PART I CALENDAR OF CORK EMIGRANT SHIP SAILINGS 1815-60
of their fleet and emulation by other shipping companies, such that by the 1830s passenger packet ships became an attractive option for transatlantic emigration. Finally, as the century progressed, the financial burden of the journey was eased sometimes by the subsidization of landowners or more commonly through chain migration, with tickets and assistance provided by family members already settled in North America (also influencing destination). Many captains were decent men who cared for their passengers, their ships, their crews and their reputations, and were sometimes publicly commended in the newspapers; others were less caring, and sometimes passengers suffered the consequence. Standards of care (regulations) for transatlantic passenger safety in both the US and BNA were adopted, and repeatedly manipulated, during the century. They typically improved in the face of atrocities and weakened in the face of declining profits. These standards pertained to conditions in the passenger quarters, food, and water. One standard repeatedly debated was the need for a ship’s doctor, which had become a requirement on Australian penal voyages, but not obligatory and therefore rare for transatlantic emigrant voyages during the period of this study (1815-56). Doctors may not have possessed reliable treatments at the time for the diseases, but (unlike the captains) they could supply their undivided attention, ascertain sensible passenger social organization, assure favorable hygiene, optimize the ventilation in passenger quarters, advocate for adequate nutrition and hydration for the passengers, quarantine the sick and interface between the passengers and the captain. The ship’s doctor had ultimate authority over passengers, second only to the captain. Passenger Ship Standards established for BNA and the US, and their application, impacted voyage costs. Ship’s captain and sometimes doctor interaction with passengers could and did impact the emigrant experience. Both cost and reported prior emigrant experiences were factors that would influence those in Ireland waiting their turn to follow.
THE CALENDAR
Fig. 2: Passage West: The Original Port of Cork c. 1848–50 (Photo courtesy of James Murphy, the Passage West Maritime Museum).
1815 A-LIST (Cork-registered ships departing the Port of Cork) Ship Captain Cork Dep. Arrival
Voyage
Emigrants Source
2
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