The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-04-07

lantic on the Isaac Webb and were slowed
away in her tween decks, now the foulest
of places, with an atmosphere that was
suffocating, packed like sardines in box,
with but little air or light, and all seasick.
The wet, dirty and dismal tween decks
with its seasick occupants mingling their
means with the creaking of the ships
joints as she plunged her knightheads
into sea that flooded the main deck above
them, and, when she rolled, washed the
waters in wave that broke against the
bulwarks, the ierceness of the gale as it
shrleked through. the shrouds and played
upon the running-rigging, the big ship I'M
der a storm staysail struggling with the
immense combers that thumped her on the
weather bow and threw her off into the
trough OF the sea when she'd roll and show
her copper-covered keel to the hungry
wild seabirds who were lowering above
and about us carefully watching our every
move, the cursing of the officers and the
growing of the sailors as they were being
which no brush could truthfully paint nor
pen describe.
These packet ships carried no walters,
not even a stewardess to look after the
comfort of the female portion of the pas
sengers. The provisions, too, were severely
plain, the principal item being Indian
Cor Yellow meal, which was served out in
twice week. The daily allowance of this
food they used to carry to the galley and
fetch away when cooked. The galley was
located well forward on the main deck
and a good distance from the BOBBY hatch,
the entrance to the tween decks.
How often | have witnessed dozens of
young girls saluted by green wave as
they tried to reach the galley that swept
them off their feet piled them in
nf OIL n
the lee scuppers in a most helpless con-
dition and washed the food which they
were taking to have cooked into the sea
to the delight of the seagulls, who
would swoop down and carry it off.
Drenched. discouraged, hungry and
frightened, we used to come to their as
sistance, lift them out of the floating SOUP
pers, soothe their fears and after leading
'em down the companion ladder to their
berths below, still the pangs of hunger by
dividing with them our own hard but
scanty fare, which consisted of bread
skouse, that was sometimes seasoned with
too much salt water, and a black wash
called coffee, sweetened with treacle, that
tasted like mixture of salts and SIENNA.
have many times seen the poor crea-
lures, when the ship was pitching lose
hold of the man rope while trying to reach
the steerage with cooked food, tumble
down and lay PROSTATE at the foot of the
ladder, with their yellow meal stirabout
scattered around the decks and on their
clothes.
There is no comparison between the
steerage of the ocean liners of to-day and
the tween decks of the time of which l
write. Those early day emigrants endured
sufferings and hardships while crossing
the Atlantic which only themselves can
ever know. Both owners and captains
were careless of their comforts, and / who
saw the trials and the troubles of their
every day life on board considered them
the most miserable of wretches.
Many times / went hungry, having
shared with the girls that knew were in
want my last bite, and yet they appeared
to be more courageous than the men, and
despite their femininity made better sail
ors, for when the day broke and the
Yankee pilot, who had just boarded US,
gave the order to FILL away the main top
sail, thirty or more of them who heard of
his coming, were about and grabbing hold
of the frosty braces, rushed along the
snow-covered deck singing:
Hurrah, my boys, for Paddys land
'Tis the land that adore;
MAY the heavens smile on every child
That left the Shamrock shore.
It took US six weeks to make the pas
sage, and when we anchored off Castle Gar
den our passengers now in groups, some
dancing, more singing, had forgotten all
about the long journey and their sufferings
vanished as if it were but dream.
DENIS KEARNEY.