Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1852-03-11
Abuse of California Passengers.

Legislation was necessary to prevent abuse Of
passengers on board the California steamers
This subject has already elected some discus
sion from that body, and We are glad to per-
ceive, has aroused corresponding spirit of en-
qniry among the people, and drawn out from
the victims themselves, details Of privation and
suffering too heart-rending and sickenlng 'tc
dwell npon. - v = - 4-''
By later advces from Washington, we per
ceive that the Committee on Commerce, 70
whom this subject was referred, have asked
for and received discharge from its further
consideration We cannot believe, however,
that action will stop here. Humanity demands
that measures be Immediately taken to prevent
further disregard of life and health on board
those steamers, and we hope our delegation in
Congress will press the subject until such
measures are adopted. go.
The following communication, which we
copy from the Sacramento Union of Jan. Is,
discloses some of the abuses practised upon
California passengers. Appended TO it are the
names of gentlemen of the highest credibilty,
some of whom are from this State. Two are
| from Brunswick. % a Soy" 75't7H s0f -a1oi7
NorrcE TO THE TRAVELLING Public
Deeming it duty we owe 10 all those who
know us, and may be travelling 10 and from
California, we, the signers Of this card, wish
to give publicity TO the extortiQns and imposi-
tons practised upon passengers by those who
have the management Of Vanderbilts Nicara-
qua Line of Steamers On arriving at N. York
from the country, we found that we were
obliged to pay Is cents per pound freight OIL
all our baggage, instead of allowing us each
$50 lbs, as advertised. Finding remonstrancc
unavailing, we consented to this, the fist i'm
position. Proceeding on board the Daniel
Webster, we found everything contrary 70
what had been represented; the sleeping apart
ments and conveniences were insufficient and
our food miserable in The extreme, and entire
ly unfit for human beings TO partake of. In
consequence of the officers being unfit for duty
from the effects of drunkenness, we ran forty
miles out of the way, passing San Juan del
Norte, before the mistake was discovered i,
when we returned. On arriving there, and
before getting into the small boats, our bag
gage was weighed and Is cents charged upon
every pound, and even then they refused re-
ceipts for the safe delivery of the same. On
board the boats which carried US up the river,
we understood that no meals would be fur
nlshed us, but were not prepared for the avari-
clous grasp OF the officers, who took advantage
charging US 80 cents apiece for biscuit that did
not weigh three ounces, and S25 for supper
for nine persons, four being small children
There were no sleeping apartments of any de-
scriptlon, and men, women and children were
all compelled to huddle together like so many
criminals for four days (the whole time from
ocean 10 ocean, occupying five days instead of
twelve hours, as was represented to us) until
we were all worn out and exhausted. At Vir-
gin Bay we took mules, and instead of the
delightful plank road we were to travel on,
we found i, perfect slough of despond we
were compelled to ford creeks, wetling us
through and through, and our baggage being
in the rear, we were obliged TO remain in our
wet clothing, children and all. After encoun-
tering more vexatons, delays, and imposlions
than we can enumerate. we arrived at San
Juan del Sur, where, TO our dlsmay, we found
that the steamer Independence, which had been
promised TO us by the agents in New York,
was not there, bnt in her place, small and en-
tirely unfit craft IN every way, less than 500
tons, called the Gold Hunter. On board of
her we were again subjected 10 another neglect
for the necessaries of life At least one hun
bred out of our 800 passengers were down with
the fever of the country, and another extortion
was practised upon us, in charging 81 per head
and SO cents per trunk to convey us on board
the steamer which, when there, we found, las
was the case with the Daniel Webster) was
inadequate to accommodate our number
What berths we fourd were quickly taken up,
and a species of cot, called a standee, were Sc
cured by moiety of the unprovded for, and
the rest of the nnfortunates were compelled to
lay around on deck, or wherever they could
find place large enough for man 10 measure
his length, exposed to the deeterious effects Of
the night dews and change ofclmale. Of the
provisions prepared for our use, no language
Is sufficient to express our condemnation of the
same. Had the Gold Hunter been crowded
with Irish emigrants of the lowest class, they
could not have been treated worse. Remon-
STRANGE was in vain :; on appealing TO the cap
tain, we were referred to the purser, by him
we were sent TO the doctor, and from him to
the mate, all shifting the responsibility, and
when our backs were turned the whole affair
would be thrown into ridicule. Finding this
TO be the case, we quietly settled down into
an apathy, and did not care whether we lived
or died. On the whole of the passage up, the
treatment We received never varied, but we
were subjected to the most infamous and inhu-
man treatment that one could possibly conceive
OF. We were not alone threatened with death
from starvation and exposure, but also, through
the criminal and reckless conduct of the Off
GERS, our ship was several times during the
passage, on fire, and in one instance, on the,
morning of the 3Ist December, had it not been
for the daring of passenger by the name of
X. Dunning, we should have been inevitably
destroyed. He, Notwithstanding the opposi-
ton and threats of the officers to the contrary.
searched the vessel from stem to stern, and TO
the Imminent peril of his own life. Taking
with him the Waterman of the ship as guide,
he explored the hidden depths of the ship, in
slnuatlng himself between the boilers and the
bottom OF the vessel, he at length found burn
Ing mass of timber, which, after some difficult
ty, was extinguished. And now, thanking
God that we are out of the jaws of death, in
conclusion, we are compelled frankly TO de-
clare, that so far from any redeeming points,
we cannot find words strong enough TO express
our indignation at the impositi0ns, duplicitY
and extortiOns, practised by the agents of Van
derbilts Nicaragua Line of Steamers upon their
passengers, who have thus far been so unfor-
tunate as TO travel with them. If those who
are about TO come to California, or about to
proceed home, will take warning from this, the
results of our sad experience, our object is ac-
complished, and we have performed that which
we consider simple act of duty. We there
fore come TO the conclusion that, for the benefit
of our friends at home and abroad, to publish
this with our signatures attached, in one of the
leading papers of California, and TO forward