Part IV

These stories were taken from a book of the journal of Liwwat Boke, 1807-1882, Pioneer. The book was compiled by Luke Knapke and published by the Minster Historical Society in 1987.
When we left Liwwat last week, she was on the boat, still sailing down the river and on their way to the North Sea. She mentions that passengers were getting seasick before they ever got out to sea. The last stretch of the Weser River was like a canal, where it had been dug out for widening and deepening the river.
She begins:
First Day on the Sea
“Yesterday we came through the port of Bremerhaven and today we are in the North Sea on the way to Heligoland. The wind is powerful and strong. The ship trembles and rocks and twists from side to side, and then come great waves, end to end, and the stomach feels sick again. Vomiting and headaches. I have not eaten, I was so sick as were all the other travelers.”
Day 2: “Praise be to God. We have come so far in this cold, clear weather with a lot of problems. We must endure the howling wind and all the shaking, and the noise mid-decks, the children crying. People are very much afraid alone. We cooked once in our iron pot, such a little pot. It is not cool here between the ceiling and our floor; the smells, the sweat, the smoke, and the many dirty people are revolting. (The men must urinate topside and the womenfolk and children ‘tween decks, a new word for us). One sees other ships and sandbanks. There is a strong headwind, so I stayed a long time in this sleeping berth. The stench is dreadful, but the commotion more so.
On the third, and fourth days they sat, anchored in the same place. On Day 5 they had a thunderstorm, dark clouds and shrieking wind. Their ship rocked from side to side. She wonders why men want to be sailors.
Day 6: “We are under way, sailing farther through the straits between France and England. We had England in sight for a couple of hours. Of France, we saw a little; the weather was quite clear. In the afternoon we ate for the first time — best, and no vomiting. Praise God! I am almost feeble and so scrawny.”
Day 7 was foggy and windy — a thick fog, almost like rain. Day 8 brought them some blue sky for two hours. Then came more wind and rain. They were fearful with all the motion. They were also bad humored and apathetic. Day 9 brought more of the same. Finally on the 10th through 12th days they had good sunny weather.
Everyone said, “To the Dear God in Heaven, a thousand times thanks!” Most of the travelers spoke High German. Liwwat used both High and Low (Platt Deutch) German. There was quite a variety of people on the ship and many with children. Also, two widows with children going to Ohio.
Liwwat described the sailors as the devil’s children, always wanting to get near the girls. Liwwat kept a long needle handy to use on any man who wanted to get too friendly. She said, “the trip is costly, not merely in money but also in these contrary feelings” people had. “People are stingy with their laughter, never light hearted. Every face has a wrinkled forehead.”
For several days they had stormy weather — always the mighty rolling and heaving of the ship. “One cannot remain sitting or standing.” It was very difficult to cook. They made soup whenever possible. They had a calm day on the 17th day but the next day it was a cloudburst and they had to stay below. On the 19th day, there was a rainbow halfway around the entire horizon “like a promise from God.”
They ate a lot of hardtack and cheese. One day someone stole her hardtack and sausage and she was determined to find the guilty party.
By Day 24 they were told they were half way. They had several sunny days and the passengers were in better moods. One day they baked fresh bread with yeast. (How? I don’t know.)
By Day 27, Liwwat mentioned how nice it would be to meet Natz again. By this time, travelers were really getting restless. They were getting rowdy and shouting because of the length of the trip, and the food, etc. By Day 29, she said “the blockheads are quiet.”
With the arrival of Day 32, they thought they were three fourths of the way across the ocean. On Day 34 she mentioned “a miracle, so far no seriously sick people.”
They had another severe thunderstorm on the 35th day about 2 o’clock in the morning. Some sailors caused a fuss and two of the sailors were confined to chains. Then the rest became fearful and obedient.
On Day 37, they approached an English ship that was 10 days out of Baltimore. By the 39th day, it was noted that a young woman was in family way, in her last three months. The first officer brought Liwwat to the young girl, because she was a midwife. They had trouble understanding each other. They were married in Husen. The young woman was 19 and her husband was 23. They were neat and intelligent and heading for Columbiana in Ohio, across the river from Wheeling.
Then came more rain so they had to stay inside. The children were getting unmanageable because of being confined in such a small space.
Then she wrote: “The heat is greater now than 40 days ago in the North Sea. Under such conditions, people become tired, impatient and fanciful. There is much gossip.”
She continued: “All the food now takes on a sea tainted flavor and smell; it is rotten.” The rice and barley are both unfit. “Beans, peas, lentils, sour dumplings, I cook every day. Vinegar is most important since we must also eat our meat with vinegar. Something sour gives one more appetite. It was nearly 4 o’clock till they got their noon meal because the kitchen is small and the captain and sailors would eat first. Water was scarce, even for the children and they always had to boil it themselves. By Day 42 it was warmer and they saw a lot of very large fish swimming along side. One day they saw an American ship and a school of fish. By Day 46, three young women started a fuss and then a fight. They grabbed and shoved each other. Soon their husbands were fighting. This went on for a half hour. On Day 51 two ships belonging to the American naval forces sailed close by. Day 52 was hot. They were passing the gulf stream, a sea current which is 40 or 50 hours distance from land. They saw a lot of fish jumping. The next day was a nice day and everyone was feeling better. Early in the morning they saw “great fish that looked like oak trees, sprayed water into the air out of their noses. Interesting and unique.
By Day 54, they saw various fish and better yet “we saw land, Thank God.” Around 12 o’clock, a pilot ship came and took us in escort to Baltimore, and in an hour or so we saw that long craved for land. Our goal is now here. At 2 o’clock or so we went into the bay.” Then another thunderstorm came up so they had to throw in the anchor. “In my mind I was happy and content.” Some Americans came on board while they were anchored. By Day 57 they traveled to the entrance of the port and dropped anchor. Some police and a doctor came to visit. “Not a single person on the ship was sick, also none died during the voyage, for which I do thank the grace of God. It was a profound experience for me. The first impression as I saw America: It is a joyful sight and lovely land.”

To be continued. …