1866-06-11-Caroline

Reminiscences and Diary of James J. Chandler

Chandler, James J. Reminiscences and diary (Ms 1893), pp. 5-6.

"After landing at Castle Garden, New York, we went down Long Island Sound to New Haven, Connecticut, then by rail to Montreal, Canada"

The Diary of William Driver

Driver, William. "London to Salt Lake City in 1867 [sic]: The Diary of William Driver," ed. by Frank Driver Reeve. Reprinted from New Mexico Historical Review, (January 1942), pp. 39-51,63.

Sunday 10th June. Morning. Very calm, 11.30 a.m., land ahead. My wife very poorly, at eleven a.m. President S. H. Hill convened a meeting amidships at which Captain Stephen Adey, Doctor Summerville were present. A vote of thanks was accorded them by all the passengers. Captain Adey briefly responded. He spoke favorably of the conduct of his passengers, said he never wished to cross with a better lot of people & and wished us continued prosperity on our way to Utah, also Doctor Summerville briefly but favorably responded. A vote of thanks was given [p.46] for S. H. Hill president, also votes for his counselors, Raymond and Fulmer, to stewards Dolton and Priday. Three cheers were given for each of those officers and the meeting terminated, several sails in sight. Captain Adey has been kind to the passengers and I will say on the part of the crew that a more social and agreeable lot of sailors as a whole could not be met with, their conduct towards us had been all that we could expect. 3.30 p.m. passed Sandy Hook light boat. We are now off the batteries. A more magnificent sight I never saw--at about six o'clock p.m. we cast anchor near the mouth of Hudson River. The medical officer boarded but the captain not being ready at a moment call our examination is postponed till tomorrow at 9 o'clock a.m. Public prayers.

Monday 11th. Morning. Misty, cleared off and is now beautiful, at 9 a.m. Weighed anchor, went down the Hudson to Castle Garden. It is a place formerly a theater appropriated by the U. S. Government for the reception of emigrants, is a very large circular building. Emigrants were laying in groups upon the boards in promiscuous heaps, men and women without apparently any regard for decency. These were mostly German and Irish. There is a general information office, an exchange, a railway ticket office, also a rostrum from which an appointed speaker gave information to emigrants, and a provision store. A pint of milk and small loaf 20 cents. It is lighted at night with twelve jets of gas. We were informed previous to landing that there were 7 thousand emigrants before us. We are informed we might be ready to start out at 11 p.m. We found it extremely difficult to reach Peck Slip, mistook our way. Weary, dispirited and perplexed we reached the steam boats to steam to New Haven, Connecticut.