Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1860-08-10
Ubegree Nteaa
GREAT SHIP: GREAT swINDLE.
BU X LIN NJ:
FRIDAY MORNING. AUG. 10, 1860.


soap and towels, crtra, came off July
81, with great eclat, great discomfort and
great grumbling from the thIong of hungry,
thirsty, sleepy. tired and dirty passengers.
The grand cause Of the difficulty was an en-
tire want of adequate preparation for the
comfort of passengers and great preparation
to get as much money out of them as posi-
bic. One Cox, it seems, had the contract
for the provisioning the multitude. The
officers of the ship disclaimed all responsible
ity in the matter. The New York papers
give long accounts of the discomfort and in
dignation which prevailed among the 2000
unfortunates who were on board. Some of
the pictures are amusing. We cut them
from the n Y. HeraH
SUFFER-.
1t was now what a sentimental miss would term
"the lovely and languid hour Of twilight A ma
jority Of those on board had provided themselves
with a hearty dinner before coming on board, but
with a sea breeze in ones composition for six hours
it is impossible to resist the pangs Of hunger at
some time, and the consequence was that as soon
as the bar was passed a rush took place for supper
that reminded Us of the double quickstep charge
Of the Zouaves at the Academy Of Music the other
night. The simie might be followed up by the
remark that they didn't enjoy much better op-
portunity of doing execution. 1t was merely
charge ''at" and not "into' In other words the
feeding arrangement from beginning to end, was
a specimen Of msmanagement and inexperience
that might have been expected from some half
civilized Hottentot, whose brains and taste had
been used up in acquiring the little information
he knew, but which one would not look for in any
representative Of that august body--the Great
Eastern Steamship Company. The meals, and the
manner il which they were served up,were hardly
worthy Of comparison with the style Of "DOthe-
boys Hall" In fact, cold Squeers' himself
merely minus his bowl of molasses, galvanized in
to life for the occasion, might, without a great
stretch OF the Imagination, have been strutting
around his scanty boards, in the well developed
rotundity Of the proyidcr of the ship As compla-
Gently if his tables groaued under the fat Of the
land. Perhaps they did, but the subscriber didn't
see it. We thought TO oursef that be would be
unlucky Lazarus who was compelled TO wait
for crumbs at the door Of such Dives.
We shall not attempt description. There was
good deal of spoon, some tablecIoth and variety
Of incidentals pleasant to look upon, but for
the food its appearance was rs rare "a comet.
The coffee gave out on the second round. 1t cost
fee Of hafa dollar merely to breathe the passing
incense of a cup. Chickens smelt all over of an
tiquity; ham was salt, beef tough; tongue was
nowhere, and ice, Of which several tons had been
shipped in the morning, was SAID to have given
out. In fact, a general famine would have over
whelmed all hands If the ship had been meal and
a half away from land. The walters, too, were,
with a few exceptions, rare specimens OF their
species. One Of these eNcepu0ns-aud we are
glad to notice them-was the carver of the second
4. Ill
whole proceeding that he laid down his knife and
cleared out in disgust. Another a gentle old
darkcy, whose shaved head and gathered topku0t
made him look like venerable edition of a Japan
ese. The passengers called him tho Tycoon. .
and Of ladies and gentlemen are indebted to
his impartial care.
As for the rest, they were n set Of unmiti gated
rascals. They would lie, cheat steal your chairs,
and almost your money. We heard one asked by
gentleman for a cup Of Coffee "All out, 80 was
the reply. "Go and get a little for my lady,
won't you g eco to hell, was the response sott1
U2ce. and the villain went of, with mad flourish
as # he was going 90 tear the kitchen down Others
were perfectly blind and deaf, metaphorically
speaking, to all inquiries, and it was only whom
their palms were scratched with the evil root
which they did not hesitate unblushingly to ask
for that they seemed at all to comprehend that
they had been industriously requested to obtain a
desired article Of food.
For the first two hours at dinner by this mean.
every individual succeeded in having himself
waited upon received his dish full Of pabulum, OF
rather the quantaw prescribed, paid for it aud
travelled. At present however, they seem of little
more use than SO many pieces Of useless table
furniture, and for practical purposes are laid
aside. People are eating whatever they can get
One Of my neghbors at n table said few minutes
ago he had had four consecutive rear
ends of chickens in two meals, and was then al
work upon the fifth, with a view to test the sixth
and continue the experiment until he had definite
ly ascertained whether not any other part Of
that biped's anatomy had been brought on board.
NIGHT on DECK.
Here We get the creme de Ia crane Of this mid
night somnclescence. The sleepers are stretched
out in all sorts, styles, shapes, forms angles and
conditions they emphatically lay around loose
looking very much as if they had been poured oul
Of some big bag in a state Of dlution and left tl
settle You can begin TO describe them any where
some are packed away on the tops Of the cabins
some are lying close alongside the bulwarks, some
are sitting bolt upright. rcposing obliquely, and
stretched out on the straightest horizontal. Two
individuals more enterprising than the othersi
have sewed themselves between two mattresses, and
are trying to nap it, but every now and then some
Joker sits down on the bulging pile and educes a
series of groans and maedictions that would wake
the seven sleepers. A New York reporter and one
Of the detectives very fat one, by the way
have quite sensibly crawei into sheep-pen for
the purpose of being undisturbed; but party OF
promenaders have discovered their retreat and for
the last ten minutes they have been trying to pro-
woke the wrath Of the Gagged individuals, to see
whether the fat man can get out.
speculative individual mounts the Irn and
exhibits them as wild animals, in a strain some
thing like the following:
Here, gentlemen, are some Of the most eXtraor
dinary freaks of nature-animals that won't live
upon the land and are bound to die in water. We
have to feed EN- on seventeenth proof whiskey
which one man shoots into them with double
barrelled squirt gun, while another holds theil
legs-a most interesting spectacle Only five cents
and the refreshments thrown in. Feeding time
in fifteen minutes.i
great crowd gather around, and the spor
that ensues is immense. The reporter begs to be
let out; has got lots Of work to do; is in a grea
hurry, and makes any quantity of excuses: bu
they don't "take," and battery Of conversation
is fired off between the besegers and the besieged
Among the visitors is George Wilkes. who, afte
a good laugh, ventures to inquire, ''Who put The
animals in there ?7
"The directors was the reply.
Cant you get OUT
"No, they've fastened us in"
GLOW do you like your PEN"
The PEN says the fat man, in a deep ventric
ular voice. 'In my opinion, sir, the pen i
mightier than the sword'
"Ia ha ha he he he no no no =
cachinnate the crowd, at this witticism. "Thre
cheers for the fat freak Of nature" which ar
given with will.
How often do they feed you ?" says one.
"IIaint been fed at all"
"Call the directors. Here's a case Of starva
tiop," cries an individual on the outskirts.
"No; get EN- something to eat" responds an
other. Forthwith a chap starts down the gang
way, and, though it is midnight, in five minute
returns with the carcasses of two Great Easter
chickens.
"Whcre did you get them p
Found em under Coxs bunk
GOOD for him
"Hungry ?" inquiries the chicken man, as h
temptingly rubs them across the bars near th
noses of the victims, like the keeper Of menag
erie.
eyes, of course we are
''Can you smell it p
eyes, it's good and strong. Put il in here
"Well, growl if you want it"
"Ugh-h-h-h," growl the animals in the mos
capacious and artistically beastial manner, an
amid the cheers and laughter of the crowd. Tn
menagerie is fed, accordingly, the chicken bein
passed in on the end of long pole.
Somebody passes in drink to wash the solid
down, and the fun increases
Here, again family groups. A wife
tucked in between two settees, and the husban
sleeps crosswise. Another chap has table turne
upside down, and is snoozing at a two forty pac
between the legs Here are more piled away i