Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-01
ROW ON A STEAMER
STEERAaE ENCRoAOHED UPON
THE CABIN PASSENGERS.

A dispatch from New York says: The lot
Of the 315 cabin passengers, of whom, &C
cording to the statement of the company,
1913 were first class and 152 second class,
was far from happy during the passage of
the Koenig Albert which arrived yesterday
from Genoa, Naples and Gibraltar.
Nearly all of the irst-class passengers
signed a protest, which was presented to
the American consul, Mr.. Sprague, at Glib
raltar, against the alleged overcrowding of
the liner; the encroachment of steerage
passengers upon the cabin quarters: the
filth, which, witnesses say, Uttered the
decks just outside f1rst-class travellers
berths; the horrid stenches that arose from
the strewn decks and alleys; the prevalence
OF the odor of disinfectants, that even per-
meated the cabin dining room and cooking,
one said. and other like discomforts and
annoyances.
Among those signing the protest, which,
1t is said, bore quite 100 signatures, were
Rear Admiral F. e. Chadwick, who was
returning with Mrs. Chadwick: Miss A. D.
Tyson who, during the trip became i'll with
q fever and had to be moved to another
part of the vessel, and Frederick Matthews.
said to be q saltwater manufacturer of
No. 80 West 10th street. Manhattan.
Consul Feared to Be Left.
Consul Sprague boarded the ship at Glib
raltar He went and looked over the rail-
after q few minutes. why are you looking
over the side7" inquired a passenger. Il
don't want my boat to go away and leave
me-" the consul is quoted as saying. 'for
don't want to be left aboard this ship"
Mr. Sprague promised to bring the matter
before the State Department at Wash
ington.
BY the passenger act Of August 2, 1882
the Koenig Albert Is allowed to bring with
in the three-mile limit of the United States
3O4 f1rst-class, 1O1 second-class and 1852
third-class passengers. According to the
official manifest she brought 1853 ffrst-class,
1852 second-class and 1888 third-clasS pas
sengers Capt. Mensa Ernesto. MD. of the
royal italian navy, government commits
sioner to look after the comfort Of Italian
subjects, said yesterday the ship had 1,647
third-class passengers.
Whenever the number in any class ex-
ceeds the limitations imposed by foreign
or domestic laws, additional space Is inn
mediately provided for them by making
suitable engagements, or promoting some
to another class. DR.. Ernesto said the 1tal-
ian government allowed the Koenig Albert
to carry 1850 steerage passengers.
According to the italian law forty-f1ve
cubic meters must be allowed to every
adult, half that quantity OF breathing space
to children between five and ten years. and
one-quarter Of that breathing capacity to
each child under five.
Capt Moeller, inspector Of the North Ger
man Lloyd line. and his wife were among
the passengers. Collector Stranahan sent
down an extra force of inspectors to ex-
anime the conditions and they found that
the United States law, which demands 100
cubic feet of pure air for every immigrant
on the main deck and 120 cubic feet two
decks below the main deck, had not been
violated at all. The liner could have
brought 200 more steerage passengers. the
inspector said.
Too Many Passengers.
Said Mr. Matthews: IT will take up this
matter personally and II there is any
ground for suit I shall bring one. There
were too many persons on board. They
swarmed the decks and in order to have
space enough the third-class encroached
on the rights of the second-class passengers.
LESS than one-half of the lower prom
enade deck was assigned to first-class pas
sengers, while two-thirds of it on each side
was given over to third-class passengers.
THE port openings in the berths of first
class passengers looked directly upon
masses of filth and indescribable conditions,
while the stencil was something to make
one i'll and never forget the trip. 1 had a
f1rst-class room and they offered to reduce
the rate to the minimum, but would not
accept the favor
Said Capt H Feyen of the Koenig AL
bert: ut is not overcrowdng. 1t is over
nonsense. If they don't like it why don't
they go in a yacht?'
A representative of the North German
Lloyd line, who was with Capt. Feyen,
said, when asked why they did not forward
immigrants on a big immigrant ship:
"These people will not go in big immigrant
ships. While we are allowed by the United
States government to carry one passenger
for every 100 and 120 feet of cubic space
we are going to do it. If they exceed the
space allowance the only way is to give
them more space"