Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-04-09
Another Interesting Letter
From Charles A. Milliken

On board Victoria Louise, March q.
Editor Journal:
We are bound from Kingston to CO.
/ Ion, the main objective of the excur-
sion. Left Kingston p. NJ. yester-
day, due in Colon A. Nj. tomorrow,
i Sunday morning. We are sailing IN the
Caribbean sea, in fact We shall be in
/ it until we pass north or Cuba, Hayti
and Porto Rico which lie in about the
same latitude and bound the sea on
the north.
Today is a bright, clear day COM
| fortably warm, not uncom1ortably hot.
! Good day to talk of life on shipboard.
This excursion is especially fine be-
cause the q days is broken up by first
/ a sea voyage of one or two days, then
a day or two in port. We go on shore,
get tired sightseeing and then come
back and put to sea to rest and en-
/ joy the cooler and refreshing breezes.
+ 10 talk over what We have seen
ashore, to size up the country and peo-
/ pie. To notice the new purchases of
clothing and souvenirs people have
made and note the variety of tastes
i and consequent choices. Then begins
the planning for the next stop. The
f prospects
seeing. Where the most desirable
wares will be found for which to ex-
! change our filthy lucre The regular
routine on shipboard is about as fol-
lows:
First, salt water bath on getting out
of bed This you arrange for with
the bathroom steward who gives you
a certain time so you and others VIII
not conflict. l am fortunate in this
as l have not many competitors for
/ $50 or 6 o'clock bath. Then dressing
and walk on the promenade deck.
It is fine to go up in the cool of the
morning and view the sea. You sit
and gaze and it seems like a mighty
river rolling by. You forget that
Won are moving. Breakfast at s,
/ lunch at P NJ, dinner P. NJ. When
in port we have breakfast at so pas
sengers can go ashore early and not
! lose time unnecessarily. When at sea
we have light lunch served middle
| forenoon and again in the afternoon.
/ | never saw a steamship company put
| forth the endeavor and seem so de-
sirous to do all they can to make the
| table attractive and desirable. You
go to bed when you choose. The read
p NJ Important events Transporting
all over the world are posted by the
| Marconi system on the bulletin board,
generally in the morning. There is a.
| band on board which plays forenoons
| and afternoons on the promenade
deck. During the dinner it changes
| to an orchestra and plays. Then al
most every evening 1t plays for the
! dancers. So one need not die OF ennui
on board a modern steamship.
| I cannot conceive of a more desir-
able trip than this, broken up as it Is
by sea. voyages and visits to these
| islands, augmented by a visit to the
world wonder, the Panama Canal
This should never cease to be cruise
well patronized, for one Is certainly
well paid for their time and expense
Monday, Mar. 23.-Yesterday morn
| ing we landed at Colon-or rather
Cristobal. (Thc two words mean
| Christopher Columbus) Colon is the
old town. Cristobal is where our gov
eminent has built the docks, and a
separate town has sprung up. 1t was
| a beautiful morning but promised to
be hot. / was much impressed as we
approached the dock, with the thor
| onghness and durability of construc-
ton. The whole wharf and warehouse
rests on concrete piers as much as six
feet in diameter, constructed by push
ing hollow iron cylinders down to solid
| bottom and filing with concrete. The
whole wharf floor is solid concrete. A
railroad runs the whole length of the
wharf Our train for the trip across
the isthmus started from the dock
and returned In the afternoon to the
same locality. We entrained and
started for Ancon-on the Pacific side
| at A. NJ. The first object of in
| terest is Gatun locks and dam. This
word is pronounced as if spelled Gar
toon. The train stopped at the lower
| locks and met us at the upper locks,
| tire whole party walking along the
| locks and viewing their wonderful
| construction. These locks are built In
pairs, each 1000 feet long and ITO feet
wide. There are three pairs, each
| having a lift of 2sh feet. so that the
entire lift from the Atlantic through
the three lifts Is SIS feet. A vessel
| passing up through the three lifts
passes out into Gatun Lake This lake
| has been raised about so feet by the
Gatun dam, The principal supply OF
water comes from the Chagres river.
which during the rainy season pours