New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-10-18
STEERAGE PASSENGERS.
EMIGRANTs ON The GERMAN STEAMERS.
a DESCRIPTION OF sTEnRAGE ACCOuMuDAiioNS
WHICH INSURE DECENT cOMFORT-sLEEPISG

a DESCRIPTION or sTEERAGE ACCOMMODATIONS
WHICH INSURE DECENT cOMFORI-sLEEPISG
ARRANGEMENTS AND FOOD.
When man who has always been used to
the comforts and deocnces of life essays tho experiment
Of voyage I'm the stcerage. he may bc sure
undcr best Of circumstances 90 be disgusted with
his enterprise before be has been three days at sea
However well the ship may he arranged, and however
literally provided the passage cannot TAIL to be
hardship. The ordinary emigran n accustomed
10 poverty. 10 plain and meagre food, to dirt and bad
smells. and quarters, and IN many cases he has
never enjoyed shore any better accommodations
than found for him the steamer The amateur
grant, however. such the Engshnau who recently
described The raj Nall Gozse the mis- ries Of the steef
age OF Cunarcr IL much more sensitive passenger,
and suffers horribly from pryatons which his ruder
companions hardly feel His opinion about the quality
The food ana the dizziness VI the quarters ought to be
accepted with II The poor and uneduoted pas
sepgers would tel their experience IL might be useful
but unfortunately they do not write for the newspa-
pers.
The most serious OF the charges against the Cunard
Company the lack ~ water for the sieer-
passengers and the rough behavior OF the OH ers
and crew. On these points Tie evidence OF the writer ia
the Pail IfGH Gd-eae was clear and forcble For the
purpose Of comparing the condition Of things which he
described with The treatment OF the emrants Othes
lines, correspondent OF The TRIBUNE, who recently
crossed by the North German Lloyd COmpanys steamship
Bhrin. made several visits 70 tho steeTage during the
voyage going through the sleeping quarters IN company
with captain at midnight, and examining the prepa-
ration and distribution Of the food during the day.
There were about AGO emrants on board; most OF
them were Germans although many other natOndiities
were represented The bcrhs were on tho lower deck
forward aud did not differ from the usual pattern la
English ships customary 70 divide the seeraec into
number OF rooms each holding twenty or more berth';
the German lines however provide only one large apart
and
arte quarters FOR married couples and families believing
that cleanliness and ventilation easily secured
nv this method than the Other Entering the stecfage
nearly all the passengers were asleep, ana walk
ing through the mons quarters, the ventilation at All
events was found to be fair o. course where large
number OF men, not very neat IN their habits arc sleep
Ing their clothes, the air cannot be very sweet but
there were no such vile OdOrs ae might have been eX-
pected The requirements % dccency were amply OBJ
served aud the place seemed To be clean At intervals
Of three days during the voyage all the steerage
passengers sent to the upper deck and the sleep
ing were thoroughly scrubbed The layatories
were on deck, those for the men one side OF
the ship those for th. the other, and the wash
rooms FOR the crew next 70 them forward There
seemed TO be no lack Of facilities for washing, aud GER
tanly there was abundance OF water. On the main
deck there was also large covered tank Of drinking
the of the steerage passengers, and ihey
had free access the faucet at all times.
every passenger received much he wanted OF all
the articles provided except butter. fixed allowance
OF hat luxury issued twice week. and 1t CAL
cuaed that the ration was large enough to last three OF
four days Breakfast. at o'clock consisted Of fresh
bread and coffee in unlimited quantities. The
bread baked on board. was made OF
coarse but sound flour, and seemed 70 be
Of good quality At II o'clock the bell sounded
for dinner One OF the officers stationed himself IN the
gangway, and the seerage stewards were at hand to
aid him II necessary in massha!ng the line OF passen-
gers who mp from their berts with their tin yes
sells and other dinner furniture but AL fell quietly ut0
place without interference. In neat kitchen ON the
main deck chief steerage cook, rotund and sml-
ing person. stood before huge cauldron OF stearsns
soup Near door, the port sde war Al assistant
with an immense kettle full OF boiled potatoes At
tho s,arbOard side a third cook presided over
wooden tray filed with portions OF boiled fresh
beef. The passengers passed through the ktchen
III line receiving each double handful OF potatoes an
abundant supply Of soup, and piece Of beef There
was dish OF salt for those who wanted it, but the beef
had beon already sailed Everybody had as much soup
and beef as he asked for and many after dsposng Of
their allowance came back for more The beer looked
tempting; the soup was tasted by THE TRIBUSEs cor
respondent and found be deciOus-thick, sayoury,
we'll aud free from grease. Indeed Storage
soup" was often the Dill of fare in the rst cabin. and
was highly reshed there some OF the scerags psssen-
gers had proper outfit OF crOckery spoons knives and
forks etc. drank their soup from TIN PAIL and
took the beef and potatoes in the cover, eating with
their fingers; while not few had only a Ian which
served for everything. They ate where they pleased
deck or below.
Tea and coffee were issued at p. M and az 6 there
WAS coffee again. with fresh bread al libtum. The
dinners were varied never being the same two days
running The following bills OF fare for tho Storage
dinner during the voyage from Bremen to New-York
were coped from the ships books:
: potatoes.
ding Of flour with -tewed dried FRUITS.
September 3. Pea soup, salt pork, potatoes
september9 Rice soup, fresh beef, potatoes
September 10. Bean soup, salt beef, potatoes
September IL. Rice soup, fresh Dee potatoes, Hour
pudding with dried fruit
September u. Pea soup, saucr-kraut. salt pork
potatoes.
September IA. Rice soup. fresh meat, vegetables
etc: pudding and dried beef.
Septcmber Is. Pea soup, fresh beef potatoes.
srutember l6. Rice soup, fresh beef, POTATOES
scniember II. Fruit soup. salt beet, vegetables.
September 10. Beef soup, beef and pudding, with
dried fruit
september 10. Pea soup, fresh beef, potatoes
The captain spent time In the steerage every
day The pleasantest Intercourse seemed to prevail
between the and petty officers and the
and the general good humor and good order furnished
proof enough that the management OF emgrants does
not necessarily involve brutality roughness The lot
of steerage passengers Is certainly be envled
but il appears that ships at any rate they are
kindly treated, ana made as comfortable as TIC price
will permit.