The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-04-14
A HUNT FOR HUSBANDS.
TINE STRANGE CARGO SENT TO THE
PACIFIC SLOPE A FEW YEARS AGO.

In January, 1866, the ship Continental sailed
from New York with q cargo OF $50 women,
bound for Puget Sound and matrimony. Col.
Mercer. who originated and carried out the
s,rterprise, was resident of Washington
Tcrritory. and was moved TO act because Of
the scarcity of women in the Territory and
the want of their refining influences. The
Puget Sound country was filled up with sin
gle men, coming generally from good families
in the East; but, thrown upon their own re-
sources In country where womans So
ciety was not to be had, they naturally fell
into habits of carelessness, and frequent
ly so far forgot their early training as to
become habitual loungers In the bar
rooms. Believing that these unpleas-
ant tendencies could be overcome by the in
production Of good women. the work was
undertaken In earnest In the summer OF 1865.
A lady who was a member OF the expedition,
and who found husband at Portland, de-
scribes the voyage and its happy results In
letter to the New York Sun. She writes:
The run was made to Rio de Janeiro in
twenty-four days There we took In 400
tons of coal, and had eight days In which to
see the great tropical city. The women were
permitted to go on shore, with escorts, and
the tiresomeness of the voyage was thus
greatly relieved. A piano forte was set up In
Sellaneous books provided, and the comfort OF
the passengers carefully looked after. There
being a goodly number of the women who
were creditable piano players, the evenings
were spent with music The days were gen
orally occupied In reading, and little groups
of congenial spirits were scattered in pleasant
parts OF the ship, reading aloud or convers-
ing. Several of the women undertook to learn
rFyrl
vens gaining the mastery OF all the instru-
ments, and taking the solar observations
daily.
was undminished by death, and the entire
voyage had been made without single DAYS
sickness on board. other than the inevitable
nausea during the first storm. In San Fran
cisco an incident showed the temper of the
party. The vessel arrived in the afternoon,
and arrangements were made to anchor In
the stream and keep the passengers on board
the following night, so as to give Mercer an
opportunity to have the sound steamer take
them off In the morning. thus saving the ex-
pense of hotel and baggage transfers. The
negotiations with the steamer failed, and all
hands had to be taken to the hotel in the
mitted on board to sell newspapers, and with
eager eyes each line was scanned. The rumor
had gone before that the party was
made up of the low women of the
Eastern, cities. They found this Sian
ing Mercer went down to the wharf. He was
told that there had been no sleep aboard, and
that the women were wild with anger. Sound
ing the gong, he called all hands to the main
saloon. Addressing the women, he said: 81
have merely this to say: You have been with
me for ninety days, and can form something
OF an idea whether l am a gentleman or a
blackguard. You know whether the report
about you is false or true. You started for
/ there
If you desire to continue your voyage. Ii you
think have deceived you and do not wish to
20 further. you are at liberty to stop here,
and will carry my blessing with you A
vote was taken and every one decided to go
on. From San Francisco the party went up
to Puget Sound, where good employment was
found for ALL and In few weeks every woman
was earning by honest labor a good support. |
families in the East, and were of good repute.
They were school teachers, seamstresses,
maids of all work, and so on. They wrought |
an instantly perceptible change in the tone of
society. Their presence was everywhere in
Huential on the side of virtue and morality. |
In a few months they had formed suitable &C
Guaintances and marriage became frequent. !
Many of the best men in the country took ,
wives from the continental young women. 1t
was feared that the women seeking a home
in country so different from that In which |
they had been reared. would become home |
sick and long for a return to the East; but /
the result proved that honest womanhood,
given employment can and will adapt itself
to new conditions of life, and readily gather
about 1t those influences which sustain and
make home-lfe happy.
We want thousands more women on this
side of the Rocky Mountains. There are one
hundred and fifty thousand bachelors on this
coast able and willing to provide for wives,
saying nothing about another one hundred
thousand who do not want to marry, or are
not in a financial position just now to become
husbands. We do not want women to come
here and board in fashionable hotels until
they can pick up husbands, but strong,
healthy girls, who are willing to go to work.
THE VOICES OF AMERICAN WOMEN.