Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1913-09-11

Gerolimich is an Austrian from
Trieste, which means that he ha'
the advantage Of quickly puttinl
two native tongues-German and
italian. The officers and crew arr
largely Italian and Greeks, with Z
few AIbanIans. The cooks are Swiss
the bill Of fare Is in French, ths
eats are Italian. the drinks are Ger
man and the money is American. II
the steerage are a thousand Greeks
and Italians returning to their ole
homes, with more Globes and money
and less dirt and smell than they
brought with them when they en-
tered under the folds Of the stars
and Stripes. The passengers In the
first and second cabin are mostl,
Americans but there are Hungar'
ians, English, Spanish, French, Ital
ians, Swiss, Austrians, Germans ant
one man from Boston. Over all thi'
aggregation there has rested the
confidence which people have IN
good ship and a good captain il
whom they trust.
Speaking Of the man from Bos
ton, reminds me of a rather goot
answer he made to an inquirer witt
asked: Boston, in what state II
Boston," Boston" he said, lis
state Of mind"
The smoking room is the center
of the ships activity and also OF al
the information and mis-informa.
ton that Is naturally scattered IN
the little community. The first day
out we were told confidentially by
nearly everyone that the auburn
haired nan who got on the boat Just
as 1t was pulling out, was really
government detective who would In
gratiate himself with the passenger
and learn which of is were goina
to smuggle diamonds and seal skins
on our return. / kept away from
him several days and then l found
he was an advertising agent for
patent medicine. Another passen'
ger was reported very wealthy anc
to have in his cabin a case of cham
oagne. He was decidedly popular
.ntil he innocently mentioned the
sact that he had brought a case O.
ringer ale on board because he die
not like the stale water of a ship
He then faded into obscurity. A loud
mouthed musical enthusiast asked
New York broker if he played Wag
Ter. eyes, / won three dollars from
him at pinochle on the Potsdam."
1 have a great admiration fol
that Italian, Christopher Columbus
who sailed for weeks in a foolish
little boat to find something he was
not sure of, and who did not turn
back. Any sane, sensible sailor would
have turned around and gone home
without discovering America. Column
bus was considered crazy Ivy the
wise men of Italy and Spain and ne
undoubtedly was a crank. In these
days his family would have had a
guardian appointed. Just think CT
the nerve of sailing on and on, fur
Their from home every day and eV-
cry week. not knowing for sure
whether you would strike India or
run off the edge of the earth as eV-
erybody had said you would. But
l suppose after he had gone about
so far on his journey he thought
he might as we'll go ahead and fall
off as go back to Spain and be hung
for obtaining ships under false pre-
lenses. We have come from New
York to the Spanish coast, over
5000 miles, about the distance from
New York to San Francisco. Column
bus in his little ship crossing the
Atlantic was like driving from New
York to Frisco would be If the coun-
try were barren and your only means
of locomotion was a mule team and
a lumber wagon.
W. Y. MORGAN.