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 The hardest and most dangerous part of emigration was the voyage
in the sailing ship itself. The approximate size of Hamburg
sailing ships in 1850 was 124 x 20 x 15 feet ( length x beam x
depth of hold.) Even if individual ships were bigger than this
average, emigrant ships of that time were, by modern standards,
extremely small. Many emigrants sailed on a "bark", a three-masted
vessel with foremast and mainmast square rigged and the third
mast fore and aft rigged. Others sailed on a "brig", a vessel of
two masts (fore and main), both of which were square-rigged.
The length of the voyage between Hamburg and New York depended
on wind conditions and the weather. An emigrant never knew
exactly how long the voyage would take. The average crossing
took 43 days and the longer crossings often took 63 days. An
exceptionally long voyage might take 70 days. If an emigrant had
booked passage to California, the voyage would take six months.
First and second class cabins were available, but these cost
from three to as much as ten times the steerage passage,
depending upon the accommodations and the size of the ship.
 Most of the emigrants traveled in steerage accommodations which
were in the space between the upper deck and the cargo hold.
Ship owners had found the emigrants were a new source of profit
and had built a flimsy, temporary floor beneath the main deck
and on top of the cargo hold. Sometimes this flooring was set so
far down in the hold that bilge water would seep up through the
planking. Rats scurried about.
Ventilation and light came only
from the hatches when they were open. The only lights in the
compartment were a few hanging lamps along the side which could
be lit at night. During a storm, emigrants were denied access to
the main deck and the hatches were battened down tightly,
leaving no source of ventilation, except for a few pinhole or
strainer sized holes which were in the cover. (Usually the
hatches were not tightened down before a few waves had poured in
and soaked all the bedding and clothing, however.) The storm
could last for a few days or up to a week or more and the
hatches would stay down. Lights could not be used during the
storm because of the danger of fires.
The prescribed minimum height of the steerage deck was 5 1/2
feet or about 1.72 m. Each steerage passenger was entitled to a
space of 1.88 x 0.63 m. (about 6 ft. x 2 ft.) The only way to
accommodate all the passengers was to keep half the steerage
deck free for eating and moving about and to stack the other
half with bunks on top of one another in pairs.
Along with the
crowding came the dirt and the smell. Some of the odors were
those of a normal ship--the bilge and the perpetually rotting
hulk or the lingering odor of old cargo. Others were those that
had settled into the compartment due to lack of ventilation and
problems of previous emigrants. These included the smells of
urine and vomit, as well as rotting refuse that had gotten down
into the cracks. Added to that was the smell of water-soaked
bedding or clothing, unwashed passengers, and the current slop
buckets in the compartment.
When there were toilets, they were generally up on deck, beyond
the reach of the more weakened passengers and, in stormy
weather, out of the reach of everyone. The more usual facility
in steerage consisted of a few screened-in-buckets which might
or might not have seats. When storms struck, these often went
flying around the steerage compartment. When seasickness struck,
the buckets were often full or out of reach and many passengers
vomited on the floors or in their berths.
Provisions were measured and doled out carefully to ensure they
would last the required ninety days if necessary. Water was
carefully rationed and only a small amount given to each
passenger which had to suffice for drinking, cooking, and
washing of themselves. The diet given passengers was sufficient
to keep off starvation, but not healthy or appetizing. The
quality of the provisions taken on board naturally also suffered
from the lengthy voyages of the sailing vessels and from
inadequate food preservation methods. The bread was moldy by the
end of the voyage, the butter and pork fat rancid, the flour
full of bugs, and the water almost undrinkable.
Cooking grates were set up on deck for steerage passengers. They
had to take turns using them in order to prepare the family
meals. There were always lines of people waiting to use the
grates. Those cooking had to learn new methods. If the ship
lurched, the pot might tip over and the meal would be lost.
Boiling liquid could be spilled which would cause severe burns.
During bad weather, the cooking grates could not be used at all.
Three diseases in particular were rampant on ships: cholera,
typhus, and smallpox. Cholera, an infection of the stomach and
intestines, was a particular problem. Once cholera struck a
ship's passengers, it spread quickly. None knew what to do for
the problem. One recommended treatment was to administer a dose
of Epsom salts and castor oil in combination, rub the patient's
face with vinegar, and then give the patient 35 drops of
laudanum, a highly addictive opiate. If there was no ship's
doctor, and there usually wasn't, the captain had the medicine
chest. The medicine chest often contained remedies such as
balsam, drops of various kinds, cream of tartar, peppermint,
powdered rhubarb, or pills advertised on the waterfront as
useful for curing a number of ailments. Any of those treatments
might be tried.
Outbreaks of smallpox were less common but more feared. The
disease was often accompanied by pneumonia, encephalitis, blood
poisoning or some other ailment, and the mortality rate was
high.
The worst killer of all on sailing ships was typhus, a lice-borne
disease that afflicts the victim's skin and brain, causing
dizziness, headaches, and pain throughout the body, together
with bloodshot eyes, a dark red rash and a dull stare. Typhus
was common in the crowded conditions and was known by the
nickname of "ship fever." It is a wonder that as many passengers
survived the voyage as did. Those that did not were buried at
sea. |
