The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-01-23

10 rirH urfoR OF TIE HERALD.
have read with ssms interest the pressntmsn' by the
late Grand Jury, enpaneed by the United States Cir.
cult Court, published in your paper Of yesterday.
Those portions Of having reference to facts-an Of
fetal record Of which 10 made in the department
which have the honor to prsside-requrs correction
Had requistion been made opportunity been siven
by the Grand jury while in session. official infor nation
within their reach would doubtless have saved the
cessty Of correcting their errors BY preventing them
The presentment says
The Grand Jury have extended their examination in
there s more sickness and death m the upps than in
tne ower between deck smgrApt ships by of the
air in the latter ming heated and and
escaping into the upper between deck.
Uniform experience attestsd by the re.ord Of history
carefully made under my supervision, Of every voyage
OF all passenger ships arriving at this port testes to
the contrary Ship masters invariably represent the
upper deck to be healthy cabin than either the
lower the orlop decks and when is considered
my personal attention has been directed this inquiry
for period oil nearly two years. the probability Is much
stronger that all masters should have thus person
ally represented before than that in the period OF
eighty days session all masters could have thus per-
sonally agreed before the Grand Jury.
The officers employ ed by the United States to examine
each passenger ship its arrival agree that the houses
the upper the most healthy for passengers
and that the decks become unhealthy % they
descend little reflection viii account for these
facts Both the lower and orlop decks below the
water mark and consequently derive their supply of air
through the upper deck. But when the upper deck is
occupied by passengers its air is less pure than the
atmosphere above therefore :ts supply to the deca
beneath is propor.onaely impure, and also OF the
supply to the lowest deck II is we'll established that
the passengers whose berhs the matches each
deck the most liable to dease because they
-.
to them but tina. they nearest to the vent
tor through which the bad air ascends from them In
deed the Grand Jury, when, in the same paragraph,
prescribing for another evil that passengers shall be
permitted to OCCUPY the upper hold o; vessels
have entirely forgotten the sckness and death" which
they have just said to be found there In the largest
proportions
The presentment farther says
1.-THE BY stem Of cleansing the ships in the emigrant
departments, by OF the ships crew, rather than
by dependence the emgrants the lA0or
seems well worthy Of some puo3 regulation IN that
spect is said, in support Of this suggestion that for
weeks on the passage the passengers are unable
from seasickness to attend to the most ordinary duties
of cleanliness and that at other lines they neglect their
performance Another consideration was said to be the
great for this class Of the effect
of wach is to reduce the price Of passage money and
en to invite those whose habits and character Of the
ply sical faint among those with whom they
ISOLATED. The remedy for this evil seems to be in
forcing the appropriation OF larger space than u
allowed 30 each passenger and permitting them only 10
occupy the upper hold Of vessels"
II is difficult to ascertain the Gaming OF TIE Grand
Jury, from the language which they here employ, it
that the system Of cleansing the ships in the
emigrant departments by OF tie ships crew.
existence Of which system is thus aleged should be
placed by dependence on the emgrans themselves Tor
the labor" the next sent contains satisfactory
sons why The suggestion should not be adopted But IT,
,ar Ill he Ia bat Ia
pendence on the emgraots foE ship cleaning process
should be rslfnquishsd Tor system deyolvng the labor
laws would have the Grand Jury the expense OF
suggesting how worthy seems to toem socie public re-
guation IN tina. respect" An act of Congress TO provide
Tor the ventilation Of passenger vessels AMI for other
purposes, approved May II, lsaS, at section s. PRO
yioes-
"And De it further enacted That the CAP tain of any
such vessel employed IL hereby authorized to main
tain COCA discipline and such haoits Of cleanliness
among such passengers as viii tend to the
and promotion o! hralth and to that he shat,
tuch aaions he may adept this purpose to be
posted before sailing board such vessel in place
accessible to such passengers and shau keep he
posted up during the voyage and it is hereby made
the duty OF said captain to cause tn. apartment
pied by sucn passengers 10 oe kept AT all times
healthy State AND The owners 81 every sucn vessel no
employed required to construct the decks and all
parts OF such apartment 30 that it Gao be thoroughly
cleansed; and they shall ao provide safe, yenent
privy water closet for the exclusive every
hundred such passengers And when the weather is
such that said passengers canno. be mustered deck
with their bedding It shall be the dGty Of the captan Of
evy such vessel TO cause TIE decs occupied by such
pa sepgers to be cleaned WITH cblorle Of me or soue
other equally efficient dis affecting agent and also sach
other times as said captain may deem n.cessery."
These duties constantly exacted and every neglect
OF them IS punctuaily reported and 3ished without
Official records show that passeny er vessels
arriving here within the last non his have BY hs
public regulation preserved their VOYAGE unequal
Cleanliness, and have had unusual exemption from
mortality
But the Grand Jury propose the appropriation .,
larger space THAI now so ved 20 each passe
q remedy for the evil they have ina yinea.
The Secretary OF the Treasury has officially
that the Law allows Of passengers being brought In
vessels in number to be ascsrtained by certain super
fetal OF their orlop decks IL they have any
and Of their lower decks and has ordered that ae
complement having been fixed BY this rule, the passen
gers may be permitted to occupy OF the ships decks
The application Of these Instructions reduce ~ at
ys and Inc general y shem has .rsntS
copduced TO the remarkable health enjoyed by emf
grants on their passage hitner.
The presentment further says
complaint was preferred against several individuals
all ged to have been concerned in fitting oas SLAYER
from this port. The Grand Jury urseo by the Dis
trct Attorney to present in those cases.
but the evidence relied did not OF character 20
justify the holding of these persons without corrobora
ting evidence Of character different from that which
offered. 1t would SEEM no sever better TO prevent
the recurrence Of such an evil possible than 70 de-
pend upon those that have made the voyage, in-
formers II should be the duty Of the Surveyor OF the
Port he having the power with the assistance he
command to hold strict surveillance such vessels
and their owners be Of des Of this
nature.
ut to be supposed from the character OF the vessel
and the nature OF the cargo adapted this nefarous
business, no vessel can proper discernment be used
clear from this port on any such enterprise"
The Grand Jury announce that "it should be the
duty Of the Surveyor OF the Port he having the power
with the assistance he CON nand 20 hold str..
surveillance such vessels and tber may
be suspected of designs of this nature" The trouble OF
application at the Custom House would not only have
relieved the desire that the surveyor should be obligated
BY such duty, with the information that he actually
s but would Also bsve Informed The Grand Jury Of It's
would
similarly attended depends, confess the prop iety
Of committing counsels, for the efficacy OF which dsore
ton is needul tone Of ntlemen have proved
that they have none. Again, Tho Grand Jury suppose
that ordinary oscernmeps perseye 10 the
Of the vessel and the nature OF her cargo the wicked
iDten. OF their or in other words they fooshy
suppose hat slave dealers hab uay expose to the pub
he gaze such evidences that proper IAN de-
tect their guilt Cau these gentle ave been ignorant
that yesses on The cha Ter ~ th.. Lat IN