Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-12-29
A TERRIBLE VOYAGE.
ALAKE PROPELLER BECAME A FLOAT
ING CHARNEL HOUSE.

n LANE fhOFECICh oCSf"C - eSN'
ING CHARNEL HOUSE.
An Epidemic Which Carried on Eighty
I've Persons-Died Within a Few Hours
After Being Attac ked-A Cool Reception
1t MiIwaukee-A Treacherous Agent
The Allegheny was one of the lest pro-
pellers of her day. She piled between Buff
falo and Milwaukee One day in midsu..l-
mer, 1850, she left Buffalo barbor on her
regular trip. She was in command of Cap
tain Morrison. The passenger list included
20 cabin and $50 steerage passengers, the
latter all Swedish immigrants. These were
going in body to Milwaukee, where sew
eral hundred of their countrymen had pre-
ceded tbera They were being forwarded
by some colonization society and were in
charge of Sweie named Jansen, m agent
Of the society, With the exception OF Jan
sen, not one of these people could speak
word of English. Their collective wealth
amounted 10 slC0,00O in cash, which was
all in the possession of Jansen for safe
keeping.
The Allegheny always stopped at Beaver
island, W ich was held by King Straiig
with his colony of Mormon and free love
followers. During the propeller's stop on
this trip little girl among the Storage
passengers sckened aud died. her sickness
coming suddenly ard death resulting two
hours later. This little ones motner had
died on the ocean voiage from Sweden and
was buried at sea. The child was buried
on King Strangs 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 - 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 i'll their quarters. and the crew
Of the propeller were kept busy caring for
the unfortunate Swedes. The propeller
landed at Manitou and hurried in one large
trench the score and 2 half who were then
lying dead On board the vessel From Mani
tou there was no place where the steamer
could touch before arriving MT Milwaukee,
and she left that island literally floating
charnel house. Scarcely an hour passed
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 mistakng those who
were doomed to death among the immi-
grants.
The victim became hollow eyed and had
a 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 east overheard as soon
as they were dead. Such thing AS shroud-
ing OR giving funeral service to corpse was
an impossibility. They were cast into the
water just as they died.
Up to the day 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 a cask of New Eng
land rum. The story Is that the engineer,
q man named Curtis, soon after the cook g
death, was attacked by the disease, and
that Gardiner without any idea of the re-
suit had caused the doomed man to drink
O glass Of the rum. What the virtue of the
rum as as Il remedy for the disease no
one ever knew, but the engineer did not
die Gardiner then dosed the immigrants
with it as they fell sick, and in several
cases the victims were saved. Gardiner, at
the time he discovered the rum, discovered
what he had reason to believe was the ORR
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 l2 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 guartered, 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 officers,
was allowed to remain anywhere i'll the city,
and they were driven back to the meian-
choly surroundings on board. Next morn
ing the authorities ordered the propeller TO
move away from the dock and out into the
lake. This was done.
A new element then appeared in the IN
fortunate situation, and it for time threat
ened serious trouble. Tie Swedes living
in and about Milwaukee were made ac-
Quain;ed with the sad straits their fellow
countrymen were in on board the Allie
ghany, and they marched to the dock in a
body, 500 strong. They sent word to Cap
tain Morrison that II he would run his ves-
sci back TO the dock they would prevent
any interference with his landing. For q
time a riot seemed inevitable, but com
promise was effected by the authorities
making an agreement with Captain Nor
rison that he might land his passengers On
! scows ard have them towed to an old store
house that stood on the outskirts Of the
city. Three more deaths had occurred on
the propeller pending this arrangement.
The immigrants, or the G5 that remained Of
the $50 that left Buffalo, were quarantined
in the storehouse, and the terrible disease
was got in hand without any further
deaths.
The wretchedness of the immigrants was
made still greater by the baseness OF the
man Jansen, who had them 10 charge. Be-
fore the survivors of the plague were able
| to look after their interests Jansen disap-
peared, taking with him the $4,000 be
longing to the party. He was never heard
of afterward-
The young clerk. Gardiner, Of the Allie
| ghany, whose prescriptions Of New Eng
| land rum undoubtedly saved several Of the
stricken from death. among them Curtis,
| the engineer. is now one of the most con-
spicuous and wealthy of the citizens Of
| Cleveland, Of which city he has been sew
esal times mayor Buffalo Cor. New York
Sun
Mohammedans think the oath only pos-
ifiveiy binding when they nre sworn upon
the Koran, while the Hlndoo prefers to
L. lila hand <hu foot