The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1894-04-28
A TERRIBLE VOYAGE.
bLAKs PROPELLER eEcAMEAFLoAr.
ING cHARNEL HOUSE.

After Being Attacised--A Cool Reception
nj Milwaukee, Treacherous A gent.
The Allegheny was one Of the best No.,
nellers Of her dag. She piled between H.
| falo and Milwaukee. One day IN mids,r,
ner 1850. she left Buffalo harbor IN ~
regular trip. She was In command OF Ca
tain Morrison. The passenger list included
40 cabin and $50 steerage passeneers fbe
latter all Swedish immigrants. These were
going in body TO Milwaukee, where sew
eral hundred Of their cOuntrymen had nra.
ceded them. They were being forwarded
by some colonization society and were n
charge Of n 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 wa
all in the possession Of Jansen for safe
keeping
The Allegheny always stopped at Beaver
island, which was held by King strano
with his colony Of Mormon and free love
followers. During the propeller's stop on
this trip a little girl among the steeraos
passengers sckened and died. her sickpes.
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 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 tho
child died in the same manner that she had
Before the Allegheny arrived at South
Manitou island p 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 quarters. 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 sery-
ice. There was no installing those who
were doomed to death among the immi-
grants.
The victim became hollow eyed and had
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
/ ha IaaI mil . bo
were weighted and cast overheard as soon
as they were dead. Such thing as shroud-
ing or giving funeral service TO a 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 US 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.
a man named Curtis. soon after the cooks
death, was attacked by the disease, and
that Gardiner, without any idea CT the re-
suit, had caused the doomed man TO drink
a glass Of the rum. What the virtue Of the
rum was as II 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 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 - dead Swedes
aboard. The captain sent for physicians.
Ihey 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. Thenews
OF the terrible state Of affairs on board the
Aheghany was not slow in getting abroad
IN the town. No one. not even the officers,
was allowed to remain anywhere in the city,
ana they were driven back to the melan-
emory 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.
new element then appeared in the I'M
fortunate situation, and il for time threat
eneu serious trouble. The Swedes living
III ana about Milwaukee were made &C
qu"'nteu with the sad straits their fellow
eountrymen were in on board the ALE
gnany, and they marched to the dock in a
oody, 800 strong. They sent word to Cap
tam Morrison that if he would run his YES.
sci BACK to the dock they would prevent
any interference with his landing. For a
time riot seemed inevitable, but com.
promise was effected by the authorities
making an agreement with Captain Nor
risoh that he might land his passengers on
sooWs and have them towed to an old store
mousse that stood on the outskirts Of the
CITY Three more deaths had occurred on
sne propeller pending this Arrangement
ne immigrants, or the Is that remained Of
.ne 100 that left Buffalo. were quarantined
IN the storehouse, and the terrible disease
deaths.
Inc wretchedness Of the immigrants wa:
nlaoe sun greater by the baseness Of the
nah Jansen, who had them in charge. Be
.o'e the survivors of the plague were abb,
W iOoH after their interests Jansen disap
peafed' taking with him the SiO0, 600 be
longing to the party. He was never heart
OF afterward.
Tue young clerk, Gardiner, OF the Ale
sn"ns' whose prescriptions OF New Eng
land rum undoubtedly saved several OF III,
stricken from death. among them Curtis
snS engineer. Is now one Of the most con