Travels Abroad
by An Aucklander
Halifax: Stott Brothers Limited, Mount Street. 1923.
After a breakdown in health through overwork in Municipal and other Local Body work, my wife induced me to consider the advisability of a complete change, and we decided to visit the British Isles and part of the Continent, taking the longest route through the Panama Canal by the New Zealand Shipping Co's S. S. "Remuera," commanded by Captain Cameron, who proved a most efficient and agreeable officer, studying the comfort of the passengers in every way.
Leaving Auckland on Sunday evening, the 22nd May, 1921, with the farewell and
good wishes of our family and many friends, we had a pleasant train journey to
Wellington, where we arrived at 1-10 p.m. next day.
At 3-30 p.m. on the 25th May (Wednesday), we left the Wharf at Wellington
under pleasant weather conditions, and after partaking of a good dinner, we
retired to rest early. Next morning we were surprised to find that it was
still Wednesday, the 25th May, as we had crossed the 180° Meridian during the
night and it was necessary to add one day to the calendar so as to adjust the
time.
The weather conditions on this second Wednesday were unsettled and unpleasant, Father Neptune evidently objecting to any interference with the calendar without first obtaining his consent. The ladies were most considerate under the adverse conditions and indulged in the comfort of their state rooms, allowing the gentlemen to have the full benefit of the decks.
In a few days the weather improved wonderfully, and the usual committees were
appointed to carry out concerts and sports, all of which were successful and
reflected credit on the committee.
Mr. Skerrit, K.C., from Wellington, was one of our most prominent passengers
and through his pleasant and genial ways, soon found his way to the hearts of
all the passengers. His dry humour and clever little stories were much
appreciated and this popularity remained during the whole voyage.
The weather gradually improved and the passengers employed their time in
playing deck quoits and golf.
On Thursday, the 9th June, we entered the latitude where flying fish were very
numerous and many of the passengers were highly amused with their antics. On
the following Monday, the 13th June, we saw large shoals of whales spouting
all round the steamer, and on Tuesday the 14th we crossed the Equator during
cool weather for this particular locality. The following day we passed Malpelo
Island and on Thursday, the 16th June, we arrived at Balboa Panama too late in
the day to proceed through the Canal. It was a pleasant sensation to tread
terra firma again after such a long interval on board ship, and we immediately
hailed a taxi, and after exchanging our New Zealand money for American
dollars, we motored out to the old historic town of Panama, formerly occupied
by the Spaniards and attacked by the Pirates in such a vigorous manner that
nearly all the Spanish soldiers with the exception of about seventy were
killed and nearly all the buildings demolished and are now in ruins. The
foliage, palms, sugar cane, pineapples and other tropical vegetation grew most
luxuriantly, and some of the finest bananas which were delicious to the taste.
The ruins of the old monastery still remain and the walls are covered with
creepers, giving the building rather an artistic appearance with its old
tower.
Balboa is a clean town beautifully laid out and planted with every variety of
palm and the buildings are of modern architecture. The sanitary arrangements
have been improved to such an extent that it is now one of the healthiest
towns in the tropics. The very fine hospital is nicely situated on a plateau
in an elevated part of the town and the grounds surrounding it have been
planted with lovely palms and other tropical plants.
On Friday morning, at 6 a.m. on the 17th June, we left Balboa and entered the
world-famed Canal, which is such a colossal undertaking and a tribute to
engineering skill costing the American Government about eighty-five million
pounds to complete. The length from shore to shore line is forty miles, but
from deep water in the Pacific to deep water in the Atlantic is fifty miles.
There are six locks in all, the first two from the Pacific side being
Miraflores where the steamer is raised about fifty-five feet; another one and
a half miles brought us to the Pedro Miguel lock where we were raised another
thirty feet, making a total of eighty-five feet above sea level. We next
entered the famous Culebra Cut which has been one of the greatest engineering
feats yet accomplished and caused the greatest anxiety in the minds of those
who carried out the work. It is three hundred feet wide at the bottom and nine
miles in length necessitating the excavation of over ninety million yards of
rock and earth in its construction or nearly half the amount required for the
total excavation of the Canal. At Gamboa we entered the large artificial lake
with its numerous tropical islands and steamed full speed ahead for about
twenty-four miles, the lake covering an area of about one hundred and
sixty-four square miles. We next approached the famous Gatum Dam which
impounds the waters from the Chagres River and its tributaries. The walls of
the dam are constructed of concrete, nearly one and a half miles long, nearly
half a mile wide at the base, and four hundred feet wide at the water surface.
It unites the hills on either side, thus retaining the waters of the river as
in a basin and replacing a beautiful lake where formerly there were large
areas of unhealthy swamps which were breeding grounds for mosquitoes and
disease.
The Americans are indebted to a British officer named Colonel Ross who, after
many years of scientific research in South Africa, proved to the satisfaction
of the medical world that Yellow Jack was spread by a special kind of
mosquito, and after extensive experiments it was found that the spraying or
petroleum on the water not only killed the fly but also exterminated the eggs.
Had it not been for this wonderful scientific discovery it is probable that
the Panama Canal would never have been completed.
The Spillway, which is located about midway in the Gatum Dam, is built into a natural hill which stands about one hundred and ten feet above sea level. The Spillway is capable of discharging one hundred and fifty-four thousand cubic feet of water per second, and on the east side is located a large hydro-electric plant which provides electricity for operating all the machinery required to work the canal, also to run the Panama Railroad and light up the whole Canal zone.
The length of a lock chamber is about one thousand feet, the width about one hundred and ten feet, and the depth of water over the sills about forty-one feet. The lock gates are massive steel structures seven feet thick, sixty-five feet long, and from forty-two to eighty-two feet high, weighing from three hundred to seven hundred and thirty tons each, and it is astounding with what ease they are opened, the mere pressing of a button and the marvellous power of electricity does the rest. The ships are not allowed to use their own steam through the locks, but are drawn along by three electric mules or engines on each side, with wire hawsers connected with the steamer and attached to a cafretain on the engine so constructed that it automatically tightens or slackens as the strain of the hawser becomes too great or too slack.
We next entered the Gatum Locks, three in number, and were lowered eighty-five feet to the level of the Atlantic and then called at Colon where we took on coal in a clean, modern style, with no inconvenience to passengers, who were deeply interested in the operation. We left Colon about 4-30 in the afternoon on Friday, the 17th June, and after passing through the opening of the extensive breakwater, we entered the Caribbean Sea which was formerly a terror to all sea-going people on account of the fearful piratical outrages committed in the olden days.
We passed Jamaica during the night of the 19th, but did not call as there was
an epidemic prevalent.
On June 20th we sailed for some distance along the Cuban coast and saw a
lighthouse, also an old wreck which appeared to be in a good state of
preservation, afterwards passing between the Islands of Cuba and Haiti and
about 8-30 the same evening with a clear atmosphere we saw Acklin Island,
passing Crooked Island at midnight. After passing Santiago we saw San Salvador
on Walling Island, being the windfall made by Columbus on his first voyage of
discovery to the West in 1492.
On Wednesday, 22nd June, we passed Bahuma and Nassau Islands, and after passing Old Fort Comfort, we steamed up James River and after passing a large fleet of American battle ships, we reached Newport-News and dropped anchor about eight o'clock on the evening of the 23rd June.
Early next morning we went ashore, hired a taxi and accompanied by Miss Isaacs from Auckland, we went out to Yorktown where the American Independence was finally settled and where a most high and ornate monument is erected setting forth the following: "At York in 1781, after nineteen days' siege by 5,500 Americans, 7,000 French troops, 3,500 Virginia Militia, or a total of 16,000, Earl Cornwallis, Commander of the British troops surrendered his Army consisting of 7,551 Officers and Men, 840 Seamen, 244 Cannon and 24 Standards to General Washington." We had lunch afterwards at Ye Old York Hotel, two hundred years old, and the minced meat served to us must have been some that had been left over at the official opening of the hotel, and to improve matters, one of the negro waitresses dropped some on the floor and, after picking it up with her fingers, most solemnly handed it to a customer. We next motored to Fort Comfort which has several military barracks and hospitals, and then returned to ship. On account of a coal strike amongst the miners in Britain, we were delayed in taking on extra coal and did not leave Newport-News until 4-30 on the evening of Saturday, the 25th June, the passengers suffering great discomfort from the old method of loading coal. On the evening of Friday, July 1st, although the sea was rough, the passengers indulged in a fancy dress ball which proved both enjoyable and humorous.
About four days before reaching England we were delighted to receive a wireless message stating that the miners' strike was at last settled and trains would be running in a few days.
Early in the morning of Thursday, July 7th, our hearts were glad because we could see the Needles and we were not long before we were sailing up the Solent with the Isle of Wight on our right and close to Cowes Bay. The season had been so dry that the grass on the slopes of the island was quite brown and reminded us of Mount Eden and Mount Albert in a dry summer. Although we reached Southampton early in the day and received letters and telegrams from our English friends, it was some time before we passed the Customs and we did not get away until three o'clock in the afternoon. We were met at Waterloo Station by a cousin of Mrs. Clay's and he took us home to Finsbury Park in a motor.
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The book now continues with descriptions of the author's touring holiday until their return to New Zealand in October.