Having Referance (reference) to My Trip to America
After making full preparation which lasted several days & employing all the female skill that we were in possession of at home. The day of departure eventually arrived for my final farewell to all things that I had become familiar with at home and according my own wish I determined to break the trying ordeal of parting with those friends who had become dear to my heart. I had been timed to leave home at 3 o clock pm on Thursday April 26th 1894, up to this time I had kept from my Darling child as far as possible the secret of my departure from her & in order to carry this out we had arranged to send her away to a friends house with her great aunt to spend the afternoon. I shall remember for a great while that last kiss, she came to me full...
...of the coast of Ireland and consequently Great Britain. During the evening many of the passengers were sea sick but although I felt very queer I managed to get to bed that night without sickness. About 9 pm on Sunday we had for dinner roast fowel & mutton & vegetables & for tea meat & pickles butter and marmalade. On Monday April 30th I got up about 7. 30 & was very sick & continued so all day & was unabled to take any food...We passed two steamers one homeward bound & one outward bound. At 1 oclock the log was taken & it was found that we had travelled 356 miles from Queenstown in less than 24 hours. I retired shortly after five having attempted to eat a small portion of food but was unable to...On Tuesday May 1st I awoke very much better than when I retired on the previous night...I ate a small breakfast, after which....
...has been blowing very strong from the S.W. & the sea is rougher than it has been since leaving England. Nothing noteworthy has taken place today beyond several (steerage?) passengers being sea sick...I had tea at 5 oclock & after spending 2 or 3 hours on the deck I deemed advisable to return which I did at nearly 8 oclock feeling rather poorly & was terribly afraid I should be bad through the night but I thank God was not...Thursday morning after rather a rough night I arise just after seven it had been smart rain just an hour or so before...I went down to breakfast of boiled eggs or pork chops. I ate a little bread & butter & drank a small quantity of coffee but was too bad to stay long at the table long so in a very few minutes was on deck again where I remained all the morning...I have been slightly sick twice...
...although not very much yet I feel bad. I read my scripture lesson portion as I always manage & have also read the first ten chapters of Hebrews together with other scrap gleanings from the word. I was unable to go down to dinner today although rabbit & roast mutton was the fare today. I shall feel heartily thankful when I arrive in New York for it seems to me that almost anything on land is better than the monotony of life on board ship. I have been thinking a great deal about my darling wife & child & I have concluded that it will be very much better for them when they come to take passage on a fast boat for it seems to one that to save a day only of this dreary monotonous life is a distinct gain. About 12 30 pm we passed a large steamer on the north side of us, she was homeward bound & I believe belong to the Allen (sp. Allan) Line probably returning from Canada. The weather continued rough throughout the afternoon & it was with difficulty that I kept myself from...
...being sea sick. As it was I was very far from being well. At 5 oclock I went below for tea but was unable to do justice although I had scarcely anything for the day...I ate a small piece of cold beef & bread & a scone & marmalade. I went on deck again & read the remaining chapters of the Epistle to the Hebrews & commenced to read the Epistle to James. Our ship up to 1 oclock had traveled 358 miles so that we had covered more than half the journey on the sea. I sat on deck until after 8 oclock when I retired feeling very poorley (sic); but was not properly sick. I took 2 doses of Belladonna during the day & I think that tended to revive me. On Friday May 4th I woke early & was feeling very much better & was up before 7 oclock & went on deck...the sea was much calmer but it was a thick...
...fog & a pelter of rain & did not look up to much for a pleasant day. I however walked the deck listening to the fog horn & watching the changing atmosphere which however did not prove uninteresting. I saw many species of flying fish spring up out of the sea & flying for some distance...they did not however raise very high above the surface of the sea. I should think they were from 6 to 9 in long & had the appearance of large swallows flying close to the water. At 8 oclock I came down to breakfast & for the first time for several days I ate a fairly good meal. Beef steak & salt herrings was the fare... I did not quite understand what was said so I ordered herring but soon discovered that it was not to my taste & I immediately set the mistake right by ordering a piece of steak which with some boiled potatoes with their jackets I ate with relish &
...enjoyed a good breakfast...
hot rools (rolls?) & butter & coffee being the accompaniment ...how quickly one is able to tell a change in the weather at sea for when it is a bit rough the table is scantily full but this morning many turned up for the first meal. The fog continued on without much abatement & so the hours up to noon passed without incident of any kind. Consequent upon the fog the air became much colder & people were hanging about in the saloon more than I had seen them on any other day. Today we had for dinner boiled beef or fish soup potatoes turnip & rice & rhubarb. I may say that this is a peculiarity I had not seen any where except on this ship...Boiled rice & stewed rhubarb the two are very nice together & invaribly (sic) when rice is served up a small light pastry is served somewhat in the shape of a very small rool (roll?).
...was served at 12 oclock at noon...Today it consisted of roast beef potatoes parsnips or sea pie & vegetable with rices & stewed prunes as dessert...soup as usual first. The weather remained clear & beautiful all the afternoon although toward evening a slight breeze from the NW with a very little sea sprung up. A large steamship passed on the north side of us homeward bound. Tea at 5 oclock of corned beef cold roast beef bread butter pickles marmalade and c. (cream). Toward night expectation was high as to the probability of the passing of the Lucania of the Cunard Line homeward bound (bound crossed out) which was timed to leave New York at 6 am but no sight or sign of her appeared up to 9 pm. Supper was served at 9 pm of biscuits & cheese...at 9 30 I retired...
...was sufficiant (sic) with many to fill up a good bit of spare time...Dinner at 12 noon of soup boiled fowel or roast beef potatoes sauce bread & plum pudding... after dinner I walked about on deck for an hour or so & layed down on my berth & slept for a couple of hours as the weather was so cold & damp that there was no inducement offered to move about on deck. We had several showers of rain during the day...our run was given as 379 miles & also at 390 miles but I cannot say which was correct but however it leaves us with a little over 200 miles to run which ought to be done by the early morning. Tea at 5 oclock of corned beef cold roast beef bread butter pickles marmalade...
...current buns & tea. This I anticipate will be the last tea I shall take on the ship but do not know what may transpire ere another 24 hours passes.
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And here we come to the end of Charles King's journey to America from England in the spring of 1894. He disembarked from the Alaska in New York and made his way to San Francisco, California. Several months later he was reunited with his wife Anna and his daughter Emma after they made the voyage over on the Majestic. Thank you PamM for initially transcribing Charles King's writings and sharing the original manuscript.
Relationship Reference: Me->Margaret Hansen Boothby
->Margaret (Betty) Hayes Hansen->Emma Lavinia King Hayes Van Duzer->Charles J. King
Did you know?
Minced beef with onion and seasonings. The word 'collop', in use from at least the 14th to the late 19th Centuries refers to a cut piece of meat, ready for cooking as the modern 'steak' or 'rasher'. The use, in these two receipts, to indicate a very finely cut, or minced, meat, is unusual and seems to occur only in Northern England and the Borders.
454. To make MINC'D COLLOPS.
Take two or three pounds of any tender parts of beef, (according as you would have the dish in bigness) cut it small as you would do minc'd veal; take an onion, shred it small, and fry it a light brown, in butter seasoned with nutmeg, pepper and salt, and put it into your pan with your onion, and fry it a little whilst it be a light brown; then put to it a jill of good gravy, and a spoonful of walnut pickle, or a little catchup; put in a few shred capers or mushrooms, thicken it up with a little flour and butter; if you please you may put in a little juice of lemon; when you dish it up, garnish your dish with pickle; and a few forc'd-meat-balls.
It is proper for either side-dish or top-dish.
Original Receipt from 'Lancashire Evening Post' - Wednesday 23 October 1935MINCED COLLOPS
Required; 1 lb minced fresh beef, one very small onion, salt and pepper, some white stock, a dessertspoonful of oatmeal.
Bring a little good dripping to boiling point, and put in the onion, finely minced. Cook for a minute or two, but do not let it get too brown. Put in the meat and beat until all the lumps Into which it may form are smooth; then add the stock, and the salt and pepper, cover and simmer very gently for about an hour, stirring it now and then. Then put in the oatmeal (to thicken it) and cook until you judge that this is done. Many people use water instead of stock, because the meat makes its own stock as it cooks. In Scotland this is always served with a border of boiled rice, and oatmeal Is not Inevitable. You can omit it if you like. The rice, when ready, should be rather grainy and dry.