The Republican journal., 1912-05-02
received by spectator on the hotel
p;azza ia that tho stoaunar will land aonne

received by spectator on the hotel
piazza is that the steamer will land some
where up among the palm trees in the
old City park if she isn't CHI cked i'm
mediately. This he does by working
both screws astern as she begins to shoot
in over the bar on the fierce inflow.
1t is needless for me to add that Cap
tain White is born sailor, who learned
his profession, as you know, in the good
old classical school of the ''square-rig-
gers" And he knows it from A to 2,
and loves it. He can tell you, off hand,
the deviation of each of his compasses
for every course, the index error of his
sextant, if any, and the original error
and daily rate, gaining or losing, of his
chronometer, though on this particular
run he is not usually obliged to take the
sun or work out his position astronomi-
cally. He adjusts his own compasses.
too, which l don't think is very common
outside of the navy.
This run is just 1879 miles from dock to
dock, and takes ordinarily II hours out,
with the help of the Gulf stream, and Is
hours back against it. 1t is made in
winter three times a week and carries
the mail to the islanders, who only get
their letters and papers once a
month in summer. Hence the Miami's
arrival is an event in Nassau, and
tourists and natives, black, dark and
yellow. all flock down to the dock to see
her come in. Capt. White knows every
body and usually holds reception in his
cabin after she is tied up. AS some one
said to me, 81 can't imagine the Miami
coming in without Capt. White on the
bridge" She was built. as l have said,
for this route, and given all the draught
the harbors would stand, III feet, and
is about as long as she could be and be
warped around in either of them, 200
feet. She is especially arranged for hot
kept so neat and clean from truck to
keelson, that her staterooms and cabins
are absolutely free from those seasicken-
ing smells SO common to ships. In fact,
she is run in man-o'war-style and looks
like yacht on southern cruise, inside
and out, and she has pretty lines. Her
staterooms are unusually large and airy,
ten of them having double, stationary,
four-poster beds, while in those with two
berths, the upper berth is made to fold
up and back out of the way; when not in
use, exactly assin sleeping car. And,
as I've intimated, the captain can hold
an afternoon tea, or midnight supper
in his room under the bridge.
Other people l met from Belfast, or
vicinity, while in Nassau were Mr.. Hart
L. Woodcock, the artist, who has now
spent eleven winters there, and seems to
be known to every man, woman and
child on the island, and who did every
thing in his power to- make my stay
pleasant. He has just finished a very
successful season with his pictures, and
expects to stay on into June to fill his COM
missions. DR.. Bartlett from Bangor is
in practice there and is also staying late
to finish up his work. Miss Margaret
Olive White, Capt. Whites daughter,
has been guest at the Colonial hotel,
and enjoying fully the bathing, sailing,
fishing, court golf, dancing and other
gaities there. Mr.. and Mrs. Joseph
Shattuck who used to summer at Cas-
tine and know Penobscot bay thoroughly,
were also at the hotel. Mr.. Daniel Ba-
con of New York, with whom the late
Charles B. Hazeltine, ESQ.,, and his fam
lily made yachting cruise in the West
Indies some years ago, owns an island
three miles from Nassau, and | passed
several very pleasant days with him and
his sister on it. He has Cape Cod cat
boat with auxiliary power which he uses
to get back and forth to Nassau harbor
with, and she is now on her way home to
New York with a crew of two, Just one
thousand miles!
Yours very truly,
ALFRED JOHNSON.
Miami, Florida.