The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-09-25
<A STEERAGE TRIP,
n' E1peri ice of Two Young Men on Boaxa
If an Ocean Steamcr.

IF an Ocean Steamer.
1.-The rates for first-class passage to
Europe and back have fallen so low
that | would forego the pleasure of
crossing in the steerage again." said a
friend to a reporter.
"Dld you come as Storage passen-
ger?" asked the reporter.
Eyes, was hard up last summer,
and had to either try the steerage or
SWIM. My friend Jim. H. was with
me, and we are not likely to forget our
experience.
.'We boarded the ship at Havre with
line crowd of Italians, French, Ger
mans, Swiss and Representatives OF
every other nation under the sun. Our
bedroom was below decks, 50x20 feet
in size, containing some 200 hunks in
double tiers, one above the other, and
separated bunk from bunk by slat.
few hours after leaving port, when
we began to think of our supper and
to wonder what the bill of fare might
be, bell was heard. We rushed down
the gangway in good spirits, but no
signs of the feast were visible. A bare
pine table was in the center of our
.bunk-room. Twenty-four of us sur
rounded it. The remaining 275 sat
perched upon the hunks like hungry
vultures. The steward now showed
himself, with bell in hand, and invited
us to be seated. We finally learned we
would have to divide into squads ac-
cording to the location of our hunks.
To a squad was given two tickets-one
for wine and coffee, the other for meat
soup--each ticket bearing the number
of persons in the party. We were also
allowed two pans, one deep and the
other shallow, and with these two of
us were told to get from the kitchen
rations for the squad. Jim and failed
to grab a tin cup, iron fork and spoon
when we had chance, and, as these
articles were scarce, were compelled
to eat with our pocket-knives and from
saucepan in common with fat Ger
man until we hooked these luXuries
from our neighbors.
The delegates sent to the kitchen
for our first meal after waiting for an
hour, were sent away rejoicing with
stew composed of odds and ends of
meats and vegetables, immersed in a
thick, brown, uninviting gravy. You
can imagine that the menu was not
very appetizing to delicate stomach
really envied the two comely girls at
our table, for the first mate took such
q fancy to them that not only their.
their lodging places, but their food, was
very much improved For the next
few days we were too sick to use what we
got. After that Jim and | lost con-
siderable flesh, until couple of English
rascals taught us to help ourselves to
the cooks or bakers supplies, when
we formed quite successful confed-
eracy. A way of loafing around the
kitchen resulted in numerous gains of
boiled potatoes. A large leg of mutton
was one days booty, a couple of broiled
lamb chops and mashed potatoes were
another's. Of course it was necessary
to make some very quick and stealthy
grabs. The pastry cook once lost three
large round cakes at three separate
raids within half an hour. The last
two days were good for this sport, as
the pastry cook was then some distance
from his room busy stirring ice cream.
Just opposite this pastry room was the
bread cooks room, at the window of
which that official usually stood. In
order to divert his attention from the
real game, the rape of the cake oppo-
site, Jim at one time pretended to grab
some bread while another of our band
carried off the prize we were after. So
much running around after food, and
only getting half enough then, made
us somewhat weak, and we were glad
to lie down upon any convenient spot,
regardless of the dirt of the deck.
"For six nights of our voyage | slept
on deck, as l objected to a bed already
filled with 1ife.-N. Y. Star.