The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-01-25
" stowaways."
SOME OF THE VICTIMS OF TEE VILE DU
uAVRE DISASTER.

In the melancholy catalogue of the poor
people engulphed in the Vile du Havre,
we read that there were twenty-sev
third class passengers, and six stow
aways." The last named term is sufficient
ly curious to call for explanation and in
rendering it we touch upon one of the
most wretched features of emigrart 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 bim-
self as securely as he is able, in remote
hooks aud corners of the lower deck or the
forepeak. 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 want
age, and crouches there, like rat behind
the wainscot, quaking for fear of discovery.
And detection must sooner or later be the
fate of the 'stowaway."
So we'll is the practice of smuggling hu-
man baggage known to seagoing folks,
that prior to large emigrant ship sailing,
there is generally organized picket Of
nisked with lanterns and rattans, who
make tour of exploration among the pack
ing cases and the provision casks. "Hunt-
ing for stowaways" is a most exciting sport :;
the wretched defaulters are started from
their holes, roundfy abused, hustled ION
oCSnJ ciooSOo ny tu0 C8pIAtu-uappy
they, in an American clipper, who escape
being "Shangbaied" by the boatswain or
booted by the first mate-and then contu-
maciously kicked over the side. Some
stowaways, however, generally contrive to
pass unnoticed in the search and six
the number found on board the Vile du
Havre-may be considered as fair aver
age 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 unheaded diminishes their chances
of immunity still there have been known
instances of the unfortunate creatures
being inadvertently damned up between
and behind the piles of merchandise, and
80 suffering living entombment rivalipg
that of Constance de Beverley in horror.
Stowaways dragged from the hiding.
places when the ship is in blue water have
to take their chance and very calami-
tous chance it is. If the culprit be a wo-
man she has not much to fear. Jack is
proverbially gallant, and an active woman
may make herself very useful in the cabin
and ceokhouse. But when the offender
happens to be raw lad-which he gener
ally lie, and Irish to boot--he has emphati-
himself fortunate if he is allowed to earn
the worth Of his bed and board by per-
forming the most menial drudgery, and at
the end OF the voyage the captain can if he
desires, take the stowaway before q mag
istrate and have him punished for fraud.
It 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 peca-
mary loss his owners have suffered, and
the latter is qaite content to be silent with
regard to the numerous attentions con-
veyed through the fundamentally of the
marlin. spikes and ropes ends with which
he has been favored by the boatswain and
assistants. 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.-l
Lcndem Telegraph.