The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1874-02-03
"sTOwAWAYs.p


In the melancholy catalogue of the
IL poor people engulphed in the Vile du
Havre, we read that there were twenty
seven third-cass passengers, and six
"stowaways." The last named term is
sufficiently curious to call for explanation
and in rendering it we touch upon one of
the most wretched features of emigrant
life. A "stowaway" is an individual who,
in the last moment, just before the vessel
leaves the dock for her destination, sinks
on'board, creeps below, and conceals him
self as securely as he is able, in remote
hooks and corners of the lower or the fore
peak. Sometimes he gets into the hold,
but there, If the matches are battened down,
he runs the risk of being smothered. AT
all events he crawls into his coign of van
tage, and croptches there, like rat behind
the wainscot, quaking for fear Of discovery.
And detection must sooner or later be the
fate of the "stowaway."
So well is the practice of smuggling hui
man baggage known to seagoing folks, that
prior to large emigrant ship sailing, there
is generally organized picket of sailors
headed by one of the mates, and furnished
with lanterns and rattans, who make a
tour of exploration among the packing
cases and the provision casks. Hunting
for stowaways" is most exciting sport !;
the wretched defaulters are started"
from their holes, roundly abused, hus-
tied on deck, "slanged" by the captain
happy they, in an American clipper, who
escape being Shanghaied" by the boats
vain, or booted by the first mate-and then
contumaciously kicked over the side. Some
stowaways, however, generally contrive to
pass unnotice6 in the search and six-the
number found on board the Vile du Havre
may be considered as fair average
among hundred and fifty passengers. The
ship IN any case, cannot be many days at
sea before they are discovered. Every
fresh hogshead Of beef or biscuit that is un-
headed diminishes their chances of immu-
of the unfortunate creature being inadver-
tently jammed up between and behind the
piles of merchandise, and SO suffering a
living entombment rivaling that of Con-
stance de Beverley in horror.
Stowaways dragged from their hiding
places when the ship is in blue water have
to take their chance and very calamit-
GUS chance it is. If the culprit be woman
she has not much to fear Jack is proven
bially gallant, and an active woman may
make herself very useful in a cabin and
cookhouse. But when the offender hap
pens to be raw lad-which he generally
is, and Irish to boot-he has emphatically
"bad time" of it. He may consider him
self fortunate if he is allowed to earn the
worth of his bed and board by performing
the most menial drudgery, and at the end
of the voyage the captain can, if he desires,
take the stowaway before magistrate and
have him punished for fraud. 1t usually
happens, however, that the skipper, when
the run is over, is as glad to get rid of his
Improbable passenger as the passenger is
to be well out of the ship. The former
says nothing about the pecuniary loss his
owners have suffered, and the latter is
quite content to be silent with regard to
the numerous attentions conveyed through
the instrumentality of the marlin-spikes
and ropes ends with which he has heen
favored by the boatswain and his assis-
tants. What the French authorities would
have said to these waits and strays on their
arrival at Havre, is uncertain but the
poor fellows need fear no frowns Of human
justice now. They are drowned.