at the ports o.
East Africa These are ships Of from AGO
to 5000 tons. They go down the west coast
stopping at the Canary Islands and DOM,
first into port at Durham. From Their
they go TO Lourenco Marques, Beira, Mo
zamblque. Zanzibar and Mombasa tn
trip TO Mombasa costs $40 and TO Nats
$50,
Then there e. the Buchnall STEAMSHIP
line, which goes 70 Cape Town by way Q
Madeira and also calls at Natal. Its fare
to Natal are a6O and 10 Cape Town. $4
The ships are about 6.0Oo tons each. Tn
Natal line TO Durham. direct. has smale
vessels. but IL charges just about the sam
rates; while the British India line, while
goes from London 10 the Suez canal an
down the east coast. costs considerably
more. Passengers on the latter boats mus
tranship at Alden. and the vessels al
comparatively small. The rate to Mombas
or Zanzibar Is s23. while 70 Delagoa Ba
the port of the TTAnsvaAl. II Is more tina
500.
Life ON an African Steamer.
Travelling on these African steamers q
Il seems to me. much more agreeable tina
on tho great floating hotels which eros
the Atlantic. The ship which brought n
from South Africa was almost 60 70,
long, sixty feet wide. and more tina
forty feet deep. The first-clAss cabin
were on the upper deck. and the ventila
tion was such that we were perfectly con
Portable when we crossed the equator. tt
ship rolled abit, but only a few Of US wei
seasiek. and the voyage was enjoyab
from one end 20 the other.