The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-05-08
LATEST TELEGRAMS.
THE EMIGTANT,SRIP.
las Horrors Depicted by Miss
O'RrIen.

London, T. Miss Charlotte G..
O'Brien, daughter of Smith 0'Brien,
of young Ireland" fame, sends to
the Pail Mall Gazette a letter en-
titled Horrors of an Emigrant
Ship" which creates a profound
sensation, and will be the subject of
question in the Commons, on Mon
day, by O'Donnell. Miss O'Brien
visited Queenstown in order to eX-
anime the mode of life of emigrants
ON the steamer; which vessel, how
ever, she did not name. Following
are the main points: 1t is unneceS-
Sary 10 say that whenever the sacred
foot of wealth trOd on this ship all
was gold and silver, shining brass
cleanliness, comfort and decency.
We had come on board, however, to
see emigrants, and we were deter
mined to see their quarters first
When we saw the quarters of the
single men, the description of a slave
ship flashed across me. Below this
place our guide showed us a deep
hole, saying: 81 could not take you
tlOh IL lllClCt 1IS L1uNll hO1OC l1ldll
you see." But my business was
with the women's quarters, and we
went there. Between two decks,
better lighted than the mems quar-
tiers, was large space open from
one side of the ship to the other.
From either side of a long central
walk to the outer walks of the ship
were slung two large hammOcks, one
suspended about three feet from the
floor. What was going on in the
two other hammockS above these |
could not see. presume they were
the same as those below. l suppose
each of these hammOcks carry about
100 people. They were made of sail
cloth, and being suspended all
around from hooks, were perfectly
fiat. Narrow strips of sail cloth
divide this great bed into berths.
These strips of cloth, when mat
tresses were out. formed divisions
about eight inches high, when mat
tresSes are in it must be almost on a
level. Now in these beds lie hun
dreds of men and women; any man
who comes with a woman who is,
or who calls herself his wife, sleeps,
as matter of right, in the midst of
hundreds of young women who are
compelled to live in his presence
day and night. If they remove
their clothes, they must do so
under his eyes. If they lie down
to rest, it must be beside
him. 1t is a shame even to speak of
these things, but to destroy such All
evil, it is necessary to look at these
abOdes of miSeries. In daylight,
when open for inspection, they are
empty, swept and garnished, but
think of the scene in the darkness
of night; the ship pitching in mid
ocean, when glimmering lamp or
two makes visible to you this mass
of moaning humanity. Look at
that young mother with two or three
helpless babes in agonieS of sea-
sickness, unable to move but over
the PROSTATE bodies of her fellow
sufferers; look at this innocent
girl child living among dissolute
men and abandoned women, and
half stupetied with suffocation and
seasickness, amid curses and groans
of hundreds. If she arises and fees
to save her soul, whittier shall she
go? Again, she must tread on the
writing bodies of men and
wOmen-but the picture is too hor-
rible to be looked at; the sound is
too dreadful to listen to. This is no
brutal or impure dream-it is truth.
1t is living horror, menacing the
lives, honor and souls of hundreds
and thousands of our fellow country
women. The ship on which l saw
these things is supposed to carry
in this manner 1000 steerage pas
sengers. She carried last year, on
one voyage, LIS emigrants.