LIFE IN THE FLOATING HOTELS ON THE GREAT AMERICAN RIVERS.

Tuapeka Times, Volume I, Issue 3, 29 February 1868, Page 4

LIFE IN THE FLOATING HOTELS ON THE GREAT AMERICAN RIVERS.

Now that we are on our return journey, we will endeavor to describe what those great floating hotels are like which are to be seen in such numbers on the great rivers of America. Imagine to yourself a boat of 350 ft. long and 30 fb. broad, as sharp at the bow and stern as a Clyde steamer, flat-bottomed, without keel, and drawing only from 4 to 8 ft. of water. On thia hull the structure is erected, by a frame overlapping the boat, to give her about 50 ft. beam. This is the main or freight deck, on which, are placed th.B boilers and engines, as also tho freight and heavy goods. Twelve feet above this deck is the saloon, and access to which is gained by a double flight of broad stepa, which land you on the guards — a bulcouy or verandah of 10 ft. wide, running round the steamer outside of the saloon, and wuich is the principal resort when the weather is fine. The saloon is 300 ft. long and 16 ft. wide ; on each side are the staterooms — in all, seventy-four — with doors entering by the saloon, and another opening out on the guards. The roof is 12 ft. high, and forms the hurricane deck, to which there in access by various stairs. On the hurricane deck is another storey, called the "Texas," 100 ft. long and 10 ft. high ; here the captain and officers have their quarters. On the top of the " Texas " is the pilot-house, a templelooking building with an ornamental roof.' It, is about 12 or 14 ft. square,, and stands 54 ft. above the water. The outside of the boat ' and all is painted white, with the exception of the two smoke-stalks or funnels; the saloon is also white, gilded with gold, and very elaborately decorated with carving, fretwork, and paintings. The sun by day lights it up through 600 ft. of stained glass; at night the blaze from eighty large burners, in richly-cut "moons," fixed in ten splendid gasaliers depending from the roof, gives it the appearance of a fairy scene in some gorgeous pantomino instead of the saloon of a river steamer, 'j nandsou.. Brussels carpet in tlu c«ko:i wns -ies'^icu ;.nd manufactured in E,g],.'.d af ■: 'lr •;• li:o Richmond. The upper i .ill i-. the • m- »' £..loon, and here is placed the great granu piano. The furniture is in keeping with the general decoration, white and gold. Running along the saloon are a series of light sketches — landscapes; while above the office are views of Richmond, Virginia, after which city the boat has been called ; while on the either side are views of Louisville, Ky., and New Orleans, La. We had somewhat to do with these subjects, and as they were left to our own fancy we took care to introduce as many views of old country subjects as possible, having the same fancy, I suppose, which prompted Jeanie Deans -of blessed memory — to wear the tartan when she paid her visit to the Duke of Argylein London. We fondly hoped that perhaps some wandering sons of "Auld Scotia," whose fate may lead him to voyage it on the muddy Mississippi — and where are Scotchmen not to be found ? — might feel a pleasure in looking on the representation of scenes so familiar, so loved, and yet so far away. The state rooms are large and airy. Beside the berths there are chairs, tables, and washing material, which is a great irnpi'overaent on the customs which prevail on mobt boats, where you have to go into the barber's shop when you want a wash. There is, of course, the bar, the barber's shop, the laundry, the bakers' and the confectioners' shops, and all the conveniences of a first-class hotel. In the centre of the saloon is a clock on a handsome stand, on each side of which is an " indicator/ so that those in the saloon can see the pressure of steam to the square inch in the boiler at any time they choose. As there is no such thing as pitching or rolling, and no sea sickness in those boats, they are always exceedingly clean. The y s 'es when they come on board divest themselves of their bonnets, &c, and dress as if they were in their own drawing room, ready to receive visitors. The gentlemen do the same. The mixture of the general company is of the most sociable, agreeable, and pleasant kind. All are expected to act as ladies and gentlemen, and they do so. There is -no restriction to the gentlemen going aft to the ladies' end of the saloon to listen to the music, hear the singing, or joip in the mazy dance. Men must smoke, but they cannot do that well where the ladies are. They often talk language that ladies could not listen to, so they are best to be by themselves sometimes. Men don't like to be all the time bareheaded, but when they go .up to the ladies' end they must^ uncover. Although men who have no ladies with thena^are often to be founii in the ladioa' end of (»ia^«ioon, yet you will never find a lady atf^ c T^ltlemen's enJH Drinks are never altL.^^fc« " standing ." jKp^^SMl^^^B down andibooO^ ch ™cc toIWH the Clyde rtj ffi^ ** can do 3eS profeasio al s on tf jj fc Baw *m> or three 17011 701 B to any one V *f* I *%*f™>, or h£ Zl have tto E&4|! leftuß - We itertis, eighteen stro^' |Mf s-ones -one brass, sponrf pvenytrugay^ma quadrille, Dubfe Place onll^^J^H^ first-rate "Ga 2e > art had^j^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^J L of disp^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H

jackets and apr%»s, was a sight of itself, not to speak of the substantial product of the ' cuisine, or the wonderful creations of the confectioner and his assistants of the still-room. Excepting when at table— aud they don't spend much time there — when the weather is fine, all the passengers arc out on the guards amusing themselves as best they can — some walking about, some reading, some smoking, and all chewing. However, the pilot-house was our favorite resort, and where we spent most of the day, and night, too, for that matter ; it is a kind of sanctum into which the many are not admitted ; but when any passenger does come up, and the door open, he is not debarred from entering. It is the principal resort of the officers when off duty. Many of the passengers, and not a few of the ladies, come up to spend an hour or two in the cool of an evening, to enjoy the prospect from that elevated glass-house, and when "a nice little concert is generally improvised in opposition to the singing and dancing party in the saloon. r J?he moon is full, and the night is extremely lovely, soft, and balmy, and almost as clear as mid-day in Scotland. The. river is as calm and smooth as glass ; nothing is there to disturb the sleepy silence of the night but the plash of the great side wheels of our great steamer, as she cuts along beneath the deep shadows of the tall forest, and of the hanging cotton trees, looking out and admiring the beautiful fairy-like prospect which is continually opening to view. As we wind and wind : fbu,n y d / ,tnpse wondrous bends for which •the Mississippi is so famed, our ears are at- ' tracted By. the distant sound of music ; nearer and nearer.ifc conies, until we can distinguish the well-kn'owi and, here, very popular air of " Annie.'Laurie." Not many minutes elapsed until it 'died away again, only to return in redoubled strength as the steamer from whence it proceeded swept past us^on her way down the river. It was the " Calyopc," an organ composed; of steam whistles, properly tuned, placed on the hurricane deck, and played with keys like a piano. - It makes not bad music when there are two jniles or so between the . listener and the instrument ; but on a closer acquaintance ,it is nearly as pleasant as the bagpipes. We pass many steamers on our way up, sometimes as many as five or six of these great junks being visible at one and the same time ; also, flat boats without number, all the way from the Alleghanies, leave home with dry goods, crockery, &c, stopping at variou s places on toe way down ; trade their wares for corn, hay, and other things needed in the South, and when they dispose of them to good profit, sell their flat boats, and return home per steamer to renew the trip again. They are many weeks on the passage. As they can only float down tbe stream, all the men have to do is to keep their craft from getting ashore or sticking on any of the mud banks, for which purpose they have on each side, and at the bow and stern, groat shorel-like paddles or oars, by which they keep all straight. On steamers passing they send out a man in a skiff, who commences calling as we approach, " Papers, papers ! " and which is generally responded to by tho passengers and captain throwing over ths " latest news " to them, and keeping them posted up on what is passing in the world around them. We have already referred to the very pleasant company we had on board the Richmond. Many of the passengers that went down with us returned likewise. We were astonished to find so many military and other officers on board; every man you spoke to was a general, a major or a captain. We wondered where all the privates were. We came to the conclusion it was safest to address every one as captain, at the very least ; by doing so, nine times out of ten we would be right. Indeed, those titled gentlemen were about as numerous as the corporals in the first regiment of volunteers raised in Glasgow, where there were two corporals for one private in every corps, judging by the number of striped arms you met with in the streets. Wo' ourselves have been so often accosted as " Kurnal " that we give ourselves airs. We always imagined that we were distinguished by our eminent martial bearing ; and now that we have got the title it confirms us in that idea, and we have been seriously thinking of offering our experience •to the Fenians, and going to the assistance . of the " boys in the Green Isle." Anolher class of "persons" who were on board in force ,was the "press gang," on the look-out for j^items." We had local, drinking, and fighting editors without stint. One —he of the " Memphis Avalanche." — came on board at thafceity under the guidance -and protection of^liWyWife. Tie. was considerably a "drinkist," anj^^^J| talker, and the bes^te^er of^DutJ^^^^H ever listened to. W^d^je^nie pjlojjkjiouse, nnO^j^^l^^^B^^^^H jttories, we pan J^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^f tion/Vll^^ul^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H ''iend's P^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^l °me idea ft^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^J er down Sta^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^| 3 " says :~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H er says we blc for

was, of course, obliged to make a speech,, ar.cl for brevity, expressivenes, and to tho pur■pose, it it should rank with tho ftin-ous Caesarian '" Veni, vidi, vici." '-Che presenter of the bell-pull having delivered his well-conned speech, presented tho article, and when all ears were watching to catch tho Captain's words, he took the cigar out of hi 3 mouthy took off his hat, looked round with a most bewildering air, and uttered the ever-memorable words, which ought to be inscribed in letters of gold on the great bell of the Richmond — "Let us drink." Two or three days afterwards we saw the incident above-mentioned recorded in the " Evansville Highflyer " \ where the above three words were spun out so as to fill half a column. — " Glasgow Herald's " Correspondent.

A ETJNAWAY couple were married in a carriage on the Grand Trunk of Canada Railway, while the train was running. Two of the clergy of Sheffield trace the outrages at that place to the fact that the sacramental vessels in their church are medj of pewter ! An old Irish officer, after a battle, ordered the dead and the dying to be buried pell-moll. Being told that some were alive, and might be saved, " Oh, bedad ! " said he, •' if you were to pay any attention to what they say, not one of them would allow that ho was dead." PuoiiisiNG experiments have been made in the burning of creoso to as fuel to heat steam boilers. Containing three times more hydrogen than coal, creosote gives off three times as much heat, — a fact of no little importance in these days of enormous consumption and apprehended exhaustion of our coal mines.