I just got a report from a friend of mine about his
recent TransPac experience. It seems one of
the 11 crew contracted a viral flu a few days
before starting the trip. 9 of 11 crew were knocked
out of action within three days. The DNF'd and
returned to California, making better time on the
return than the way out. My friend was one of the
two who did not get sick.

An interesting web page about a similar subject.

http://www.old-merseytimes.co.uk/plagueships.html

Liverpool Mercury, Saturday, July 5th, 1913

THE PLAGUE SHIPS

The Cholera

Imagine the cargo of several hundred, men, women and
children cooped up together like herrings, all fearful of
destruction among the huge waves, with just a few planks
between them and death.

Then imagine that the rumour has spread that the vessel
is plague stricken, that the dread cholera has broken out
on board!

During the month of November in the year 1853, 28
emigrant ships sailed to America from European ports
carrying, 13,762 passengers. The cholera broke out
on all of the 28 ships, 1,141 persons died, 4 to 5000
people were affected by the cholera.

Table appearing in the New York Herald, December 1853.

[NB the edge of the paper is badly damaged, some parts
illegible, ? added as to missing letters, could guess at
names but would not like to mislead]

L - Length of passage in days

P - passengers

D - Deaths from cholera

FOREST KING, from Liverpool, L- 48, P - 589, D - 39

PRINCE ALBERT, from London, L - 42, P - 378, D - 35

DEVONSHIRE, from London, L - 30, P - 596, D - 27

Wm TAPSCOTT, from Liverpool, L - 35, P - 940, D - 62

CORINTHIAN, from Harve, L - 50, P - 514, D - 44

FORTITUDE, from Harve, L - 40, P - 324, D - 20

CENTURION, from Liverpool, L - 40, P - 392, D - 15

STATESMAN, from Antwerp, L - 37, P - 299, D- 26

? UNION, from Liverpool, L - 38, P - 620, D - 89

?OTHENBURG, from Hamburg, L - 37, P - 290, D - 26

DELAWARE, from Bremen, L - 37, P - 236, D - 15

EMMA FIELDS, from Liverpool, L - 35, P - 439, D - 42

?LHAIN, from Liverpool, L - 29, P - 932, D - 53

?OWARD, from Antwerp,L - 40, P - 265, D - 7

ANTARCTIC, from Liverpool, L - 34, P - 531, D - 65

?MPIRE, from Harve, L - 33, P - 723, D - 73

?INE, from Hamburg, L - 40, P - 205, D - 14

?DELIA, from Liverpool, L - 31, P - 421, D - 24

?ORNELIA, from Liverpool, L - 43, P - 466, D - 13

?LONDA, from London, L - ?, P - 353, D - 33

CONSTELLATION, from Liverpool, L - 33, P - 922, D - 100

?IBERNIA, from Liverpool, L - 30, P - 380, D - 33

?LAS GREENMAN, from Liverpool, L - 45, P - 351, D - 27

?OCHAMBEAN, from Liverpool, L - 38, P - 430, D - 11

Geo HWLBUT, from Harve, L - 36, P - 685, D - 76

NEW WORLD, from Liverpool, L - 34, P - 754, D - 75

?OWHATAN, from Rotterdam, L - 47, P - 196, D - 13

?ARATHON, from Liverpool, L - 59, P - 531, D - 64

The biggest mortality was on the Constellation which
left Liverpool on the 25th October and reached New
York on the 25th November, 34 days, with 922 on
board, it was 2days out when cholera made its appearance.

There was as many as 80 persons sick at one time, 10
people died in one day.

The disease was rendered more virulent by the large
number of emigrants lacking in provisions for the voyage,
dependent on the weekly rations handed out on the
vessel, mortality was therefore excessive amongst
the steerage passengers.

The crowded state of the vessel was most injurious to
the health of the passengers, space allowed per
passenger is 14 ft, the constellation had 7 ft less,
the passengers confined between decks compelled
to breathe the loathsome and fetid atmosphere of
the steerage.

In the steerage apartment the walls are lined with 2 r
ows of bunks placed one above the other, each
capable of accommodating, 2/3 people.

The berths are like temporary bedsteads made in the
roughest style, plain, pine boards.

Each passenger finds his own bedding, generally
scant and of poor description. Hundreds of people
are housed of both sexes and all ages, most
confined to their beds during the voyage in an
enfeebled state.

There are no windows, the only source of light and
ventilation being an opening on the deck 4ft by 6ft.

The scenes occurring on these plague ships are of
the most melancholy character, 3 and 4 children left
without parents, whole families swept off, 10 persons
have died, 80 lie prostrate, several of these in the
convulsive struggle of death.

The vapour rising from this loathsome abode affects
you with the most sick nausea, yet up to 800 people
are breathing its infected atmosphere.

Here is a young woman whose child has been
committed to the deep in the last agonies of the
plague, she has no friends and was on her way
to meet her husband in Michigan, anxiously waiting
their arrival.

We saw his affectionate letter to her enclosing
money to pay her expenses and the liveliest
satisfaction at the prospect of seeing her after
long years of separation.

He is one of hundreds who will look in vain for the
arrival of friends and relatives.

The CONSTELLATON complied with the
requirements of the law, the humanity of the
Captain and officers was spoken of in the highest
terms of praise by the passengers. She appears
to be ventilated as well as any ship can be and
has never had so much sickness and death on
board during the 3 to 4yrs she has been running
between Liverpool and America, the sailors
alarmed by the sickness refused to sail on any
other passenger ships.