Sentence:  Carried somehow, somewhither, for some reason, on these surging floods, were these travelers,nb.... Even such a boat as the "Mount Vernon" offered a total deck space so cramped as to leave <WSD>secrecy</WSD> or privacy well out of the question, even had the motley and democratic assemblage of passengers been disposed to accord either. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  Concealment; the condition of being secret or hidden.