. . . I got started with the company of emigrants, and had quite a time crossing the North Sea, but soon got to Liverpool all right. When we got on board the ship, we found there were far too many third-class passengers for the third-class room, and not near enough second-class passengers for the second-class room . To the captain favored our people (that is, the Mormon people) by letting them have the second-class passenger room with the second-class passengers; the same kind of food and care, although they had only paid for third-class fare. This made it much nicer for us--in getting much nicer beds, and better food.
The captains of the different ships like to have our people cross the ocean with them, because they are better behaved than some other people for one thing, and because they feel there is more safety in having Mormon people with them in crossing the ocean. So, as President Schonfeld said to me, the different ship companies are all anxious to get our people to cross the ocean with them. So I think that our captain favored our people to get their goodwill.
It seems that even the captains of the ships had begun to find out that there is some supreme power watching over the Latter-day Saints, which should add to and strengthen anyone's testimony. This was the case on the way going on our mission. After we had entered the ship at New York, the captain, as soon as he came on the ship, asked if there were any Mormons on board, and when he was told that there were sixteen men and two women he said, "Well, then we are all right."
While I was going over Thuner Lake one time I read in a paper that there were over one hundred sailing vessels and ten steamers lost in that one month, and at the same time there was a company of our people crossing the ocean, but we got word that they crossed all right. [p.131]
After we got started, as the captain had been so good to us, I felt to ask the people to behave as well as they knew how to please the captain as much as we could. At first, while we had calm weather, the Saints would get up on deck and sing nice songs, but after the first two days we had an awful stormy sea nearly all the rest of the way. I got so seasick that for a few days I could not stand on my feet, and nearly everybody else got awfully sick. We had such bad storms the captain said that he had not had such a stormy trip for 20 years.
Towards the last, the captain favored our people greatly again. In those days the United States law required all emigrants to go into Castle Garden to be examined, so that if there were any infirm or old without a certain amount of money for them to answer the requirement of the law, they were sent back. Some young people that were members of our Church were sent back while I was on my mission--before we started with our company. Our captain was well pleased with us, and as we had some old people in our company, the captain favored us very much again by fixing it so that the Mormon people did not have to go to the Castle Garden to be examined. A couple of days before we reached New York the captain had the sailors stretch a chain across the deck of the ship and requested all the Mormon people to go on one side of the chain and all the other emigrants to go on the other side of the chain. Then he had our people go down into a large room where there were some clerks before whom they had to report their condition. Then before we got to New York, he had another ship meet his ship. Then he said that all the Mormon people could go over into the other ship, which would take us to Norfolk so that our people would not have to go to Castle Garden to be examined. So our people did not have to undergo the examination like the other emigrants, otherwise, perhaps, some would have to be sent back. [p.132.]
Now after we had had a few days of severe storm, I had a desire to go around to all the Saints to see how they all were, but I was so seasick that I could not walk a step and I was so dizzy. When I got so I could walk I learned that nearly all have been very seasick. There was a very old English lady, who could not eat the food as was brought to her. She would ask me to go to the kitchen to get her some different food that she could eat. She seemed to have plenty of money to pay for anything she wanted, and when she would give me a ten dollar bill to get what she wanted, and when I wanted to give her the change, she would tell me to keep it. I told her I did not wish anything for what I did, and for her to take good care of her money that she might need it very much yet.
After we landed, we missionaries had to buy provisions for the emigrants, and some of the Saints were very particular about getting every cent of change. We tried to get the provisions a little cheaper by asking for, and getting bargain prices by buying in quantity lots so as to save all the money for them we could. Then the other elders got out of patience and said they would do the buying themselves. I nearly got out of patience myself, but I thought that as the Saints could neither talk, nor understand the English language that I would continue to help them to the end of the journey, as I knew the poor Saints would get swindled out of some of their money if there was no one to help them.
The Saints felt so good towards me that when we neared the end of the journey, they put some money together, and made me a present of a five dollar bill. One family gave me their only picture of themselves. It made me feel good to see how well they felt towards me. The Lord has said, that [p.133] the measure you mete unto others, so shall it be measured to you again. Thus it was fulfilled in my behalf that time.
Being anxious to get home as soon as possible on account of my dear wife's sickness, I took the first southbound train, after I got into Salt Lake City, and when I got home my dear wife was sick in bed; but I felt very grateful and thankful to my Heavenly Father that he heard my prayers and preserved her life so that I would get to see her yet alive, and at least relieve her from so much worry and care.
Through the Lord hearing and answering my humble prayers, she soon began to improve again, so the dream which I had before I went on my mission became fulfilled; and as in my dream, I plunged into the big river of muddy water and narrowly saved her from getting drowned; represented by my rushing home to relieve her from heavy worry and care. . . . [p.134]
BIB: Stucki, John S., Family History Journal of John S. Stucki (Salt Lake City: Pyramid Press, 1932) pp. 131-34.
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