The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-01-27
THE OCEAN STEERAGE ABUSES.
0ver-Crowding, Fad Food, III Treat
ment and BLACKBOARD Con-
duct of Sailors.
Men and Women Compelled to
Bunk Promiscuously.
A Demand for an Amended Em-
igratiOn Law.


l feel compelled by q sense OF duty to expose
through the columns OF your influential journal the
treatment which unfortunate steerage passengers
are sometimes subjected to in the vessels OF the
National Steamship Company. In doing so have
no object to subserve, save the good OF the thou
sands who week after week cross the Atlantic nor
am l animated by any hostile feeling to the direc-
tors or officials OF the National Steamship Company
For many years have worked in the great cause
of progress and reform, and proved my devotion
by suffering, and therefore consider that would
be traitor to the principles OF humanity, which
have ever held most sacred If on this occasion
neglected to perform my duty by placing the stern
truth before the public and demanding the enact
ment OF laws for tile preservation of human life
the ocean, and the more humane treatment OF
those who are unfortunate enough to travel as
steerage passengers With your permission shall
place before the public lacts-.naked iacts-of
very unpalatable, but most undeniable kind, and
may as well here add that am prepared to pro-
.duce numerous witnesses, Irish, English, &C., to
! prove the authenticity Of all my statements.
1t was my intention to have travelled by one OF
the Liverpool steamers, but having been informed
= on several occasions that
sTEERAGE PASSENGERS WE'RE BADLY TREATED
on the vessels OF the National line, resolved to
leave from the London Docks and judge for myself.
During twenty-eight days OF a most tempestuous
myself and deeply regret to say that my judg-
ment is q painful one and my sentence-if it were
in my power to pass one on those who are account
able for the observation-disclosures be most severe.
The steamship Erin was advertised to leave the
Victoria Docks, London on the 30th November but
its departure was postponed until Monday the I'd
December. On that day its departure was again
postponed until the Tuesday, and on the Tuesday
until the Wednesday, on the evening OF which day
I'M pocoa wan m hoor Init ha
not leave the docks until four O'Clock in the morn
ing. The public Will therefore see that the National
line Is distinguished punctuality, and they will,
have no doubt, applaud the system under which
young girls delicate women and little children
were kept shlvering in the cold in the dsgustingly
filthy Victoria Docks to receive at the end of each
day that they were detained the munilcent sum of
eighteen pence per adult person.
About twenty males and thirty females and chill
dren embarked at London. The single men, ac-
cording to the regulations, sent to the fore
part or the vessel and the single and married
women and children to the ait. At this part OF the
vessel
THE SLEEPING ARRANGEMENTS
for the single and married persons were of the
most imperfect and by no means of the most
decent kind. There were no screens of any de-
scrlption to conceal the persons of one berth from
those OF another when in the act OF dressing or
hculty that grown up-persons contrlved to remove
their wearing apparel without exposing them
selves to the gaze of the other passengers. Each
sleeping compartment extended from portfolio to
portfolio and contained accommodations for
twenty-fOur persons. The convenience which
those in the under berths experienced may he
easily guessed from the fact that from the bottom
to the top OF the berth the height only little
over two feet There many other matters OF
hoI, nr1a
that may quickly enter upon those details which
shocked me and every other humane person on
the vessel. cannot however, pass the fact
that at Gravesend, at the mouth of the Tnames no
sailors were appointed to the leboats, the result
Of which would have been, In the event OF any mis-
fortune that confusion would have reigned
amongst the sailors, and no effort could have been
made for the safety Of any or the passengers.
have been informed that this neglect was q breach
Of the regulations.
have no general complaints to make of the food
or treatment Of the passengers up to arrival at
Havre, where we took i'm about eight hundred for.
egn passengers. From the embarkation OF those
poor people everything altered for the worse.
Among those foreign passengers were many wo-
men, little children and some aged persons. An
Oifcer-I presume Of emigratiOn-at Havre
tered the numbers of all the untenanted berths,
prior to the embarkation of the passengers, in
order that a sleeping place would be secured for
each one but for some reason other he over
looked the fact that at the fore part of the main
deck, which is Immediately under the hurricane,
or top deck, ''buDks were being hastily con-
structed. These ''bunks' were erected In the
course of q few hours on the starboard and port
side of the lore part of the vessel, by Frenchmen
who were employed for the purpose, and were in
tended to accommodates about three hundred
people. In addition 10 those "bunks.u about forty
hacked
part, and considerable quantity Of passengers
luggage on the ait OF the main deck.
When all the berths in
TIE FORE AFT sTEERAGE
had been filed up and filed, may add without
any respect to sex, as women and children were
'berthcd" in both ends of the vessel, the other
passengers about three hundred in number were
directed to occupy the "berths' on the main deck.
Bad the berths in the ordinary steerage are,
those on the maindeck were infinitely worse; the
couple OF planks, with considerable space
between each plank. In several of those CHUNKS"
i have counted many as seven and eight per-
sons-men, women and children--where by right
there should not have been more than two people.
Now, in the first place, assert that those 'bunks'
should not have been erected on the main deck,
and that it was against the shipping regulations,
and consequently a violation OF the law to place
either bunks barrels or luggage on the second
deck. Many sailors and scaarng passengers
observed to me that these ''uinksn would oe
pulled down before we arrived at New YORK, and
their prediction was fulfilled. shall now slightly
digress and briefly illustrate the evils OF breaking
the law by placing baggage or barrels ON the main
deck. In the very same steamship, the Erin, on
voyage In the earlier part Of last year, several
barrels Of meat were placed close by the hatchway
III the lore part OF the vessel, and in consequence
Of being insufciently lashed they broke loose dur
ing storm. Each barrel contained consider
able quantity OF meat and of great weight.
Amongst the passengers in the fore steerage,
where, according to regulations she should not
have been placed, was
POOR ITALIAN WOMAN, WITH TWO CHILDREN
At the time that the barrels broke loose this poor
creature happened, unfortunately, TO be passing
right under the hatch, with her children when one
OF the barrels fell through the opening and smashed
ha pnorw n N Ipra N a. fa hat ha
steerage steward was for a moment under the i'm
preston that the mangled flesh lie gazed upon be-
n.....