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1900 At Sea, en route to Gibraltar.

November 6 Sighted Cape St. Vincent at 3:13 p.m.

7. Gibraltar.

Passed through the Straight early in the morning and anchored outside the mole in Gibraltar Bay at 9 a.m. In the afternoon went ashore. The British soldiers are remarkably clean and neat and well drilled. Tried to climb up the east side of the rock, but failed to pass a sheer precipice seven-eighths of the way up. It would be possible for a spy to climb up in the daytime but not at night. And in the day he could not escape being seen. The new mole, being built to afford protection for vessels at anchor, is being constructed as rapidly as possible, and will make the harbor a fairly safe one, whereas before it has been very dangerous during the frequent October and November gales. Lt. W.S. Sims reported for duty.

8. Turned over the duties of Assistant Navigator to another cadet and began to stand watch as Junior Officer of the Deck.

10. Mediterranean Sea: Gibraltar to Algiers.

Got up anchor at 10 a.m. but were kept till 11:45 clearing the anchor which was foul. During the afternoon swung ship for deviations with a new standard compass in the barnacle, without changing the compensation. The deviation table was found to be entirely changed by change of compass and the old compass replaced until further investigations in Algiers.

12. Algiers.

Moored inside the mole at Algiers at 9 a.m. A boat-load of Algerian seamen were thrown in the water while passing up the mooring cable from a buoy to which it was fast. They were picked up by a native boat near by and afterwards transferred to the life boat which had been called away. Two of our men who jumped overboard to help those in the water, afterwards received letters of thanks for their bravery from the French Admiral at Algiers. The national salute was fired with French Ensign at the Main. The usual official calls were made and returned.

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[photograph]

Gibraltar. Gibraltar is one enormous rock of dense grey limestone, in most places bare and worn by rains into sharp, rough crags and gullied precipices. The top is ragged and narrow. On the western side a thin soil supports a fertile vegetation, and colors the whole side of the rock green. The rock is 1400 ft high, two miles long, one half mile wide. It is tunneled with innumerable galleries in every direction, with port holes for the guns, and immense chambers for storerooms, with 12 year’s provisions for its garrison of 12,000.

Their (sic) is very little habitable space, the city on the rock side is crowded with a population of many different races, but the British Government owns all the property and rents but never sells it. The Government limits the population, which tends to grow too large, by denying the right of residence without a special permit.

The Rock was first used as a fort in 412 a.d. by the Visigoths. It has stood 14 sieges since that time. The British took in 1704 after a three says siege, and from 1779 to 1783 withstood the combined attack of France and Spain.

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1900 Algiers, Algeria, Africa.

November 14 Algiers is a dirty, old, Arab town to which has been added an immoral, new, French town. The Arab quarter is a closely packed mass of rubble houses, covered with mortar. The streets are narrow, from one to three yards wide. A street two yards wide is capacious enough for peddlers to display their wares on pieces of bagging extending halfway across. The houses slope toward each other over the street, sometimes meeting, and then the street is a mere tunnel. Small holes in the walls of houses accommodate the shopkeepers, who display a handful of acorns and a quart of oranges with all the gravity of one engaged in a profitable business undertaking.

The French part of the town is too modern and ordinary to be interesting, but affords all the comforts and amusements of a lively, energetic city.

The garrison of 60,000 French and Natives, scattered throughout the province, are well drilled and well cared for. We were shown through the Kasbah, the ancient residence of the Deys, and the present barracks of several regiments of infantry and artillery. The Bedouins at drill marched in single line in squads of five. Each order is the signal for counting fives all down the line, and then, with a yell and a jerk each turns squarely about in his place and they march off in the opposite direction, making lots of noise, but drilling with spirit.

13. Coaled ship. 934.68 tons in 7-1/3 hours.

16. The Governor General of Algiers, and the British Consul called. The Governor was accompanied by his staff. His aid-de-camp was in uniform, a light blue blouse, light pink trousers, high patent-leather top-boots with enormous silver spurs, a big curved sword and a small round blue cap. This is the dress uniform of his regiment.

The ships departure was delayed by the steering engine. The steam connections were all right, but it was found that the large cog on the main shaft

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could not be slid along to throw in the hand gear in case of disorder to the steam mechanism. The whole shaft and wheel were removed, and after trying to push off the wheel with hydraulic jacks aboard, it was sent ashore, the wheel removed, and on board the boss was filed out to a looser fit.

At Sea, Algiers to Naples.

17. At 10:30 unmoored ship and stood out of the harbor for Naples.

Naples, Italy

19.

Moored with two anchors, open house, our stern fast to bollards on the Arsenal Quay about fifty yards astern of us. On our starboard beam the first class British battleship Caesar, Captain _____; on the port side the Italian cruiser _____, flagship of Admiral _____

20. The Queens Birthday (Queen of Italy). [i] The three warships dressed with flags, and fired national salutes at noon.

Vesuvius in irruption [sic] shows at intervals of two or three minutes a large burst of smoke and what appears to be flame. I walked from Portici to the top of the crater. Leaving the ship at noon, and riding to Portici by the slow horse cars, it was dark when I was halfway up the steep cone, 850 meters high, which rests on the large flat base of the mountain. The crater is 4200 feet above the sea. The night was stormy. The ship parted her wire cable, and I came near being blown off the volcano. A guide had followed me up though I threw rocks at him trying to get rid of him. I accepted his services finally and he took me to a house on the side of the mountain where I spent the night. The sight of Vesuvius on a pitch dark night was well worth the trouble I took to see it.

Naples has Vesuvius, Pompeii, Herculaneum; the greatest Aquarium in the world, and probably the finest museum and art gallery to show to visitors.

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There is an immense theater, and the beautiful king’s palace. Yet, Naples itself, apart from its dozen special attractions is a spiritless city compared with American towns,--dirty streets, open vice, unnatural customs.

The cobbled streets are shiny with dirty mud even in dry weather. Latrines, placed in prominent parts of the town are themselves an eyesore; but worse, to see at night those who prefer the sidewalks to the latrines.

23. Coaled ship.

At sea, Naples to Smyrna. [ii]

24. At 3:00 p.m. unmoored and started for Smyrna.

25-26. Passed the Straits of Messina, and among the islands of the Grecian Archipelago. Greece and its islands are very beautiful, seen from the ocean. The deep channels between them enable ships to go close to their shores. The islands are mountains rising from the sea; sloping quickly from the shore, and cut with valleys. Streams rush down the gorges, past villages set on little flats, like pots of jam on shelves. And all are painted many colors; white precipices, black hills, mountains of brown and groves of evergreens.