Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1907-12-13
TRAVELLING STEERAGE
A Trip, Third Class, In a Modern
Atlantic Liner.
PASSING THE SHIPS DOCTOR

ding and the Mushroom.
To be a real bona fide emIgrant 1t is
necessary to be very particular, for
nowhere does etiquette abound as 1t
does In the steerage Of ship. To be-
gin with, never refer to "emlgrants or
steerage passengers talk always Of
third class passengers" Then be
careful to find some fault with every
dish that Is served. "The tea is too
strong or too weak" II never pay less
than 90 cents a pound for mine at
home" Il would not offer a beggai
coffee like this" IL cannot touch SOUP"
II cannot eat beans, ! have such deli
cate digestion" my doctor has forbid
den me to touch bread. and never eat
anything but toast these are favorite
and popular remarks.
II does not matter whether you have
ever before had meat more than once
a month, grumble you must. For what
other purpose did you pay your 1902
Dress also Is an important item. 1t
IL well to travel provided with silk
II Is also customary to regret deeply
that you have not travelled second
class, as you at first intended doing,
or course all your friends think you
are travelling second. Whatever would
Amelia say II she knew the TRUTH
Then 1t Is a great pity that YOU have
packed your fur coat away In the box
IN the hold, and 1t Is inconsiderate Of
the steward not to let you get 1t out.
And your beautiful blue silk dress with
the pearl trimmingl
learned all this while ira yelling from
London to New York MS an ordinary
amlgrant, says British writer.
The ship crossed IN carried between
COO and TOO third class passengers. Az
we board her in single file the ships
doctor dexterously turned our eyelids
inside out to see whether we were In
rood health. Then came q long wait,
the children crying pitifully and the
women too tired to hush them, until at
last we again passed in single iile be-
fore the ships officers Then our tick
ets were taken. and we were ut liberty
% go to our cabins.
Soon after the bell was rung for din
npr, followed by the arrival OF the sec
end and first class passengers, and at
4 p. m. we sailed away.
The food on board was plentiful and
excellent OF It's kind. For breakfast,
which was served at a. M, we had
tea and coffee. porrldge and milk, 9
meat stew or ash. bread, butfer-gen.
orally fresh--and jam and marmalade,
At 1890 beef ten could be had for the
asking. For dinner, at 70 m, there
were soup. meat with two vegetables,
q milk pudding with some stewed
fruit. and every other day couple of
oranges or apples each. For tea, at
8 O'clock. we had some kind Of meat
stew or sausages, potatoes milk pud-
ding with stewed fruit, bread. butter,
cheese and tea. At Z o'clock Cruel was
served and biscuits and cheese placed
ON the table.
Clean white tablecloths were laid
for every meal. which. what with the
rolling OF tho ship and the babies
who mostly ate, unrcproved. with their
hAnds-were absolutely necessary, The
stewards sixteen in number
had clean linen jackets and aprons
twice day. and the cabins and pas
aages were cleaned out and washed
down twice day.
II was the sight Of my berth which
gave mo my FIRST shock. had read In
the regulations that a bed and bed
ding We're supplied. and had pictured
linen sheets and feather pillows. /
found a hay mattress and pillow in
clean linen overall. gray wooden
blanket-and that was ALL The hay is
taken out and burnt at the end OF
each voyage.
The washing accommodations were
perhaps the worst Inconvenience,
There was one large room, with rows
of basins all round it. As matter
of fact very few Of the passengers
really minded. | was told that one
line had once fitted mp a bathroom In
the steerage quarters Of vessel. but
the bath had rusted away long before
Il was used. Storage passengers also
never want 10 undress. Not even tho
children are put to bed properly. There
was one little chap Of three in the
cabin next 10 mine whose boots were
not taken OF from the day he left Eng
land TO the day he landed In New
York.
II was a particularly rough crossing
for the time of year. Nearly every,
body was III. including the stewards,
and the chaos that relgned for one day
and a night was indescribable. Men,
women and children simply lay under
the hatchwRy in lunches. and when
the ship rolled to one side they rolled.
too. and when she lurehed forward
they rolled forward.
Perhaps II was because OF the rough
sea that the doctor became 30 popular.
He was slngularly kind and never
minded being fetched at any hour OF
the day or night He had somethlns
good for every ache and pain. ana the
children adored him. About the fourth
day out we had TO show our vacclna.
a.