WESTWARD, HO!
1853
In April, 1853, when I had reached the age of nineteen, and was
expected to take a still more important part in our business--an
arrangement perfectly agreeable to me--my father and I resumed our
selling and again left for Sweden. For the sake of economy, as well as
to be closer to our field of operations, we had established two
insignificant manufacturing plants, the one at Copenhagen, where we
packed for two months, the other at Gothenburg, where we also prepared
stock; and from these two points, we operated until the middle of May,
1853. Then a most important event occurred, completely changing the
course of my life. In the spring, a letter was received from my
brother, J. P. Newmark, who, in 1848, had gone to the United States,
and had later settled in Los Angeles. He had previously, about 1846,
resided in England, as I have said; had then sailed to New York and
tarried for a while in the East; when, attracted by the discovery of
gold, he had proceeded to San Francisco, arriving there on May 6th,
1851, being the first of our family to come to the Coast. In this
letter my brother invited me to join him in California; and from the
first I was inclined to make the change, though I realized that much
depended on my father. He looked over my shoulder while I read the
momentous message; and when I came to the suggestion that I should
leave for America, I examined my father's face to anticipate, if
possible, his decision. After some reflection, he said he had no
doubt that my future would be benefited by such a change; and while
reluctant enough to let me go, he decided that as soon as practicable
I ought to start. We calculated the amount of blacking likely to be
required for our trade to the season's end, and then devoted the
necessary time to its manufacture. My mother, when informed of my
proposed departure, was beside herself with grief and forthwith
insisted on my return to Loebau; but being convinced that she intended
to thwart my desire, and having in mind the very optimistic spirit of
my brother's letter, I yielded to the influence of ambitious and
unreflecting youth, and sorrowfully but firmly insisted on the
execution of my plans. I feared that, should I return home to defend
my intended course, the mutual pain of parting would still be great. I
also had in mind my sisters and brothers (two of whom, Johanna, still
alive, and Nathan, deceased, subsequently came to Los Angeles), and
knew that each would appeal strongly to my affection and regret. This
resolution to leave without a formal adieu caused me no end of
distress; and my regret was the greater when, on Friday, July 1st,
1853, I stood face to face with the actual realization, among absolute
strangers on the deck of the vessel that was to carry me from
Gothenburg to Hull and far away from home and kindred.
With deep emotion, my father bade me good-bye on the Gothenburg pier,
nor was I less affected at the parting; indeed, I have never doubted
that my father made a great sacrifice when he permitted me to leave
him, since I must have been of much assistance and considerable
comfort, especially during his otherwise solitary travels in foreign
lands. I remember distinctly remaining on deck as long as there was
the least vision of him; but when distance obliterated all view of the
shore, I went below to regain my composure. I soon installed my
belongings in the stateroom, or cabin as it was then called, and began
to accustom myself to my new and strange environment.
There was but one other passenger--a young man--and he was to have a
curious part in my immediate future. As he also was bound for Hull,
we entered into conversation; and following the usual tendency of
people aboard ship, we soon became acquaintances. I had learned the
Swedish language, and could speak it with comparative ease; so that we
conversed without difficulty. He gave Gothenburg as his place of
residence, although there was no one at his departure to wish him
God-speed; and while this impressed me strangely at the time, I saw in
it no particular reason to be suspicious. He stated also that he was
bound for New York; and as it developed that we intended to take
passage on the same boat, we were pleased with the prospect of having
each other's company throughout the entire voyage. Soon our relations
became more confidential and he finally told me that he was carrying a
sum of money, and asked me to take charge of a part of it.
Unsophisticated though I was, I remembered my father's warning to be
careful in transactions with strangers; furthermore, the idea of
burdening myself with another's responsibility seeming injudicious, I
politely refused his request, although even then my suspicions were
not aroused. It was peculiar, to be sure, that when we steamed away
from land, the young man was in his cabin; but it was only in the
light of later developments that I understood why he so concealed
himself.
We had now entered the open sea, which was very rough, and I retired,
remaining in my bunk for two days, or until we approached Hull,
suffering from the most terrible seasickness I have ever experienced;
and not until we sailed into port did I recover my sea legs at all.
Having dressed, I again met my traveling companion; and we became
still more intimate. On Sunday morning we reached Hull, then boasting
of no such harbor facilities as the great Humber docks now in course
of construction; and having transferred our baggage to the train as
best we could, we proceeded almost immediately on our way to
Liverpool. While now the fast English express crosses the country in
about three hours, the trip then consumed the better part of the night
and, being made in the darkness, afforded but little opportunity for
observation.
Hardly had we arrived in Liverpool, when I was surprised in a way
that I shall never forget. While attempting to find our bundles as
they came from the luggage van--a precaution necessitated by the poor
baggage system then in vogue, which did not provide for checking--my
companion and I were taken in hand by officers of the law, told that
we were under arrest, and at once conducted to an examining
magistrate! As my conscience was clear, I had no misgivings on account
of the detention, although I did fear that I might lose my personal
effects; nor was I at ease again until they were brought in for
special inspection. Our trunks were opened in the presence of the
Swedish Consul who had come, in the meantime, upon the scene; and mine
having been emptied, it was immediately repacked and closed. What was
my amazement, however, when my fellow-traveler's trunk was found to
contain a very large amount of money with which he had absconded from
Gothenburg! He was at once hurried away to police headquarters; and I
then learned that, after our departure, messages had been sent to both
Hull and Liverpool to stop the thief, but that through confusion in
the description, doubtless due to the crude and incomplete information
transmitted by telegraph (then by no means as thoroughly developed as
now), the Liverpool authorities had arrested the only two passengers
arriving there who were known to have embarked at Gothenburg, and I,
unfortunately, happened to be one of them.
At the period whereof I write, there was a semimonthly steamer service
between Liverpool and New York; and as bad luck would have it, the
boat in which I was to travel paddled away while I was in the midst of
the predicament just described, leaving me with the unpleasant outlook
of having to delay my departure for America two full weeks. The one
thing that consoled me was that, not having been fastidious as to my
berth, I had not engaged passage in advance, and so was not further
embarrassed by the forfeiture of hard-earned and much-needed money. As
it was, having stopped at a moderately priced hotel for the night, I
set out the next morning to investigate the situation. Speaking no
English, I was fortunate, a few days later, in meeting a Swedish
emigration agent who informed me that the _Star King_, a three-masted
sailing vessel in command of Captain Burland--both ship and captain
hailing from Baltimore--was booked to leave the following morning; and
finding the office of the company, I engaged one of the six
first-class berths in the saloon. There was no second-cabin, or I
might have traveled in that class; and of steerage passengers the
_Star King_ carried more than eight hundred crowded and seasick souls,
most of whom were Irish. Even in the first-class saloon, there were
few, if any, of the ordinary comforts, as I soon discovered, while of
luxuries there were none; and if one had the misfortune to lose even
trifling delicacies such as I had, including half a dozen bottles of
assorted syrups--put up by good Mrs. Lipman, on my leaving Gothenburg,
and dropped by a bungling porter--the inconvenience of the situation
was intensified.
We left Liverpool--which, unlike Hull, I have since seen on one of my
several visits to Europe--on the evening of the 10th of July. On my
way to the cabin, I passed the dining table already arranged for
supper; and as I had eaten very sparingly since my seasickness on the
way to Hull, I was fully prepared for a square meal. The absence not
only of smoke, but of any smell as from an engine, was also favorable
to my appetite; and when the proper time arrived, I did full justice
to what was set before me. Steamers then were infrequent on the
Atlantic, but there were many sailing vessels; and these we often
passed, so close, in fact, as to enable the respective captains to
converse with each other. In the beginning, we had an ample supply of
fresh meat, eggs and butter, as well as some poultry, and the first
week's travel was like a delightful pleasure excursion. After that,
however, the meat commenced to deteriorate, the eggs turned stale, and
the butter became rancid; and as the days passed, everything grew
worse, excepting a good supply of cheese which possessed, as usual,
the faculty of improving, rather than spoiling, as it aged. Mountain
water might justly have shown indignation if the contents of the
barrels then on board had claimed relationship; while coffee and
tea, of which we partook in the usual manner at the commencement of
our voyage, we were compelled to drink, after a short time, without
milk--the one black and the other green. Notwithstanding these
annoyances, I enjoyed the experience immensely, once I had recovered
from my depression at leaving Europe; for youth could laugh at such
drawbacks, none of which, after all, seriously affected my naturally
buoyant spirits. Not until I narrowly escaped being shot, through the
Captain's careless handling of a derringer, was I roused from a
monotonous, half-dreamy existence.
[Illustration: Philipp Neumark
From a Daguerreotype]
[Illustration: Esther Neumark
From a Daguerreotype]
[Illustration: J. P. Newmark
From a Daguerreotype]
[Illustration: Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Newmark]
[Illustration: Los Angeles in the Early Fifties
From a drawing of the Pacific Railway Expedition]
Following this escape, matters progressed without special incident
until we were off the coast of Newfoundland, when we had every reason
to expect an early arrival in New York. Late one afternoon, while the
vessel was proceeding with all sail set, a furious squall struck her,
squarely amidships; and in almost as short a time as it takes to
relate the catastrophe, our three masts were snapped asunder, falling
over the side of the boat and all but capsizing her. The utmost
excitement prevailed; and from the Captain down to the ordinary
seaman, all hands were terror-stricken. The Captain believed, in fact,
that there was no hope of saving his ship; and forgetful of all need
of self-control and discipline, he loudly called to us, "Every man for
himself!" at the same time actually tearing at and plucking his bushy
hair--a performance that in no wise relieved the crisis. In less than
half an hour, the fury of the elements had subsided, and we found
ourselves becalmed; and the crew, assisted by the passengers, were
enabled, by cutting away chains, ropes and torn sails, to steady the
ship and keep her afloat. After this was accomplished, the Captain
engaged a number of competent steerage passengers to help put up
emergency masts, and to prepare new sails, for which we carried
material. For twelve weary days we drifted with the current,
apparently not advancing a mile; and during all this time the
Atlantic, but recently so stormy and raging, was as smooth as a
mill-pond, and the wreckage kept close to our ship. It was about the
middle of August when this disaster occurred, and not until we had
been busy many days rigging up again did a stiff breeze spring up,
enabling us to complete our voyage.
On August 28th, 1853, exactly forty-nine days after our departure from
Liverpool, we arrived at New York, reaching Sandy Hook in a fog so
dense that it was impossible to see any distance ahead; and only when
the fog lifted, revealing the great harbor and showing how
miraculously we had escaped collision with the numerous craft all
about us, was our joy and relief at reaching port complete. I cannot
recollect whether we took a pilot aboard or not; but I do know that
the peculiar circumstances under which we arrived having prevented a
health officer from immediately visiting us, we were obliged to cast
anchor and await his inspection the next morning. During the evening,
the Captain bought fresh meat, vegetables, butter and eggs, offered
for sale by venders in boats coming alongside; and with sharpened
appetites we made short work of a fine supper, notwithstanding that
various features of shore life, or some passing craft, every minute or
two challenged our attention, and quite as amply we did justice, on
the following morning, to our last breakfast aboard ship. As I
obtained my first glimpse of New York, I thought of the hardships of
my father there, a few years before, and of his compulsory return to
Europe; and I wondered what might have been my position among
Americans had he succeeded in New York. At last, on August 29th, 1853,
under a blue and inspiriting sky and with both curiosity and hope
tuned to the highest pitch, I first set foot on American soil, in the
country where I was to live and labor the remainder of my life, whose
flag and institutions I have more and more learned to honor and love.
Before leaving Europe, I had been provided with the New York addresses
of friends from Loebau, and my first duty was to look them up. One of
these, named Lindauer, kept a boarding-house on Bayard Street near the
Five Points, now, I believe, in the neighborhood of Chinatown; and as
I had no desire to frequent high-priced hotels, I made my temporary
abode with him. I also located the house of Rich Brothers, associated
with the San Francisco concern of the same name and through whom I
was to obtain funds from my brother with which to continue my journey;
but as I had to remain in New York three weeks until their receipt, I
could do little more in furthering my departure than to engage
second-cabin passage _via_ Nicaragua by a line running in opposition
to the Panamá route, and offering cheapness as its principal
attraction. Having attended to that, I spent the balance of the time
visiting and seeing the city, and in making my first commercial
venture in the New World. In my impatience to be doing something, I
foolishly relieved Samuel, a brother of Kaspare Cohn, and a nephew of
mine, of a portion of his merchandise; but in a single day I decided
to abandon peddling--a difficult business for which, evidently, I was
never intended. After that, a painful experience with mosquitoes was
my only unpleasant adventure. I did not know until later that an
excited crowd of men were just then assembled in the neighborhood, in
what was styled the Universal Ice-Water Convention, and that not far
away a crowd of women, quite as demonstrative, excluded from the
councils of men and led by no less a personality than P. T. Barnum,
the showman, were clamoring for both Prohibition and Equal Suffrage!