Johnstown High School - Spectator Yearbook (Johnstown, PA)

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6 SPECTATOR Befogged on the Ocean M. S. '16 It is a .beautiful autumn morning. You have just break- fasted in the cabin, and step out upon the deck to enjoy the scenery. Qn every turn you meet faces of strangers which have become familiar to the memory because of your having seen them time and again during this ocean trip. Cloaks and dresses of every color imaginable, countenances typical of almost every nationality and all the stages of life are to be seen here and there. The slow unsteady crawl of the promenading people, the firm and decided gait of men ac- customed to the sea, and the occasional run of the sailors add greatly to the assortment of the scene. You walk up to the rail of the ship and look down into the surrounding ocean. As far as the eye can see, a vast expanse of dark-blue water stretches intermingled with white spray-like particles of foam. The sky above is of that soft- blue color which tends to bring into relief the almost im- perceptible bits of Heecy clouds as they move in a silvery path across the heavens. The sun reclines on his tlirone .rf the east, sending down upon us a temperate glow, extremely satisfactory to all promenaders. But there, as it seems upon the very outskirts of this world of ocean, where the azure sky touches the heavy, leaden waters, arises something hazy,-uncertain. You look closely at the object. ls it another vessel? Perhaps only a cloud! And now it has attracted the attention of other people. Now a number of sailors also turn their heads in that direction. It lies directly on our course and we must pass it soon. Can it be possible to sight land so early? Fog started a whisper somewhere, and passes from mouth to mouth. We are advancing rapidly towards it, and shall put all doubts to an end in but a few minutes. . . Fog it is,-a dense, heavy, all-absorbing fog-and before long we sail right into the midst of it. As by magic, the ob- jects around begin to disappear from view: first, the furthest

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w SPECTATOR 5 cities and factoriesg and at the present time, because not many agricultural products are being raised in Europe, she will have a ready market for all her goods. She will get high prices, and it will be an age of prosperity for her. She will be a profitable customer for other countries. Steel for buildings and railroads, machinery for factories and farms, and all materials which she will need for building more and better cities will have to be imported. The time is, therefore, ripe at which to take up trade with South America. 'Consuls see there golden opportuni- tiesf, But work must be hard if we are to get the trade of these countries, for if the war is short, the competition will be sharp, because the Germans, English and French have induced their young men to go to South America and so they of course will favor foreign trade. Some of the for- eign countries already have a pretty well established trade with South America. Let us take Brazil for example. In 1913 Brazil got all her cotton from England, one-half her structural material from Germany and England, three-fourths of her musical instruments from Germany, her earthenware, porcelain, and glass from Germany, and her engines and machinery from Germany and England. The construction of the Panama Canal should encour- age trade with South America, for, whereas before a ship sailing from New York or any of the eastern trade centres for the western coast of South America had to go all the way around Cape Horn, now it can go directly through the canal. This should and will promote trade. Since indications seem to denote prosperity for South America, let us watch our southern neighbor, the Land of To-morrow and see her grow. ' The editor will write an editorial about the advantages in South America for boys. This will appear in the next issue of the Spectator. We hope the information may help some of our boys to decide what to do when they have graduated.

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SPECTATOR 7 end of the ship. then, in succession. the mast, the cabin, the smoke-stacks, the captain's deck, until finally you can't see the tips of your shoes. Most of the passengers go below, while some of the sailors move quickly about obedient to sudden orders of the officers. The mist now reigns com- pletely on and about the ship. You can touch it with your handsg you see it quite plainlyg you feel its presence by the moisture gathered upon your eyes and on your cheeks, you breath it into your lungs. lt is deadening in its effect: it seems to have hushed every noise. Ha! Wliat is this? A dull, hoarse, monotonous shriek rends the air. Ah, this is the fog-horn. Our ship is signalling and giving notification of her presence to all other vessels within earshot, in order to avoid crashing together. A crash in the midst of the ocean!!! The thought itself is enough to frighten any one. You close your eyes and try to shut out the horrible visiong but all in vain. As if in reality arise before your imagination the recent great sea disasters, both real and literary. You see the great Atlanta burn and sink in the sea. You see the suffering wretches of the Titanic in frail shells of boats, trying to save themselves from destruc- tion. Yes, you witness the heart-rending scenes which must have occurred on the Empress of Ireland. There, in the great vast expanse you see men dodging and coming up againg but alas! each rising brings up far less men than the preceeding one. NVith these harrowing thoughts in mind you bend over the side of the ship and look beneath. At the distance of four feet your eyesight is blocked by the impenetrable gray mantle. But your eagerly-straining ear catches the gurgling sound of waters cut by the nose of the ship. How like the rush of onpouring waves through a gash in the side of the vessel it sounds! You find yourself immediately surrounded by a frantic crowd of hysterical women shrieking for helpg by white-faced sailors running to and fro in a vain effort to establish orderg by men pushing and squeezing each other in the helpless turmoil. You seek to find a way out of the press