The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1850-08-20

10 inc Cdptdin, duu VIII not 40 NC Captain,
who displayed much equaniniily, insisted, that as
the steward was on board, he would keep him
there, and take him out To America, whether he
liked IL or not. The steward, mo certainly looked
i'll, was OF another mind and, springing to the
side of the vessel jumped overheard into the dock
before hand could be raised 10 prevent him He
swan like fish, and reached in safety another
vessel at the distance of about fifty yards This
was provoking, but there was no redress, unless
the captain chose 10 delay his voyage until he
could arrest the man in Liverpool, and bring the
case before the stpeIdiry magistrate In the
meantime, the steward was out of reach, and the
captain had no other resource than To leave his
ship in the Mersey, and return to Liverpool for
another cook and steward 10 be picked up at an
hours notice.
We We're ,owed towards New Brighton by a
ste am tug for the distance of three four miles
during which the scene in the sfeersge bslow was
as animated, though scarcely so cheerful, the
scene on deck. The sieerage was somewhat dark.
but IN the uncertain light picture presented itself
full OF strange effects" The floor was sire wed
with luggage, rendering it a matter of difficulty to
walk-bundles, trunks, cases, chests, barrels,
loaves of bread, sides of bacon, and tin cooking
utensils, seemed to be piled together in hopeless
scrambled or crawled perfect multitude Of young
children. All the berths were occupied Some
OF the passengers seemed as if they had resolved
to go to sleep even at that early period of the
voyage. Some were eating their breakfasts in
their berths, and some were making use of barrel
heads and trunks for Ia bles and chairs, and regal
ing themselves with bread and coffee. Here and
there man might be seen shaving himself in the
dim and uncertain light; while other parts of the
ample steerage, families were busily looking after
their worldly goods, and establishing dcmarca-
ton between their own property and that of their
ne9hbors. In some of the berths women were
sitting up conversng; aud in others chileren were
singing, hallooing, and shouting as if the excite
ment of he scene were TO them Joy indeed.
There was constant rushing to and fro, a frequent
tuElbling over chests and barrels, and a perfect
Babel of toUpups- a III life hustle and
fusion; but what seemed most singular, there was
nothing like sorrow or regret at leaving England.
There was not wet eye on board-there had been
no fond leave-takings, no farewells to England,
no pangs of parting Possibly there was no ne
cessity for any. To ninety. whine out of every
hundred of these emigranrs the old country
had been IN all probability an unknd mother, a
country of sorrow and distress, associated only
with remembrances of poverty and suffering |
must confess that expected TO see something like
the expression of regret that the shores of old
England would soon fade from their view for ever
something like melancholy at the thought that
never more were they TO revisit the shores of E,i-
rope; but nothing of the kind occurred. All was
noise, hurry, and animation. They had made mp
Their minds for long journey; hope was before
them, and nothing was behind them but tn. re-
membrance of misery. IL was possible, also, that
the eave-takings had taken place in Ireland, and
that whatever sorrow they felt had been shown
before their arrival in England AS soon as the
sfeam-tug had Drawn us about five miles I'D the
Mersey, we dropped anchor, and disembarrassed
ourselves OF what the mate called the whole :" fra
ternlty" oil orange girls, and other Inc rchan,s of
small wares, who had until that time accompanied
us, TO ply their trade among the emigrants. What
with orange girls, cap merchants, and dealers in
Everion-lofiy, ribbons, laces, pocket mirrors gu-
gerbreau nuts, sweetmeats, Ne, there must have
been nearly forty interlopers to be sent back TO
Liverpool. The steam.tug took charge of them
all es well as Of the captain, who had TO return in
search OF cook and steward-and the Star Of the
west was LETT TO the crew and passengers, and
about half dozen visiters.
The steam-tug had no sooner taken her departure,
than all the passengers were summoned on deck,
that their names might be read over, their tickets
produced, and a search made in the steerage, and
in every hole and corner of the ship, for " stow
aways" The practice OF slowing away has, il
appears, very much Increased of late years; and
although the strictest search ID invariably made
before the emgrant ships leave the Mersey, a
voyage rs seldom completed without the discovery,
when ont IA the Atlantic, of Two or three OF these
nnioriuDs.es, In one voyage the captain of the
Star OF the West, then comm tnding the Monte
yuma, was favored with the company Of no less
than ten s,ow-aways, Of both sexes, who had
secTeted themselves about the ship, until it was
far out at sea, and had then presented themselves
before him, without money or luggage. The
manner in which the stow Always contnve to elude
The vigilance OF the crew is surprising They
sometimes have accomplices among the sieerage
passengers, and sometimes have other reliance
than their GOWN patience and mpudence. In the
first case, they are brought on board in barrels,
and placed among the luggage until the dreaded
ceremony OF the rollcall and production Of the
tickets Is over, when they emerge from their
bidingplaces, and are fed during the voyage by the
charity OF those who in their secret In the in
stances where they have no friend on board. they
hide themselves in the hold, about the rage
in every unlikely corner they An find, and when
starved into the necessity Of avowing what they
hove done, boldly show themselves and claim their
food IL is a puzzling matter how to deal with
them. A captain can neither return with them nor
throw them overheard, nor can he starve them to
death by refusing them as much mea al and water as
will keep them alive I'LL they reach New York and
he punisbes them by impnsonme OF, they reconcile
themselves TO H. well knowing that after all they
must he landed IN America, aud that the object
they had in view viii be sccomy ilshed. So great
IL their misery at home, and exalted are their
bopes oi doing better in America, that they are
conteneG to rin all posslbl. r,>ss Of the punish
mest or hardship that may he inflicted upon them
on board. The practice, however, has other
dangers than these, and cases have occurred in
which the unhappy "stow. aways" have been SUI
located in the cheats or barrel, in which they have
been concealed. But such extreme cases are COM
Iarafivey rare, and the worst fate that usually be-
falls the stow-away Is the degradation Of being
compelled TO perform all the dirty work Of the
chip. Sometimes a miserable wight 10 compelled
to walk the deck in the bitter cold for a certain
number Of hours, without any protection from the
weather; but IL N seldom that captain resorts TO
such useless and sindictivc cruelty.
One captain, however, was 80 annoyed by the
CoUethut " W uis Nrn&cts III
spite Of all the precauiisns he adopted, that he
resolved 20 tar and feather. Ia American back wood
OF" Lynch" fashion, the first he found He was 40
good rs his word, and sent wretched stow-sway
back in the STRAIN ting to Liverpool in this p,inful
plight. The man complained To Mr.. Ru-hton, the
magistrate, and the captain. aware that he had
broken the law, and was liable 10 punishment for
u. has not since returned TO Liverpool. But, not
wuhstsndipg ali the severity that 10 sometimes
shown, and the fatal accidents that occur to the
unhappy people who stow themselves away, the
practice continues. A stow.sway was lately DIS
covered, almost dead. In a bsrrsl ~ salt. woman
was taken out Il chest, after the vessel had been
twentyfour hours at sea, with her limbs N craDped
and benumbed. and 80 weak ADD exhausted as to
be unable to stard up for fortnight. On one &C.
casion, when a large cask was being ho'sted over
the side Of ensTani vessel, the top of the cask
gave way, and he man fell out head foremost, into
the dock, whence he was rescued with some difii-
Guilty. When captain or anv Of the crew SUSPECTS
box or barrel 10 contain a stow-awsp, and he does
not Ike to break OPEN, he resorts to the exrsdient
OF placing II on cne end, that The stowawsy, II