Henry J. Neils’
Travelogue of 1959 Great World Cruise
Henry J. Neils was a businessman from Minneapolis. He wrote a daily diary of his voyage on the 1959 Great World cruise. Presumably, the 30 faded typewritten sheets had been duplicated for distribution to his employees.
The transcribed document now forms 25 pages of the Timeline, accessible from links on the January, February, March and April 1959 month pages. This was the first special feature to be added to the Timeline as it entered its 2nd year of being on-line.
Henry's quoted text throughout the site start with this indicator: H.J.N.…
Henry J Neils’ Travelogue 04 March 1959
Bombay, India
H.J.N.…
Clear - Temperature 76°F.
Population: 3,000,000
This is a large port on the Indian Ocean, only second to Calcutta with a population of five
million. Our ship docked at 8.00am, and by 9.30 we were driving in a taxi (mostly U.S.A.
cars) to see the points of interest.
A short distance from the pier is a monument called the “Gateway to India”, erected to King George the V and Queen Mary, in commemoration of their visit in 1911. This structure on the waterfront is now used for ceremonials on occasions of visiting dignitaries.
The “Gateway to India”
Photo: Cunard - The Blouin Collection
H.J.N.…
From here we drove on the “Marine Drive” following a crescent-shaped bay called the “Queen's
Necklace” because it looks like one when viewed from the hills at night. The drive reminds me of the beach at
Rio on a smaller scale. This beach, however, cannot be used by bathers. It has a muddy bottom, and the bay receives
sewage from the City. There are other fine bathing beaches in the suburbs.
At the end of the “Marine Drive” the road leads upward to the “Hanging Gardens”. The shrubbery is cut in the shape of animals. It is quite unusual, has a large variety of shrubs and trees - all foreign to me. The view over the City and bay is excellent from here.
H.J.N.…
Visited a temple here dedicated to all of the faiths, and after each prayer, you ring the bell of the particular faith
to which you belong. Here on Malabar Hill are also located the burning ghats. Hindus cremate their dead, using precious
woods for this purpose.
Photo: Cunard - The Blouin Collection
It takes quite a lot of it. With land so scarce, and three months of continuous rains in July, August and September, this method is undoubtedly the most practical.
The Persians dispose of their dead in a different way. They have a “silent tower” where the bodies are exposed to vultures that remove the flesh.
The bones are allowed to fall into a pit half full of water add then ground into dust which is run into the bay and ocean through a flume. We saw several Hindu funerals. Only male relatives attend the carrying of the draped body to the place of cremation.
H.J.N.…
Bombay has an unemployment problem, said to be 50% of the population. This seems to be a
very high percentage, but when you see the masses of people standing, sitting and squatting
everywhere, it seems reasonable.
At night, the streets are covered with people rolled up in their blankets, sleeping on the sidewalks where they exist, or in the streets. The taxi-driver said many are killed or hurt when some auto or truck gets out of control and runs over these poor souls, who have no shelter to go to.