But steerage was enormously profitable for steamship companies. For most immigrants, especially early arrivals, the experience of steerage was like a nightmare. The conditions were so crowded, so dismally dark, so unsanitary, so foul smelling, that they were the single most important cause of America's early immigration laws. Such a compartment will sometimes accommodate as many as three hundred passengers and is duplicated in other parts of the ship and on other decks. The only provisions for eating are frequently shelves or benches along the sides or in the passages of sleeping compartments.
Dining rooms are rare and if found are often shared with berths installed along the walls.
The ventilation is almost always inadequate, and the air soon becomes foul. Most immigrants lie in their berths for most of the voyage, in a stupor caused by the foul air. It is almost impossible to keep personally clean. All of these conditions are naturally aggravated by the crowding. In spite of the miserable conditions, the immigrants had faith in the future.