40,000 miles around the world. A personal narrative of the experiences and impressions of an energetic traveller who crosses the equator and the Arctic circle in the tour

Preface

This account of my trip of Forty Thousand Miles Around the World was thought of and written after my return home at the request of many friends and is a personally written history of my own experiences and deductions. I trust it will prove of interest to many, it is written more to give one an idea of what the world is, in running around it, and gi v e many hints to those who anticipate journeys of the kind in the future; than to give just a recital of the regular objects of interest which can be found in many guide books of all sorts.

It was written mostly from memory and during odd hours, and I hope the many inaccuracies will be pardoned. I dedicated the book to Mr. Frank Clark, for the simple reason it all was made possible only through him to have such a fine time, and see so much in such an easy and comfortable manner and at a low cost. He accomplished something that has never been done before though it has been tried many times, and spared no expense to give his passenger tourists an enjoyable time as far as lay within his power.

Had I known what the task would be before I began, I would never have started the story, but have tried to accomplish something despite the many difficulties that have arisen and trust it will be interesting, and appreciated for what it is worth. Pardon the typography, through unavoidable circumstances.

The illustrations are from photographs taken by myself and members of the cruise for which thanks are here given for their assistance. I also wish to thank Dr. Phillips, Mr. H. H. Herschberger, Mr. Junkin and others for some of the helps given me in the way of data etc. GEO. T. BUSH,

Sept. 1911. , Bellefonte, Pa.

THIS BOOK IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED TO MY FRIEND Mr. FRANK C. CLARK THROUGH WHOSE ENERGY AND FORESIGHT THE FORE PART OF THE TOUR WAS MADE SO PLEASANT.

Contents

•Chapter. Page,

I Westward Ho, 1

II Off on the Pacific, 6

CHAPTER i

The narrative will run from the time of leaving home on Jan. 15, 1910, with snow two feet deep on the ground, traveling westward across the United States, passing through of three winters and summers in the same season of the year, covering 40000 miles of sea and land, until my return home six months and ten days later.

I tarried a couple of days in Pittsburg visiting friends and saying adieus to many of my Masonic acquaintances, and from there went to Cincinnati in an uneventful trip, and spent the day there with a friend, leaving there over the Louisville and Nashville road for two nights and a day trip to New Orleans. The events of that trip were not very interesting, except the stalling of the train during the night a couple of times, and the leaving of a poor brakeman, who had been sent back to flag; to hoof it back to the nearest station because the train, after it finally got started could not stop to pick him up again.

Birmingham, Alabama, the iron city of the South was passed through early in the evening, and was as interesting a sight as Pittsburg only on a smaller scale; the fiery glows from the furnaces anil slag piles, making the country around about look like a small section of Dante's Inferno. The valuable feature of the iron industry then is the fact that the iron ore, limestone and coal, are all within a short distances of the furnace they using their own small tram loads to bring the raw materials to the furnaces. The

city had several high office buildings. It seemed strange to see large twelve and fifteen story office buildings in any city in the south and shows the wonderful progress and growth that the south has made in commercial lines in the last decade or so.

We arrived at New Orleans the next morning at seven after crossing through the swamps of the extensive Mississippi delta, and the tour of looking over that interesting city, of which there is none other like it in the United States began. Trade must be done on the slow 3asy going plan of eat, drink, talk and visit for awhile before business xs thought of and the person who tries to change that order of things and rush it through, will find himself coming out at the shorter end of the horn as far as business is concerned.

The things of most interest to me were the old shops with their stacks of curious, all claimed to be ancient, but many of them modern, relics of the Spanish and Andrew Jackson days, the fine oil paintings, dishes, flags, arms, furniture, documents of various sorts ^11 of historical interest. The old slave market in what was once a iiiagnificient building called the Hotel Royal, later Hotel St. Louis, xiow a ruin, where probably Uncle Tom of Harriet Beecher Stowe's -animus uook, was auctioned off to Simon Legree on the very block /-hat is slill intact, which is shown to visitors as the original one that nas been there for ninety years. The Hotel was built in 1816 and enlenained many noted people. The narrow streets in the quarter of me city known as the French quarter copied after the narrow streets oi Paris bring the old parts of Paris to mind and more vividly so when you hear the French gab ble on every hand, though many, principally the younger element, can now speak English also. Othor things of interest were the French market, and particularly the cemeteries of 3New Orleans, the old ones, very much delapidated but oi great interest on account of their being built above the ground. i'he bodies were put into oven like vaults built in the low buildings and Mansoleums and around the thick walls. I noticed the tombs ui several Penna. people, soldiers and sailors who had died on ships and of fever during the war of 1812 and one in particular of a Lancaster county, Penna., born lady who had lived to the age of 125 years, and in that fever stricken country.

There are many other points of interest of the usual order in cities, in the nature of public buildings, which it is not necessary to '-numerate here. I visited a commandery meeting of Knights Templar on Friday evening the 21st and met many of the business and professional people of the city and spent a very pleasant evening; on Saturday evening a meeting of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine at which thirty-five candidates were initiated and a merry time was had until nearly three A. M., before the gathering finally dispersed. There was many visitors present from various states and we were royally entertained and received. They were getting ready to receive the annual meeting of the Imperial Shrine which was to take place m April, and the slogan used, which was printed in large red letters L>n placards all over the city was "Glad U Kom". My friend Freeiand Kendrick of Lulu Temple, Philadelphia was elected into the line jf succession for Potentate of the United States at that session in April. He was also present on the evening of our session.

The next day. Sunday at noon we took the train on the Southern Paciffic railway, and was ferried across the Mississippi for the long ride across the continent westward. When we arrived at New Ibernia, Louisanna, the train was an hour and a half late and we heard the sad news that a traveling man who had been waiting to take the train had been stabbed to death by a rum crazed nigger running a muck, showing how a little thing may change a life, for if the train had of been on time he would have been aboard and his life would have been saved. The train ride was interesting through this country on account of the great Cyprus brake, that fine southern lumber that is used so much down there, and also the sugar cane fields with their railroads and mills dotting the flat landscape for miles around.

The next point of interest was San Antonio, Texas, now a large prosperous city, containing the famous "Alamo" of Davy Crocket fame,kept in a good state of presevation as is possible. The train waited a couple of hours there, so time was had to visit the interesting relic of the days when Texas fought for her Independence.

The train then sped on through the great veldt of western Texas with its sand and sage brush, to El ]\i:>o on the bordfrland of Mexico, a prosperous city, very much American now, with its huge smelters of the metalic ores from neighboring states, Ten minutes ride takes you to Juarez across the bolder into old Mexico where bull fights take i>:noe, murders are often committed, and is as entirely different as could be from El Paso. Gambling of all sorts flourishes and the mea: sbops sell you the beef of the bulls and horses killed in the bull fights.

From El Paso the train runs across southern New Mexico and Arizona, a small part of it through some pretty mountain scenery along The Rio Grande River, over bridge 321 feet high and 2100 feet long, until it reaches the tableland where you get the sand storms and those marvelous mirages that have been the death of so many weary travelers. They lead him into the desert waste never to return alive, his bones finding a lonely grave covered over by the next sand storm that comes along. The mirages we saw were very beautiful, looking like pretty lakes of blue water with trees and islands, and a little imagination helped you to see people and houses also, a truly pretty picture to draw the weary wanderer on to his death. Between the windstorms and the suction of the train, the observation platform on the rear of the Sunset express often had from six inches to a foot of sand on it. We were very glad to finally reach Cal ifornia which we did on Wednesday the 23rd passing that famous Salton sea, 60 by 90 miles in extent; that body of land below sea level that the Southern Pacific R. R. Co. had inadverently turned the Colorado river into, and for a year or so could not stop it. It has finally been stopped and it is now again gradually drying up, in no place is it very deep, but it covers a great many square miles of land most of which was desert before, so that no great damage was done.

We arrived at Los Angeles, California, in the afternoon and spent until the following Monday with friends visiting that interesting and growing city with its typical western hustle and the beautiful surrounding country, with its square miles of deciduous fruits and other tropical fruits and plants, that is making a garden spot out of that portion of the United States. There would be a much greater showing here but the railroad trusts have that country throttled and bound hand and foot. Until the country wakes up and takes those matters in hand the growth will be only a small portion of what this garden spot might become with irrigation and reasonable R. R. rates. All the way from and including New Orleans to Los Angeles we had fine lale spring weather, trees and flowers were in full bloom, oranges were being picked and only a week before winter and snow in the north we now had summer, but that was soon to change again for leaving Lo& Angeles on Monday the 31st it became cold and some skiffs of snow, and an overcoat was very acceptable in San Francisco. While in Los Angelos we took many interesting automobile rides including the famous Busch Sunken Gardens, also the sea beach. which has quite a nice but small Atlantic City, there named Venice, One particular thing visited that was interesting, was the large os- Lrich farm where they have several hundred fine birds, many of them very large, weighing three hundred pounds, and the more famous ones named after prominent people. There is quite an industry, many hands being employed, mostly girls and Japs cleaning and scouring and dying feathers, there are many beautiful ones. This is only a branch farm here, one back in the country having, it is said, two thousand birds. The finest feathers called plumes come from the wing and only a few from a bird, the birds are plucked every three months, the feathers growing very rapidly.

The old mission church built in 1781 is also very interesting with curious paintings all round. The one old main altar was brought from Italy and is very well preserved.

Their new park, that is being built in Los Angelos, promises to be a fine one in a few years. At the base of the hill on which the park is situated is the famous pigeon farm with what is said to be a million pigeons flying around, we were told that it takes a couple of car loads of grain a week to feed them.

I went up the coast line of th e Southern Pacific passing the spot where so many of my Reading Shriner friends had been killed in that awful wreck, one of whom was so well known in Bellefonte being a relative of Mr. Keller, namely: George Hagerman, of Reading, Pa. For quite a distance the coast line is rugged and rather pretty- It is full days ride from Los Angelos to San Francisco.

Not having been in San Francisco since the Earthquake and having remembered it very well before I was very much surprised and pleased to see what a beautiful city had crept from out of the ruins there was hardly a familiar spot left of the flat quarter of the city at all, but was thickly rebuilded with many handsome business structures. The fire still showed the dreadful havoc it had created in the many vacant lots and ruins that lay on the hills surrounding that district but it was also dotted with new structures and no doubt in a few short years every trace of that dreadful catastrophe will have disappeared and San Francisco will have greatly benefited. Nearly all the new structures are both fireproof and earthquake proof, steel construction having shown its ability to withstand the earthquakes in the few buildings that was undamaged by the shock but partially destroyed by the intense heat of the inflamable buildings that adjoined them.

The old evil smelling narrow streets of China Town are gone and in its place the new China Town has well built fireproof buildings mostly of Chinese architecture. Whether the many under ground passages of the old Chinatown, are in existance, in the new, is a problem, but it is much safer there now than it was then. Guides show you a few points of interest but there is nothing thrilling in the present day excursion. A new dive quarter has sprung up in an other section of the city named, "The Barbary Coast" where all the dance and drink halls thrive, but a person can go through them in comparative safety and not bernolested, except by the girls, if he minds his own business. The Gold-Gate Park trip is the one of most interest and is a very pretty ride around by the sight seeing trolley,

CHAP TER II.

OFF ON THE PACIFIC.

On the morning of the 5th of February a suppressed excitement was noticed for that was the day we all were to sail on our long voyage, at 2 o'clock in the aftternoon The hustle began right after breakfast, people loaded up the busses and cabs and hurried away to the wharf to look after the baggage and get it put away, say the long farewells, etc., The crowd began collecting about ten o'clock in the morning and kept increasing until it was conservatively estimated that when the "Cleveland" finally pulled not there were over fifteen thousand people to cheer her off, with seven hundred and fifty-two tourists on board who were leaving the shores of the U. S. A., for from five months to several years, some never to return again in life.

The vessel was stuck pretty deep in the mud being one of the largest draught vessels that had ever been in the harbor, the captain after trying quietly a couple of times to move her ordered full speed astern and then the mud began to churn and make the water like molasses, and in a short time thevessel moved slowly backward from her mud berth and was soon out in the bay and turned westward towards the beautiful Golden Gate, through which we passed in a eouple of hours toward our first stop Honolulu, nearly seven days journey away.

Not very long after the Golden Gate was passed quite a swell was encountered, and the boat as Iargeas she was began to roll and plunge and before very long a heavy side wind also came up, and then the misery began for most of the passengers, a few of us were not sick in the least, but for two or three days the dining table was not a popular place at all, sometimes not more than two or three out of our table of ten appearing, and many tables had nobody at all at them,

"I would like to quote with the kind permission of my friend P. S. Junkin, of Creston, Iowa, the following:

The first day called up gravest thoughts that made me nervous hearted.

The next day called up memories of friends from whom I parted.

The third day called to mind the land where one is safely carted.

The fourth day called up everything I'd eaten since I started."

The following poems apropos of Uie trip across the Pacific was written and read by Mr. Loren A Sherman at a Travellers Club meeting-

OUT UN i tiE PACIFIC.

Out, through the rocL hung Golden Gate,

Our ship sails wiih its human freight.

The hillset city fades away; And at its farthest western strand

Good byes we speak to our loved land.

Thus, launched upon a trackless sea,

A world encircling company; While waves run high and many feel

Soon, southward merrily we go

Where softened tropic breezes blow.

Till, fair to our enraptured eyes.

Hawia's mountain islands rise; A banner no injustice mars.

These gems, set in a Summer sea,

Give welcome to us royally.

In mellow airs, perfumes with flowers.

We while away the fleeting hours, Until, too soon, we sail away

For quaint Japan and far Cathay.

As he states the chronology is not exactly accurate but the description w r as to the letter, of most of those on board. The boatwas perfectly seaworthy but just tossed and rolled enough to frigh— ten many. In a few days many of the passengers were able to get a round and begin to make each others acquaintance, for it was to be really a big house party of nearly four months duration and the more you were acquainted the more pleasant the voyage would be. The ship was chartered by Frank C. Clark of New York, the one who has for fifteen years conducted so successfully the fine Mediterranean cruises, and was a stupendous undertaking involving the handling of several millions of dollars. The great steamship companies and other tourists agencies have tried time and again to carry a specially chartered ship for tourists around the w r orld, but have failed, and it i vmainod for Mr. Clark, the king of them all, to do so for the first time successfully.

The ordinary tours of the world are in small parties and have none <>f the conveniences and luxuries of a great steamship fixed up specially for that purpose, doing away with all baggage and landing troubles and the many changes required in all sorts of vessels.

Mr. Clark did all he could to make everybody as comfortable as pos sible all through the ship; to take 750 people from their homes all over the United States, nearly ev(ry state and nearly every condition being represented, around the world, land them at the different places, give the carriage, rickshaw and other rides, visiting all points of interest in the places visited as well as many inland trips, keeping them where possible at hotels, the best on shore, providing all the guides etc., and bring all through satisfied was indeed a wonderful undertaking and worthy of great commendation. On board there was not a day passed that there was not something going on, card parties, lectures, experience meetings, dances, etc., something to entertain all the time.

As there was only seating capacity for four hundred people in the two dining rooms the meals were served in two sittings each, the breakfasts 7;30 and 8;30, the two lunches 12 and 1 o'clock, and the evening dinners 5:30 and 7 o'clock respectively, while at eleven A. M. bouillion and salt wafers, and at three P. M. hot or cold tea and cakes, and then the night lunch of sandwiches,.

A little German Band played on deck in the mornings, and alternated in the dining rooms in the evenings, and a very fine orchestra played in the ladies parlor in the afternoon and for the entertainments in the evenings.

The officers and crew numbered about four hundred and fifty, so that it made a small town population, of about twelve hundred souls on board. The large majority of the officers and crew tried their best to make everything comfortable and pleasant, as possible to do, for such a large lot of people in such a small space, as it seemed, but to which all soon adjusted themselves. There were six decks lettered A. B. G. D. E. F. ,and a top deck with an awning covering besides, E. and F. were down near water line, parts or all the others were open at some points on the vessel. But as large as all these decks were, when all the party had steamer chairs, they were pretty well filled up.

There were two smoking rooms and three parlors, which in the main was plenty, for as we soon got in the tropics nearly all wished to be outside most of the time. A fine steam laundry was equipped on the ship, the only traveling one of its kind in the world.

Two rooms were given us for dark rooms and answered the purpose very well and enabled many to do all their photographic work, there being a great deal done on board the ship. The cabins were mostly all small some of them being but about 5X7 feet in size and these contained two bunks one above the other, a washstand, and a closet, so that generally only one person could dress at a time with any degree of comfort. The berths were about two feet wide and six

and a half feet long. Electric fans were distributed all over the ship and had much to do in making it comfortable in the tropics.

To show the necessity of what a large lot of provisions was needed on a cruise of this kind I will give below a part of what was taken on at San Francisco besides a large quantity that was already on the ship not having been used up of the Eastward cruise. 180,000 pounds of fresh meat, 20,000 pounds of poultry, 8,500 pounds of fish, 53,- 000 pounds of butter, 350,000 eggs, 3 carloads of California oranges, 4 carloads of grape fruit, 1 carload of lemons, 2 carloads of potatoes, 8 tons of sugar, 15,000 quarts of fresh milk, 11,000 quarts of ice cream, 110 tons of dried fruits 43,000 quart cans of preserved fruits, 15,000 pounds of crackers, and minor quantities of other stuff together with 100 tons of ice and 3200 tons of water, it being cheaper to buy water than to make it on the ship which could be done in an emergency from sea water with the condensers.

This will give you a little idea of the enormous undertaking of a thing of this kind and the requir ments for a long trip besides the taking on at the various ports of fresh meats, fish, fruit and vegetables.

I will not go into details about the big feature places of the different towns we were in as they are described in all sorts of guide and travel books, unless it is someihhig of especial merit.

Having knowledge of photograph} and having my camera along was already interested in the dark rooms and on Tuesday the 8th of February posted a notice for all the camera fiends to meet in the dining room, which they did to th€ number of about sixty. I stated the object of the meeting was to form a Camera Club to control tinuse of the dark rooms and for mutual aid and assistance for the ameteurs, and for the purpose of having meetings and lectures etc.

A temporary organization was formed I being elected chairman, and a committee appointed to draft bylaws rules and to report a permanent organization etc., on Thursday, at which meeting I was elected President, and Mr. William Donnelly of Calgary, Canada, Sec. The total enrollment was about one hundred and thirty, and talks on all sorts of photograph subjects were made at the various meetings principally by Dr. E. H. Van Patton of Dayton Wash. Dr. VanWagenen of Newark, N. J. John Withers of Jersey City, New Jersey, and Geo. T. Bush of Belief onte, Pa. A permanent aid committee was appointed to whom all in trouble could come and get the troubles fixed. and was of great value to a great many of the amateurs on board. The Club was called the four C's, standing for Clark's Cruise Camera Club and at Yokohama I had neat little bandages of silk ribbon printed with four C's and Cleveland 1910 printed on, not being able to get buttons, and gave one to each member of the Club. Many meetings were held all through the trip with a good attendance at each one, and all said they were benefited to some extent or other.

I also called a meeting of the Pennsylvanians on board there being about fifty, it was the first state club formed more to get ourselves grouped for reception at Manilla and for the purpose of getting acquainted with your own state people. A few meetings were held for the sociability sake. Mr Geo. Bush was elected Pres., and Mr. Charles Shelmire of Philadelphia Sec, I also obtained a little ribbon badcre with the word Penna. C. C. A. W. and 1910 the initials being for Clark's Cruise Around World and gave to the members for identification purposes.

Mr. Clark requested me to act as chairman of the Dance Committee, and to select a committee of about ten members which I did, the first dance was held Friday night the 11th on the wide B deck just before we landed at Honolulu. The deck was very beautifully decorated with signal flags, bunting, and colored electric lights, and with the handsomely dressed ladies made a very pretty picture. The ship's people put oat flake on the deck, and it was not the best or cleanest thing imaginable you may be sure. The German Band on board played a rather poor time for American dancers, but we guessed they did the best they could do, and we enjoyed it anyhow dancing for about two hours, lemonade and cakes being passed around by the stewards. I procured at Honolulu a good quantity of Boric Acid and used that on the deck afterwards with much better success, and if the slight rolling and leaning of the ship had at times been prevented, we could not have asked for anything better, except the time of the band which would insist in playing fast waltzes and slow two steps, the reverse of what we dance, and what we generally expect of the Germans.

The first event on board was held on Monday night the 7th being a Progressive Euchre Party given by Mrs. Frank Clark and was attended by about one hundred and fifty despite the still rough internal feeling of some on the boat. It was a very enjoyable affair and passed off pleasantly for all, Mrs. Clark having five each very nice ladies and gentlemen's prizes. I acted as master of ceremonies for her in giving the rules and directions and gathering and verifying the winners which had to be done in such a large crowd by asking for the highest scores.

Services were held both morning and evenings on Sundays on board the ship, the different ministers alternating. The most interesting were Rev. Dr. Philips, of Binghampton, N. Y. who always held a large audience, and Rev. Dr. Lorenz of New York city who was a very polished speaker. One minister on board who should get mention particularly was the gentleman we familairly called "Parson Uzzel" being the Rev. Thos. Uzzel of Denver Col., who has done such a world of good among the slums of that wicked city, and who was one of the right hand men of Judge Ben Lindsay the famous juvenile court man. His sermons always attracted a large audience as he spoke from the heart, and very forcibly, with exceedingly plain english as he would use to his home charges, and he would have you laughing one minute and crying the next so forcible were his talks and picture sermons as you might call them.

All these details are gone into to try and give you some idea of the life on the ship. One thing I forgot to mention was the grill room in the rear of the ship where, should you get tired of the dining room table d'hote meals you could go there and on the payment of only 25 cents for the service, be served with a very nice steak and baked potatoes, or chicken, or a chop all helping to relieve monotony on some of the long voyages between the different places.