The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-02-12
onade each. The stewards are not &C
customed to making lemonades.

onade each. The stewards are not ac-
customed to making lemonades.
Dinner tonight at was a very elab-
crate function. Most of the passengers
wore clothing appropriate to the occa-
sion and an orchestra of eleven men
played a program. We were an hour
and twenty minutes at the tables. One
of the stewards at my table fascinates
me; he is so good natured and so dis
posed to break into a smile. His name
is Anton, and he has just come to this
ship from the big Deutschland, which
is laying up at Hamburg until the sum-
mer travel on the Atlantic begins. An
buttons. The coat is a sort of jacket;
anyway, it is very short. The cook
ing is about as good as 1 can imagine.
The head cook is a noted man. whose
name is given on the passenger list
His name is A. Meyer.
I have never been so dull before as
1 have been on this trip. I wouldn't
write anything did I not remember
that people used to wonder why War
was travelling. There has been moth
ing to write about during the four
days of the sea trip from New York
Still, when you have nothing to do,
there is a good deal to do
There is a man on board who over
does politeness and good nature. He
came into the smoking room the
other night, while wandering around,
and was so shocked. and hurried out
liquor, that I have decided he is a
preacher. I hear him raving over the
beautiful mornings. and the manner
in which he drinks in the sea breezes
annoys me. The elder is also learned;
every time 1 pass him on deck l hear
III An ~ 20 oh he
island of st. Thomas, where we are
to land at o'clock tomorrow morn
ing. There are times when a man
should sit down, and be quiet: no one
should scatter sunshine all the time.
When we came up from dinner to-
night we found a ballroom had been
/ arranged and decorated on the lower
deck, and as I write this the dance is
in progress, a big crowd taking part.
The moon Is shining brightly, and the
ship is running along quietly. The
weather is as warm as in June at
home, and the scene is a very pleasing
one.
Wednesday, January &c.
When I awoke this morning at G
o'clock, the ''Moltke'' was entering the
harbor at Charlotte Amelia, Island Of
ST. Thomas, one of the Virgin group, sc
| called by Columbus in 1493 as he swept
past on MS journey 10 SdnIO domingo
The group comprises about one hundred
| islands and rocks, and is tropical in
character. st. Thomas island is Ii miles
long, and three miles in width Char
| lotte Amelia, capital of the island, has
twelve thousand people, and it's harboI
| is said to be one Of the best in the
world, as it is deep and land locked.
After an early breakfast, the passen-
gers we're taken ashore by two launches
from the ship, each launch pulling two
! of the big life boats. I have beeN
around a good deal, and have neve,
st. Thomas, and its capital, Charlotte
Amelia. Hundreds of people met us al
| the landing, as the arrival of the shiI
| was made a holiday, and the schools lei
| out. Charlotte Amelia is an important
| coaling station, and good many tramp
steamers come in for coal, as many az
| five in one day, at times. But the ar
rival of steamer with big load o.
! passengers is an event, and as tive
| came. in today the schools were let out
| and the occasion made a holiday. st
| Thomas is controlled by the Danes, bu
| the inhabitants are mostly negroes
| their ancestors were brought here from
| Africa when our own country afforded
| a good market for slaves A majorit,
| of these negroes talk English, and
| talked with several old negro ''aunties'
who reminded me of the same class a
home.
The streets of Charlotte Amelia re
minded me of nothing SO much as thu
/ queer streets Of towns you see on thu
stage. The town is located at the foo
of a mountain, and many of the bes
houses are located above the mali
| street. and are reached by the mos
picturesque StairwayS imaginable
Tropical fruits grow in the house yard
along the street. I met a 12-year-olt
boy at the dock, and paid him so cent
| to walk around with me. and point GU
objects of interest. my mother" n
said. washes and irons, and I go t
the school,
To the left Of the harbor, was
valley in the mountains that attracts
our attention; after leaving the view
we walked back to look at it again,
could see St. Cruz, another of the Vir
gin islands belonging to Denmark
| where sugar cane is grown. st. Mar
tin, also in sight, is divided between
the Danes and French. st. Bart, still
| another island, covers an area of onl
eight square miles, with a population
of 5000, and belongs to France. Dur
ing the seventeenth and eighteenth
centuries, this island rolled in wealth
and its port swarmed with vessels o
bars, made his headquarters at 81
Bart. and there is story that his I'll
gotten treasure is still buried about tn
| island.
| We visited the public market. an,
found all sorts Of vegetables. but in
ferior in size. The peas were of va
riety I have never seen before. TIL
tomatoes were very small lookin
like warts: have seen exactly simila
tomatoes in Ceylon. in the Philippines
and in other shiftless countries. TIL
ponies here are also small, as is tn