Mary Sabin Powell's Story ... continued

page 8

There was a baby born on the ship. His parents named him Enoch Train, after the boat. It was the Captain who suggested the name.

My little brother was two weeks old when we commenced the voyage. We had him named while on the journey. After the christening the Captain came and gave him a souvenir, five dollars. But Mother said, "No, the souvenir is for the baby that was born on the boat. Give it to him." So the Captain gave it to little Enoch Train. There was also another baby named while on the voyage.

We had a good time while sailing. Everybody was congenial, pleasant, and kind. Each night and morning the saints assembled in the big room for prayers.
We no longer had to wait our turn at the passenger's stove. Father paid the colored man, the Captain's cook, to prepare our food. Truth to tell, we ate little due to sea-sickness.

Funny things to amuse us children happened every day. Once we watched two old men set their table and lay out their lunch in careful, painstaking fashion. They asked the blessing on the food. Just then a large wave came up; it threw the dishes right and left. Everybody laughed, even the two old men. They had to scramble under the benches and in the far corners to pick up their cups and saucers.

One day Father sent me to the Captain's galley (or kitchen) to get some warm bread. I had to hurry back for I had three younger than I to watch and tend. I could not let them remain out of my sight many minutes.

I grew to love the ocean. Each afternoon I watched the sun sink like a ball of fire beneath the waves. Next morning it rose again out of the water. One day I stood looking over the banister on deck. A sailor came and grabbed me saying, "Why are you leaning out so far?"
"I want to see the ship plowing [sic] the waves and cutting the water," said I. He held me over the banister and I took a good look.

A good many people on the boat looked to father for numerous little favors. One man, seeing him always busy doing for others, said, "Are you the Captain ?" " No," said father, " I'm just the chore boy."

One day Mother sent me on an errand to the upper deck. I ran along hand-in-hand with Ann Jones. The sea was very rough. I slipped and fell down and pulled Ann down. In falling, we bumped into an old sailor and I knocked him down. There he lay, all in a heap. Later we found that this old sailor had very poor eyesight; in fact he was almost blind.
Said he, "I have been on the ocean almost thirty years. This is the first time any girls have knocked me down."

One man said to Mother, "Sister Powell, your religion must go very deep to undertake an ocean voyage with so young a babe." He very kindly offered to supply some canned milk for the baby. "How much is it per can?" asked Mother. "Take it to make us friends," he said.

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