The ventilation was merely what was to be
had from the companionway that opened into the alleyway and not on the
deck, the few ports in the ship's sides, and the scanty ventilating
shafts. The beds were double-tiered affairs in blocks of from ten to
twenty, constructed of iron framework, with iron slats in checker
fashion to support the burlap-covered bag of straw, grass, or waste
which served as a mattress. Pillows there were none, only cork jacket
life-preservers stuck under one end of the mattress to give the
elevation of a pillow. One blanket served the purpose of all
bedclothing; it was a mixture of wool, cotton, and jute, predominantly
jute; the length of a man's body and a yard and a half wide. For such
quarters and accommodations the emigrant pays half the sum that would
buy a first-class passage. A comparison of the two classes shows where
the steamship company makes the most money.
[Sidenote: Feeding Like Animals]
"Enrolled in the blanket each person found a fork, spoon, pint tin cup,
and a flaring six-inch-wide, two-inch-deep pan out of which to eat. The
passengers were instructed to form groups of six and choose a
mess-manager, who was supposed to take the big pan and bucket, get the
dinner and drinkables, and distribute the portions to his group.
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