Shipboard Conditions

Conditions were rough! The emigrants were carried on the'tween decks of the ship, and the average height of the deck was only 5 1/4 to 5 1/2 feet. The bedplaces for "4 whole freights" were 6 feet square. ( 4 freights was equivalent to 4 adults over the age of 14. Kids 4-14 were considered a half freight and under 4 were carried free, so had no space allocated to them.) Berths were raised wooden structures, with a space underneath them for baggage. Berths were not completely divided off from each other, in order to allow air to circulate. The headroom within the berth was less than 4 feet, and sometimes as low as 2' 9" in those places where there was room for double berths. Altogether, it sounds rather claustrophobic and crowded.

Some of the ships stopped in England to replenish their food and water before setting out on the ocean crossing. Food and drink was often scanty and insufficient, with food turning putrid and wormy before the end of the voyage, and water being incredibly foul, especially towards the end of the voyage. The water would have a disgusting smell and taste, and there were often long green slimy growths within the water supply. Sometimes gin, brandy or possibly even vinegar would be added when drinking it to make it more palatable. Vinegar was also sometimes sprinkled around because of the stench in the air. At that time, sickness was believed to come from the air, and to counteract the smell on the ship it was believed that that would counteract disease to some degree.

Here is a schedule of rations for one week, for one of Dick's ships:

"Sunday: 1 lb boiled beef with as much boiled rice as they can eat.
Monday: Barley or grout (groats) boiled, which they eat with treacle, as much as will.
Tuesday: 1 lb boiled beef with as much boiled rice as they can eat.
Wednesday: Barley or rice boiled as on Mondays.
Thursday: 1/2 lb Porke, and a pound of flower (flour)
Friday: As much stock fish (dried salt codfish) boiled as they choose and one pound of butter.
Saturday: Boiled pease (dried peas) and a pound of cheese.

"With a measure (a measure=1 quart) of beer every day as long as it keeps good, and 2 measures of water, and 6 lbs of bread per week, and some gin to be distributed by the captain as he sees fit."

Children received half the rations of adults. Emigrants may have had to prepare some of their own food on ship, it is not really known. Fire grates on deck for cooking were common on ships of that time, although at least some of the food on Dick's ships seems to have been provided cooked. One account from that time but not from one of these ships tells of passengers collecting on deck and taking turns at the fire grates to make a sort of bannock out of their flour ration, which was often burnt on the outside and still doughy in the middle.

Children aged 1-7 often died on the voyage, especially the infants.

When the ships arrived at Halifax, they were detained for a period of 5-21 days, due to illness or there being no place to put the new immigrants. After spending a couple of months at sea, and some time before departure back in Europe, cooped up on ship, it must have been very frustrating to have arrived at their destination and not be allowed off, for a period of several more weeks in some cases!

All ships except the Ann had ventilators that were supposed to run 1 hour out of 4, to exchange air in the hold with fresh air, except during stormy weather. Many of the ships also had a "physician" of sorts, and there was a medicine chest. Many of these physicians were very young, and training for doctors in those times was not very rigorous.