New-York daily tribune., 1854-09-09
A PRESENT HORROR.

read and wept over accounts Of the terrible abuse
and suffering of tue African esptives or other
victims of the atrocious Slave Trade without sus-
pecting that scenes nearly as revolving aud quite
as painful are occurring almost nightly within
sight of their own homes Yes right here on the
Hudson on the forward decks of our stately and
beautiful steamers, there is almost nightly exhi-
bited spectacle of mingled indecency, con-
strsipt exposure to disease, and positive agony,
which might well make murderer blush for bis
relationship to mankind.
The bell rings its last warning; the plank is
hauled in or pushed ashore; the escaping steam
gives its final shrek; the engine starts and the
boat moves off in graceful dignity on its way to
Albspy. All the seats on the upper deck are
filed and the promenades thronged by lively,
laughing, pleasure seeking crowd, whom the
gong will soon summon to their bounteOus supper,
whence they will return to chat, to read, TO
saunter, until they shall severally glide away to
their state-rooms or cabin berths and sleep or
muse till sunrise welcomes them to Albany.
What know these of the sufferings endured, the
peris wantOnly imposed, on that very same
steamer-perils outvieing those Of the Middle
Passage and sufferiDgs such as demons could
scarcely have the heart to devise and inact
For there on the forward deck of that same
steamer, shut off by relentless grating from all
shelter, hospitality or intercourse except with
each other, is huddled together some scores or
hundreds of poor emigrants bound for the rich
but distant Prairies of the West. Nest of these
are natives of Europe, perhaps just landed on our
shOres-possbly that day released from ship
board and having scarcely set foot on the soil Of
the New World-but there are often intermin-
ged natives of our City, of the sd accent country,
of Ne@-Jersey or New.Engand, flying from
the inexorable poverty aud unremitted toll
to which the portiOnless and simple among
crowded populations are too generally subjected.
They have little money and many children, and
they take the cheapest conveyance profered
them, being assured that it is nevertheless de-
cent, comfortable, and not unwholesome.
Miserable preyarications, murderous deceit
On reaching the boat at the appointed time,
they are not permitted even to 90 on board at the
common gane"sy, but are roughly ordered to 90
forward. There the stern reality first breaks upon
their bewldered vision-the hard and by no means
cleanly plank of the deck are their lodgings and
the open sky is their only covering. But this is not
all Scores after sceresof fresh emigrants, reek-
ing with the miasma Of long confinement 10 the
steerage during an ocean passage, are pitched up
on them until the naked plank which they at first
revoted alta beds are no longer attainable they
would gladly pay for chance to stretch their
weary limbs on the clammy deck, but there is not
room for all even to sit down. aud the men must
take turns in standing up through the night. For
the women, space is generally made, so that they
can sit down and lean their children against them
on this side and that smOthering their unavoidable
meanings 80 that the youngest and best placed
may snatch an hour or two Of troubled slunber
during some part Of the weary night For the
inevitable sickness and distress of many there are
no preparations; they must vomit as they can.
Not even rough awnng-costiDg, perhaps. fifty
dollsrs-is drawn over them; but the autumn
dews fall uninterrupted upon mother and babe,
sire and son; and when the thunder. storms and
rain squalls come on they have no resource but to
huddle closer together, if possible, shrink, and
shiver and suffer.
1t Is our deliberate Judgment that no negro
trader in the South would permit cargo of his
human chattels to be carried for a single night
with as little regard to their health and comfort
to say nothing Of deceacy-as is regularly evinced
Id thefranspQrtatiOn offree white emigrants (many
OF them American bOrn) from this City to Albany.
We believe ii far below the truth to estimate
that three thousand human lives are annually sac
rlhced through the ravages Of Diarrhes, Dysen-
tery, Cholera, Rheumatism and Fevers, in con-
sequence Of this North River exposure alone.
And we call upon our City Authorities, either
alone or in conjunction with those of Albany, to
take instant and effective measures to arrest this