Wichita eagle., 1890-02-07
LIFE In THE STEERAGE.
HOW A YOUNG ENeusHmAN WAGER
ED AND LOST A BET.

ED AND LOST a BET.
B1nlsas in with the EInisf.nts-Uniuvit
ing surrx,rndinzs-Senae of tho Noises
Smells ard other Disconaforts the Steer
ago Affords.
"My desr chap, you'll never do it. III
wager VOC a iver yotI don't"
Such was the e1r rpfatic consolation vouch
saved to me by my old college chum when
c,onfided 10 him nv intention Of crossing the
Atlantic like an ordinary eH1igrant in the
Storage.
How very like friend. You pride your
self on being a stole. Does he credit me
Not he. With brutal cypiciSrn he laughs
yo.r pretty conceit to scorn and denounce;
you to your face as rank epicurean.
s'W ell" cried easily, though not lfttle
mortified, ''rl take you. if only to punish you
for your sIlepticistn by collsring your e5."
/ may here explain that | was crossing
from merry England to the United States on
Measure bent, and the idea of travelling in
the steerage pleased my fancy as beng a
novel and 1 GaStered myself a somewhat
plucky experiment. Nothing like seeing Life
A week later saw me at Liverpool. There
was hJETying TO and fro and trampl1ng OF
heavy feet. Porters skurried hither and
thither, bearing huge bales and ''all sorts and
conai5io,,s' of merchandise Hoarse shouts
rent the air and there was much Jostllng and
more profanity, aud little respect was paid
unto the corns of man. But as L cast my
ewes along the approach which leo to the
stage they alghbed on procession which
flooded my soul with the most dismal fore
boding. A noudeScIipt moving mass-which
To call a wagon were TO fiatter il prepoSter-
ously-colnpared seemingly Of heSerogene-
o1s collection of bundles with here and there
a protection which somewhat resembled a
box. was advancing cautiously In cur dfrec-
ton. Bv the size Of il marched number of
nersons who might have been moving adver-
1ise.nents for .adeel rag shop. They were
indeed the so,riest crtw | had ever set eyes
on. Could this be the company was to en-
JOY intimacy with for the next ten dayss
Alasl my appreheDsions We're but to well
founded. For the frst time felt pang for
my IS note.
The city clocks now announced that 1t was
1890 and with that all of us were speedily
shipped aboard the tender. We soon hove
alongside that gallant ship, the Crafty, which
was to be our home-or Our coffin, f0r aught
we knew-on the wide, wide sea
At 9 O'Clock the medical officer came.aboard
and held a leyee. attended by all the crew
and all the emigrants We all filed by him
in solemn procession. Now and then there
would come halt, while man or woman,
whose appearance suggested some turkish
1,.,, b-ootaR tn PicrnrOxlS
ination.
BY and by things began to assume a more
settled aspect and to indicate that the hour
of our departure was nigh at hand. Pres-
entity the saloon passengersarrlved alongside,
and with them an army OF friends, who ac-
them to their cabins. No sooner
had they arrived there, howeser, than the
bell rang and they came forth again like
rushing torrent and STRAINED intothe tender.
A waving of handkerchiafs, crying OF
.'good-by,n the yelling of tears to tender
eyes, little huskiness Of thetdroat and their
adiesrs were said.
The bar was safely passed7la at night,
and as we stood away from Land we got clear
Of the fog and the Crafty was enabled to
forge ahead rapidly.
On the morrow we glided into Queenstown
harbor, which some mariners claim to be the
finest natural harbor in the world. Bumboat
women here boarded us-and until we weighed
anchor often became a thing OF misery by
reason of their persistent attention. Once at
sea ones lungs expanded more freely. 1t
was at this period that first began to study
nv fellow passengers. The respectable folk
Of the storage numbered about twenty or
thirty, and these were English, American
and Scandinavian All belonged to the
poorer class but were cleanly and neat In
appearance and of orderly Behavior.
A marked contrast was afforded by the
other emigrants. For the most part their
personal aspect suggested the idea that the
wells of their country had run dry and that
soap was an offense to their nossa1ls. AMI
malism was stamped OH each mans face,
nnd there was scare an Intelligent creature
among them. A certain concession in my
favor was made by the steamship company.
Instead of being bertned forward with the
single men, [ was allotted cabin aft such
as is given to every emigrant married couple.
This indeed WAS liberal concession, for the
single wretche: were well, they were not
reveling in luxury. In some cases they slept
six in large bunk, Miza bunks to the right
Oh I0eIl, UiNkS TO CUc flO Oh lUtUi,
below them, and bunks above them. The
sense of compression was well nigh intOler-
sble The single women endured like state
Of things. The married couples were thus
well of in comparison.
All went well for q day or two. The meals
served were plain, but the food was good,
and there was an abGnd arce OF i5.
But Scripture saith ending
To al good things maa be,
And SO OH the morning of the third day
Neptune began 10 get tTifie uneasy, and as
the hours wore on his disquietude increased
SO alarlningly that the Crafty was unable to
her equnibri and began to stir
with short, uneasy motion" Tins set me
thanking that it was advisable to prepare for
all contingencies, and SO | bstooa me to my
bunk and there l remained night and q
day. The cabin opposite TO mine was occu-
pied by a patriarch who might have sat fox
Moses With him was his family. Nor ]
doubt not that they were an agreeable fam
ily, but they developed a habit of moaning
in unison which was not altogether pleasure
bic to my upmu>scal ears. Then nv next
door neighbors were family and rejoiced in
twins of steutorian lungs. One might have
judged that it was the life long object of this
pair to sustain continuous howl Each
seemed TO vie with the osher as TO which
could reach the highest note. and they would
sing 1t out most triumphantly. Doubtaess
the parents had much reason TO lay their
hand on their offspring and-bless them. but
my own savage breast would not be charmed
by their duet
Aany other narrowing sounds, too, were
borne iI on nay ears, which nisis me regret
my aoute hearing and served to undermine
my resolution 60 stick TO the s--erage But
said in my strength, Il will remain where
am Vain is the word of mani | had
hardly nsde this mental ejaculation ere the
sst straw laid ON and toe camel's back