Around the world in ninety days; a book of travel

Dedication

To my Father MR. EDWARD CHAMBERLIN

TO THE READER

Most of the plates in the Guam Chapter and a number of those concerning the Midways are from photographs made by Mr. E. S. Groves, of Hingham, Mass., and Commander Charles Fremont Pond, IT. S. N., respectively ; while the two pictures of the Albatross dance were made by Mr. Walter K. Fisher, of Palo Alto, Cal. Of the exceptional courtesy of these three gentlemen I desire to make this public acknowledgement.

Chapter I The Start

In 1902 I wrote a book on the Philippine Question which attracted the attention of certain high officials.

In early May, 1904, one of them casually wrote to know if I would like to do some work in the Islands. I replied that nothing would please me more, but I supposed it would be impossible to leave for so long a journey. With that the matter was dismissed.

On June 19th, 1904, coming up from the South, I started Mrs. Chamberlin for Boston from Cincinnati and entrained for Chicago. On the 23d, Thursday evening, I left that city for Sioux City, Iowa. There I was confronted with an important lawsuit, the outcome of which would probably largely affect my future.

There was more than mere constancy to my clients that made me take the train that night instead of attending a rare performance at the theatre with friends whom I had not seen in years. I yielded to superstition. For a long time I have believed that if I devote myself wholly to a problem the most intricate snarl will unravel. That was the sole reason why I did not postpone my departure for a day or even more.

After dinner I cast my eyes about the library car, and saw the first propitious sign vouchsafed by the Fates

AROU^W THE WORLD IN NINETY DAYS

in the form of the man who could help me the most of all on earth. My superstition was working.

I'm afraid my approach to him was not very dignified, so elated was I. For four mortal hours we planned a campaign, and then separated.

By ten on Friday morning I was hard at work with my local attorneys preparing for the first battle which was scheduled for Monday morning. At halfpast two I was handed this dispatch from a Washington ofiicial:

"Manila transportation arranged for either July first or August first. Wire which."

(Signed)

That was 24,967 volts all at once! Not "Will you go.''" or "Can you go.^^" — but only "Wire date you are going."

The surprise was as great as if I had never thought of the journey.

I was irrevocably engaged for October first, in Boston; and a voyage to Manila would require sixty days at sea. August first was too late, then. It was Friday, three days from San Francisco, and there was a large lawsuit to be instituted or compromised, upon which no steps could be taken till Monday ; and Monday evening, at seven, the last train would leave that would place me in San Francisco in time to catch the ship.

One thing was fixed. I could not go unless that lawsuit was out of the way. My obligations to my clients demanded that. Could I dispose of it, on Monday, before seven in the evening ? If not, I could not imdertake the journey.

Mrs. Chamberlin's last train would leave Boston at two o'clock on Sunday. She must, therefore, be notified now.

The fact that it was the tenth anniversary of our marriage was a prominent factor in my plans.

In less than fifteen minutes I had decided to go if the legal controversy were compromised and to proceed upon the assumption that it would be.

THE START

I therefore telegraphed Washington that I would go on July first if transportation could be early enough arranged for Mrs. Chambei'lin.

Then the following telegram went to Mrs. Chamberlin where we sleep nights, in Wollaston, one of the best bedrooms that Boston has, and where I supposed her to be.

"If Washington telegraphs you transportation for Manila provided for you take Boston & Albany two o'clock Sunday for Chicago. There take Overland Limited over Union Pacific, leaving Chicago Northwestern station eight Monday evening. Purchase tickets to San Francisco in Boston and wire ahead for berth from Chicago. I meet your train Omaha Tuesday morning. Bring only hand baggage. We can purchase outfit in San Francisco. "

That stai'ted things. If I could not go, I could stop her at Omaha.

The first result arrived early Saturday morning before I was awake. It came from one of those little church and grocery store towns up in the north of New Hampshire, within one mile of the Canada line, in this guise:

Night message.

West Stewartstown, N. H.

Just arrived. Everything lovely.

F. M. C.

Now things were mighty squally. The situation was this. She was some twelve hours ride from Boston, and dependent upon only two trains a day. The last one that would enable her to reach Boston before two Sunday afternoon would leave West Stewartstown at one o'clock on Saturday, and it was eight Saturday morning and she yet knew nothing of our -proposed trip. But the worst factor of the situation was that they who live in that locality have never yet had to learn the value of time. For example : years ago I was there on a Saturday, in constant apprehension because of the delicacy of a very nervous negotiation which I was conducting at long range. But nothing came to relieve my anxiety and I spent bad hours till Monday morning, when over came the telegraph operator. As he handed me what I had been suffering for for the last two nights so that I could not sleep, he explained "I thought I'd bring it over. You might be in a hurry for it."

I thanked him and felt very grateful until I saw that he must have received the message more than forty-eight hours previously.

Upon the successor of this country telegraph operator depended our trip. The task was to reach Mrs. Chamberlin in four hours time from Sioux City, and she must also receive within the same time a telegram from Washington, in response to one I had sent notifying the authority at the capital of Mrs. Chamberlin's change of address. Suppose she were riding. Suppose she had gone to walk. Suppose she had gone calling without saying where. Suppose the Washington authority were not in his office when my telegram reached there. Suppose — a hundred small things, any one of which would cause delay too long. Then, as I well knew, the country telegraph agent was only at his office about train times.

To West Stewartstown went a duplicate of my above telegram. At two in the afternoon came the following from Washington:

" Confer with Captain B , 36 New Montgomery

Street, San Francisco, who has been directed furnish transportation to Manila for yourself and wife on transport sailing noon, July first. By Direction.

, Quartermaster.

So much gained ! Now to hear from New Hampshire. " Chaser" after " chaser" left Sioux City for that little town, but not a word was received from the operator there. Everything the telegraph superintendent could do gave no clew to the cloud of silence. We all concluded the office there was closed.

At four-thirty came the first news :

"Leaving for Boston. Leave Boston Sunday afternoon. Frances. "

THE START

Mrs. Chamberlin was all right if the trains would run on time.

Sunday the two gentlemen upon whose presence I had depended for victory on Monday, notified me that they could not be in Sioux City until Tuesday.

That was fatal and I was in agony until, in view of my plans, they at last consented to accommodate me.

The fight began Monday at an early hour. Owing to the temperature of our adversary it was not deemed advisable for me, whom he thought his black beast, to be present, so I had to sit alone in my room and wait.

At three in the afternoon a snag was struck that threatened to sink the ship, and my allies came to me for a final decision. Armed with the last hot shot they returned to the charge and at just six-thirty-five they entered my room and threw on the table the signed contract of compromise.

Five minutes later I was speeding to the depot.

Not a purchase had I made for the journey, and excepting what I wore and a change of linen, I had no wardrobe.

At Omaha I spent the night writing letters and sending telegrams, until 5.00 a.m., when I lay down.

At nine, the Overland Limited pulled in, on time.

In a few minutes I was in possession of Mrs. C.'s story. Half an hour before her last train would leave West Stewartstown she had received my telegram, within a few minutes afterward she had the necessary Washington one, and ten minutes later she was on her way to the train.

She rode in a day coach all night, missed the train for WoUaston she had depended upon and only succeeded in securing one hour there to make preparations for a trip around the world.

The only baggage she had comprised two dress-suit cases.

We were off!

Chapter II

From Omaha to the coast there is, on the Union Pacific, but Httle notable scenery except where the train creeps up, around and over the Sierras, down into the valley of California; and when one wants to look the most eagerly the train is sure to enter the black mouth of a long snow shed. At only one point did I think the scenery as grand or beautiful as it is in the White Mountains, and that was at Summit, California, 7,000 feet above the sea.

Nothing could exceed in dreariness the dry sands of Wyoming, Utah, and Nevada. It is a continuous desert from the Nebraska corn fields to the California lowlands.

In crossing California all I recall that appeared strange was the great size of geraniums, which grew to a height of small trees.

Supposing that full instructions concerning my credentials, ostensible errand, (the true task was to be secret) needs, etc., etc., would be forwarded from Washington to the naval ofiBcer with whom I had been told by his superiors to confer, I telegraphed to him from Reno, Nevada, the train I was on, the name of our San Francisco hotel and that I would be obliged if he would send word to the latter place telling where I could see him in the evening after our arrival, for I did not possess a single document or letter that would open even one door for me in the Philippine officialdom.

Imagine, then, my worry at finding only the following note at the Occidental:

Sir:

Referring to your telegram of the 29th instant, I have the honor to inform you if you will call at about nine Friday morning, transportation for yourself and wife and other necessary instructions will be given vou. Very respectfully,

G. M. B , Captain U.S.N.

I swallowed my wrath as best I might. But my disquieting reflection was that this discourtesy looked as if absolutely nothing had yet been arranged for me.

We were astir before six on Friday morning, and by eight-thirty Mrs. Chamberlin was at the Emporium, an enormous department store, while I went to "confer

with Captain B " according to my Washington

telegrams.

Upon arriving at the address before mentioned, it was reported to me that he was out. I asked if there were any message from Washington for me or about me, and was soon made to feel very small at discovering that nothing had been received except a formal order that we be given cabin passage to Manila. Not even my return had been arranged.

What ought my course to be ?

Should I await this Captain, who was evidently a stickler for red tape, or go on with no letters, no facilities to make my work a success, trusting to later cable messages or to good fortune to fight my way out of the diflficulties single-handed ? I glanced at the formal order which had been handed to me. It commanded the Quartermaster of the transport to "furnish Frederick Chamberlin and wife, unclassified, cabin accommodations to Manila." Here, in my hands, was transportation to the Orient. I had that, in any event, and would use it.

In undergoing the formalities that were necessary to secure our cabin, I was asked to sign a passengers' register, which provided for all sorts of things to be done if we sunk and the book floated. The entries in one column in particular amused me. It was headed "Rank." So far as known I was the only passenger who did not take advantage of this opportunity to state pedigree, color, battles, profession, amount of money possessed, blood relation to some railroad president.

book-keeper, clerk, or somebody who had once been in the service of Uncle Sam.

The true significance of all this rush to write out all the good things one dared to say about himself became apparent very shortly, but it looked to me twice as foolish as the usual autobiography of the youngest member; and so, I wrote nothing. But the others wrote thus, according to the girl from Richmond who said she overheard the Dutch clerk read the contents of the "rank" column to the artillery officer who was assigning cabins to the passengers according to degrees of rankness:

"'A. B — , Major Sevent' Ardillery Corps.' " "Give him the best room on the boat and a seat at my table. He's the rankest fellow in the whole bunch," decided the artillery officer.

"'C D , member off Legislature off ' "

A. O. : "He's going to be the Old Fool and the General Nuisance on this trip, all right. He says he could have been United States Senator (Hie!) if he'd had a mind to. Nit!"

(Note the "Hie!" That later becomes more prevalent.) "But put him up at my table and give him one of the best rooms. His cousin is an officer, and he may have some influential friends tucked away somewhere who can help me sometime."

"'M. N., Vidder off—'" A. O.: "Never mind of whom. She's that young tall one with the dark brown eyes, ain't she ? Just put her up at my table as near as you can and give her the best thing left on the ship — up at my end of the boat."

" ' E F C , Deamster' "

A. O.: "Aw! shove him way down below.' "

"'Miss M B D , couzin off de'

steenth bookkeeper off de champion 'soak de-Public R. R. Co.' Blays de mild guitar an' zings baze. Dark eyes. Likes uniforms, moonlight an' dancin.'"

"After that guitar lady we drew last trip we'd ought to try these voices before we let 'em on. But give her the best thing left all 'round. This is a long voyage and we may want to travel on that road sometime."

" 'M — N — , mother off a Heutenant in de Phihppine Scouts.'"

A. O.: "Put her between decks. Tuck her in any old place, and move her around as often as you like. She's all alone and hasn't a friend aboard. Set her at the table with the mule drivers. We don't recognize the Scouts."

'"X — Y, Vife off assistant surgeon. 4-11-44 t' ardillery.' Blain, highly educated, a berfect lady — about de most refined voman on de boat.' "

A. O. : "Can't help it. She's not rank enough, so put her at table with the mule drivers and teamsters and send her down stairs."

"'L— T. Son of Colonel of the lOOt' in-

ventry' — on summer vacation.' " "Give him best room that is left and take him up to my table. His father has influence and may help me a good deal."

"'A — D — T — . Vormer U. S. Conzul at Dahomay Slip. Now a lobbyist. Married rich.' "

A. O.: "Put him up stairs. He's got way-up friends. Set him down in a good place."

"'A — T — . Army nurse.' Vears tailor-made clothes and has splendid figure.'"

A. O. was all attenion. " Wears tailor-made clothes .'' How's she do that.'^ Guess you'd better give her a pretty good room up at my end of the ship — and set her down at a good table."

"'A — L — and vife, baymaster 40t' inventry; she's very handsome. Shust married.'"

"He's an awful cad. A regular chump, but put them at a good table and give them best thing left."

"'A — M — and vife. Quartermaster's clerk.' He's a zplendid fellow, highly educated, very polished man, but in poor health and had to give up provession; college graduate and all dat.' "

' Can't help it. Throw him down stairs. He ain't in the army; ain't rank at all."

"'T — D — . Stenographer. Navy yard, Cavite.' "

" Put him way down. Set all these clerks, teamsters and all such as far down as you can get them and herd them all up at the same table in the dining room saloon as far as you can. Get all us rank army people together. Our social supremacy must be maintained."

"'Frederick Chamberlin and wife. Unclassified.'"

A. O. : " Civilian, eh ? Only ones on the boat. Probably some clerk who won't own it. Fire them down stairs. The table with the stenographers and clerks is good enough for them. Don't put them up with any of us rank people. Always keep us together, you know."

Probably the reader already understands what we were soon to witness.

At exactly noon, as announced, Friday, July 1, we withdrew from our pier. No. 12. The instant we started, the screws of the "Buford," another transport that had lain on the other side of the pier, turned, too. She was taking a regiment to Alaska. The cheering crowds, the swelling music of the "Buford's" band, happy,laughing faces, tear-stained cheeks and misty eyes, and here and there a sob, a hurrying to a cabin to hide some vanishing face, the farewells shouted to and fro across the steadily widening stream that lay between ships and wharf, all made a scene full of animation and sentiment, the sense of which nobody could escape.

In the city the air had been so cool that I had worn an extra suit of flannels and a rain coat. But before we were out of the jaws of the Golden Gate I was dressed in four union suits and three vests; and, then, wrapped in a steamer rug, was gradually freezing to death. The only thing that prevented such elimination of the writer at that point was the remembrance of the kindly advice from experienced friends who told me, a stranger to this coast, that at that time of the year we were sure to frazzle in the hot sun.

Our cabin, which was an outside room on the main deck, next to the top deck, was on the starboard, beside the dining saloon. Our quarters were about equal in latitude and longitude to the usual double berth cabin on a first class Atlantic liner, six and a half feet square. 10

Owing to the little elevation above the water level each of these cabins was provided with an iron water-tight door. Inside of this, and never closed except in storm, was a lattice door, which was soon discarded for an overhanging curtain made from a borrowed piece of colored cotton print.

For fresh air we depended upon a large porthole and a chute that stood in one corner. This had an adjustable nozzle from which came a strong current of air a number of degrees cooler than the surrounding atmosphere.

In this house, with one camp-stool, were we supposed to live, if we could, for a month.

U. S. A. Transport Sherman

The "Sherman" was four hundred forty-seven feet long, with a beam of sixty-five. Around the promenade deck the distance was about a hundred feet less than the vessel's length.

The best staterooms, — those for the "rank" people, — were here, the only entrances to them from this deck. These cabins left but little space for exercise, a path not more than four or five feet wide, except, at each corner, both fore and aft, there was an open parallelogram of say, fifty feet in length by fifteen feet in width. Here were held the knitting bees and the card parties. Here the "rank" ladies settled their rank questions. Here it was one could find the village gossips.

The steam heal was sadly needed the first night.

In the evening at six-thirty, half an hour after the dressing signal, — all meals were announced by a Filipino boy who furiously beat a huge oriental gong in our ears as he circled the deck — my introduction to the dining-room servants was a plate of hot soup deposited between my collar and what the latter surrounded, although the location quickly changed to other parts of my person, just which I'll not say. It is best for a story teller to leave something to the reader's imagination. But I was reassured by the information that Casey always became as sober as was necessary when twenty-four hours had elapsed after leaving each port.

The room-servants and bell-boys aboard were Filipinos. Hilario, a youth of perhaps twenty, was the one who took care of No. 27.

My diary for the second day out, Saturday, July 2, is as follows :

"Too shaky to get up. Sounds made by a seasick man next door upset me while I was leaning over to tie my shoes.

"Lay in berth all day. Filipino servant says 'Don't like Aguinaldo.' No sun, cold and dark. White caps, but little motion. Temperature 61 degrees. Run 221 miles."

Sunday my illness was over. We were now assigned to our permanent seats in the dining saloon. Breakfast was served at 7.30. As I looked at the different faces, the dresses, uniforms, jewelery, etc., etc., I saw that there had been a painful attempt to herd us in pens according to our supposed stations in life. The clerks and stenographers were put at one table because they were such. The rankest were given the choice seats, which were as far as possible from those of common clay — the latter, anybody who did not possess an army commission. The top of the social ladder began at the quartermaster's table at the forward end of the room.

Mrs. Chamberlin and I found ourselves with the clerks and stenographers. Casey still pursued us, but 12

I could see that he had bleached a good degree, as promised.

Before long we found that the rank people outside of whose doors we usually seated ourselves, as there was no other place on board where one could sit unless on top of the smokestack (and a "Keep off the grass" sign kept one from even that point) advanced the claim that the occupants of each stateroom owned all the yard that lay immediately in front of it on the promenade deck, the only deck where first class passengers were supposed to sit. The sequence of this was, of course, that nobody who had cabins on the main deck could ever sit down, or stand, on the promenade deck. The rank ones, by looks, by mutterings, by a toss of the head, by pointings, by remaining in doors and looking cross, if one of our chairs happened to be on their side of the fence, made things decidedly uncomfortable. But we stood pat. Even if we were "unclassified," we had a right to be on the ship and to some place on the deck; and there we remained.

The people who, like those at our table, were not rank, treated each other as if they were human beings inhabiting the same planet — each full of kindness and though tfulness for all. These people made life bearable, while the rank people were elevating their noses at each other in an endeavor first to seem to ignore the other's presence.

One of the most outrageous things I ever saw was perpetrated by the rank crowd of ladies upon one, who, by her patience and ladylike behavior under such trying circumstances won the admiration of every man aboard, before we saw Manila.

On this first Sunday, in the evening, there was an effort by the rank outfit to make music. Heavens! It was distressing; and some who had been accustomed to better things moved to another part of the deck. The wife of a department clerk aboard had been a professional singer for years and had a remarkably clear voice. The rank crowd set themselves near her chair, without, of course, indicating in any way that she was 13

AROUND THE WORLD ly jSriNETY DAYS

on the deck, and she, understanding the situation, did not join the singing (?). There came a time, however, when they broke down on a song, and she, to help them over the weak ice, joined her trained voice with theirs, and suffering passengers hke ourselves began to drift toward her. The men, even of the rank crowd, were delighted and plied her for song after song; but no rank ladies even so much as looked in the direction from which came that bell-like voice. She, considering that the air was free, that no claims had been staked for so much of it as her sweet voice would employ, and being a gracious woman, although not rank, kindly responded and sang a number of the old songs which we requested. The effect was too infectious, even for the rank outfit, and they capitulated and followed her leading. Down on the main deck the second class passengers began to gather near the gangway beneath the little lady's chair and loudly applauded her efforts.

Music seemed to have cut the social veil and the voyage began to assume the guise of a pleasant family party affair. The officer whose duty it was to see that the passengers had a good time was elated and enthusiastically announced a meeting at the same "corner" after dinner the following evening, and he especially requested, onbehalf of the entire party, that the singer would be prepared to sing several mentioned songs upon that occasion.

But the next day! The air was full of scowls, uplifted chins and turned-up noses. Not a one of the rank crowd saw the sweet-voiced lady all day. To her gracious nod to some of those who composed that immaculate company who had sung with her only a few hours before, only stony stares were vouchsafed.

When the evening came, true to her ladylike training, she repaired with her songs to the chosen corner. The rank crowd, however, set themselves in another place as far removed from her as possible, and began their squall. The officer who had, on behalf of the entire ship, requested the special songs, was with them, too; and he never renewed his requests till near the end of the voyage, 14 when the rank people had to flee to this one voice the ship possessed.

The process of ostracising this lady was steadily pursued until the quieter, real ladies and gentlemen aboard began carefully but surely to nullify the influence of the codfish aristocracy set up by young army people. By the time the voyage was on its last half, the obtrusive rank crowd had almost disappeared and constituted a little slivery knot relegated to a niche in one corner.

Positions were reversed.

At noon on Sunday the temperature was 65 degrees.

Monday, "The Fourth" the water was smoother and the air 73 degrees, so oif came two of my vests and one union suit. The tone of the whole ship warmed with the sun. Mrs. Chamberlin here joined the card-playing that several of our table companions had instituted. It continued until the end. My diary says "I got it for one game but escaped after that."

The only celebration of the day consisted of the firing of a revolver by an exuberant boy, after sundown, the explosion of some fireworks, and the first singing among the soldiers, some seventy-five of whom we were carrying. As no one organization comprehended them all, they were called "casuals," just stray men who happened to be going on this boat.

With the assistance of banjos and guitars they gave an enjoyable hour with their four-part, sad love songs.

On this day a new reminder was inaugurated that we were on a journey to the tropics — the use of side awnings to protect the eye and to keep out the heat. I doubt if I have ever despised anything more than I did those awnings, and the way they were used.

As the whole ship was run on army regulations, evidently drawn upon land, there was no discretion to be expected and none exhibited. The entire promenade deck was provided with thick canvas curtains. When they were unrolled and tied down any view of the sea was impossible. Early after breakfast the side of the ship toward the sun would be entirely enclosed, no 15 matter whether or not that was the only side from which a breeze was to be obtained.

Following the noon meal, when the sun had passed to the other side of the boat these curtains were rolled up and those on the latter side were tied down; even if the wind had followed the sun. The regulations were framed to suit the sun. They would have had some sense had they been drawn to.be varied according to the breeze.