Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-05-08
EMIGRANTS ON SHIP.
Miss O'Brien Tells How They Are Pack el
Together Without Regard to Decency.

Miss O'Brien Tells How They Are Pack ed
Together Without Regard to Decency.
LONDON, May Miss Charlotte G. O'Brien,
daughter of Smith O'B1en, of young ireland
fame, sends to the Pail Mall Gazette letter
entitled Horrors of an Emigrant Ship,''
which creates profound sensation and will
be subject of question in the commons Mon
day by O'Donnell. Miss 0'Brien visited
Queenstown in order to examine the mode OF
life of immigrants on a steamer, which vessel,
however, she does not name. The following
are the main points:
It is unnecessary to say that wherever 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 single men descriptions of
slave ships flashed across me. Below this
place our guide showed us deep hole, say
ing: II could not take you down there.
It is much worse than you see." But
my business was with the wOmen's quarters
and went there. Between the two decks, bet
ter lighted than the mems quarters, was a
larger space, open from one side of the ship
to the other. From either side of long cent
raj walk TO the outer walks of the ship were
strung two enormous hammocks, suspended
three feet from the floor. What was going on
in two other hammocks above these could
not see, but presume they were the same as
those below. l suppose each of these
hammocks carried about 100 persons. They
were made of sail cloth and, Deing suspended
all around from hooks, we've perfectly fiat
Narrow strips of sail cloth divided these great
beds into berths. The strip of cloth when
the mattresses were out formed
divisions about eight inches high.
When mattresses are in it must be al
most on level Now, in these beds lie
hundreds of men and women. Any man who
comes with woman who is or 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 shame even to
speak of these things, but to destroy them
it is necessary to look at these abodes of
misery. In day light, and when open for in
spection they are empty, swept and garnished.
But think of the scene in the darkness of
night-the ship pitching in mid ocean,
TO you this mass of moaning humanity.
Look at that young mother with two or three
helpless babies in the agonies of
sickness, unable to move but over
the PROSTATE bodies of her fellow
sufferers. Look at this innocent girl child liv-
ing among dissolute men and abandoned wo-
men, and half stupefedIwith suffocation and
seasickness, amid the curses and groans of
hundreds. If she arise, and fees to save her
soul whittier shall she go. Again she must
tread on the writhing bodies of men and wo-
men. But the picture is too horrible
to be looked at, the sounds 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 hum
dreds and thousands of our fellow country
women. The ship on which saw these
things, being supposed to carry in this man
ner one thousand Storage passengers, she
carried last year, one voyage, IT'S emigrants.