Michigan via the Mackinaw Straits to Chicago. Children under 12 always received a
fare reduction and infants traveled free. In the late 1850s the train from New York to
Chicago covered the thousand miles in five days for a 3rd class fare of $5 ($16 1st
class and $9.50 2nd class). Thus, the total cost of emigrating trom the Netherlands to
Chicago at mid-century for adults was about $20 50), plus food costs of $10. Thirty
dollars was not an inconsiderable sum of money; however, it was within the means
of all but the very poor who were assisted by relatives, wealthy patrons and fellow
church members. The wealthy landowner Jannes van de Luijster, for example, advan
ced monies to pay the fares for 77 of the 101 people in his group, many of whom
never would or could repay him.28
Travel experiences
Crossing the Atlantic Ocean made an indelible impression on every emigrant and all
had a ready story to tell to any and all who would listen. Most were landlubbers who
had never been at sea and were haunted by its mysterieus powers and changing
moods. Stormy seas, accidents, and in the early years a frequent lack of wholesome
food, coupled with shipboard epidemics, caused exceeding pain and loss. Then
seasickness, groans and cries of fright in storms, and burials at sea, were all too com
monplace. Since the difficult crossings were more vivid and memorable than the
uneventful passages, immigrant letters, dairies, and memoirs often stressed the
unpleasant experiences. But for most, the voyage was a pleasant trip on calm seas, or
at worst a boring routine, sandwiched between the melodramatic departure and extre
me grief of leave-taking at the docks and the exciting first glimpse of America. The
fear of the unknown future in the United States weighed more heavily than the
crossing itself. Meals improved greatly after new regulations in the 1850s made
shipowners responsible for providing food supplies and preparing meals. Sunday
worship services were observed whenever possible.29
Fatalities at sea due to epidemics and accidents were ameliorated with the advent
of steamers that were built especially for passengers in the 1850s and 1860s.10 Sailing
vessels, which took six weeks on average, had mortality rates over ten times greater
than steamships, which crossed the Atlantic in two weeks.
The number of Dutch who died at sea was low, averaging less than 1 percent in
the years 1820-1880.31 The rates were slightly higher in the 1840s but they declined
steadily thereafter, dropping to one-fourth the previous levels by the 1870s. Two-
thirds of the deaths were children, usually infants under one year. Only one-quarter
were husbands or wives, which was a far more serious blow to the family than the
loss of an infant or child. The low death rate was a result of the relatively good health
of the Dutch emigrants and their proverbial cleanliness.
Emigrants also died in the United States on the inland journey, especially before
rail travel became commonplace. Accommodations on Erie canal boats were noto
riously bad, compared to steamships and Mississippi River paddleboats. The
Hollanders always recalled the Hudson River and Great Lakes steamers with plea
sure, in sharp contrast to the canal boats, which were unheated, overcrowded and
moved at a snail's pace. Worse yet. the crews were uncaring. The 346-mile trip from
Albany to Buffalo took up to two weeks and 'was an experience full of hardship',
reported Sietze Bos, who voiced the sentiments of many.32 Albertus G. van Hees who
traveled the canal in early November, 1847, wrote: 'We suffered great hardships. It
TRAVEL ROUTES OF ZEELAND EMIGRANTS
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