"DEPARTURES. -- The magnificent packet ship Emerald Isle sailed from this port for New York on the 20th June, with a company of Saints numbering in all 876 souls. Of these 627 were from Scandinavia, and the rest from the British Isles. The following named returning missionaries were in the company: -- Elders Hans Jensen Hals, John Fagerberg, and Peter Hansen, from the Scandinavian Mission; and James Smith and Henry Barlow, from the British Mission; also Samuel Southwick, James Stuart, Andrew Simmons, and Elisha Peck, native elders, who have been travelling in the ministry. Elder Hans Jensen Hals was appointed president of the company, and Elders James Smith and John Fagergerg his counsellors. Previous to sailing, a meeting was held on deck, when the Saints were addressed by Elder Carl Widerborg in Danish, and Elder Charles W. Penrose in English. Everyone was in good spirits, and was thankful to the God of Israel for deliverance from Babylon. . . . "
MS, 30:27 (July 4, 1868), p.426
"Sat. 20. [June 1868] -- The packet ship Emerald Isle sailed from Liverpool, England, with 876 Saints, under the direction of Hans Jensen Hals. It arrived at New York harbor, after an unpleasant voyage, Aug. 11th. The emigrants landed on the 14th and arrived at Benton, on the Union Pacific Railroad, about seven hundred miles west from Omaha, Aug. 15th Thirty-seven deaths occurred on the ocean, and others died in the hospital in New York."
CC, p.78
". . . About 630 emigrants left Copenhagen by the steamer 'Hansia,' June 13, 1868. On the departure the brethren had considerable trouble with the police authorities in Copenhagen. After a successful voyage across the North Sea, the company arrived in Hull, England, on Tuesday, June 16th, and in the evening of the same day they went by train to Liverpool. Here they found accommodations in seven different hotels, where they, with the exception of one place, received anything but decent treatment; and when they on the 19th went on board the ship 'Emerald Isle,' they were insulted in most every imaginable way. On the 20th the ship sailed from Liverpool, carrying a company of emigrants consisting of 877 souls, of whom 627 were Scandinavians, all in charge of Elders Hans Jensen (Hals) as president with James Smith and John Fagerberg as assistants. Elder Peter Hansen was appointed commissary for the Scandinavians, and Elder Mons Pedersen, who had labored faithfully for four years in the mission office in Copenhagen, was chosen as secretary. Eighteen other Scandinavian emigrants sailed this year by other ships, some of them from Hamburg and some from Norway.
On June 26th the 'Emerald Isle' sailed into the harbor of Queenstown to take fresh water on board, as a certain machine on the vessel used to distill seawater for culinary purposes was out of commission and could not speedily be repaired. While the ship waited at Queenstown Elders Hans Jensen (Hals) and James Smith had an excellent opportunity to accompany the captain on a railway trip to Cork. On the 29th the ship left Queenstown, but the voyage after that was anything but pleasant. The emigrants received very rough and harsh treatment, both from officers and crew, and only by the strong protest of Elder Hans Jensen (Hals) in their behalf did they succeed in getting a part of their rights according to the contract made. On one occasion, when one of the ship's mates attacked a sister by the name of Sander, Brother Jensen took hold of the mate and pulled him away, while sharply reproving him for his conduct. Soon a lot of sailors came up ready for a fight, but the incident ended when the offender got a severe reprimand from the captain, whom Brother Jensen reminded of the promises made. No other company of emigrating Saints from Scandinavia are known to have met with such bad treatment as this on board any ship in crossing the Atlantic Ocean. Fortunately it was the last company of Scandinavian Saints which crossed the Atlantic in a sailing vessel. From that time on only steamers were employed in the transportation of the Saints. It was not alone the rough treatment which the emigrants received from the ship's crew that made the voyage so unpleasant, but the water taken on board at Queenstown soon became stagnant and unfit for use, causing much sickness among the passengers, and no less than 37 deaths occurred on the voyage. Many of these, however, were caused by measles among the children, but the stagnant water, which all the passengers had to use, was undoubtedly the real cause of the heavy death rate.
On August 11th the ship arrived at the entrance of New York harbor and 30 of the sick were taken ashore on Staten Island. The following day (August 12th) eight other sick people were landed, and finally, after being held in quarantine three days, the rest of the emigrants were landed at Castle Garden, August 14th. On the same day a steamer conveyed the emigrants a few miles up the Hudson River, where they found shelter in a warehouse for a couple of days, while their baggage was being weighed. While staying there a boy belonging to the company died. On the 17th the journey was resumed by railway from New York and the emigrants traveled via Niagara, Detroit and Chicago to Council Bluffs, where they arrived on the 21st. The following day (August 22nd) they were taken across the Missouri River by a steamboat and thence they traveled by the Union Pacific Railroad to Benton, seven hundred miles west of Omaha, arriving there in the morning of August 25th. Here the Church teams met the emigrants and took them to their camp on the Platte River, about six miles from Benton, where they remained till August 31st, when the Scandinavian Saints took up the journey across the mountains by ox train led by Captain John G. Holman, while the English emigrants about the same time left by mule teams. Elder Hiram B. Clawson acted this year as emigration agent for the Church. The English Saints traveling with mule teams could ride, while the Scandinavians traveling with slow ox teams, walked most of the way to Salt Lake City. Sickness continuing to rage among the Scandinavian emigrants, about thirty died between New York and Salt Lake City, where the surviving part of this, the 28th, company of emigrating Saints from Scandinavia arrived on the 25th of September, 1868. . . ."
HSM, pp.201-03
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