Connecticut western news., 1885-01-28
A VOYAGE OF DEATH.
SAILED BY A LAKE PROPELLER
 THIRTY YEARS AGO.
With n True Story of R Strange Fatality
 that BefeiI a Party of Immigrants.

that BefeiI Party Ot ImmIgflnts.
 1T worked in different capacities on lake steamers for over twenty years, and had some rough and dangerous expert ences," said an engineer in a large manufacturing establishment. "I have been on more than thirty vessels that were wrecked and on scores that had narrow escapes, and on one occasion was the only person saved, after four | days floating about on spar and bar rel in bowling storm, such as one only sees on the great lakes. look back on those dangers calmly and without a shudder, but the remembrance of tho very first trip ever made is attended with a sense of horror that time fails 10 remove. I was not much more than a boy when I hired out as deck hand on the old Allegheny, one of the best pro- pellers of her day. She piled between Buffalo and Milwaukee. I shipped on her at the former place in 1850, when Capt. Morrison was running her. She had on board that trip, besides about forty cabin passengers, 150 steerage passengers, all Swedish emigrants. These were going in body to Milwau- kee, where several hundred of their countrymen had preceded them. They were forwarded by some colonization so- ciety, and were in charge of a man named Jansen, the agent of the society. All their money, nearly $100, 900, was in his possession. With the exception of Jansen none of the Swedes could speak English.
 "The propeller always stopped at Beaver Island. King Strang, as he was called, occupied the island at that time, with his colony of Mormon and Free Love followers. During our stop on this trip a little Swedish girl was taken suddenly ill and died. Her mother had died on the ocean voyage md was buried at sea. We buried the child on the island. We had passed on not more than ten miles from the island when the father of the child died in the same manner. Between there and South Manitou Island no less than twenty-five of the emigrants died of the same mysterious disease, which now was spreading rapidly among them. 4 panic ensued on board. The cabin passengers were placed in quarantine in thelr quarters, and the crew of the pro- peller were kept busy caring for the un- fortunate Swedes.
 "We landed at Monitou and buried the score and half of dead in one large trench. It was impossible for us to lie to anywhere before we reached Milwau- kee, and we left Monitor literally e floating charnel house. Scarcely an hour passed that an emigrant did not die. It finally became almost impossi- ble to attend to the wants of the suffer CTS, although the entire crew devoted every possible minute night and day, to their service. The stench became al- most unbearable. There was no mistak- ing those who were doomed to death among the emigrants. The victim be. came hollow-eyed, and gazed with va cant, far-away look that made one shud- der to meet it. When that appeared, death was but an hour or two away-al- though the victim might be on his feet and moving about. Death was attended with intense agony. You could look among the emigrants and count one hour how many would be dead within the next. There were some pitiful sights, I tell you. One poor man had seen his wife cast over the side into the lake. We threw them overheard as fast as they died, weighted so they would sink. Such thing as shrouding corpse was entirely out of the question. They were cast into the water just as they died. This poor man was speak ing of had seen his wife buried in this way, and he had four small children left to care for. The day after his wife died
 I saw this man sitting with his foul children, holding two on his lap, while
 the other two clung weeping to his knees. Through all the terrible and
 touching scenes that had been constant. ly before me for days, I had borne uI } with a nerve worthy of one with more years and experience, but the sight ol this group was more than could stand.
 It was not because of the utter sadness
 and desolation that surrounded them, al
 though that was enough to melt heart of stone, but it was the sight of that . poor father pressing his sobbing little ) ones to his breast, while the tears [ streamed down his own cheeks from ) eyes hollow and vacant, weeping for his 7 dead wife with the hand of death at his own throat. The seal of doom was upon him. It was more than I conld stand 3 and hurried to the deck and fell upor it utterly helpless. Two hours later VIC cast the poor mans body into the lake t Two of the children followed him nex ) day. The remaining two were taken 1T t charge by other kind hearted emigrants ? "Up to the day before we reached Milwaukee none of the crew had beer I attacked with the disease, but on tha s day the second cook died with it, anC , received the same burial as the othe, : victims. That day will never be effacet from my memory. The cook had no 0 been buried more than two hours. - went below, and on the way met the CD g gineer. I had never spoken to him, ant !, had seen him but two or three times r When met him this particular time
 threw up my hands and started back
 ward in horror. He started in the sam manner when he saw me-"
 My God ? I exclaimed. You've go that death look in your eyes P
 2 "He pressed his hands to his head an v turned deadly psle, and then, pointinl u to y,o&y avau o1roosE valIa1.