New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-12-12
MORTALITY AMONG EMTGRANTs

side OF suffering humanity. The articles Whch nave re
Gently appeared in your paper calling attention 70 the
terrible waste of human life upon The Atlantic O'ean ana
earnestly insisting that something should be done to arrest
the of this fell work of destruction show that yo1
40 no. mean TO be whit behind the cheics apostle IN the
re,ded work Of reform The wrtag has some knowledge
If the condition of things il exists on board emran
bp~ and with Your consent purposes to submit few sag
ost;ons in this connection Let it be borne in MAD Ihl
on both sides of the water laws numerous a they are
stringent have been enacted to regulate the system Of emf
grafton II cannot therefore be alleged win any SHOW
Of proproy, Lst either Government has osen a0selner
;rliasrent 10 the health and lives Of those who arc
leaving the Old to seek home in the New Worii In
order for ship with passengers to get e'saFan.s
ropers in any of the ports Of Great britain, there mist
beevdeuce Of her sc worhiness clear and nispltable
There must also be the requisite number OF boats on board
a certain number Of venilators OF spsched KIND.
nassonrers' cooking galley Of ample SIZE and water
closets uroportioned TO the number Of persons carried
And besides all this the number Of square rect the amount
ard kind Of provisions with the quantity oil i.esn water %
be furnished TO each passenger have been xei upon by
persons competent 10 decide in such mltters ana these
regulations have been sanctioned By legal authority with
tie ayst penalties annexed 10 the ntacton O any On'
of then physician must also accompany the ship on
her VOYAGE and his quail hcaons ore subjected T. n)ss
rigid scrutiny. And yet with all these precauapns AM
many hers we bage not here space T. mention there
has been for time past fearful amount OF Sickness
and death The ocean. We ask ourselves us there NJ.
cause ard. If So what Is It we have mao cir.iH
iu0uirv ard have given earnest thought to th que ,
and have reached certain convictions in regard to It, We
proceed 10 state them.
Their has seemed to be Of late to the eastward Of the
Banks OF y, wfoui1ian. cerian rne Amos
phese peculiarly calculated 70 generate disease an arce
Is ever falling TO do among the indo2n AM hlthy In
reference to the filthy habits Of vast majority Of the
enigranis coming 20 our shores may be eaough
to saw tbev bufie description The wonder IL not
that in certain states Of the a'mosphcre 80
many die, but that they do not dc in vastly greater
other nc causes Is the explanation of kis alarm
ing mortality we think easily be made to appear from
facts which have TRANSFERRED. lac pacAet snip New
World Captain Knight reports that alter gwen dhe
obyionsy when certain degree Of longitude was reached
the disease disappeared The same was the case with sew
eral other ships sailing about the same tne progress
Of this or similar cOnagon in 1882 and in 1872 AMI the
course il followed ct both Of these periods would seem
TO corfoborate this idea Some elemont in the at
mosphere dangerous TO health and lie may suddenly
Indicate its presence and suddenly disappear without
our being able account for It's presence absence in
any other way than to recognize as the operation o. 'hose
hidden laws by which TIE Liefual accompanies ms hSh
b,hests We have no difficulty, however, in determining
what may er ally aggrayae the aicton IL was as good
orthodoxy as sound sense in Lord Pamerston when
:, prc. Ivteran clergy in Scotland mem0ralzed him to
srnoin day Of fasting and prayer for the nation to re
py that raynS would be appropriate enough wnen my
80 r.sio ora1 -Four ships-the Manhattan, Under.
vyor Jo,erh Walker rH the Princeton-eft Liverpool
on tie fh ult and happ,, exempt rom sJNnyss'
Their commanders are all careful ar eNPelencel men
but not more So perhaps than others 40 nave peen
less fortunate Ii is ascertaned that these snr i
not to the westward in anything like the same Ian
came far north while the Princeton, Capt Russell
much Of the passage in nearly the latitude OF New
York tho other two made the passage IN m m2re
escaped sickness; but the southampton, sailing from
London und Portsmouth the 9th ult reports the loss
Of fifteen passengers showing that the conagion in the
atmosphere may at time b. more viruleni than az
another or that circumstances may exist greatly to modify
or increase it, malgnity. When therefore We find ths
among emgrans shpboard there certain
that require prompt attention There must be greater
cleanliness observed among the passengers themselves
This ouey necessary unless our ships are to be made
floating charne houses and for this purpose the Cpain
should be clothed with power to compel it as he is not
Many Of these creatures were always hlhy; they
were born in lth nursed in it, and have always lived in
it md the only hey did not die long ago, il the
absence Of irritating cause. IL we're mercy to them
that the Captain should be vested with power to command
their obse of the sanitary rules of heath and life
and when they refractory, thoy invariably to
lis counsels, that he may have authority to enforce his
orders necessary 10 the preservation OF their lives AMI
il may be- his own, without the certainty Of being mute1
in damages for il when he reaches port Prevention is
better than always and much of the suffering AMI
death that has ranspred board Of the ships gh have
been obyiGtcd the masters had been empowered to
do what ii in their hearts to do but could not
do without being charged with brutality and violating
istng laws. In 1885, when disease was making terrible
havoc among emgrants at the Black Ball ship Isaac
Wright then under command of Cept A. c. Marshall-a
most thorough and successful shpmaser perhaps ever
sailed from this portYas visited by the pestience; the
best efforts of the physician were entirely baied and
several Of the passengers were already decd CAPT Mar
shall became exceedingly distressed at the mortality
board ard resolved 10 take the matter in his han1s
ho accordingly prepared and administered the following
the patients One table spoonful Of common saOne tea
spoonful OF Cayenne pepper IN half glass OF warm water
end the plague was stayed Not passenger died after this
remedy given in the frs, stages In number ef in
stances recently learn It's potency for good has been
most marked As q remedy il is exceedingly simple, aud
whether it meets the appreciation Of the Facuity or not
experience atlosts it, efficacy.
Il may be pertinent to observe in this connection that
for the better regulation OF the emigration system ship
masters shoud be vested with more authority to control
enforce their orders among seamen. Passengers
often robbed by sailors, aud even female weakness
cannot be protected from their lecherOus assaults
Here is in point well authenticated 10 the
writer Il made matter Of record in the
ships log at the time of its occurrence. Several Of
the sailors who conducted badly board the Roscu3
packet last winter and who wclngh succeeded in their
Ilot away the life Of Captain Maloney, and did
succeed in reducing him poverty shipped on board Of
OF regular Liverpool traders her last passage
from Liverpool One Of these desperadoes forced himself
into state room occupied by females for Illicit purp0ses
be answered with impudence, and the threat that the
miscTeaut would 90 wherever he pleased and cJl
duct he pleased. The Captain, ia duty bound
confined him. when the whole refused duty until their
alternative but 10 submit the weather threatening
Now en'dsciIe under such state Of things was O., an
end and an Irresponsible reckless and daring mob had
control of that noble ship, her cargo Of human life ani
valuable freight We think had we been in the place Of
that commander that freebooter upon female virtue should
have remained IN confinement and ii the masts over
tue side q consequence underwriters might thcn have
10 cherish Interest in nautical affairs Other than
receiving premiums and declaring large dividends.
Since Congress tinkered with the las in respect
to discipline in the Merchant Marine every
ct ell acquainted with the matter knows full well that
the change has been the worst possible for ell concerned
1t has brought good to the sailor himself but much
harm while for all the purposes of discipline the Captain