. . . Thursday 4th June 1863. My brother Jas Hodson came to see us this morning before we started on our voyage. Two steam tugs having arrived 1 1/4 p.m., we left the docks amidst hearty cheering from all aboard & hundreds on shore, not one person being disqualified by the doctor or government [p.454] inspector. We had a splendid address from President [George Q.] Cannon, relative to cleanliness & other important items to be observed for our own benefit on the voyage. President Cannon & suite left us by the last tug off Gravesend. The band that we had on board played beautifully & we cheered them as long as in sight, for their uniform kindness to us. I sent a letter to my brother-in-law Mr. J. Hodson for all friends.
5th. Almost all on board were seasick. We had a head wind, & the ship was often tacked to enable her to make headway. Today the whole ship's company was organized into wards by Elder [William] Brammel, the president of the company & Brother [Edward L.] Sloan & [Richard] Palmer, his counselors, & a president appointed over each ward. I was appointed captain of the guard, & put on the 1st guard at 9 p.m. which consisted of 5 men and a sergeant. One man stationed at each hatchway & the Sargent to patrol the upper deck. Their duty was to see that no sailors went between decks unless accompanied by an officer, & that none of the sisters came up.
6th. Sickness prevailed almost generally. I was not sick & assisted to serve out meat, bread, & sugar. Most of my family were sick, but not very bad. We had head wind all day. ( I put on the guard).
7th. Strong head wind, & we cast anchor off the Isle of the Wight. Sickness somewhat abated, & the remainder of the provisions served out. I put on the guard. Good order prevailed throughout the ship.
8th. Still at anchor. I wrote to my brother, Hodsen. Several men from shore boarded us, & commenced selling butter, oranges, bread, & various other articles at an enormous price to the passengers & I stopped them, & told them they should not sell any more unless they reduced their prices, which was accordingly done. Sickness almost abated. My wife had a [p.455] fainting fit come over had but soon recovered. Brother Sloan requested me to get the singers on hand & find a tune for the Hymn, "For the Strength of the Hills," we [ the rest of the sentence has been burned off the page.]
Tuesday 9th June 1863. I lashed all our tins &c. A light breeze sprung up at 4 p.m. & we raised the anchor by 5. The passengers lent a willing hand. In the act my foot slipped & the lever came down with violent force upon my right foot & hurt me very much, so that I could not walk. I wrote Brother Gregg. Also appointed Brother Pinnack [Pinnock] to put on the guard for me.
10th. We had a head wind & heavy sea on all day & night. The vessel rocked very much, & a great number were sick again. Pinnack [Pinnock] put on the guard.
11th. Scarcely any wind at all. I did not feel well, but my foot was better. Was on deck almost all day, & put on the guard. The sickness that was almost general yesterday abated very much today & the ships presidency regulated the ward meetings.
12th. Today the wind was more in our favor. This evening I assisted Brother Vanderwood to administer to M. Larkins [PROBABLY, Martha Larkin], Sister Bitter [POSSIBLY, Bitton] Cook & Edgell [Edgill], who were sick. Also put on the guard.
13th. The wind about the same as yesterday. Provisions were served out. I gave out the potatoes & all passed off well. My wife & Patty were sick today. I put on the guard.
14th. We had meeting today on deck addressed by Brothers Sloan & Bramall. The sacrament was administered. I appointed several brethren & went on guard during the time between decks--both to prevent goods [p.456] finding wrong owners & the sailors from committing the depredations, & going where they had no business to. This evening our ward meeting was good, & addressed by Brothers Vanderwood, Whatson [Watson], Bitten [Bitton], & self. I put on the guard.
15th. We had a favorable wind & made good progress. Cleaned out our berth & taped our porter. I practiced on the clarinet. All the company almost were well & on deck enjoying the sea breeze. I put on the guard.
16th. Patty was taken sick again. Brother Mitchell & self administered to her. I also assisted Brothers [William] Bramall & [Edward] Sloan to administer to Brother Stoker of our ward, who had been sick more or less ever since we have been on board, & has five children. Ruth done all she could for him & his family. Last night the infant son of Brother & Sister Tavey of London died, & was committed to the deep at 3 p.m. today by Brother Sloan. I gave out [the rest of the sentence has been blurred off the page.]
Wednesday 17th June 1863. Smooth sea & light winds. Three sails in sight. Today by permission of the ships presidency, I organized a choir, consisting of 17 brethren and 27 sisters. Lord, "Dismiss Us With Thy Blessing," &c. was sung at the close of our meeting & prayer by Elder [Richard] Palmer. I then laid down in my berth & fell asleep, & dreamed I had gone back to Cambridge again partly on police duty & partly on church business. The dream was so much like reality that I felt very unhappy while asleep to think I should be so foolish, to leave my family & go back, but when I awoke Ruth was sitting in front of the berth & I felt she was as a guardian angel to me & fairly clasped the timbers of the old ship for joy, & could not refrain from weeping. This evening I assisted Elders Palmer Vanderwood & Barnett [POSSIBLY, James Barrett] to administer to Sister Mary [p.457] Ann Bowing, aged 17, who had a tumor in her side. Her mother and sister were present. She was very sick, but her faith was strong that she would live to get home to Zion. I administered to her several times afterward with different elders. She was very sick on the steamboat & at Florence it seemed as though she must die but after being administer to would revive & on the plain the jolting would cause her great pain but still she clung to life. I have with assistance lifted her out of the wagon. Several times in her bed when we moved & laid her in the shade, she was so weak & her mother & sister, Julia the poet, were almost worn down waiting upon her & for want of sleep. But she got through & I have seen her walk the streets of Great Salt Lake City in good health & happy. I put on the guard.
18th. A stiff breeze was blowing in our favor all day, no sails were in sight. The choir met for practice in the 2nd cabin at 3 p.m. several more joined. I put the guard on.
19th. Weather fine ship going steady, my family well. The choir met at 3 & practiced to 5 p.m. Brother Clegham [POSSIBLY: Cleghorn], our leader, not present. Brother William Fowler took his place. A sail in sight. I put on the guard from the 2nd & 8th wards of [ The rest of the sentence has been burned.]
Saturday 20th June 1863. The weather was cold & stormy. Today I was appointed by Brother Sloan , to look after & attend to the wants of the sick, & with Brother Mitchell administered to Brother Stoker. This afternoon the choir practiced, & this evening I addressed the ward meeting at some length upon duty & order, & put on the guard. Also assisted to serve out provisions in 2nd cabin on account of the weather.
21st. The weather was very rough & stormy. Had a testimony meeting [p.458] in our ward at 10 a.m. A good spirit prevailed & we felt blessed. Meetings today. Lower deck, Brother Bramall. Intermediate, Sloan. 2nd Cabin, Palmer. Bachelors Hall, Edwards. Brothers Cole, Deer, Lee, & self on duty during the time. Patty was very sick today.
22nd. Head wind. Rough sea. Made very little progress. A drove of black fish passed the vessel which the sailors said indicated bad weather. Provisions were served out. Patty still very sick. I had a severe headache & went to bed. William Reed got up & put on the guard for me.
23rd . Head wind & heavy sea all day. Patty still very ill with diarrhea & I fetched the doctor to her. Sick myself & William Reed put on the guard for me. I dreamed tonight that we were all in the Valley & Mr. Reed & family with us.
24th . Wind more in our favor. One third of the journey done. A school of porpoises surrounded the ship. Mr. Williams first mate struck one with the harpoon but did not get it. Patty somewhat better. I had mustard plasters on my chest & loins, & felt much better & stood on guard with my ward brethren. Very rough & stormy all night. Brother Palmer came to me & told me he had been informed by Brother Rowland Braithwaite that my little boy Jos was on guard. I told him it was not so but I allowed him to be on deck with me for a time, & advised Brother Braithwaite not to interfere with the guard anymore as he had found great fault with it, without cause.
25th. Weather calm. I had a severe pain in my head & went to bed. Slept & when I awoke I was free from pain. Patty still very ill. Our ward testimony was very good. Brother Watson from Crew Lincolnshire, [p.459] stated he knew a man at crew that was possessed with devils & near to death, that he & another Brother laid hands upon him & rebuked them. They left him & entered his [The rest of the sentence has been burned.]
Friday 26th June 1863. The weather mild and sea calm. Provisions served out I gave out the potatoes. Ruth not very well today, & had a dream tonight in which she thought we were home in Zion & that she was married to me & had one child. Sister Martha Sykes also had a dream respecting Brother Morgan & Sister S.A. Crisp, that caused her to feel unhappy. Patty was administered to by Brother Palmer & myself. She was no better. I put the guard on.
27th. Calm, several whales in sight & it was very interesting to see them throwing up the water. Sister Patty was much better. Arrangements were made on board the ship to celebrate the Fourth of July, in honor of the independence of (the U.S. of) America. Sister Martha Sykes, related to me a very remarkable dream she had last night, respecting an infant a coffin, &c. Brother M. and Sister C. were the actors in the scene. Brother Vanderwood being sick I took charge of the ward; meetings & spoke upon the duties of the Saints self government &c. Put on the guard.
28th. I attended ward meeting, at 7 a.m. Sacrament meeting at 11. Brother Mitchell & myself addressed the meeting. A good spirit prevailed this morning. We spoke & passed the ship "Constantine". She sailed from Liverpool eight days before we sailed from London. This afternoon we had district meetings between decks. Brother Evans took charge of ours in second cabin, had a good time. Sister Braithwaite, Senior son spoke in tongues. We had a strong head wind & storm from 7 to 8 p.m. the rain came down in torrents. The sea rolled & the vessel tossed & rocked almost all the sails were furled except the jibs one of which was blowed away & torn to shreds. [p.460] After the storm abated I put on the guard from the 1st & 2nd Wards.
29th. At 5 a.m. myself with several others assisted to haul in the shattered sail. The wind blew strong in our favor. Passed the ship "Miner" from Liverpool this morning after another vessel in sight. I attended ward meeting at 7 a.m. & had some talk with Brother Bramall upon self government, &.c & spent most of the day on the forecastle practicing the clarinet. Held a district meeting [in the] second cabin, this afternoon. After the storm last evening [part of the sentence has been burned.] beautiful, & the sea was calm.
Tuesday June 30th 1863. We were becalmed. The ship seen yesterday lay some distance off on our broadside. The day was very fine, & the sailors worked at the rigging. I read Sister Kings last letter to me in England to Brothers Vanderwood, Pinnack [Pinnock], Gale. (Put on guard)
July 1st. I with others was on the forecastle at 1 a.m. several sperm whales passed just in front of the vessel in a westerly direction. At 6 a large dog fish was in sight. William Reed caught a naucles, but after being told it was dangerous, its bite being poisonous, threw it overboard again. A starfish was also caught. My family well. I did not feel very well today.
2nd. I was on the deck at 5 a.m. hundreds of porpoises were in sight, & looked beautiful as they raced & splashed along. I took charge of the ward meeting this morning. This evening we had dancing on deck, the band played first rate. Brother Cole, Lydiard, Wells, Deer, & self on guard today. I appointed a morning guard to commence when the night guard was relieved, as two or three of the sisters rose early, & came on deck, & were seen to go round the poop deck, contrary to order. [p.461]
3rd. I was on duty at 5 a.m. with Brothers Pinnack [Pinnock], Lydiard & Gale. Provisions were served out today. I gave out the potatoes. The captain sent for me as I was on guard & suggested to reduce the water to two quarts. Today as we were becalmed & seven vessels in sight around us, which the captain said looked like a long calm. I fetched Brother Sloan, & it was done. The captain promising we should have all the water we wanted for washing proper before we arrived at New York. This evening Brother Spendlove & wife were last on the forecastle & refused to go down. Brother Pinnack [Pinnock] & self waited & saw them off.
4th. The business of the day commenced by raising the American flag to the mast's head. The band played the Star Spangled Banner, Hail Columbia, &c. Dancing & singing on deck during the day. I commenced guard at 5 a.m. & kept a guard during the day all passed of first rate the sailors behaved themselves well some few of the sisters were a little to free with them. We passed the Spanish brig, rest the day was fine, & the sea smooth. I had some talk with Sister S. A.C. respecting her husband & [-] I spoke at our evening ward meeting [ The rest of the sentence has been burned.]
Sunday 5th July 1863. We had a rain storm this morning at 9, but it soon cleared. George came & told me that a Brother Watson of crew Lincolnshire had been trying to persuade him I had not treated him as I ought, & otherwise interfering with my family affairs, but the boy knew it was wrong & felt it his duty to inform me of the facts. We had a good time in our sacrament meeting this morning. I spoke as I felt led by the Holy Spirit, upon the necessity of the Saints being alive to their own interests & the upbuilding of the Kingdom of God, attend to their [p.462] own business & not be watching for iniquity all the time finding a fault, &.c Elder Jas Atley of London followed in the same strain. Brother Vanderwood then made some good remarks upon the same subject. General meeting on deck addressed by Brother Sloan upon the first principles of the gospel. This evening I told Brother Sloan what George told me & received his council upon it, which was to take no notice of it.
6th. I dreamed last night I saw Sister S.A.C. in great danger across some water & thought I crossed the water & fetched her through all right but had great difficulty in doing so &c., & told her of it & advised her to be very careful in what she said & done to be humble & seek the guidance of the Spirit of the Lord in all things, & she promised to do so, & told me she would do right in all things, God being her helper. I also had some talk with my wife & told her she ought to defend me as her husband & not take the course she had done for years past try to pull me down & listen to what everybody said about me, &c. We arrived off the banks of Newfoundland today & had a head wind and dense fog to contend with the large bell as a fog signal was rung every few minutes. I put on the guard & had Brothers Barrett & Morgan between decks in consequence of the feeling of the sailors toward them.
7th. I had some talk with Brother Sloan respecting the dream I had on Sunday night & he told me the last part of it meant if I was not very useful, & she very wise in doing her good, I should do myself harm. [Attended] our district meeting in our ward today. [part of the sentence has been burned.] Sloan & Bramall the holy spirit was poured. [The rest of the sentence has been burned.]
Wednesday, July 8th 1863. We had head wind today, but passed a Spanish [p.463] brig. Brothers [Bitter] Bitton & Cook who occupied the next berths to mine had an altercation with each other today. Brother Bitter [Bitton] was blind & cook accused him of what he was not guilty, namely interfering with his affairs. We held our first concert this afternoon in the Seventh Ward of the ship. President Evans & had a real good time. I recited the Drunken Sailors & The Returning Sinner. This evening we had a testimony in our ward. I addressed the meeting & spoke a spirit of suspicion, fault finding, &c. that had manifested itself in the ward. Brother Atley followed with very appropriate remarks upon the same subject.
9th. We had another concert in the Seventh Ward this afternoon. Brothers Bramall & Sloan were present & we had a good time. I got my box, & Sister S. [Susan] Pilgrim & A. Watts bags out of the hold of the ship. Brother Bitter [Bitton] spoke at our ward meeting & stated his feelings respecting Cook & that he had no hard feelings toward him. Cook remained upon deck until 11 p.m. & would not come down.
10th. Fair wind today. 800 miles from New York. Provisions were served out. I gave out the potatoes. A council was held by the ward president, the luggage for New York & Florence was sorted out. I put on the guard from the 2nd and 8th Wards.
11th. Latitude 43-20, longitude 58-17. Wind southwest, weather very fine. Distance to Sandy Hook 7.30 miles. A general meeting on deck addressed by Brothers Bramall & Sloan, upon the necessity of the Saints being careful in all things on their journey from New York to Florence.
Sunday 12th. Brothers Bitter [Bitton] & Cook refused the sacrament this morning. I addressed the meeting & they afterwards partook. We had a good meeting on deck this afternoon addressed by Brothers Bramall & Sloan upon the first [p.464] principles of the gospel. We passed a Prussian Bark [the rest of the sentence has been burned.] Band played & the whole company cheered heartily which was returned by the bark. She appeared to be an emigrant vessel, by the number on board. Jane Slade of London with whom we had no little trouble on account of her bad conduct, I ordered off the poop deck this evening. This evening I gave each member of my family of nine persons a glass of wine each that we had brought with us. I put on the guard for the night from 1st and 4th Wards.
July 13th. We were 470 miles from Sandy Hook & 495 from New York this morning with a fair wind. Studding sails set both sides of the ship, large schools of black fish passed in front of us. One of the sailors broke a blood vessel today. I repacked Ruth's & William Reeds bags & got Sister Watt's & S.[Susan] Pilgrim's out. Also unpacked my box that was filled with provisions for the journey.
14th. I commenced a letter to my friends & Ruth one to hers. Packed up my things. Had a southwest wind & were going very fast. We were 330 miles from New York at 4 p.m. A thick fog set in. At 6 Jane Slade went round the Poop Deck. George Smith who was on duty watching her & others fetched me. I ordered her off & she refused to go. The black steward was present but I sat down and stopped until she went down. I put on the guard at 8 p.m. At midnight a steam ship passed us so close that we could hear the bells of both vessels that were used as fog signals ringing very violently.
15th. Still foggy, & the bell ringing. Cast lead line this morning & found a sandy bottom at 35 fathoms. Continued sounding all day with very little variation. At night found 35 fathoms. I had a very violent [p.465] attack of diarrhea today & Brother Sloan brought me a glass of medicine. The remainder of the potatoes were given out today. Had a district meeting in our ward addressed by Brothers Bramall Sloan, & Palmer upon American coinage &c.
Thursday, 16th July 1863. I was better, the diarrhea had stopped. Found 22 fathoms at 10 a.m. Still foggy, 180 miles from Sandy Hook. Wind southwest. Latitude 40-40, longitude 69.45 with prospect of fog clearing. My wife down with diarrhea today. I put on an extra guard by instructions from Brother E. [Edward] L. Sloan.
17th. A stream troop ship passed us at 8 a.m. My wife better, found 36 fathoms at 6 a.m. End of Long Island in sight at 8:30. Fog had cleared off & nine sails were in sight. A breeze sprung up from the north at 9:30. Our studding sails were set & we were going along joyfully. Brother Sloan was very sick. We were packing & clearing up all day. Found 26 fathoms at 12 noon. Sighted Fire Island at 6 p.m. A pilot came on board at 6:30. The New York Papers were read on board informing us of the riots that were going on there, which caused great excitement on board. Port Hudson was taken by federal. We were going 7 knots an hour, & were 42 miles from Sandy Hook this evening. I lent my perpetual calendar pencil case to William Reed & he dropped it overboard, for which he was very sorry as it was the gift of a Brother Policeman. I purchased Brother Saint's Enfield Rifle Sord Bayonet 95, round of cartridges & all the screws & fixing belonging there to for 4.14.0. I put 12 men on guard tonight from the 1st & 15th Wards.
18th. My wife was still improving, but my son George W. was taken down with diarrhea. Several pilot boats were in sight pulling toward vessels [p.466] that were making for the harbor. We had a northwest wind. Passed Sandy Hook at 12 p.m., A tug steamed up to us & the captain made arrangements with the captain of the same to tow us into harbor for $100. Splendid scenery both sides of the river. A transport loaded with troops for the city passed us, & we were informed there was 4500 troops already there to quell the riot. We anchored in the harbor about p.m. Our band played the Star Spangled Banner, & we gave several hearty [cheers]. The government doctor came on board examined & passed us all right. The officers of the customs came on board this evening & our cabin passengers landed. A perfect forest of ships were in sight. Six New York runners came on board, but finding they were watched by our guard, four left the ship & the other two were arrested by the guard. Brother Pinnack [Pinnock] fetched me & I questioned them. One told me he kept a boarding house & had come on board to see if any of us wanted to stay in New York. The other said he came to engage seamen. I told them we were not a prey for land sharks & ordered them to be kept under guard behind the poop deck, & the first boat that came alongside sent them ashore. They threatened to lay in wait for me in New York, but I told them I was well acquainted with blacklegs and thieves in the old country & knew how to treat them in the new. I then placed a guard of 12 men on & relieved them every four hours, so that no more such characters could come aboard & no one was allowed to board us with a reference to the captain or first mate, or Brothers Bramall & Sloan. Also assisted Brother Morgan to administer to Sister Hannah Braithwaite who was very sick at 11p.m.
Sunday, July 19th 1863. I got up at 4 a.m. & served out water from the captain's tank to all that thought proper to have it & any quantity they [p.467] chose. Afterwards got up the guard from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The "Cynosure" that started with a load of Saints from Liverpool five days before we sailed from London, arrived at 10 a.m. & anchored alongside us. Our band played some lively tunes & both ships company's cheered each other in right good style, for we were heartily glad to see her, as we had made every inquiry & could not hear anything of her. Brother Stairs came on board at 11-addressed us from the poop deck & gave us some good instructions relative to our journey through the states, across the plains, & exhorted us to be patient & forbear one with another. I wrote a letter to our relatives in England & received one from my wife's brother & family informing us they were all well, &c. The whole company prepared to leave the ship & I had some difficulty in getting up the guard from 8 p.m. tonight to 8 in the morning. The weather was exceedingly fine & warm. Ruth was somewhat better this evening than she had been during the day. A Brother Watson from crew Lancashire who was in our ward & had been very interfering at times with my family during the voyage, & once tried to persuade my son, George, that I did not treat him as I ought, & the boy told me of it. This evening caused quite a disturbance in my family. My wife siding with him against me. When I found by his words that he had been watching me for iniquity during the voyage, & had surmised evil in many instances where good was intended which made me feel very angry & it was with difficulty [that] I restrained myself from ringing his nose. Brother Sloan came & advised me to take no notice to it & said if there was anything to settle he, with Brother Bramall, would settle it in the morning & requested Watson to be quiet & hold his tongue, but he refused. Sister S. [Sara] A. Redmill came [p.468] & fetched Ruth to her berth for the night & I slept on the boxes I had been packing, feeling very sorry for what had occurred as it was the last night we had to spend on the good ship Amazon. R. [Rowland] Braithwaite refused to stand guard on the fo'c's'le from 4 to 8 p.m. & I sent him down & put another man on in his stead. Today Thomas Porcher & wife & his sister, M. A. came on board to see their friends & were very pleased to hear of their relatives in Cambridge, & informed me of their plans to get Brother Porcher & family out to New York as soon as possible. They were well & doing well.
[Written at the top of the page is:] No 7; [also in pencil is the following:] (July 20 1863 left the ship at 6 p.m. arrived at Castle Garden at 8 p.m.)
Monday July 20th 1863. I got up at 4 a.m. & served out the water from the captain's tank. I then finished packing my baggage. My son, George W., William Reed, with twenty-eight others were appointed under Brother Pinnack [Pinnock] to superintend the baggage department through the states. Today we cooked one of the chops we had brought with us, which was very good. At 6 p.m. orders were given to clear the ship in one hour, which was done & at 7 all were on board the barge sent to fetch us & we were soon streaming across the river to Castle Garden. As we left we gave three hearty cheers for the good old ship & three more for the captain & officers & crew, which was heartily responded to by three times three for us. At 8 we landed at the Garden. The westside was already occupied by Irish, Dutch, & German emigrants, & we occupied the other & I put on a good guard by the advice of the officer in charge to prevent any of the other emigrants from coming over to our side of the establishment. Brother Pinnack [Pinnock] also put a good guard over the luggage which remained on [p.469] the barge. It was here I received the first paper money.
21st. At 6 a.m. we left the Garden, & were soon streaming up the river. We took the train at 9. The luggage was soon removed from the barge to the cars & off we started by the Hudson River Railroad. The mountains, hills, & valleys dotted here & there with beautiful dwellings & graceful trees that grew on the mountains & the verdant plains presented one of the most beautiful pictures we had ever beheld. It was on this journey I first beheld oxen at work, hauling timber. We stopped at 4 3/4 p.m. at a village called Poughkeepsie where we provided some food. The people were very kind to us. I placed a guard on at each carriage & a patrol guard over the baggage wagons. After seeing all the doors were made fast, the baggage guard called me up at midnight & told me they had observed some suspicious men [among] the cars & had lost sight of them all at once. The train was now standing in a cutting with immense walls of solid rock on either side having moved a short distance from the village. I examined the cars & found alright. Placed another guard on & retired to rest again. At 2 a.m. just as I was entering my carriage I heard a loud smash in one of the carriages & women screaming. Went to see what was the matter & found there had been an accident with the lamp, but no damage was done.
22nd . The train left Poughkeepsie at 4 a.m. passed the Catskill Mountains. Saw the grape, holly hock & a variety of other flowers that are cultivated in England, growing wild on both sides of us as we passed along, & immense flocks of geese & other fowl swimming on the river. We stopped at Strivesent Landing in consequence of a culvert being washed away by the late floods. The stores were all closed in consequence of [p.470] the hostile feeling that existed between the citizens & soldiers. Passed the Castleton & over the broken bridge that had delayed us, one side of which was still under water, & three cars by lying on their sides. One was smashed up plainly showing there had been an accident. Arrived at Albany at 2 o'clock. Crossed the river & here our baggage was weighed. Sister Mary Davis' child died in the train, & I paid $6 1/4 by authority of Brother Bramall for a coffin & funeral expenses. I purchased provisions in the city & started on again at 6 p.m. & traveled all night.
23rd . We passed through Rochester where we stopped for another engine. Crossed the Cincinnati Rapid Falls, passed through a newly settled country with farms on each side of us & harvesting was going on. Stopped at Albion for water passed, Lockpool, & crossed the Suspension Bridge built in honor of the Prince of Wales to Niagara Falls, which we heard & saw about 12 miles up the river. We stopped about two hours, & purchased provisions. Started again at 4 p.m. & went about two miles from Brownsville, one of the luggage cars got on fire. It was soon uncoupled & the engine ran on ahead with it about a mile to where there was water, & the fire was soon put out & the luggage was got out about thirty bags & boxes were burned & two or three beds. Amongst the principal sufferers was Brother Athay of the White Chapel Branch, London. The luggage was then put back in the car, run back coupled to the train & we were soon on our journey again, but had not proceeded far when we saw fire again. The train soon stopped when we found one of the boxes of the wheel of another luggage car & the axle red hot. We soon quenched it, but having no grease, it soon was red hot again & sent out quite a blaze, but we run on it almost lightning speed to Hamilton where we left the car as the axle was melted so bad that it could not travel. My son, [p.471] George W., & four others were left in charge of it & to remove the luggage to another car, & we traveled on all night. A heavy thunderstorm broke upon us at midnight & the rain fell in torrents.
24th July 1863. We arrived at Detroit all safe at 12 noon & crossed the Detroit River in a steamer. Large flocks of wild fowl were on the water. Left Detroit in the evening. There was great confusion amongst the passengers on account of the scarcity of carriages & about 100 were left behind but they came on by express & joined us about 3 a.m. We arrived at Chicago 1 o'clock in the afternoon of Saturday.
25th. I went into the city & brought all the bread I could find & sent one load to the train, & when I arrived with the second load the train had just started. I then saw the superintendent & told him of the circumstances & he sent a porter with me, & we loaded the bread in the guard's van of the Express Train, & started with it about four hours after our train had left. But we overtook our train the same evening & very soon transferred the bread, & the Saints were pleased to see it as we had not been able to buy all we needed on the route, & many were hungry. It was soon all served out, & we traveled on all night & arrived at Quincy on Sunday afternoon.
July 26th 1863. We found a little bread for sale close by the depot & bought it. But the stores were all closed, in consequence of a state law that came in force for the first time today compelling all stores to be closed on Sundays. We crossed the Mississippi River in two companies on the ferry boat & were safely lodged in cattle trucks, & towards evening started for Palmyra, 16 miles from the ferry. At Palmyra we were divided into two trains the baggage & one passenger car forming one & the passengers, the other, & [p.472] off we started for St. Joseph. Traveled all night & next day & arrived to St. Joseph about midnight Monday July 27. It was a long tiresome ride & a very bad road. The rails having been tore up by the army & only a temporary road laid in our way. The engine draw bar pulled out which delayed us for a short time. Once the U.S. soldiers were a little annoying when we stopped. We traveled part of the way the fastest I ever saw a train run & at times the cars rocked violently & jumped off the rails, & I was agreeably surprised no accident had occurred. The weather was excessively hot & we were short of water. The 2nd train arrived at
St. Joseph about two hours after us, all safe. We purchased all the bread for sale in the city.
Tuesday 28th July. About two thirds of the Saints & one car of baggage was taken on board the steamboat "Hudson" & at 7 a.m. & we left St. Joseph & steamed away up the Missouri River. Brothers Sloan & Pinnock stayed in charge of the remaining Saints & baggage, & I had charge of their families. I was very much disappointed with the mighty Missouri as it is called, for the water was very low & it was covered with sand banks & old trees that had drifted down & were stuck on the sand banks. We stopped at a German village & Brother Bramall & myself went ashore & bought all the crackers, cheese, butter, & eggs we could get. There was no bread to be had in the [place]. When we were in the village, a violent thunderstorm came on. I had carpet slippers on & could scarcely keep on my legs. Some that went with us lost their way in the darkness & one we got to the landing place again. The stage was so very wet & muddy, several slipped down, myself among the number, & some fell over into the river. The Saints on board were very hungry, & glad to see us return but [p.473] we could not purchased half what was needed. Passed a few straggling villages on the banks of the river, & having made seventy miles anchored for the night.
Wednesday 29th July 1865. At daybreak the steam was up & off we started Brother William McLachlan's child died during the night. It had been sick for some time. My wife & Sister M. A. Wagstaff were down with diarrhea as were many others brought in by drinking the river water which was very thick & muddy. William Reed was also very ill & I fetched a doctor that was on board to see him & he gave me medicine for him. The lead line was cast every minute or two & the boat actually kept moving in three feet & a half of water. The scenery & inlands looked very beautiful . We stopped & landed freight at Nebraska City & Brother Athay & myself went into the city & bought a box of crackers & some meat. While I was gone, William Reed was missing from the part of the boat occupied by my family, & Sister Ruth Coe went & searched for him & in the search fell down the fore Hatchway & put her kneecap out & hurt her side very bad, & was unable to move. Brother Bramall obtained medicine from the doctor & gave to the Saints that were taken with diarrhea & towards evening, they were better. The boat all day was a perfect hell all day. One of the sailors threatened to knock me down, simply because I requested him to allow me to pass before him with Sister M. A. Wagstaff who was so sick that she could not stand. And when we anchored at night, the soldiers & citizens were very insolent & demanded to come on board. I told them many of the women & children were sick & were sleeping & they could not pass. Then put a strong guard on to prevent them.
Thursday 30th July 1863. We started again at daybreak & shortly [p.474] afterwards got aground which delayed us for some time, but after much difficulty we got off again & landed freight at Council Bluffs, a city founded by the Saints when they were exiled from [-]. We then steamed on to Omaha where we stopped all night. I went into the city & purchased a Gt [UNCLEAR] bottle of anaca [UNCLEAR] for Ruth's knee & some things for William Reed, neither were any better today & after putting on a good guard, I retired to rest.
31st. We started again at daybreak, & arrived at Florence at 8 a.m. where we landed with our luggage, very thankful were done with the boat which was the worst hellhole I ever was in. I bathed with my boys & others in the river, but the teams were soon down to the river to fetch us & off we started for camp about four miles above the city. William Reed was kindly received by Mrs. Hall at the Florence Hotel, where he stayed until we started on the plains. Hannah Webb [&] I went with to Brother Pipers who kept the principal stores in Florence as his wife was sick where she also stayed. On our way to camp, the scenery was mountainous & beautiful. The day was very hot. We drank at a beautiful cold spring on the way. Ruth's knee was a little better, but she could not put her foot on the ground. Provisions was served out as soon as we got to camp, which were very acceptable as many could not get sufficient to eat coming up the river. We soon fetched wood & the fires were going all round the camp, & we had a hearty meal of first class bacon & hot cakes made with saleratus that was served out with dried apples. I got Brother Sloan's & Pinnock's families next to mine & the Cambridge Saints, except M. A. Wagstaff who had stopped at Florence with Sister Sykes & saw they had wood to burn, & were as comfortable as we could [p.475] be under the circumstances which was heaven itself, compared with the railway & steamboat traveling. And after singing & praying we retired to rest.
Saturday Aug. 1st 1863. Provisions were served in abundance to all the camp. Ours was the Dixie Train. Daniel McArthur, captain, the boat with the remainder of our luggage & passengers & also the "Cynosure" Saints & baggage arrived at Omaha yesterday & landed her freight, & passengers as she could not get any further up the river. . . . [p.476]
. . . Saturday Oct 3rd 1863. This morning I started early with my boys & arrived at my Uncle Clark's Sugarhouse Ward, Salt Lake City, about noon. Were gladly received. My wife & the remainder of my family arrived shortly afterwards. After partaking refreshment, the train came along & off we started to the camping ground in the Eighth Ward of the city where we [p.506] were met by several old friends. . . . [p.507]
BIB: Larkin, Elijah. Diaries, pp. 454-76, 506-07. Typescript (Ms 1884) (CHL)
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