KIvDORADO 281 



stateroom (so called) six by six, with narrow berths 

 on either side. The only lif^ht and ventilation was 

 through a small circular porthole, which, unless 

 closed, allowed the water sometimes to dash in during 

 a roug'h sea. In case of illness a "stateroom" of those 

 days was exceeding-ly unpleasant. 



Two days out from San Francisco a steamer was 

 met, havinjT on board an agent of the line over which 

 we had purchased tickets, and on coming aboard the 

 I'hiladelphia he ordered our ca])tain to run to Panama 

 seven hundred miles below San Jnan del Sur, where 

 we were to have landed, and transfer his passengers 

 about three hundred in all. to the "Morgan line." 

 Ours was the "Vanderbilt." It created much dissatis- 

 faction, as the time in reaching New York would be 

 greatly extended. The object as stated was to avoid 

 the possilile seizure of the steamer by the noted fili- 

 buster Walker, who. at that time, was in Central 

 America with a small body of troops for the ])urpose of 

 creating a revolution and overthrowing the govern- 

 iTient. He practically controlled the route from San 

 Juan to Greytown across Lake Nicaragua. 



Only one port was made from San Francisco to 

 Panama, that of Acapulco on the western coast of 

 Mexico. 



Passing Cape San T.ucas, the extreme southern ])oint 

 of Lower California, the mountain coast of Mexico 

 comes into view, where we witnessed volumes of 

 smoke issuing from the sunmnit of the volcano "Co- 

 lima." about eighty miles inland. At times the toy- 

 of this burning mountain was luminous from its fit-es, 

 and formed at night an interesting sight to i^assengcrs 

 on passing vessels. .After jxissing the Gulf of Te- 



