Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1851-11-20


. intellectual looking young man. after regarding
the whole scene with wild stare, threw b
/, eyes to heaven, clasped his emacated hand
S together, and plunged headong in the water
l before he could be prevented, end never rose
= again.
: Here the captain glanced about, cast lool
G at the compass and then at the course the Pol
> y Bean was steering and then resumed his mar
! ratiyc.
We were driven up the side ladder at tn,
polht Of the bayonet, and made to pass through
. a dark portfolio into the main gundcck AL.
: though there were three hundred and fifty mer
! on tilat deck, two hundred more we're crowd
ed in among them. O, sir, | shall never forget
the first night that passed in that hell of earth
Upwards of five hundred men who had but one
mca day, who could go to the upper deck for
air, or for water but one at the time, who were
so crowded that there was not room for a third
to lie down. and many of them with the small
PoX, dyscntcry and yellow fever and dead and
dying mixed together, were all GRAINED there
without ventilation and in total darkness.
Did they not allow you a light? | asked
with horror.
NO, sir. There we were, the livc-long night
sir IN Egyptian darkness, every man a stran-
ger to his neighbor, unable to sleep, if we could
have found space to lie, from the horrible nois-
es You have been one in great crowd, sir
perhaps in a street, on some particular OCCASION
when there was scarcely room for man to en-
tricate himself to get out of it, Such were we,
sir; only we had no pure air, only what we had
brcathed over and over again, and we're in pitch
ch darkness, while every one sought his own
relief, and cared not who he trod upon or did
harm 10, Despair, horror, suffering eXcrucia-
ting regncd Water! O, water water! cried
one and another, and fifty voices took up the
piercing cry!'
Give me air' yelled another, i am dying.
want to breathe!'
Curse you get off my body, is heard from
some sick wretch tramplcd upon,
Then would be heard the most horrible exc
crations. At one place fierce scuille would
be going on, as if pack ofwolvcs were fighting
and deYouring each other. At another, men
were calling on God for mercy and other
sounds of prayer were heard The groans Of
pain, the deirium of those in fever tho oaths
of those whose patience had ceased to be, caus
ed continued roar and confusion that can only
be likencd to what must be in the lower hell of
tho dan-.ed. Then the stencil Bah! There
was the smell Of the filthy boyies of the well,
the stink of the letid flesh OF those who had the
small pox, the odor Of every Putred eyecraion,
and the smell of the numerous dead bodies, all
rendered that night almost insupportabe to
me-
Did they not bury the dead:' l asked, quite
overwhelmed with the horrors of tho scene he
had described so viyidly.
They were passed up in the morning; but
many died during the day and early part of the
night, whose bodies began to corrupt before
they were removed, when the matches were
opened the next morning. After the dead were
passed up, then we had our days food distrib
uted to us, or rather thrown down for US to
scramble for like dogs. Some of the strongest
and most frcnzied men would sometimes get
the stale bread, would fight in its defence with
teeth and head butting and biting like terocicus
beasts
All that day had but crust of bread, and
this distributed TO three poor tamshed wretch
es, that were worse off than was for | had
my strength yet. All that day no water was
brought us to drink, and those who wanted it.,
had to take their turn to 90 up for it, one at a
time. Two men scarcely able to crawl, lost
their hold, and fell to the bottom of the ladder,
where in moment they were trampled TO death
by those who rushed mady forward to take
their places. So passed that dreadful day.
As night came on, sought in some manner to
obtain sleep, for had not lain down, nor could
| lay down. so making my way as well as |
could to the fore part of the lower deck, where,
] believed should find it less crowded, as it
was further from the hatchway and air, alter
a great deal OF difficulty, and receng blows and
curses from those | pressed too hard, got
to place where the comparative stiffness, for
could see nothing, led NE to believe there might
be room to lie down. crept close up to the
sides of the ship in order not to be trampled
upon, if / should get to Sleep but | found no
space that was not occupied by men ying down
some three deep, their bodies across each 9TH
or, So | drew myself towards man who was
breathing heavily, and asked himto let me lay
across his legs, as | was very weary. He
made no reply, and so gently lay across him,
and the next moment believe | WAS asleep
About midnight, | was awaked by person
falling heavily across me, as if he had been
thrown upon me; and | felt his warm blood
flowing over my face. spung up, casting him
OFF, and found he had been stabbed by a mad
man, who was armed with a knife. The man |
had lain upon was stiff, and dead, and as |
learned afterwards was dying of the yellow
fever when lay down upon his legs. The up
roar Of voices at length comparatively ceased
the vast hull being filled only with groans in
every key Of misery, when Just as was getting
into sort of horrid nightmare doze, | was
startled by shrilI cry from man in the mid
die of the deck.
Look ont Tor yourselves, men! There is
loaming maniac moving through the hold with
a naked knife in his hand.
This warning amid the darkness, fell like
Ihunderbolt among u.s. 1t was answered by
GENERAL shrek of alarm, mingled with curses