The Crossing

In the sailing days the emigration agents advertised the crossing duration as 20 to 25 days. But it occurred that it took a bit longer: contrary winds, storms on the sea could lengthen this time up to 2 months.

1. Two toilets for cabin passengers 2. Access to preceding and room for rudder wheel 3. Captain's and passengers' cabins with staircase down 4. Daylight inlet to lower cabin 5. The same for second cabin 6. Chest for sailor's tools 7. Access to cabin staircase 8. Winch for loading and unloading 9. Double waterpump 10. Hatch for loading and unloading 11. Stables for pigs, cows and chicken 12. Kitchen for cabin passengers 13. Kitchen for passengers

14. Entrance to the sailors' hole 15. Capstan 16. Men's cabin 17. Women's cabin 18. Cabin staircase 19. Emplacement for preparing meals 20. Our room 21. Room of remaining passengers 22. Sailors' hole 23. Rudder 24. Hold 25. Height of railing 26. Deck floor 27. Lower deck floor

Shipwreck was another hazard that had to be counted with. Considering that the emigrants purchased the cheapest tickets, they slept not in single cabins but under deck usually tightly packed together. In case of an epidemic on board, many of the emigrants died not survive as there was no place for a quarantine or for any decent medical treatment. The atmosphere below deck, due to promiscuity, became unbearable in case of heavy sea and its consequence: sea sickness.Manly complaints are known against shipping companies about bad treatment and bad food. Normally the food was provided, but it often turned to be rotten and uneatable. In order to get better food you had to pay or bribe an officer. Happy were those immigrants who had taken the precaution to take some food (a sausage, some biscuits) along. They had something extra to eat, especially if the trip turned out to last longer, due to unfavourable weather conditions. Conditions improved gradually when the steamships came in use and shortened the duration of the voyage substantially.