Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1888-07-12
A PASSAGE m THE STEERAGE,
Some of the Discomforts Encountered
During Ocean Voyage.

Some of the Discomforts Encountered
During Ocean Voyage.
It may serve as warning to all con-
cerned to publish the following extracts
from a recent private letter, giving an ac-
count of the first part of voyage TO the
River Plate on board one of the finest
steamers afoat. and belonging to one Of
the best known companies, The writer is
young man who has to face the world
as best he may, and by necessity took a
steerage passage. He says:
In the bay of Biscay we have had very
bad weather-high wind. rain and heavy
seas. Last night was dreadful. The
horrors ola steerage passage can only be
realized by experience The food is bad
and is eaten the best way we can manage.
There is no table. We must eat-sitting
on wooden bench or standing-from
greasy tin plates with greasy tin spoons
and forks or greasy knives. and we drink
out of greasy tin mugs. At a. m we
have compound which bears a faint re-
semblance to coffee, without milk, and
good bread. which is the only good thing
we have. There is also a substance they
term 'butter." but the sight and smell OF
it are enough. At a. m. we have break
fast, which consists Of a kind of soupy
stew with potatoes, and a concoction
which has not the least resemblance to
tea, being, in fact, merely dirty water l
do not drink it. At noon we have dinner,
which consists of beef cut in slices about
an inch thick. and which will not yield to
rnastication. potatoes and bread and water
At 8 p. m. we have more soupy stew and
biscuit, which will yield only to the ham,
mer. These are all the meals; and the
bill of fare has only varied twice in four
days-once on Sunday, when we had salt
fish, which was horrible. and today. when
we had salt pork, which was worse.
1.-The sleeping arrangements are on 6
par with the rest. Our cabin has twenty
eight berths, which are all full The
hunks are about two feet wide. and the
beds are composed of a straw mattress
and pillow. and two blankets. The wash
ing arrangements are simple-tin basins,
with about two inches of water Baths
there are none The state of dirt we
shall be in when we reach Montevideo |
cannot conjecture. At night we have
only one hght-a dingy oil lamp. But
the worst is to come. At Bordeaux, Cor
unna and Virgo. we took on a cargo of
the wretchedest ragtag and bobtail of the
French. Spanish and Portuguese nations
men, women and children believe
we now have about eight or nine hundred
of these on board. and there are more to
come at Lisbon, which we should reach
tomorrow
THE scenes that have taken place on
deck and below since these poor wretches
came on board battle description Men.
women and children are scattered about,
eating, drinking, chattering, singing and
vomiting Fortunate it is that our cabin
is full. so that these people are berthed in
other cabins; but the noise at night and
the stencil are horrible. Some of them
are literally in rags, many without shoes
or stockings. but'an with one accord are
very dirty Moreover, the ship itself is
dirty. There seems to 6e no attempt to
keep it clean The door of our cabin is
slippery with grease and dirt We have
three unkempt Portuguese stewards to
attend on US They are fairly civil The
only English steerage passengers are the
in our cabin They are all
decent fellows. Some are engine drivers
from the Midland railway, some clerks,
etc. They share little luxuries freely with
one another AS the above mentioned rag
tag and bobtail are in the habit of steal |
ing out of the cabins, and even ripping |
bags open, we have organized a watch. of |
half an hour a spell each, SO that the |
,abin is never left untenanted all day.
st. James Gazette.