First home   Carl de Haas, Richard McMillan’s great-grandfather, emigrated to Calumet, Wisconsin, in 1847. This image of his first homestead comes from Winke fur Auswanderer, his book of advice for emigrants, widely sold in Germany.

Winke für Auswanderer: Hints for Emigrants
III. Arrival in New York

The trip to New York took 16 days, two longer than expected because of adverse winds. Carl advises careful packing, good locks, and extra cash. He and his party arrived July 7, 1847, and stayed at the Greenwich House, 85 Greenwich Street.

I shall not give a full description of our ocean journey. There are plenty of them and one is about like another. As far as the dangers of the ocean are concerned, we were not entirely spared but each time we escaped with nothing but a fright. We had no storm, but one night we were wakened by sailors, who got the firehoses from the room below us very hurriedly. The coal bin had caught fire, but the fire was put out by the crew within an hour. None of the passengers, some very pale, who were crowding about the stairways, was allowed on deck. During another night we heard a terrible cry from the engine room behind us, an engine worker had got caught in the rods of the engine; a few days later he was buried at sea. While entering New York we collided with a three-master which was passing us. Our whole ship resounded from the crash and a thick beam was broken.

On the 16th day after our departure from Cherbourg we reached the New World, and we should have made the journey still faster if we had not had adverse winds the whole way. This speed is the great advantage of a steamer journey. No one should let the story I have just told prevent him from traveling via Havre. One can well endure for 12 to 14 days many things that would be unbearable for 40 to 90 days. (In New York I met a family that had been 100 days en route from Hamburg. However, the second French steamship which left Cherbourg in July, was delayed by storm and took 23 days for the trip.) To tell the truth, our trip was on the whole very bearable.

Much unpleasantness was avoided by the fact that we did not have to cook for ourselves. Another advantage of the steamship journey is that the condenser of the steam engine provides constantly pure, healthy drinking water, distilled from sea-water. This is surely one of the main reasons that we did not have a single serious illness on our whole trip. Even the children (of all ages) remained happy and healthy to the very end of the trip. But I must criticize as unseemly the fact that the occupants of the third class had to drink out of the same barrel as the very unclean sailors, and the barrel often looked very dirty. No fresh water may be used for washing on shipboard. Some people from Württemberg deviated from this rule. The captain heard of this, and had the barrel closed over and a small narrow pipe attached, to which we had to put our mouths and suck the water out of the barrel. At first this seemed very disgusting to us; later we began to see that this method was considerably more appetizing than the dipping method.

On the whole I can recommend the journey with the Havre steamer to my countrymen. Many inconveniences cannot be avoided on an ocean trip, but I believe that these could scarcely be fewer for the price of 80 Thaler Prussian than on our trip. All our fellow travelers were of this conviction. We felt this especially when we saw a packet steamer creep past us, tacking back and forth. On June 30th our ship passed very close to an Irish three-master not half as large as our ship, with 400 emigrants on board who had all climbed on deck, full of curiosity. That ship had left Ireland May 15th. The two mail packet ships Arge and Zurich, which had sailed May 23rd and 30th, during our stay in Havre, were lying at anchor in New York when we arrived.

Washington, the first Bremen steamship, also arrived in New York at the beginning of August, but I have not yet spoken to any of its passengers and cannot say whether the trip is more to be recommended on this ship (it cost 83 Thaler Prussian) than on the French steamer. But whoever can invest 500 francs (or 133 1/2 Thaler Prussian) in the trip, should take second-class passage on the latter. I am convinced that he will have few or none of the inconveniences of the journey which can possibly be avoided. That class is above the third class, with abundant air and light. In the center is a richly decorated salon with chairs, tables, chandeliers, mirrors, etc. On all four sides are bedrooms that can be locked, each with two elegant single beds, which are, of course, only as large as necessity demands, as are the bedrooms. Three times a day the table is richly served by several waiters. A cow whose stall is on deck provides milk for them, a chicken and duck pen furnishes fowl, and there is as much water as one could want in clean bottles.

Compared with this second class, the third class was poor and this moved several of my companions to change over on the day of departure. We three stayed in third class, and thus saved about 40 Thaler per man. First class for 1,000 francs has few advantages over second, and its refined splendor is only meant for such persons as those who throw away their money to show the world their great wealth.

The holder of a ticket for second class on the Havre steam-frigates needs to take absolutely no food, cooking or other utensils. To those who travel third class, I recommend taking the following: forks, knives and spoons; a soup plate; some small tin cups (by all means no glass or porcelain things) for wine, cognac and coffee; a coffee-mill and coffee-pot; a tin washbasin and a chamber pot with cover; a hammer and a number of nails. For food one should take a few pounds of roasted coffee, a few pounds of sugar, a bottle of good rum, and above all some pieces of good beef or a good ham. As for clothing, one will do well to provide himself with some fresh shirts and stockings. A thick woolen blanket does good service (none of the passengers used sheets); hand-towels should not be forgotten. My usual outer clothing, which turned out to be very practical, was a full, quilted dressing-gown with good pockets and a small cap without a visor. Hats and visor caps are unsuitable as they often become the booty of the ocean. A good lock should be on the chest which one wants to use on the ship, and half of the chest should be empty. We did not do either, only one of our locks held up, and when we unpacked our things on the ship, we could get them back only with the greatest trouble. In consequence of this we had to arrange a watch for our things, to escape the thievery of the sailors. There were five of us, who relieved the guard every two hours.

On July 7th toward noon, the American pilot boarded our ship, and in a few hours the New World lay before our eyes. We had not even anchored, when a number of neatly dressed men boarded the ship and distributed cards of recommendation from hotels, firms handling transportation inland, etc. We did not have anything to do with them, but awaited the arrival of a friend who had been notified of our sailing, who led us to a very good hotel, Greenwich House, 85 Greenwich Street, where room and three meals cost 5 shillings per day.

We were to go back to the ship to receive our baggage the next day. The customs inspection went quickly, boxes and chests were only opened and the top looked at. The inspectors seldom looked far down. Nevertheless, the emigrant must beware of packing contraband in the bottom of the boxes, because if any is found, strict punishment and a long term follow. Everything the immigrant brings with him as clothing and necessary implements is free without exception. Purses, traveling bags, hat boxes and such were not inspected. We had packed our chests very carefully, sewed them in gray canvas and numbered and marked them in merchant style. This excessive care had already made trouble for us on our trip, because everywhere people considered our baggage commercial. Now our troubles reached their peak. In Cherbourg our baggage had been mixed with the commercial and put into the lower hold. This was the reason we did not get our baggage back until the fifth day after our arrival.

The chests were unharmed except for one, in which I had forced my feather-bed with a Karrenwinde [windlass]. The chest was not strong enough to withstand the pressure from within, and had burst open in several places; only the wrapping had kept it from falling entirely to pieces. In this connection I wish to mention that it is best to pack one’s things in such a manner that the chests weigh about 200 pounds, and to provide them with strong covers which do not project over the sides, also to have a catch-lock on them. The ship’s workmen use the projecting edge of the cover to catch their hoisting ropes and by this means the cover can easily be torn off. Projecting locks, Verhangeschlösser hinged locks, are often knocked off in loading and unloading. Boxes with locks are particularly convenient because they are easier to open for customs’ inspection than those nailed shut. Because of the inspection it is not advisable to force bedding in with a windlass as we had done, for if the customs’ inspector had opened ours containing bedding, we should not have been able to pack it in again. Iron work on the edges of the chests is very serviceable. A wrapping of canvas on the outside keeps off dampness and protects in case of bumps and falls. One must not however, sew the handles on the sides of the chests into the canvas or the workers will put their hooks through the canvas and tear it to shreds. Let everyone keep this piece of advice in mind: Whether he wraps his baggage or not, he should write on at least two sides of every chest his complete name and “Passenger goods to New York.” Nevertheless, one must, as already mentioned, stay near one’s baggage, wherever it might be misplaced in moving, and one must help move things oneself in order to avoid this. Upon our arrival in New York, several chests marked “Hamburg” were found on the Union. The owners were not on the ship; probably the chests had been confused at the warehouse.

I shall say a few things about the transportation of baggage by hired drivers. The expenses for this transportation do not begin until in America, for when a contract is made in Germany, baggage is taken free from one ship to the other. But it is wise, in Europe as in America, to tip the drivers; they will then be more careful with the baggage. In New York, the transportation of our effects from the ship to the hotel and from there again to the steamer cost a dollar and a half, in Albany half a dollar, in Buffalo one dollar, in Milwaukee three-quarters of a dollar, (1 dollar is 42 1/2 Silbergreschen Prussian). The American drivers will take all they can get. In New York, the cartman let himself be paid twice, once by me and once by my brother, who knew nothing about it. Almost everywhere in America there are drivers who speak German, and the immigrant who cannot make himself understood in English should deal with them. Nevertheless, I advise everyone always to negotiate about the price beforehand, whether with drivers, innkeepers, or whatever.

I shall pass over our stay in New York, likewise our side trip to Philadelphia. It would take more space and time than I can give, if I were to describe the large-scale, confused activity of the commercial world in New York, its beautiful streets and buildings, and the clean, beautiful city of Philadelphia with its splendid palaces.

I was not able to find out during my short stay what prospects there are for tradesmen who hope to establish themselves in these cities, I can only report that skilled tanners and cabinetmakers have good work and German housemaids are well-paid and very much sought. In many other trades the competition is great.

When someone has a note to cash in New York, the merchants usually direct him to one of the banks. He must go to the bank in question during banking hours (until 3 p.m.) and request the cashier to give him five- and ten-dollar pieces and no paper money, for this is the most convenient money in America. Whoever travels to America should take about twice as much cash as his trip costs (so that he is not without ready money in case of accident) and carry it in 5 and 20 franc pieces, especially if he travels via France, or in Dutch 10 gulden pieces. For whatever money the emigrant has left, he should obtain a note for New York from a reliable house in Germany.

Here in America one can spend any kind of money, for in every hotel, shop, etc., one finds a pamphlet with pictures of the coins of almost every European country and the rate of exchange. One must take a considerable loss with most kinds of coins. (For instance, 3 1/2 Silbergroschen to each Prussian Thaler.) The emigrants usually know this, and yet many must be careless about their choice of the kind of money to take with them, for not only in New York and Milwaukee, but also here in Calumet where almost all the circulating money comes from emigrants, Prussian Thaler pieces turn up frequently.

II. Havre and Cherbourg      Top of File      IV. Inland to Milwaukee