Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1920-05-06
STRIKE FELT
AT PORTS IN
SOUTH AMERICA
Mrs. w. H. Newell Writes of Trials
and TribuIations While Travel
ing on Boats

a strike at Colon by the silvers
tblacks). Ships could not coal there,
unload or load their cargoes. President
Wilson ordered that the men should
be paid $50 per month an increase or
Rs a month. The strike ended. We
planned to take the next U. S. A. fruit
boat to leave the port for Colon, the
Santa Malta, but that ship in enter
ing Port Cartegena, seven hours sail
ing from our port, became fast on
sandbar. They had to unload the ship
to get it off and to reload which took
eight days. Many passengers were
waiting at Puerto Colombia and had
been for some time to go to Colon, as
ships had been going directly to New
York City which were expected to go
to Colon. The Santa Marta was dam
aged and they refused to take pass
engers but sailed to Port Santa Mar
ia and took on load of gasoline. we
had to take the next boat going TO
Colon as our tickets were via Colon
and New Orleans. We were able to
get tickets on an Italian ship. Over
one hundred persons got on that boat
at Puerto Colombia When the snip
left the Mediterrean sea, she had
her full quota of passengers. They
found many people at every part
awaiting the ship, who had spent
their money for board while waiting
and for a ticket bought of their agent
for that boat. They begged the
captain to take them on saying that
they would put up with any accomoda-
tons. When we received word IN
Barranuuilla that our ship was IN
port we took the first train for there
to find six freight ships in dock and
no place for the passenger ship a
the wharf. 1t was another fete day,
men were celebrating and would not
unload the ships We waited two days
at that place. The hotels were crowd
ed. Mrs. Williams came UP with us
and succeeded in finding us place,
through a friend, to stay. We were
near a water tank Water for that
place is brought on the railroad Is
miles from BarranQuilla in tanks and
pumped into a large tank. The water
is taken from the Magdalena river and
filtered. The missionaries boil it be-
fore using. The natives do not trouble
to boil it. At present the river is
very low: the ocean flows back into
the river. The water is so salty it is
causing much sickness in the city.
Amusing to Us
It was amusing for us to watch the
hundreds of donkeys with their Wat
kegs strapped on their sides. They
have each their own place to stand in
line to wait their turn for kegs to be
filled. Lots of dOnkeys with no dri-
yer would trot away as soon as they
When we were able to go on our ship
we found that it was a very large
steamer and had over one thousand
people on board with but one hundred
first class cabins Hundreds of first
class passengers could get only sec
ond, third or fourth class cabins, the
latter in the hold of the ship; no
windows, no ventilatOrs, with electric
fans broken and the heat intense.
Fourth class passengers emigrants
slept on the lower deck with no cover.
It rained the last night out, and many
first class passengers, women and
children, slept on the bare floor on
the upper decks. Mr.. Newell and
rested in a steamer chair on the up
per deck. We were able to get fresh
air and two or three hours sleep. Not
one of the officers, stewards or wait
ers could speak English or under
stand it. We were fortunate in hav-
ing a friend travelling to Colon with
us-Rev. Rainey. He had been three
years in South America as an agent or
the London Bible house and was re-
turning to England for his family, in
tending to make their home in South
America. He spoke several languages
we'll, especially Spanish. AS the
languages most spoken on the boat
were Italian, French and Spanish, Mr..
Rainey acted as our interpreter.
Our Meals Were Very Good
Our meals were very good and
abundant No menu cards were used
The walters passed the food, one
could take what he wished At lunch
con and dinner they served eight
courses, with a change of all dishes
each course. They served light and
eight person, served in large water
dark wine each meal. There were
four large bottles on each table for
eight persons served in large water
glasses, with ice. Some women
drank three glasses each meal The
bottles were labeled Broadway, New
York City, and Buenos Aires. They
served tea, cake and marmalade at
four p. M, as all ship companies do.
A dozen men were busy washing dish
es through the day and late into the
night.
We were three days on this stea>