Christmas 1907 was indeed special

When the wife opened her gift Christmas morning, I thought she would faint. She went oh, oh, oh and ran over and gave me a hug. The children crowded around as she showed them the gift: two tickets to Boston.

Yes, I am going to take the wife to Boston. This year, for the first time, the Halifax and South-Western Railway is running all the way to Yarmouth, and to celebrate the service, offering special prices. With the money I received for selling the pig the oldest girl had been raising, I purchased two tickets, as well as round trip tickets on the steamer from Yarmouth.

In May, we will make the trip. We plan to go a couple of days before the steamer sails, as Yarmouth is a bustling place and the wife always wanted to explore the town. Some of the captains who sail out of Yarmouth have built large homes there, and the wife has always wanted to see what they look like.

The steamer we will take is the Prince Edward, built in England for the Dominion Atlantic Railway ten years ago. The ship leaves Yarmouth at 5:00 in the evening and arrives at 7:30 the next morning in Boston and is supposed to be one of the fastest steamers afloat. The wife likes the idea that the Prince Edward is practically unsinkable, as it has watertight compartments that can be closed off if there is a problem.

A townsman, Walker Branch, used to cook on the Prince Edward, and while he isn't often sober, he did manage to do a good job of describing the ship for me. He says the whole ship is lit by electric lights, with a big searchlight that can light the way for miles in front. The ship has four decks, the one next to the top being the promenade deck, reserved for first class passengers. Of course, the wife and I won't be using that deck.

Branch says there is a grand entrance to the ship, with solid walnut paneled walls and settees finished in silk. In this area are a library and a news stand, with all of the latest novels, newspapers and magazines. Facing the library, he said, is a music room for music and drama presentations, the ceiling of which is a beautiful stained glass dome.

Branch says you can go down the grand staircase and find the dining room, which seats more than eighty people at one sitting. The dining room is the whole width of the steamer, the walls are made of light and dark polished oak, and it is lit by both electric lights and extra-large port holes. There is a massive sideboard with a plate glass mirror at one end. Meals are announced by two boys, who play bugles.

Branch's favourite part was the kitchen, which he said was lined with white and blue tiles. He said there were both a baker's oven and a large grill, plus cold storage rooms, so that he had no trouble preparing meals. When I asked him why he left the Prince Edward, his face grew dark, and I refrained from pursuing it further.

He went on to describe the cabins and staterooms, a small one of which I have rented, as I cannot have MY wife sitting up all night. He thought the cabins were quite luxurious, the beds made of white iron with silver rails, the sofas soft. Bathrooms have modern wash stands and porcelain bath tubs, and bathers can choose either fresh or salt hot and cold water.

One of the rooms the wife won't be going into is the smoker, with oak walls and seats with cushions of claret-tinted leather. She said while I was in there she would have to content herself with talking to the captain and crew, who all, according to Branch, wear handsome uniforms with polished silver and gold buttons. I told the wife it would be better if she simply sat in the cabin and read.

When it is time to come back, we will board the Prince Edward in Boston at four p.m., getting back to Yarmouth the next morning, in time to catch the train for Halifax. I sometimes feel sorry for people who lived years ago and did not have the modern, fast means of getting about that we have now. We live in an age of marvels.

(With credit to the Yarmouth Times, 1897)

- Thomas W. L. Sheppard, Esq., can be contacted at the old Benjamin Annis place, Hibernia