The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1910-04-07
CROSSING THE SEA IN 1918
What Ocean Travellers Contended
With Century Ago.

ship captains have such reverence
for recorded detail of a trans-At-
lantic trip as did Capt. Llewellyn
Davies, of the brig Albion, which
voyaged from Wales to New York
in the year I8IS-o2 years ago. A
description by the Welsh captain
of icebergs passed off the Grand
Banks during that memorable pas
sage may be worth attention.
ION June H." said he, 1--WE
passed an immense iceberg. Many
of the passengers got out of bed in
fright, but we kept a safe dis
lance from it. 1t was a grand sight
to see it glittering beautifully on
the face of the water. Later we
passed near a great number of
bergs, some appearing as large as
the mountains of Merionethe-
shire"
Those who have not been for
tunate enough to see these Welsh
hills must let their imagination
create the comparison; at any rate.
the berg must have been of good
size, and the incident was one of
many carefully described by Capt.
Davies in an old record printed in
Welsh recently unearthed in Liv-
erpool. In these commonplace days
of commerce and the routine of
many voyages icebergs and other
things do not receive much no.
tiCe.
June "a was rather calm" re-
marked the skipper, but the as
pect of the day must have changed
when, toward evening, two women
quarreled furiously. They had
been washing and had hung their
clothes up to dry, one putting them
so that the dropping fell on the
others clothes; hence the assault.
They were both condemned to
wash the lower deck for three
mornings, but one, being obstrep-
erous, had to be threatened with
the stocks. "
1t may be seen that feminine
quarrels were not unknown aboard
the Albion and that some unusual
punishment might be melted out to
offending passengers. As a matter
OF fact, a committee was appointed
after the vessel sailed which laid
down rules for the travellers and to
which disputes and quarrels were
referred.
The first rule provided for the
proper observance of the Sabbath,
when all were ito attend divine
service decently dressed, punctu-
ally at 10 A. NJ; the second rule
prohibited swearing and the use of
bad language, an offender in this
to be put on half allowance of
water and compelled to wear
badge; any one found guilty of
stealing was to clean the lower
deck for week and to wear a GER
tain distinctive badge" and there
were other rules for the general
behavior, the violation of which
called tor various pun1shments,
the most rigorous being that of
the stocks. The rules committee
consisted of seven men, heads of
families.
The voyage began on May IS,
when the tug passed out of sight
of the ancient walls of Carnarvon
Brisk events began to occur i'm
meQiately after the passing of
Head of Kinsale.
Having passed Cape Clear, we
met a vessel belonging to the
Kings navy, which fired one of
its great cannon, ordering us to
stop that we might be searched.
These vessels are placed to watch
that no artisans leave England and
also to examine whether there is
sufficient food and water on board
for three months"
Two happenings of like interest
would seldom enliven the passage
of presentday passenger ship.
The first two weeks of the Albion S
voyage were rough and the doc
tor was more in request than the