The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1894-11-19

After Being Attacked--A Cool Reception
at Miiwaukee-A Treaeherous Agent.
The Allegheny was one of the best pro
| pellers of her day. She piled between Buf
falo and Milwaukee. One day in midsum.
mer, 1850, she left Buffalo harbor on her
regular trip She was in command Of Cap
tain Morrison. The passenger list included
40 cabin aud $50 steerage passengers, the
latter all Swedish immigrants. These were
| going IN q body to Milwaukee, where sew.
eral hundred of their countrymen had pre-.
ceded them. They were being forwarded
by 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 a
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 "a 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
lad 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 AllePNany arrived at South
Manitou island 25 of the immigrants had
died of the same mysterious disease, which
was spreading rapidly among them. The
M nn nt hta Il
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 Milwauk ee
and abe 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. IL 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
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 soor
Us they were dead. Such thing as shroud
ing or giving funeral service to a corpse wa.
an impossbility. They were cast into tn,
water just as they died.
Up to the day before the propeller s=-ivet
at Milwaukee none of the crew or officer
| had been attacked by the disease, but OF
that day the cook fell victim to it, anc
was cast into the lake as the others had
been. The clerk of the steamer, a young
man named Gardiner, about this time had
found among the stores cask of New Eng.
land rum. The story Is that the engineer
| a man named Curtis. soon after the cook
death, was attacked by the disease, and
that Gardiner, without any idea Of 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 1t 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 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 l2 dead Swedes
aboard. The captain sent for physicians
They decided that the disease was som,
kind Of fever usual in ships where passen
gers were closely quartered, but its exac,
nature they could not determine The news
of the terrible state of affairs on board tn,
Allegheny was not slow in getting abroad
in the town. No one, not even the officers
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 /,
move away from the dock and out into tn,
lake. This was done.
new element then appeared in the un
fortunate situation. and it for a time threat
ened serious trouble. The Swedes Twins
in and about Milwaukee were made &C
quainted with the sad straits their fellow
countrymen were in on board the ALLIE
ghany, and they marched to the dock In
body, 500 strong. They sent word to Cap
tain Morrison that II he would run his yes
sci back TO the dock they would preven
any interference with his landing. For
time riot seemed inevitable. but oom
promise was effected by the authoritie
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 oI
the propeller pending this arrangement
The immigrants, or the Is that remained O
the 100 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 disal
peared, taking with him the $4,000 bt
longing TO the party. He was never hear
Of afterward.
The young clerk, Gardiner, of the All,
ghany, whose prescriptions OF New Ems
land rum undoubtedly saved several Of tn
stricken from death. among them Curtii
! the engineer, is now one of the most col
, spicuous and wealthy of the citizens {
; Cleveland, OF which city he has been se'
eral times mayor.-Buffalo Cor. New Yor
D Sun.
, Nothing New.
- fa,,,I L., d.. =. =,