CHAPTER XII.
P a c i f ic V o y a g e— S aw .Fr a n c is c o— G r o v e o f M a m m o t h T r e e s—
Y o s e m it e V a l l e y— G o l d M in e s i n t h e [ S i e r r a N e v a d a— -
B l u e G r o t t o— S a l t L a k e C it y— R o c k y M o u n t a in s— C h ic a g o—
N ia g a r a F a l l s— T h e S t . L a w r e n c e— L a k e C h a m p l a in — N ew
Y o r k .
T h e “ Great Republic,” an American steamer with
enormous beam engines swinging their mighty arms in
mid-air, was the name of my ocean home for the next
three weeks. She was crowded with passengers, carrying
seventy-five first-class and 1,200 Chinese in the
steerage. There was every possible accommodation for
so long a voyage, all the cabins and saloons were on
the poop-deck ; also an elegant reading and good
smoking-room ; and, what was better still, a well-
assorted library, which proved a great boon. By dint
of patience and gentle persuasion, I made it clear to
the purser, a tall muscular man of the negro type, that
it would be to his advantage to let me have the only
vacant cabin, which happened to be in the best part
of the ship, and is always kept open to the last in the
event of some high official turning up. I thus secured
most royal accommodation all to myself, no small
favour, as those know who have experienced being
cooped up for weeks with one or two fellow-travellers,
generally utter strangers, within a space of six feet
square. Amongst so many passengers, it was natural
that one should meet with some pleasant companions,
which, in my case, added much to make the voyage
one of happy memory. The “ Great Republic” seemed
a perfect sea-monster, as her measurement, 4,800
tons, moreover attested ; she had 800 nominal horsepower,
which, I understood, could be worked up to
2,500 horse-power actual. The engines, as stated, were
upon deck, and worked by walking beam of twelve-inch
stroke, making eight to twelve revolutions per minute,
and her consumption of coal was said to be forty-five
tons daily. The upper deck, being carried over the entire
length of the ship, afforded splendid accommodation