The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1914-04-03
SPAIN
And Other Countries Visited
By The SWetlands
On Their Trip Through The
Old World

| Mr.. A. +. Stauffer IL IN receipt Of
the following interesting letter from
Mr.. II. G. Swetland, who with his
daughters, Misses Anna and Harriet
Swetland, are making trip abroad:
8. S. Rotterdam, Feb Is.
Folks at Home
This fine Sunday morning OF the
coast of Spain in the Mediterranean
sea 9 a. M, the mountains are covered
at the peaks with snow and the foot
hills with olive orchards and orange
groves and the weather like a May
morning, the sea as smooth as church
floor, the steamer moves SO smoothly
that all we can feel is the tremor of
| the machinery.
Yesterday morning at six O'Clock we
sat down to breakfast in sight Of Gil
braltar and cast anchor for the day.
Some eighty of us took q special
train and went up to the town Ronda,
some three and half to four hours
ride through the forests where the
cork is gathered They strip the trees
up to the small branches that start
out from the large limbs Most of the
| trees grow very much as our large ap-
pie trees in shape and height l don't
think that any of them measure more
| than "a inches in diameter; most of
| them Is inches. After leaving the
cork district and entering the foothills
| of the mountains we came to the olive
trees and oranges. They abound up to
| 1000 feet elevation. Thousands of
acres of the groves are on the noun
tain side Terrace upon terrace, wal
led with stone to hold the dirt that is
carried up either On men and women's
heads or on the backs Of buTros, which
are the beasts of burden. They plough
the same as they did here in the old
country, the same as the Moors who
lived here 400 years before Christ
remain with their splendor
After lunch we took train at 1870
and arrived at the town of Gibraltar,
half way to the top through the cham.
bers that the Moors blasted out by
hand power and black powder. Then
went shopping. There is only one
street in the city of 10000 people. The
street was as thick with people as
Main stret in Mt Vernon is on the day
of circus. There are drinking places
with hundreds of sailors and soldiers
drinking and having time" AS sew
eral men of war and freight steamers
are in, the shops are full of men and
especially ladies making purchases to
| take back home and all looking for bar
gains. Anna was telling me on our re-
turn to the ship at 10 p. M, that the
ladies were boasting of their bargains.
One lady purchased bed spread for
$5 and another lady two of the same
kind for SIS.
Tuesday morning we expect to land
at the old pirate city Of Algiers in Afri-
ca. This is now owned by France. We
anticipate big time and something 20
see-people from all parts Of the
world
So far on the trip we have been on
time to the minute in landing and de-
parting, except yesterday when our
train up the mountain to Ronda was a
half hour late.
|
The passenger cars are entered from
the side and each compartment holds
seven and some eight people, who sit
facing each other the same as in an
omnibus, and each car holds 81 to "a
people. The freight cars hold about
five tons each of coal and of straw
about the same, but they are covered
with canvas. The straw is baled for
shipping much the same as is done in
Ohio except the bales are smaller.
The country is very stony and the
orange and olive orchards are culti-
waited by men with a large hoe about
five to six inches wide with short
handle They use it like our men do
the grubbing hoe When passing at
any of the railway stations, from the
looks of the crowd you would think all
the people in the country were there,
but not so. The country abounds with
children and all who can talk will ask
you for money, money. Yesterday
Anna went to take a photograph of the
hotel. Harriet, Mr.. and Mrs. Carpen-
tel and myself started to the train
which was about as far from the hotel
as the residence of D. B. Kirk is from
the public square. She being the last
one on the way, had near fifty to six
ty little devils all wanting money.
They get under your feet like sheep
that want salt that have not had any
for 60 days.
Our trip is all that could be asked
for so far-flne weather, nice people,
plenty to eat six times a day, smooth
| 80 S.,.I hooItI xxrifh oil 40 LOT