The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 80, July 1976 - April, 1977 Page: 60
492 p. : ill. (some col.), maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Southwestern Historical Quarterly
Bremen. The one was stuck on a sandbar. It was the very same ship that
left the harbor at the time we left, and Steidel, Andreas, and Bracht are
on board.' The other one had left Bremen fourteen days earlier.
The service on the steamer was much worse than on the sailing ships.
We had much trouble getting warm water for coffee in the mornings and
evenings. This coffee and a piece of wheat bread were our food for these
three days because that is all you can get. The boxes served as places of
abode during the day and as beds at night. Nobody seemed to mind the
fact that the seawater splashed about our ears. We will make up for that
in the beds of Meyer's Hotel today. We are paying seventy-five cents for
board and a place to sleep.
Galveston, May 23
There was not much chance to sleep. The mosquitoes, which are similar
to our midges,' but which are much more vicious insects when it comes to
biting, left us no peace. Several of our travel companions have swelled hands
and feet, and some can hardly look out of their eyes. The mosquitos have
treated me rather superficially up to now. I suppose my blood is not sweet
enough for them. In spite of our weariness, resulting from these uninvited
guests, we left our attic room and took a look at the city, It is laid out in
regular shape on the east end of the very narrow and about fifteen-mile-
long island of the same name, and it has broad main streets. The houses,
although made of wood, look quite comfortable. The beautiful broadleaf
trees along the streets as well as in the gardens give the city a very pleasant
appearance. The oleanders especially, with their countless blossoms, catch
the immigrants' eyes. I saw figs, pomegranates, lemons, sour oranges, oran-
ges, etc., in some gardens. No one has considered raising tropical fruits on a
large scale, nor do they grow wild, as people at home claim. In general,
the surroundings of the city offer a dismal sight. Grass grows in shabby
abundance on heaps of shell dust. Several swamps spread evil odors. There
are no wooded sections; it is said that only three trees were on the island
originally. Stove wood drifts in from the Gulf.
8Steinert mentions Steidel six times in the section on Texas. He was from Luckenwalde,
Steinert's hometown, and, as noted here, he came at the same time as Steinert did. He
remained in New Braunfels when Steinert left. See the June 13, July 17, and August 8
entries. Andreas is mentioned four times and, like Steidel, came from Luckenwalde,
on the same ship with Steidel. He may be related to Jost Daniel Andreas, who arrived
in Texas from Weidebach in I845. Chester William Geue and Ethel Hander Geue
(comps. and eds.), A New Land Beckoned: German Immigration to Texas, I844-1847
(Waco, 1966), 77. For Bracht, see note ii.
9The German word "Miicke," used here, means "midge" or "gnat," but it can also
mean "mosquito," especially when no fine distinction is to be made.
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 80, July 1976 - April, 1977, periodical, 1976/1977; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101204/m1/78/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.