The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1893-12-07
A TERRIBLE VOYAGE.
A LAKE PROPELLER BECAME MEAFLoAT-
ING CHARNEL HOUSE.

The Allegheny was one of the best pro
pellers of her day. She piled between Buff
falo and Milwaukee. One day in midsum-
mer, 1850, she left Buffalo barbor on her
regular trip She was in command of Cap
tain Morrison. The passenger list included
40 cabin and 100 steeraRe passengers, the
latter all Swedish immigrants. These were
going In body to Milwaukee, where sew
eral hundred of their countrymen had pre-
ceded them. They were being forwarded
Dy some colonization society and were in
charge Of Swede named Jansen, an agent
of the society. With the exception of jan
sen, not one Of these people could speak
word of English. Their collective wealth
amounted to 100000 in cash, which was
all In the possession of Jansen for safe
keeping.
The Allegheny always stopped at Beaver
island, which was held by King Strang
with his colony of Mormon and free love
followers. During the propeller's stop on
this trip little girl among the steerage
passengers sickened and died, her sickness
coming suddenly and death resulting two
hours later. This little ones mother had
died on the ocean voyage from Sweden and
was buried at sea. The child was buried
on King Strang's island.
The propeller proceeded on her way, but
had got not more than an hours sail from
Little Beaver island when the father of the
child died in the same manner that she had
Before the Allegheny arrived at South
Manitou island 25 of the immigrants had
died of the same mysterious disease, which
was spreading rapidly among them. The
sudden appearance of this deadly plague
caused panic on board.
The cabin passengers were placed in
quarantine in their quarter, and the crew
of the propeller were kept busy caring for
the unfortunate Swedes The propeller
landed at Manitou and buried in one large
trench the score and half who were then
lying dead on board the vessel. From Mani
tou there was no place where the steamer
could touch before arriving at Milwaukee,
and she left that island literally floating
charnel house. Scarcely an hour passed
that an immigrant did not fall victim to
the terrible plague, the origin of which no
one at that time knew. 1t at last became
impossible to attend to the wants of all the
sufferers, although the entire crew devoted
every minute, night and day, to their serv-
ice. There was no mistaking those who
were doomed to death among the immi-
grants.
The victim became hollow eyed and had
q vacant, faraway look that was hard for
another to meet. When that look appeared,
death was but an hour or two away. Death
always came with the most intense agony.
One could look about among the stricken
and count to a certainty those who would
be dead within the next hour. The victims
were weighted and cast overheard as soon
as they were dead. Such athing as shroud-
ing or giving funeral service to corpse was
an impossibility They were cast into the
water just as they died.
Up to heday before the propeller arrived
at Milwaukee none of the crew or officers
had been attacked by the disease, but on
that day the cook fell victim to it, and
was cast into the lake as the others had
been. The clerk of the steamer, young
man named Gardiner, about this time had
found among the stores cask of New Eng.
land rum. The story Is that the engineer
q man named Curtis, soon after the cooks
death, was attacked by the disease and
that Gardiner, without any idea of the re
suit, had caused the doomed man to drink
glass Of the rum. What the virtue of the
rum was as remedy for the disease nc
one ever knew, but the engineer did not
die. Gardiner then dosed the Immigrants
with 1t as they fell sick, and in several
cases the victims were saved. Gardiner, al
the time he discovered the rum, discovered
what he had reason to believe was the ori
gin of the deadly disease. 1t was a barrel
of putrid fish among the immigrant stores
of which poisonous food some of the poor
people had eaten early in the voyage.
The propeller reached Milwaukee in the
evening. There were then 10 dead Swedes
aboard. The captain sent for physicians
They decided that the disease was some
kind of fever usual In ships where passen
gers were closely quartered, but its exact
nature they could not determine. The news
of the terrible state of affairs ON board the
Allegheny was not slow in getting abroad
in the town. No one, not even the offioers
was allowed to remain anywhere IN the city
and they were driven back to the melan
choly surroundings on board, Next morn
ing the authorities ordered the propeller tc
move away from the dock and out into the
lake. This was done.
A new element then appeared in the un
fortunate situation, and it for time threat
ened serious trouble. The Swedes living
In and about Milwaukee were made 40
quainted with the sad straits their fellow
countrymen were In on board the ALE
Ruduy, dllu Iucy lilhTCIcu W Luc uOCh III I
body, 800 strong. They sent word to Cap
tain Morrison that if he would run his YES
sci back to the dock they would prevent
| any interference with his landing. For {
| time a riot seemed inevitable, but a com
promise was effected by the authorities
making an agreement with Captain Nor
rison that he might land his passengers oil
| scows and have them towed to an old store
house that stood on the outskirts of tn,
| city. Three more deaths had occurred OF
| the propeller pending this arrangement
| The immigrants, or the IS that remained o
the 150 that left Buffalo, were quarantine
in the storehouse, and the terrible diseas
was got In hand without any furthe
| deaths.
The wretchedness Of the immigrants wa
made still greater by the baseness Of tn
man Jansen, who had them in charge BE
fore the survivors of the plague were abl
to look after their interests Jansen disap
peared, taking with him the 100000 be
longing to the party. He was never hearC
| of afterward.
The young clerk Gardiner, of the ALE
| ghany, whose prescriptions Of New Eng
Land rum undoubtedly saved seN eral of tn
stricken from death, among them Curtis
the engineer, is now one Of the most con
| spicuous and wealthy Of the citizens O
| Cleveland of which city he has been seV
eral times mayor.-Buffalo Cor. New Yorl
| Sun.
Changed His Mind.