cams_HDudley_b13_F005_001_002

[upper left corner] (2)

The price of passage being $150, for steerage 2^d cabbins [second class cabins] and
$250 Cabin passage from Boston to San Francisco.
It was found after getting to sea that where was one or two
on board who had not paid But had concealed themselves
onboard, but as they were in want of more stewards
they made stewards of them, so that settled that
business.

Such scenes of confusion and disorder as occured [occurred] for on board
for the first four or five days, would be difficult to
immagine [imagine] still less to describe; For between the sick
ones and the grumblers time passed away anything
but pleasantly. Almost every one knows that
who has ever commenced a "life on the Ocean wave"
that the feelings produced by seasickness are not
of the most agreeable discriptions [descriptions]. And as to the
grumblers they certainly had some cause for their
dissatisfaction for in regard our provisions for the first few days
for they were not half cooked, not enough of them
were but brought on the table with any
regularity as the black devils, that we had for
cooks and stewards were either half drunk
or did not understand their business; and besides
all that the beef however sweet and easy to
digest it might be in the stomach, was anything
but sweet to the taste or pleasant to the smell.

This caused a general ferment among the passengers,
between decks, which probably would have
assumed a more serious aspect, had not so many of
them been sea-sick, and consequently did not care a
straw whether things went right or wrong, whether
we went on our voyage or went to the bottom.
But who probably would rather have gone back than
done either.

Some of the passengers entered a complaint to the
Captain who kindly looked into the matter and
verry [very] impartially decided that the beef was sweet and good enough
for such a set of paupers, that if they attempted to
impose uppon [upon] him they would find him a
hard customer. Talked about putting them on allowance
&c [etcetera] and blustered round a good deal. But he soon
found that there was a change for the better we
now have good beef and pork potatoes and salt fish
with beans rice duff pickles beets and carrotts [carrots]. Plenty of
hard bread which is rightly named, and