The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-03-22
On Victoria NYan1Za

, and two feet deep. It is made without nails or any iron whatsoever and easily capsized in a storm, at which time the boatmen often jump outside and hold on to the rim of the boat to keep from sinking until the storm is over.
 Stanley made big rowboat, which he called the Lady Alice. He started at Spoke gulf and by using a sail gradually made his way around covering many of the points at which I shall call farther on in these journeys. At present there are four little steamers belonging to the British. on Lake Victoria. One of these is the Sir William McKinnon, which was brought up from the ocean in pieces be- fore the Uganda railway was built and here put together. It is still in commis- sion and is used by the British officials as a sort of a dispatch boat.
 The next two steamers are the Sybil and Winnifred, each of about 500 tons, and the other Is the Sir Clement Hill, which has 800 tons and which was launched last year. The Sybil and Win nifred are sister ships. They make regu- lar trips around the lake, in connection with the Uganda railway, the voyage from port to port requiring about ten days. It is upon the Sybil that I am writ ing this letter.
 A Mld-African Steamer.
 I wish l could show you this little Afri- can6 steamer If 1t could be taken up and transported to one-ol our American rivers. or dropped down upon Lake Huron or Erie 1t would not seem much out of place; for the ship Is just about the same as some used on our lakes The differ ences lie in the people and the manage ment. The Sybil moves by a screw. It has a smoke stack In the center and two masts before and behind with a lifeboat on deck. 1t has about a dozen cabins with a dark little dining saloon in the rear The cabins are lighted by cleo tricity and each has an electric fan. Back of the dining saloon is a ledge up under the port holee where the second class passengers sleep. The top deck has a double awning of canvas to protect us from the tropical-sun, and at midday we are advised to keep our hats on While sit ting under it. The suns rays are strong in this latitude and one must protect his head even when indoors if the roof is not thick.
 As to first-class passengers we have only about a half dozen on the Sybil, and they and the English officers are the only Europeans. The sailors are half naked natives, who get wages of about 10 cents a day, and the steward and cooks are Hindoos who are paid little more. The passengers are two British officials on their way to serve in interior Uganda, German surgeon who is bound for Mwanza in the Kaisers territories on the south of the lake, a Kongo trader who has about a carload of beads and brass wire with him to buy ivory and rubber, and a missionary who Is going to Kampala, and who will get off at En- tebbe. In addition to these are myself and son, who will leave the boat at En- tebbe for Uganda.
 We have also on board a half dozen native soldiers and one of these Is al- ways searching the mail. The bags were carried under guard on to the boat at Port Florence, and soldier with gun in his hand stands beside them day and night throughout the voyage.
 A Coming Tourist Center. The prospect Is that Lake Victoria will some day be as we'll known to the globe trotter as the great lakes of America. The expense of coming here is too high for the ordinary traveller, but the man who can pay the bills can live on these boats almost as comfortably as at home mean as far as eating and drinking are concerned, and as respects the eli mate There is much to be desired in the matter of freedom from coclToaches rats and other insects. I have never seen 80 many and such wild animals of the roach kind before. My cabin has some as large as mice and it seems to me that they come out in the daytime and look at ono while they sharpen their teeth in order to trouble him the better a' night The reaches run through the din' ing rooms, and when I put my foot or one. N ! do whenever 1t 1 2osnble