From Ireland Chapter 2

As the voyage unfolded many things happened and some of the older folk were sick and some died. It was in these cases the girls were used to great advantage.

The first time they were asked to help was when an old man who had befriended the girls and made sure they were fed and bedded in a suitable way and had stood up for them during arguments. He even became embroiled in fights when some of the passengers tried to move the girls on when the ship arrived in various ports for food and water.

Now Mr. McCauley was in need of their care.

Arnold McCauley lived his life as a single man and was a chimney sweep. Though he was only 52 he occupied a body more like 70. It was the soot from the chimneys and the fact he drank too much. Arnold had a perfect Irish heart and enjoyed joining in when a sing along began.

Mary taught the girls how to clean a man when he was unable to help himself. They kept him fed and watered until he died.

The Murphy girls had never seen a dead person though they had heard their parents speak in low tones when some one near their farm had died. However Mary Gleeson had much experience in preparing a person for the grave. In her small town many had had died and were the last of their families and needed some one to care for them. Mary in better times wanted to become a nurse but that was not to be. Mary showed the girls what to do they learned well.

After they wrapped Arnold McCauley’s thin body in pieces of light sailcloth he was taken up to the deck and placed on a flat bench. The Captain came out on to the deck and made sure all hands were in attendance for the funeral.

Captain O’Brien was a good man and always gave a wonderful Christian burial service, at the end he would sing in his beautiful Irish tenor voice hymns that brought tears to the listener. During this voyage Captain O’Brien would have many opportunities to lead such services.

The “three angles” as the passengers soon began to call the girls were very busy birthing babies and helping older ones to their food and toileting and all manner of things that needed to be done.

Captain O’Brien was secretly proud of the Angles and where possible he made little gestures of generosity in giving them a little time on deck during the quieter days and sometimes at night during his watch. There was no need for him to do a watch but he wanted to take great care of his Angles so was always at hand.

The young Murphy’s loved to look at the stars and used to tell the Captain that the stars were shining on their parents back at home. O’Brien had news that the girl’s parents were dead from starvation but he dared not tell them he felt it was better for them to think the stars shone on their family as truly they did but they were under the ground.  

The journey continued much the same there was plenty to keep them busy and the time went quickly.

One day the Captain announced we will be in America in two week if all goes well and the winds are kindly.  There was a loud hurrah from all on deck and when the word was taken to the passengers below great sighs of relief came forth. This hell was almost over for the ones living but for the thirty two who died it mattered little. This was a bad voyage and we took too many old ones said the Captain to Lynch.

Lynch agreed as four of his crew had died from a disease even the Doctor was unable to determine. This put fear among the ships crew as they were very superstitious as sailors mostly are but these deaths were so sudden and the crew were a healthy lot.

Dr. O’Malley always seemed to be in an unusual state the girls thought but Mary knew he was a drunkard. It was difficult to get a ships doctor those days and Captain O’Brien just had to take what was on offer and hope he could keep the doctor as sober as possible.

Dr. O’Malley had a sad history. He was trying to help people who were dying of hunger and knew they were dying from the lack of food and considered each death unnecessary. If only the English landlords would relent and help the Irish there might be a satisfactory outcome for all.  He often spoke out against land lords at church until the word got out. The local English soldiers were told to take him to the port and he was loaded on the next ship leaving to somewhere some eight years ago. He left a wonderful wife and three sons. All he could do was write and his wife would write back and say all was well but of course he knew it was not.

At night he could be heard crying and this put fear among the passengers. Dr O’Malley was a man with a truly broken heart but he did his best under the circumstances and the passengers helped him during these long nights. He was not one to drink whilst in his practice at home but these last years it was the only way he could live and do this terrible work.

The next few days seemed to fly all were excited and looking forward to meeting the group who would find them somewhere to live during the first few days in this new country.

Some were to be met by relations who had come over before and had settled into a sort of a life doing whatever would earn a meal and a roof over their heads. It was not easy as the passengers were soon to learn.

Suit cases were emptied of bits and pieces overboard. These bits and pieces seemed to be important when leaving home but now were only extra to carry about whilst looking to find somewhere to live in a town already full. There was not enough money to build new houses as yet so each ship unloaded the expectant passengers into a town full of all sorts of people some were decent but life soon knocked decency out of most and the dog eat dog attitude was rife.