. . . In the spring of 1855, the annual call was made for a number of the oldest members of the church to emigrate to the land of Zion. The call was responded to by Saints from all parts of the British Isles. Those who could pay their fare and those who needed help were instructed to forward their names with a recommend to the president of the European Mission in Liverpool. The presidents of the different branches of the church having this part of the business to attend to. The list of the passengers was soon made up and a vessel was chartered and a number of passengers it would accommodate. Then the number of Saints from each branch that were recommended by the president of that branch. I had applied for a passage, but being a new member and a young man, my application was not accepted. I was disappointed, but there was one who could and would see to it that I should be one of the many passengers on that ship that was to leave Liverpool on the 22nd day of May. She had helped me before, she would help me again. Seeing the president, he was informed that my passage money was ready and I must sail on the Horizon when the vessel left its morning place. He finally gave his consent and the name of J.[John] W.[William] Southwell was added to list of the eight hundred who would leave the shore of all of old England on the date mentioned.
The time was fast approaching when I would leave my dear old England. Sad were the scenes when parting arrived. My dear young brother whom I adored in my hard labors, had helped me in so many instances to raise him to his prosperous condition. The final separation, one could hardly expect to meet again in our old familiar hunts. My two oldest sisters, who with their families had many times added comfort to my aching heart and still clung to me, had in their parting called down a blessing of God upon the brother with whom they so reluctantly separated. Seeing between my dear old mother and myself, is heart rending in the extreme and as we passed over with a brief mention you will surely realize the agony of spirit we endure. We must pass on to other scenes on the program.
On the 22nd the Horizon was scheduled to sail, consequently the Saints must be in Liverpool the day previous. To accommodate all, rooms had to be engaged with bed and board. The Saints were so notified. The president had all the arrangements made in advance so no mistakes were expected. On the night of the [p. 5] 21st the Saints held a farewell meeting. This meeting was hugely enjoyed by all present. The program consisted of recitations, songs and speeches by elders of Zion who had gathered to speak especially on this occasion. It was a late hour when the loving and brilliant assemblage dispersed to their homes. As the train that was to transport us and luggage to Liverpool was due at the railway station at eleven o'clock, the Saints and a multitude of others were up early and the station was filled to overflowing. Arrangements being made with the conductor, time was given to sing a few lines of the hymn. It ran like this:
Farewell all earthly honors, we bid you all adieu.
Farewell all sinful pleasures, we want no more of you.
We want our union grounded on the eternal soil,
Beyond the powers of Satan,
Where sin can ne`er beguile.
At the end of this a tremendous cheer went up and a long blast of the engine whistle and we were on our way to the town of Liverpool, at that time the greatest shipping center in the world.
The 22nd, the last morning we were to see our native shores dawned upon us in all its grandeur. It was fair and fine, not a breeze to interrupt our successful boarding the grand old ship as she lay all ready underway out in the open waters, ready to receive her precious cargo. I will give you an idea by the few lines that Elder Silas H. Wheelock had hastily composed for the departing Saints to sing on leaving our land. It is but a few lines and ran as follows:
Our gallant ship is underway to bear me out to sea.
And yonder floats the steamer gay that says she waits for me.
The seamen dip their ready oars as ebbing waves oft tell,
To bear me swiftly from the shore, my native land, farewell.
As the gay decorated steamer towed us to the Horizon, sound was heard above all other noise and din, "My Native Land, Farewell." The transfer from the steamer to the sailing vessel was done in wonderful short time. Captain Reed, President Edward Martin, Tyler and Toone, conducted the business. Captain Reed had a good manly lot of sailors to render assistance who were experts in that line of handling freight. It will be necessary to explain some here so the manner in which the business was handled will be better understood. In the first place the vessel had three decks which the Saints would occupy. The officers mentioned had met on the vessel and made all those divisions. It was necessary for young men to have one division alone for the night and access to the wards of their families where they could take their meals together and be near the cooking galley where all the meals were issued by a head cook who had sole charge of that apartment. There was eight wards and a president over each ward. The food consisted of salt beef, salt pork, and vegetables with sea biscuits by way of bread. The cook would generally have some kind of pudding as a side dish. There were many of the passengers who had a goodly supply of their own which they had provided themselves and which was more palatable than the sea fare. I, myself, with those with whom I was traveling had a fine boiled ham, a fine cheddar cheese and several loaves of old English plum cake and a good size [of] plum pudding. So you can see we were independent of Mr. Sea Cook for a variety of good things. After all were on board, the captain ordered to weigh anchor. All hands were alert and the order obeyed. Soon the rattling of the huge anchor chains were heard and the beautiful Horizon floated away from its mooring place. The Saints were mostly on deck and above the [-] voices of the sailors the [p. 6] familiar sound of, "My Native Land Farewell" was heard. Many a silent prayer went up to heaven asking our Heavenly Father to protect us while on the raging sea.
It was a beautiful day, not a cloud to be seen. When we reached deep water the first deep water tribe made their appearance. The captain said they were a large school of dolphins. Their backs of gold showing above the surface of the sea green water. Other fine sights of the sea might be explained. The shad [MEANING: clupeid fishes] might be mentioned. This is by way of the first sunset on the sea. I cannot find language to explain its beauties, it was magnificent after sunset.
It is funny to relate one of the lady passengers asked the captain what place he would stay for the night. She explained that she had the children to attend to and have her work done before dark. He smiled and explained the gong would sound when the ship would stop but it failed to sound and the poor thing was compelled to put the children to bed without attending to their needs. She was heard to remark, "This is a hard way to serve the Lord, for is not cleanliness a part of godliness? John, I want to go back home." This for the present was destined to be our situation. It was our own choosing, let us enter no complaints.
The second day out we encountered a gale that came nearly capsizing our ship. Precautions had been taken to avoid such a disaster as this but it happened nevertheless. We had lashed our loose belongings and supposed we were safe but the storm was a hard one. It came near being fatal in some instances as not only goods turned topsy-turvy but some of our old and feeble people were felled to the deck with such violence that they were rendered helpless for a few days, and this proved to be our first taste of a much talked of seasickness which also proved very injurious to the greater number on board. There was scarcely a person on the ship but was so helpless he could not render any service to those afflicted, and what made the case more pitiable, a horrible dysentery attacked the majority of the passengers. Medicines were plenty, but they seemed to have no effect. This state of things made it hard on a few who were not afflicted to such an extent. This state of affairs lasted for about eight days when it grew less severe. But it stayed with a few until our arrival in the Port of Boston, to which place we had been sailing for five whole weeks. Fresh sights in the water and fresh happenings on the ship made it very interesting. The first of any note was a large man-eating shark. Expecting to see some of those monsters, the mate brought his Sharpe rifle. The shark was away in minute. The swift movement caused a huge wave which brought the monster to the surface. The shot was fired and he turned on his side and floated away. Standing close to the side of the ship was an old sailor with a harpoon attached to a rope and then made fast to the ship. In a twinkling of an eye, the harpoon was launched into the body and after a few terrific lunges, he was made a prisoner. A block and tackle was made fast to the harpoon and he was hoisted onto the deck. While he laid on the deck, a line was laid along his carcass and he proved to measure 30 feet long. Proof was not taken of his weight, but the old whaler judged him to weigh 2,500 pounds. The carcass was cut up and deposited in a large barrel in the hold of the ship with some chemicals to extract the oil, called whale oil.
A large drove of porpoises were next seen. They resembled a band of horses on the run. This attitude gave them the name of the seahorse. It was a wonderful sight. It seemed to fill a space of half a mile square. The only sound that would draw our attention from this beautiful scene was the gong of the cook calling us to dinner, which, as we eat an early breakfast, we readily obeyed. [p. 7]
After dinner, we beheld something wonderful. A young lady and a young gentleman, both members of the church, made it up to give an exhibition wedding. The captain, being authorized to perform that service, was called upon to act in that capacity. The grand exhibition we were to behold was to have the ceremony performed on the topmast of the Horizon. We were then about 400 miles away from Liverpool. The plan that was adopted was to build a scaffold, place three chairs on this, which, being attached to the rigging of the mast, was to be hoisted into position and here held by the sailors on deck until the ceremony was performed. The two who were to be married were to hold a flag each; the one bidding "My Native Land Farewell," the other flying the stars and stripes, the red, white and blue. All was ready when the gong struck two. It was the signal to hoist. The second mate had command. "Steady boys" was the order and "skyward." The procession moved slowly. When nearing the top, the young lady gave a light scream, but captain gave her assurance that all was well. Again the word "steady" was given by the mate and all was quiet. Captain Reed spoke to the audience, "Give your attention." A death-like silence ensued and in measured tones which were audible to all, calling them by name, using the old English marriage code. "Will you have this woman to be thy lawful wife." "I will". "Will you have this man to be thy lawful husband?" "I will." "With and by the authority invested in me, I pronounce you man and wife." At the sound of these last words, a cheer went up and, "May your lives be long, happy, and prosperous." Then at the words, "Steady boys", the scaffold was steadily lowered. When the scaffold touched the deck, a hundred hands were offered the bride and bridegroom in joyous congratulations. The steward of the ship, with Captain Reed, in a joyful and liberal manner, presented everyone on board a large glass of old English champagne with which his locker was so well supplied. The captain ordered the deck cleared, and as the night was brilliantly lighted, dancing and merry-making was in order and kept up till the wee small hours. Thus ended one of the most pleasant times that had fallen to my lot to take an active part in all the proceedings.
The next morning, after breakfast, there was a great surprise in store for us. The lookout had sighted a huge whale ahead. This thrilling call brought all hands to the deck. At that moment, the skies were filled with a thousand rainbows, caused by the whale spouting the water with the spray in the sun in such a way that it resembled the effect spoken of. The sights on the waters were endless and sublime.
I would not do justice to my narrative without relating a sad story of a fatal incident. As a rule there are some ropes hanging loose. In the case before us, a line running from one bulkhead to another was swinging in the breeze, flapping back and forth. A boy seven years of age, belonging to a lady friend of mine, saw a chance for some fun. I supposed he grabbed the rope and it swung him over the bulwark of the ship. The act was seen immediately and a boat lowered, manned by two expert swimmers. But it was too late and the poor boy was swallowed by the heavy, rolling waves. The men in the boat lingered near the spot thinking, perhaps a returning wave might bring him to the surface. But their efforts were in vain, for the body was seen no more. The accident was a scene that can scarcely be described. The mother raged and tore her hair in her great agony of grief. And, had it not been for the close watch of the sailors, she would have jumped overboard after her little son. Every mother on board shared her grief. Captain Reed sorely distressed. Wept bitterly. The case was a sad one and caused sorrow on board for many days.
The gallant vessel made good time and all hands were in fond hopes of soon reaching land. About 11 o'clock in the day the lookout sighted a ship. The captain, with a quick step, soon reached the lookout and with his marine glasses soon [p. 8] discovered the observation of the lookout to be a ship and she was bearing down upon us. Through his trumpet the captain sounded the thrilling words, "Ship ahoy" and the news went through the ship like wildfire. We will speak to this vessel and anyone wishing to send letters, have them ready by three o'clock. Many letters were prepared and the captain, kind man that he was, sent one to the friends of the unfortunate lady with the details of the loss of her dear little son. She carried the Stars and Stripes and the "Dolphin" by name bound for the port of New York where the letters sent would be mailed. After a farewell greeting the letters were mailed and a farewell salute was given and the two ships weighed anchor and proceeded on their way.
Nothing transpired to mar our peace. The sea was calm, not a wave to stir the surface. We seemed to be floating along on a sea of glass. During this pleasant time many specimens of the briny waters were presented to our view which was quite a revelation, thus proving the handiwork of the Almighty and giving us weak mortals an ocular demonstration of his marvelous power. As we neared the Bay of Boston we were surprised one morning about ten o'clock. The lookout gave us a call that was thrilling in the extreme: "Land ahoy". Was it land? The captain assured us of the fact and in a short time the pilot was on board the ship directing her movements. Captain Read had lost his authority. The old pilot informed us that we go ashore the following day when the health officers would come on deck to examine our health and our baggage. The vessel also was thoroughly inspected, the condition of which brought down for Captain Read a round of applause. Being asked how he managed to bring his ship in such fine condition it was entirely on account of 800 of the cleanest people that had ever boarded his vessel. He went on to explain every morning on the voyage the ship was scrubbed from top to stern and from bottom to top. The bedding aired and disinfected as well as the ship. In this brief explanation the captain remarked that the girls declared they will marry none but Mormons and I will declare that my ship shall carry none but Mormons. He made his word good as in an interview with the authorities a few years after. He said that the people comprising that company were the most honest and cleanest and respectful that had ever been his lot to mingle and associate with in all his seafaring career and, "May the blessings of God ever rest upon them and with my best wishes for their future welfare I commend you to God who gave us our being upon the earth. Your true friend, Captain George Read of the ship Horizon."
While the officers were going through our luggage and other investigations, Captain Read proved a great help to the Saints. In his genteel manner he would help those who were of the timid kind in the handling of their luggage and in a true genteel way he would answer intricate questions asked the passengers by the investigating officers. The vessel was finally run alongside the pier and that night our luggage was housed and guarded by the government, not so far from the famed Bunker Hill. The next day a train of cars were run along by the pier and booked for Iowa City. Thus ended our sea voyage and set us on the way for one more hazardous [trip]. At this pier nothing but cattle cars could be obtained and into these we were loaded, bag and baggage. In those we rode to Albany, state of New York. Here we laid over two days and two nights. Here we were permitted to change to a third class accommodation. The seats were two inch plank with no back. In this miserable way we were conveyed to Cleveland, Ohio, at very slow pace. The country along the track was studded with fine orchards, bearing fine apples and all kinds of fruit. The fruit was so tempting that at the rate of travel, the young men would jump from the train, fill their pockets, and overtake the slow moving institution. However slow, it brought us into Cleveland on the morning of the greatest day in America. Not realizing the meaning of all this parading and firing of firecrackers and artillery, an elder of the church explained it all to our satisfaction. Since that day, however, the 4th of July is as precious to a Latter-day Saint as to any American born citizen who lives under the flag flying stars and stripes, the red, white, and blue. [p. 9]
While waiting in that city for change of cars a great rainstorm continued two days. We and our luggage were exposed to the weather, the company having no sheds to protect. A large barn was secured and all were transferred to it until the storm abated. A few had secured rooms for their accommodation but the great majority were huddled together in the barn. Like Missouri and other places the people of the town despised the Mormons and after the Saints had retired for the night, a mob of bullies including some females gathered around the barn and kept up for hours such a howling and bombarding with stones and bats it equaled any Indian powwow I have ever listened to on the frontiers. Finally the presidency of the company found a person who it seemed had some authority, who persuaded the mob to desist and go to their homes. However, it left the people in a state of terrible excitement. Not a person closed an eye that night in sleep.
In the early hours of the morning our train arrived and in short order we with all our effects, we are on our way to Des Moines, Iowa where we had once again to be subjected to mobocratic insults. But we were better protected as the city had some good sensible men to govern their affairs. The leading hotel was owned by an Englishman. Myself and a few of my friends took rooms in this house as we had to layover two days until our train was ready to start to Iowa City. As we sat around the table the proprietor kept his eyes in my direction an unusual length of time. I felt rather angered and changed my position. He saw the change in my countenance and immediately followed me and placing himself at my elbow, he made an apology. "Beg pardon, friend," he said, "For my seeming rudeness, but I fancied I had seen that face. A schoolmate of mine in a town called Southwick by the name of William Southwell. Never were two faces more alike than your face and his. I was so struck when I saw your face that it seemed I had surely met my dear old friend." "Why," said I, "That is my name." Springing to his feet he took me in his arms, showering kisses on my brow, exclaiming, "And you are his son of my dear old friend, William Southwick [Southwell] ."
The scene was sensational and so real that all my friends joined us with their tears of joy and congratulations. From that moment myself and friends were his guests and the best rooms of the house, the best beds, the best wines, and the best attention was ours until the train blew the call "all aboard" for Iowa City. Although my new friend was not hostile to the Latter-day Saints he surely tried his best to persuade me from continuing on to Salt Lake City with that company so late in the season. He explained to us how he had been over the road we would have to travel, the dangers we would have to encounter, and the early snows in the Rocky Mountains. It was too late to make the journey successfully at this late season of the year. To myself he offered me a situation at good wages all winter or so long as I would stay with him. Should I wish to go on with the next seasons emigration he would secure me a passage and a wagon train with a good outfit. But this company had started to Salt Lake City and no inducement, however great, could be offered to turn us from that course.
We boarded the train and started for Iowa City from which place we would take the road with our handcarts which were being prepared for us at this place. On our arrival there was great rejoicing as this was to be the place where a great change in our way of travel would commence. But the work on our carts had been neglected and we were detained four weeks on this account, so these four weeks were lost to us when we ought to have been making our best time on the road. This neglect proved a sad and fatal mistake, as we had to make up this lost time in the snow with short provisions and short of bedding as well. So you may plainly see where the mistake proved so fatal and so many poor souls passing away and filling an untimely grave. Here also you will realize the wisdom in the words of my friend who advised the Saints to wait until another season before perusing their journey into the western wiles. . . [p. 10] [NO MENTION OF ARRIVAL INTO SALT LAKE VALLEY. IT IS PROBABLE THAT HE CAME WITH THE EDWARD MARTIN COMPANY WHICH ARRIVED NOVEMBER 30, 1856 (Church Almanac 1997-98 p.172)]
BIB: Southwell, John William. Autobiography. (MS 8243) pp.5-10 (CHL)
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