The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 62, July 1958 - April, 1959 Page: 67

Notes and Documents

more fired a cannon as a salute and all heads were bared. Shortly
before sunset, Saturday, June 29th, the City of Baltimore cast
anchor and we had arrived in the highly publicized Land in the
West. The voyage over the Atlantic from Liverpool to New York
was made in nine days and six hours, the fastest crossing up to
that date. We remained on board the steamer until the following
Monday. The banker S. M. Swenson and the missionary Hedstrom
came to see us on board the steamer. On Monday morning, July
ist, we went ashore at Castle Garden and underwent medical
examination. Even here the missionary Hedstrom met us and
handed out tracts and New Testaments, both in Swedish and
English. How the party as a whole fared during the stay in New
York I know very little as I and a few others were taken by Mr.
Hedstrim to a boarding house. After two days we moved to Mr.
Swenson's home on Atlantic Street, Brooklyn. Now we had the
opportunity to look extensively about the city. On the Fourth of
July with the banker Swenson as leader we took a street car to
Central Park, but to describe all we saw there is impossible.
After dinner at a restaurant we went to Barnum's museum.
Among the remarkable displays were also General Tom Thumb,
his wife and baby. Later we went to Swenson's home for supper.
In the evening we visited Brooklyn Heights where we saw the
grandest fireworks we had ever seen.
Saturday, July 6th, we all boarded the steamer bound for Gal-
veston. The name of the boat I have forgotten, in the event that
it ever had a name and, with the reader's kind permission I will
include the captain, the ship and crew in one bundle and call it
all trash. We were all aboard the steamer and steered out into the
Atlantic Ocean. The weather was beautiful and the sea calm,
but a severe storm came to meet us and the waves struck our boat
with terrific force. There was a creaking and a crashing, the mast
and the entire ship trembled and a cry came from the engine
room that the ship had sprung a leak. In a rush the pumping
equipment was put in motion, but it consisted only of an old
wooden pump operated by hand, heavy labor which required
many hands and which must continue without the slightest inter-
ruption for two days and two nights. Fortunately there were many
strong men on board so that we could change places, otherwise