The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1910-04-07
AROUND THE WORLD
AND HOME AGAIN
Wonderful Lands Lying
East of Suez
The Story of the Steamship CleVe-
lands Cruise Continued.

The following entertaining letter
penned by Mrs. Edith S. Shepherd
continues the account of the cruise of
the Cleveland written for the Skowhe-
gan Woman's club, the first install
ment of which appeared in our col
ums March "A:
Dear Friends at Home:-
am very glad that the notice in
your club program calls for letter
from me instead of for that quantity
known in club circles as a paper"
For a letter may be. interesting If you
have good luck, but paper must be
instructive and give a lot of inform
alton first and be entertaining after
wards. Now l have not accumulated
such a fund of information as one
might suppose possible on a trip like
the one just ended. OF course | have
learned a little about great many
places and not great deal about any
one particular place.
some OliS dShSQ MI .. L huN 10 IL
Clark one day at luncheon which |
attended if she had ever been around
the world before. Her answer was,
"Oh. yes, several times, but | never
galloped round before" And that
was about the way of it. We have
seen so much in so short time that
only few things stand out promi-
nently from all the Kaleidoscope
memories which come to mind when
one sits down soberly with pencil in
hand to tell about the world east Of
Suez.
There is another reason too, why
am glad | am writing a letter and
that is one is licensed to ramble at
will in a letter and as some one said
the other day you can make 1t like a
kmono it covers everything."I am
going to take it for granted that you
are all little interested in the Cleve-
land party as we'll as in the sights we
saw and the things we did. Our good
ship was our home for nearly four
months and never once did she act
badly or fail to respond to the touch
of the master hand which guided her.
suppose ours was a phenomenal trip
In one way If in no other. We sailed
from New York to San Francisco
covering an actual distance of 23,094
miles in this one ship, and we en-
countered no violent storms and new
er for one moment were we disturbed
for our own safety or for the safety
OF our temporary abode. We had
some pretty rough weather of course,
when one by one travellers would dis
appear from sight to return after sew
eral days of seclusion, looking a bit
worn and weary. But the Skowhegan
representations were fortunately not
of these. Our record in the dining
room was of the very best and
as sailors we could hardly be
improved upon. When Neptune got
trisky and tossed the waves noun
tains high" as the poets say, so that
even the promenade deck was drench-
ed again and again, we were among
those standing boldly out in the bow
enjoying the sight of the battling
waves and never minding the soaking
which was inevitable. We had day
after day however, when the sea was
like a mill pond with scarcely a rip
PIE to mar its surface; and when ev-
cry one on board was exclaiming,
did you ever see the ocean like this ?
| never did," Our captain said in the
beginning of our journey that the ship
he sailed never met bad storms, that he
always sailed around them. And
think he did, for more than once we
We're warned by wireless of the ap-
proach of violent storms but these al
ways failed to reach our particular
spot.
The personnel of the Cleveland in
cluded "all sorts and conditions of
men," besides women and children.
There were many elderly people, some
middle-aged, a few young and
fewer children. There was one old
lady of eighty-fve who told me that
the cruise of the Cleveland was for
her pilgrimage to that wonderful
building said to be the most exquisite
in the world, the Tai Mahal at Agra
"A romance as deftly wrought in
marble as any writer ever fashioned
IN words" This lady had been
globe-trotter for many years but to
my mind she should have trotted to
india some years ago, for she was Ill
and wretched nearly all the time and
being unattended was constantly
obliged to depend upon chance, troub-
ling companions for little services
and favors. feel sure that shall do
most of my travelling especially in
districts like India, Burma and Bor-
neo before | reach the age of eighty
hVe, II | am given that long a lease
OF life, for II l do not feel myself that
my globe-trotting days are over | am
sure some kind relative will restrain
me from such foolishness."
we had some very bright and in
tteresting people, and quite a sprink-
ing of freaks, mare than was Just
the right proportions 1t seemed to me
Tor a typical American party. But
they all helped to make the little
world In which we lived and moved
ior so many days together
When we left New York October 16,
steamer coats and heavy wraps were
necessity, but after two or three
uays' sailing we were comfortable to
oe out on deck dressed In thin gar
ments, and almost constantly after
wards we were In sunshine and sum-
nler' II was on October "a that we
made our first landing at Funchal
MADEIRA. 1t was a beautiful sight
"hen 1 looked out little after six
IN the morning, the island rising
mountainous and hrowp out IF tho coo