Grand Rapids morning telegram., 1885-03-07
VOYAGE o. DEATH.
a Trip Thirty Years Ago tom
Buffalo 70 Milwaukee
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e.. ~as 4ot a4acn more tAsu boy whsa
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iestsay, que ~ me best pfogsiisrs ~ ber
fay. she piisi DetWeea Buffalo and Mil
saukse. { shipped GA nsr az ehe forasar
place la lssa. vhea Captain Morrison Was
raa1i4g bar. shs had "a board thai IMP.
b sides ahfat forty cs,oia passengers. 0as
ban.ifst alifi iifry ste-rage Passengers. al
S'1ssiish ensi Grants. Th IRE Vere going ia
q body % AiIeauk=e. ehsrs several hun-
drei ~ their coantryulen hat preceded
tksn. They we're for~ aEae.i ~ so.as coli
onizston society, AMI ~ere Ia charge of a
n1aa l.4m-d Jensen, the aseut Of TIE saci-
etF All their money. neariy ,l00.g1, wss
Ia dis possession. With tae exception u
Jansen noas of t1e S,eeles coaid speak
English.
~Ihe propeller always stopped at Beaver
lsiaud- King Srrang, ~ b. sas called.
occupied the island at that time. with bis
colony of Mormon ant Free Lowe followers.
During our stop ea this trip a little
swedish girl was taken suddenly IN and
died. tier mother had died On the ocean
v0yag.s and was buried at ssa. We turied
the child 0n the island We ha3 passed on
not more than tea miles from the island
when the father Of the child died in
ths same manner. Between thece and
South Manlt0u Island s0 less than twenty
hve II the emigrauts diet Of the same mys-
teriOus disease, which nov was spreading
rapidly among them A panic ensaed
on board The cabin passengers were
PLACED ia quarantine in their quarters.
and the crew of the propeller were kept
busy cariag for the an fortunate Swedes.
We landed at Manitou, AMI buried the
score and ahaf of dead In one large trench.
It was impossible Tor Us % lie % any
where before we reach "a Miiwau and
we left Manitou literally a floating charnsl
ho1se. Scarcely an hour passed that
efnigrant did not die. IL finally become
almost impossible % attend % the wants Of
the sufferers, although the entire crew de-
voted every possible minute, night and
dag, 10 their service. The ftench became
almost unbearable. There was no mistak-
ing those who were doomed 70 death
among the emigrants. The vict m became
hollow eyed, aud gazed with a vacant, far
away look that made one shudder 70 meet
it. When that appeared, death was bat
a. hour or two away-although the victim
mi ght De on his feet ami moving about.
Death was attended with intense agony.
You coulI look among the emigrants, and
C .unt IN one hour how many would b. dead
wthin the next There were some pitiful
- hts, tell you. One poor man had seen
his wife east over the side into the lake.
We threw them overheard as fast
as they died, weighted 50 they would
sink Such thing az shrouding a
c,rpse WIS entirely out of the question.
/ Taey wee clst into the water just as they
a et This poor man | was speaking of
had seen his wife buried in this way,
and he had four small children left 20 care
( for. The day after his wife died, | saw
this man sitting with his four 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 constantly before me for days, had
borne up with a nerve worthy Of one with
more years and experience. but the sight of
this group was more than I could stand. IL
was not because of the utter sadness and
desolation that surrounded them, although
that was enough to melt heart Of stone,
but 10 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 dead wife with the hand OF
death at bis own throat. The seal OF doom
was upon him. II was more than | could
stand. and hurried % tho deck and fell
upon it utterly helpless. Two hours later
we east the poor mans body into the lake.
Two OF the children followed him next day
The remaining two were taken in charge
BY other kind hearted emigrants.
Up TO the day before we reached Mil
waukee none Of the crew had been attack
Ell with the disease, but on that day the
second cook died with it. and received the
same burial as the other victims. That
day VIII never be effaced from my men,
ory. The cook had not been buried more
than two hours. l went below, and on the
way mot the engineer. had never spoken
- him, and had seen him but two or three
imes When I met him this particular
line threw up my hands and started
Backward in horror He started ia the
same manner when he saw me.
Sc Ny Godv I exclaimed. You've got
that death look in your eyes"
He pressed his hands to his head and
tnrned deadly pale. and then, pointing to
my eyes. almost yelled.
80 And - have your
Il must have flown up the steps. I rushed
without ceremony 20 the Captains room
and looked in small mirror that hung
there. That look was enough. The hollow.
vacant stare that I had seen in 80 many Of
the poor Swsdes was now in my own. Al
she most had two hours and half 20
i've I walked - the deck The men all
started as I met them I sat down by the
vessels siie and looked into the water that
I feit must soon he my grave 7 am not
sarp. but I believe [ was ca the point Of
sprinEing overheard 70 meet the agony of
the death that { knew was certain. when
some one cauxhS my arm Il was = Young
man nsmei Gardner. who was the clerk of
she propeller He had glass filed with
sosne sort IF fiiqucr II was New England
r1n1. = small cask Of which he bad &C.
ciicutailv found among the stores. He
ssii me thar he had given the engineer