The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1871-08-16
Horrors of Il Sleerage Passage

' There is one horror known only
to those poor persons who are obi god
to take steerage passage in aslow sail
ing vessel with Nero for captain
The German ship Europa, which
sailed from Bremen ,n the l7th
April with one hundred and twenty
lnssengers, has Just arrived at New
York, having been detained three
weeks III quarantine on account Of
the prevalence of the smallpox On
board. According to tho statement
Of portion of the passc ngers, tho
misery during that long voyage of
two months must have been terrible
indeed. Two of the passengers died
it. is said, from starvation, and the
rest barely lived the ra,s.ge out.
The captain, August Pichlcr, has
been arrested, and will DO brought
| before United States Comm issioner,
when the facts will he fully develop.
ed by witnesses.
Ono of the passengers hy the Euro.
pa was Mr.. Frederick G. IIerndorf,
respectable citizen Of New York.
This gentleman, having injured his
health by constant devotion to his du-
ty as book-keeper in stationer's
store, resolved upon a visit to his
parents in Germany, and was advised
by his physician to 60 and come on a
sailing vessel, AS the long voyage would
be beneficial to him. Mr.. Herndorf
describes the scene on the Europa
during the return passage as sick EN-
ing in the extreme. He alleges in an
affidavit that the passengers were suf
fering nearly all the time for want
of sufficient food, and swcars positive
ly that the two passengers that died
ono an old man and the other a
young girl-died from actual starva-
tion. The girl, it is said, was sick
two or three weeks and when she died
was almost perfect skeleton. The
smallpox also broke out in the lower
cabin, causing great CONSERVATION.
Only three cases occurred, however,
and none of them were fatal. There
was no physician on board, and dur
ing all this sickness and tribulation
the captain paid but little, if any at.
tention to those below the cabin deck.
Mr.. HernGorf, though almost entirely
ignorant of medicine, was Obliged to
care for the sick as best he could.
lie Jared the same as all the rest as
to food, except that NIL the salt pork
he got he gave way, being unable to
eat it. Said he 81 one day took
tho little piece of meat given me for
my dinner, stuck it on the end of my
knife, and went up and held it in tho
captains face, asking him if he
thought thnt was su(licient for mans
dinner. Besides my meat, which
could almost put in my hollow tooth,
L had bean SOUP 1t was little bet.
ter than clear water, at least | could
count the scattered beams on the bot.
tom of the basin. Elch one also had
a cracker, which was so hard that it
had to be soaked in water before it
could be eaten"
But the pangs of starvation and
disease were nothing compared with
tho loathsome horror of seeing tho
passengers crowded together like
swine. They we're huddled together,
: men, women and children and wore
, obliged to remain 40 throughout tho
voyage. When the ship had been
out for week the women wcre all 60
reduced in health and strength that
they were barely able to move. Mr..
Herndorf says that even before leav.
/ ing on the passage they wore treated
, like so many cattle. They were put
on dirty train by the agent, to be
taken to tho port, and none of them
knew until they went aboard what
ship they were going to sail 10.