by Chris Evans | June 6, 1925 7:44 pm
[In same envelope as the letter dated June 23, 1925. This letter was apparently written before the June 23 one, as this describes the trip on “the Lakes” referred to in the June 23 letter. According to Alice Waters Cairns’ diary, they left home on June 3 and travelled to Toronto for the inauguration of the United Church of Canada on June 10, 1925. The diary places them on a ship on the Great Lakes on June 6 and 7.]
Sunday Afternoon
On board the Harmonie
Dear Bob & Janet,
Such a lovely trip! Just perfectly beautiful! A very comfortable stateroom, the best of food. You would never know you were on a boat, no more pulsing than one’s own heart. This morning early we went through Sault St. Marie or some such lock, squeezed through, it seemed to me, then down a canal at lunch time. I find no one takes a noonday dinner, it is all lunch. There seem to be very few antis on this boat, they all went on the train C.P.R. The train was rough & uncomfortable from Winnipeg to where we took the boat, though it seemed like a Pullman car, but it was heavily laden, we were bumped thumped, & thoroughly shaken, I never slept a wink, it thundered & poured and such sharp lightening. I hope my goslings are safe.
The universal remark on board is: – Such a pleasant trip, so delightful, how the kiddies enjoy it! ! The older people do too. There are a good many with all their hair on, very few bobs. I think we are a very sedate & elderly lot of passengers. Papa ferreted out an old man who had once been a Friend, but for many years has been a Presbyterian elder, made me talk to him, though I told him particularly I did not want to be bothered with old men. I found one man & his wife myself to talk with a Mr. Wallace, he is a farmer in Alberta, going to Hamilton with his wife & son intends to buy a motor there & motor back, taking the U.S. road as it is better. I had something worth while to talk to them about, crops, hired men, & wolves, they were interested & so was I. They were rather younger than the old codgers Papa picks for my companions, only about 56 or so, while Papa’s old fellows he shifts on me while he goes to entertain some bobbed heads, are well on to 70 or 80. However he has only inflicted the one on me so far. Last evening they had a sing song of old time songs, it was very pleasant & many took part. Then they tried to get up a dance, that was a miserable failure. To-night we are to have a service, Dr. Dennet preaches. Of course ministers, elders & their wives & daughters are in the majority. Every one seems sociable & pleasant.
We had lunch at Dr. Murray’s in Winnipeg on Friday, then Mrs. Murray & I sat out on the verandah till 3 o’clock, then we went off & met the Gooderhams again, had tea with them and then on the train. We never walked a block while in Winnipeg but went over 100 miles in a motor car.
It is perfectly delightful on this boat, so clean, so large, so airy.
That’s all I can think of.
Your loving mother.
I must say I am not letting Bob’s difficulties in housekeeping prey on my mind!
[Thomas Waters to his mother, Elizabeth Waters]
addressed to Mrs Capt Waters, King St, Woolwich, Kent
Barque Fawn
[Undated; received by British Post
Office as a Ship Letter 13 July 1844;
must have been written early 1843.]
Dear Mother
Delays being dangerous I commence this letter before we reach port, in hopes it will find Old England previous to the Fawn. You must have heard by the Thames that I deserted the ship at Woahoo [Oahu], but was caught again by a manouvre the Ship leaving port for some days and then returning, in the meantime I thinking the ship had gone for good, left my hiding place in the mountains to get some sugar cane to eat, as I had not eaten anything for four days being very weak and hungry as I only had a cotton shirt and a pair of duck trowsers on, and was wet through the whole time from the continual rain, and was very cold, however it being very dark (11h P.M.) I missed the s. cane and in trying to return was taken by a dozen natives in search of me, and conveyed to the fort. Another hand who had left the ship with me, at night, we having to swim ashore about two miles and a half, was nearly drowned, I help’d him in the water several times, but at last gave him up, wind blowing fresh, for as yet we could not see the shore and I was tired, he bid me good bye, and I swam ahead, however he reached the shore but was taken by the natives as he landed. Why I left was on account of the second mate, who one day in port being in a bad humour said he would do his best with Capt Dunn to stop my liberty; because I (acting then in the capacity of steward as the right one was ashore and having done all my work and all the other hands being asleep I also went to sleep as the preceding night, Sunday, the Fawn had gone ashore on a reef, having dragged and foul’d her anchor, and of course had kept all hands hard at work to heave it up)(the ship received no apparent damage) did not exactly please him. We are bound for the Marquesas where I intend to leave the ship again as I am not comfortable aboard. Capt Dunn is very kind to me and does all he can to make me happy but for the last nine months he has been with a few days excepted very ill and not much on deck and of course cannot see all that passes on deck. The Chief mate Mr Williams is also very kind in fact I am his favourite. E.Wild is like a brother and tries to persuade me to stop but now it is too late. We have only captured thirty lbs of S.O. this season as yet. You mention in one of your letters that you are going to try our coffee. I do not know how it may act on you but to me it is very injurious making me short winded, I have not drank any the last two years. I always drink cold water. I hope you and little Nancy are quite well. I expect the Fawn will arrive home about April/44 but perhaps I shall not be in her I have lost best part of my clothes and have not got either shoe or stocking the captain has got none in his slop chest therefore if I was to go round the Horn in the Fawn I should be miserable. You may think me foolish for acting as I do especially as the voyage is nearly over all the answer I shall give you is “no one knows where the shoes pinch but he who wears them”. I hope you all spent a happy Xmas as when we all were together though I am afraid not if the proverb is true (the more the merrier) It must have been a sad day when my dear Father left you after so short a stay and such a short notice but I hope it will not be for long. I am glad to hear John is in the drawing department. I suppose little Jane forgets me entirely. We are now laying off and on the Marquese Ils I have been ashore at one of them trading for hogs. they are the worst looking natives that I ever saw, they tattoo themselves even to the lips and eyebrows. The men are a dark copper color the women nearly white and some good looking and fine made, they have no clothes but a couple of leaves. They are cannables, eating all they kill or take prisoners in war, they live in valleys in tribes and each valley or tribe is perpetually at war with others. We were armed with cutlasses and musquets. We bought plenty of hogs, cocoa nuts, bananas, plaintains, bread fruit etc. This morning for breakfast I had a hot bread fruit, the milk of half a dozen cocoa nuts and a pound of pork chops. a week ago I had for breakfast a drink of stinking water and a half of a hard and bad biscuit. It’s either a feast or a famine aboard S.Seamen. When we have plenty we feast and waste while it lasts and when there is no more we think of the next port. I advise Ben.n never to go to sea in a S.Seaman if he ever goes to sea at all. I expected a letter from him. I am much obliged to Mary and John for their letters, I hope all are quite well. Rem. me to Harry Watson, Bissett etc. I hope Henry Mercer has passed his examinations.
I remain
Your affectionate son
Thomas
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