New-York tribune., 1872-09-25
ON AN ERIE EMIGRANT TRAIN.

Outside the Erie depot at Jersey many emf
grants were waiting for the cars. The train did
start until O'clock when there were five cars nearly
full Many OF the passengers were drunk and the ma
jorty noisy although the conductor said they were
pretty quiet lot the whole" Soon after starting, an
Irshman after cursing the brakeman for not bringing
him light, struck him, and free fight ensued and it
was not until two or three disturbers had had good
thrashng that they quoted down. Slowly the train
sped along. About 90 miles from Port Jeryis we stuck
and this Of frequent occurrence afterward Tho
poorest class OF engines used these trains and
they are continually being switched into siding let
some train and so become hours perhaps be-
fore some of the passengers reach their destination days.
later As the night wears the cars present
strange appoarance the lights in all OF them very
feeble and family show men lying on the seats in every
postion women and children lying on the floor huddled
together The windows were shut, and, there being
ventilators the cars the air was sitting. Here and
there a drunken disturbed his neighbors. An
Engshman, who boasted that he was Yorkshire" and
OF the amount OF money he had with him. particu
larly obnoxious The morning did not make tho
look much brighter. Although plenty OF icewaer was
freely supplied still, OF course, the emgrants had not
the facilities for washing that they had on board ship,
and they all looked dirty and aded BY and by the
women commenced to comb out their locks, and one
Irish woman proceeded carefully to pick the parasites
out OF her ohidrens hair Most Of the emgrants had
brought PROVISIONS WIN tneH p"'"O'
were produced They manifested great want Of elean
ness in throwing all refuse the floors Of the cars in
stead OF out OF the windows AS the day got later, the
floors were covered with applepeeliDgs fragments Of
food and saya-nether pleasant nor healthy. The ma
ory OF the passengers appeared to be English and Ish
but there were many Germans Frenchman and his
daughter bound for California family OF Norwegians
for Minnesota. and two Portuguese for Omaha. The
majority were for Chicago, Milwaukee, and the North
West; many were bound for Cincinnati and fifteen in all
for California.
The apathy OF the people at the glorious scenery
through which they passed was most strange. Men
smoked their pipes and looked out Of the window
at the beauties OF the Susquehanna Valley The York
shreman proceeded TO get liquor every stoppage and
by midday quite drunk again. and nuisance TO the
whole train However noisy ana troublesome many OF
the passengers were, must do the conductors and
brakesmen the justice TO say that on the whole they
treated them with courtesy and forbearance.
IL was very late when arrived at Buffalo. As yet
the agont OF the Western Railways appeared TO have
conented Themselves with largely advertising all the
stations but at Buffalo. late though 1t was, the
were besieged by clearinghouse and railway runners.
Ticket Offices appeared 20 be numerous there than
Ia York. but they do not 10 got msoh business
as tho majority Of tho emrants booked through 70