| Title: | Maggie Black, Atlantic Ocean to Mr And Mrs. Hall, Armagh. |
|---|---|
| ID | 205 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Black, Maggie/15 |
| Year | 1890 |
| Sender | Black, Maggie (n. Hall) |
| Sender Gender | female |
| Sender Occupation | housewife |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | at sea on the Atlantic Ocean |
| Destination | Loughgall, Co. Armagh, N.Ireland |
| Recipient | Mr and Mrs Hall |
| Recipient Gender | male-female |
| Relationship | daughter-parents |
| Source | D 2401/13: Purchased From J. A. Gamble Esq., 44 Taunton Avenue, Belfast 15 |
| Archive | The Public Record Office, Northern Ireland. |
| Doc. No. | 9311039 |
| Date | 05/05/1890 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Action By Date Document added by C McK., 03:11:199 |
| Word Count | 1564 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | To: Mr And Mrs. Hall, Eden Cottage, Loughall [Loughgall?], County Armagh, Ireland From: Maggie Black (nee Hall), "Atlantic Ocean", May 5 1890 Atlantic Ocean Monday evg [evening?] 5th May 90 [1890?] My Dear Dada & Mamma This is the first day since Friday that I have been able to be out of my bunk After saying goodbye to you I felt awfully desolate & forsaken for some time but had to bestir myself to look after our boxes. I went on deck for a few minutes but was glad to beat a hasty retreat & turn into bed which I was not able to leave until this morg [morning?]. I never experienced anything like the sickness from Friday evg [evening?] till Sunday evening & after that such soreness of body I could not have given the children the least assistance had they been dying I believe _ I did not seem to care if I had been thrown overboard! Florrie Edna & Tom were sick for a while too but not [seriously?] they were all right when in bed Margaret was sick from Saturday & in all my own sickness I could not help laughing at her when she took turns at vommiting [vomiting?] she would say "Thats another overflow of the gall"!!! I am so thankful this evg [evening?] that we are all better only shaky & an "all gone" sort of feeling. Nearly every person on board was sick this was the first day there was a full attendance at dinner & my first appearance at table the stewards are very attentive to us & will bring us anything at all we fancy poor Edna would say to me (when she was at her worst & crying with the pain of her head) I wish I had some of #PAGE 2 Grandmas soda cake why did you not let her give us some Florrie would say "I wish I had a drop of Eden Cottage tea with the good milk in it". The tea here seems to be drawn till it is quite bitten. The stewardess has smuggled me a drop of her own every day since we came on board but I had no relish for anything except a cup of beef tea she gives me about 11'o clock & a little mug of gruel almost as thick as porridge every night but its all I seem to care for up to the present. However after another day or two I hope to make up for lost time. When lying so ill I could not help thinking such a turn as I got would be awfully trying on poor Annie but there are some got off with less suffering than others. but I could not find adjectives sufficiently expressive to describe the pleasures of seasickness!!! I shall not wish for a return of it for a while. They say one is always the better of it but dear [----?] its dearly bought - The sea is beautifully calm to-day. I was on deck twice M- [Mr?] Cowdy asked to see me on Saturday evg [evening?] but I was in no humour to see visitors. You remember the lady & child who sat opposite us in the tug coming down to Moville She is going to New York to rejoin her husband who has been there two years the little baby was born three months after its papa left & she had a little girl since she to is from Belfast & seems very agreeable she is next berth but one to us the children & the baby are friends already. Tom occupies a berth with a friend of [Mr?] Patterson from Coleraine he sent me over a fine turkey egg & some butter biscuits, well buttered, yesterday evening. I have not ventured on the egg yet. The greater part of the passengers are foreigners could not make a word of what they say - you would pity these poor steerage passengers if you could see them, some lying on deck as sick as possible I saw some of them feasting on raw herrings to-day & then in crowds at the door begging for water!! & in many cases refused. How they can exist is a mystery - On Sunday there was a service at 11'o clock but I fancy the attendance was small there is a party #PAGE 3 of Scotch people in the cabin & they sing psalms & hymns every evening there are all kinds if musical insturments too so if people were in good health it would be enjoyable but it tekes a good deal to lift ones mind off home & old friends left behind. I am sure you & Tom were very tried when we got home again after such a week as you put in with me & my affairs but I trust you shall be rewarded for all you have ever done for me & mine. We made a great mistake about our boxes. We should have had one with what things we required in the way of changes of linen &c &c one with eatables both not too large as I have not been able to get at my large box yet it is quite too large to get into our berth & whatever way they packed and unpacked what small boxes & portmanteaus I cannot put my fingers on anything I really want they mixed clothing & eatables al [all?] thro' [through?] but up till to-day I did not feel the need of things as I had not undressed myself till last night!! I could not bear to move Thursday. Did not fell in any humour to write since Monday had two three turns of sickness sea very rough Tuesday & Wednesday - a great fog the foghorn keeps blowing every five or ten minutes it cleared off a little early this morning but is now thick as ever we felt nervous last night owing to rough sea & fog Tuesday night we had a concert in cabin songs violin &c &c was to have another last night but was postponed till to-night on account of a number being sick I was in bed after tea its strange how the heaving of the ship makes you feel like "turning inside out" I was on deck for a while this morning I believe we are just half way now. I only wish we had landed its so tiresome!! Mamma's condensed milk was not much use one bottle was broken the day we came on board & the other I opened yesterday & found quite curdled. We get any milk we want both at breakfast & tea, It & the sugar are left on the table, of course it is thin there is meat at every meal cold beef sausages & stewed steak for breakfast roast beef mutton fowl & vegetables for dinner & cold beef for tea, gruel for supper & every day beef tea or soup & no scarcity of anything the tea is wretched but they give coffee too. I made some tea yesterday the stewardess is very kind & gives us anything we like to #PAGE 4 ask we have three courses every day at dinner but one cannot enjoy it as at home Margaret does justice to the good things provided since she got over the sickness!!! We are quite friendly with a lot of the cabin passengers. there are only 9 saloon passengers Mr Cowdy among them. That box I received at the station before starting was the bottles for the cruet I was getting from Gibson of Belfast he put them in a large enough box at any rate 4 smell bottles!! I only opened to-day thinking it was a present from someone - Saturday was very ill with headache all day yesterday last night & to-day in bed all the time I fancy I won't take a sea voyage in a hurry again! but if a person were well it would be very pleasant. there were two concerts this week & the people are all very friendly with each other. we expect to be near New York to-morrow I wish we had the the railway part of the journey over. I hope Lytle will have a shake down for us when we arrive for we'll require a [rest?] Sunday went Church in the saloon Mr Cowdy conducted the service the attendance was very large you could not imagine the grandeur of the saloon everything is gorgeous!! there is an organ & piano & every other comfort the difference between 1st & 2nd cabin is more marked than between 2nd and steerage. There is certainly a very marked difference & the saloon passengers keep quite to themselves of course there are not many of them. We have been disappointed that the voyage has been so slow. I believe we are to land to-morrow or tuesday morning. I want to finish this lest I should not have an opportunity again. I have been awfully troubled with headache these days I hope it is not going to return to me How has Annie been since we left? I fancy it is months since I left home! I hope the time won't seem so long in the future - a great many of the passengers have enjoyed the time but they have been well and healthy. Now for this time I must close Hoping you Mamma & all the others are quite well with much love to all not forgetting Martha I am your loving Maggie |
