The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1860-07-26
The Delights OF IL Passage to Cal
ifOrnia--The NEaia Service.


The California travel now crowds
every steamer to excess. and the steam
boat Commodore as Mr.. Vanderbilt is
styled having secured monopoly ofthe
route, the most shameful and in
famous impositions are prarctised I'M
der his management, to swell the prof,
its to proportions suiting his capacity.
The character of these abuses may be
seen from the following statement puo-
Ilshed by a gentleman who was a pas
Senger in the last trip of the Northern
Light:
All feelings of delicacy-all notions
of departmental manifestations of re-
special modestY-we thrust aside
10y the large number; and the few who,
from birth and education, could not or
would not so lower themselves, had to
close all the avenues to their outraged
senSibiIities. With many of those who
had no herths-a large number were
females-the common conventionalities
of life were wholly diSregarded. Men
and women were forced to dress, as well
rs to perform the minutia of the toilet
many OF them too sacred for sight, be-
fore crowds Of admiring (?) beholdcrs.
You reached your state room at night
only by the greatest exertion, walking
over the PROSTATE sleepers Of both sexes
many in pal'ts n0turai6uS, owing to
restlessness in sleep. Children were
piled on their parents; men and women
who but a few hours previous were
utter strangers, now, in the dispair Of
their heIplessness, made common cause,
and humanity, irrespective of sex,
courted the drowsy god-oblivious OF
present woe III Sleep-packed "heads
aud tails" like good Scotch herrings.
Each OF the eight nights during our So
journ was but a fac sinaile of the picture
,hus drawn.
The facilities for cleanliness NAV be
magined-the filth beggers description.
1t is really a miracle that gaunt disease
did not lay his heavy hard on US. The
provisions in the original state were
all good, but the culinary efforts verified
the old adage in respect to the paternity
of cooks. The beds, table, linen. and
furnitui ewere filthy; the servants had no
time for cleanliness, in consequences of
the multiplicity OF their duties.
=
Disgusting and repulsive as the sub
ject is, cannot fail rendering descrip-
ton ofthe method pursued by the stew
ards department, i'll their efforts to
make ashort allowance Of glass, crockery
and cutlery do duty / verily elieve
that from the day we left New York to
the day Of our arrival, not one drop Of
water was consumed thereon. After a
meal the platters were carfully scraped,
(tor the slush is one of the stewards
perqnistes,) and then piled up. Men
a med with soiled tablecloths and towels
(from the washstands) then rubbed off
The derbris. Glasses were shen returned
to the racks innOcont OF cleansing, and
forks were merely wiped off. Before
at sea two days, the fifth could be scaped
off each utensil but use it second nature
and one may come to fancy filth as an
appetizer, especially if one travels on
NanderbiIt's steamers.
At Panama the passengers were al
Iotted to their berths on the pacific
steamer by the agent with little regard
to their rights or comfort. Many pas
seugers had paid 1925 in New York.
the extra S25 entiteling them, it was
said, to choice of state rooms on the Pr.
cific, and others had paid for an extra
passage, which was to confer the priv.
llege of the use Of man and wife, OF an
entire stateroom, which privilege they
had enjoyed on the Atlantic side. All
such rights were ignored. Man and
wife ruthlessly separated, and all con,
ceived rights were merged into the GEN
eral disposition Of bcrthS wholly irre>
Spective of persons. Those entitled to
the best of course received the worst.
A number of second elias cabin passen-
gers, with children, who had relied on
the word OF the tickets were required
for them, found them absolutely neces
sary. Appeal to the Purser or Captain
were useless; they had naught to do
with the distribution.
10 Give a man the necessaries of
life and he wants the convenience.
Give him the convenience and he Graves
for the Injuries. Grant him the luxu-
ries and he sighs for the elegancies
and he yearns for the follies. Give
him altogether and he complains that
he has been cheated both in the price
and Ouantity of tho artiola