The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1879-09-17
"lN THE STEERAGE."
An Experience on Ounarder What
Sights q Passenger Ssw, and What
Pains He Suffered.
Kitchen Refuse and Empty Bottles in the
Boom Where He Lived-Tea That Was
Not Tea-No Drinking Water to be Had
Trying &c Potatoes in Vain to
Find q Good One.

Find Good One.
tCorrespondence of the New York Tribune.l
LONDON, August 15.-Three remarkable
letters have appeared this week in the Pail
Mall Gazette, describing the writer's exper-
fence "In the Steerage of a Cunard Steamer"
It is bold thing to publish such an account.
1t is always bold thing to attack supersti-
ton in this country, and the readers of the
Pail Nall are among the class-rapidly
dvindling, but still numerous-who regard
the Cunard Line as one of the supports of
the British Constitution. A few such mar
ratives as that now published would
do much to dispel the illusion. In
discussing quite different topic, the same
journal remarked yesterday that there is
much which is confused, obscure and an
tiquated in this constitution. The halluci-
nation about the Cunard Line belong in
this category. The ships sailing under that
name have merits, but most of them belong
to past generation. Moreover. the readers
of the Pail Mall do not make a part of the
social stratum which supplies recruits for the
Storage of the Cunard, or any other line.
But apprehend that the attraction of the
saloon will hardly be enhanced by know
ledge of the horrors from which it is separ-
ated emily by bulkhead.
Horrors Is not too strong o word for the
state of things now revealed. The account
is not at all piece of hearsay testimony.
compiled from the stories of various suffer-
ers. It is a record of personal experience.
The author himself endured what he de-
scribes. He showed rare degree of deter
mination in committing himself to the en-
terprise. Lest his resolution should fail him
he put all his money beyond his control ex-
cept enough to pay his passage and two dol
lars over. He frankly confesses that the
precautiOn was not unnecessary-that if he had
had the means to do SO, he would have fol-
lowed the examples of two fellow-passengers
who, at the first sight and smell of the den
to which they were consigned, went to the
purser and paid the difference for cabin pas.
sages. 1t is for the benefit of the poorer
travelling public that he was forced to be a
hero is spite of himself Slow as reforms
come in this country and sluggish as the
Cunard management is about improvements
it can hardly be that some good should not
be done by such publication
can indicate only in the briefest way the
nature of this account. 1t would be better if
you could find room to copy the three articles
in full; but as they fill six columns, will set
down the heads of the narrative, with an ex-
tract or two.
The Storage was wooden cell some SO
feet in length, II feet wide at one end, mar
rowing to five feet at the other, instead of
ceiling, a hatchway opening upon the main
deck; two dirty ladders. placed almost per-
pendicularly, forming a staircase. This
agreeable refuge was in the hold of the ship,
hploU the main 6aoly. no LIGHT oir Nh.
it, apparently, save from above-or below
On either side were the berths The floor
was covered with sawdust "Ornamentally
disposed in the form of cross, beginning at
the further and narrower end of the cell, were
seven medium sized beer barrels, standing on
end. Four of these contained empty beer
bottles, two broken odds and ends, and the
remaining one was filled with decomposing
remnants of what had once been food" In
the center of the floor was an open wooden
grating the entry to the stewards store-room.
This ventilated" direct into the steerage; salt
and cured fish being one item of its contents
.sThis dirty, boarded space, not nearly SO
large as an ordinary room, was the saloon
dIning-room, and living room for steerage
passengers, and was certified to contain $50
persons. The stencil combined with the heat
was simply intolerable." Nor does this ex-
uduS1 Guc llSI Ol us dICrdctlOnS. close TO the
hatchway above, through which the Storage
was entered, stood three barrels, each half
filled with kitchen refuse. These stood di-
rectly under the rays of the sun, the tenn
perature being $50 in the shade. There they
remained during the whole voyage, receiving
daily additions from the kitchen and seullery.
And "opening upon this hatchway, without
any partition whatever, were the sailors Guar
tiers, redolent Ct Oil and tar, soiled smocks and
unclean gdernseys. Three lavatories directly
faced the passage" The materials of pleas
ant atmosphere surely.
The sleeping Accommodations on each side
of the passage above described, consisted of
two-storied cupboards containing each 16
shelves each shelf or tray being feet long
by 18 inches wide, and divided from each
other by partitions 10 inches high. The
berths were the bare boards which formed
the shelves; and further convenience of any
kind or description there was none whatever.
They ventilated directly into the saloon"
aforementioned. Into each of these cup
boards were packed 16 human beings, as far
as they would go. There were not passengers
enough to half fill the cupboards, but the
steward insisted on crowding the full COM
plement into each cupboard, and then locked
up the remainder empty. In theory, the
married are separated from the unmarried, and
the single women from both. In fact, the one
married couple were placed in an end berth,
and the single women were simply berthed
together in one cupboard.
"For the rest-well, the weather was hot,
and the door always open; the partition ran
only to within foot of the top; and if the
steamship company thought it unnecessary
to provide separate sleeping accommodation
for women passengers, it was not for the meu
to protest
To have done with this part of the subject
quote the account of the ceremony of get
ing up in this separate part of the Storage:
while the others were engaged upon theiI
meal, / had the opportunity of seeing the
ladies rise from their sleeping trays The
door of the berth was open, and was seated
opposite. Our steward Ia man), with the
easy familiarity of person accustomed tc
such scenes, was inside the single women's
compartment helping one to a cup of coffee
LII al I'll L..