``I arrived in  as a `single woman' in the disguise of a Bohemian peasant, under an assumed name, and with passage engaged in the steerage on the -----.  I called out the name of the agent from whom my ticket was purchased, as directed in the circular sent me, and was approached by a porter, who carried my baggage and led me to ----- office.  From here we were directed to a lodging house at which Bohemians and Moravians are usually lodged.  Here I remained until my vessel sailed.  The charges were 3 kronen a day for a fair bed and three meals: a breakfast of coffee and rolls; a dinner of soup, boiled beef, potatoes, and another vegetable; and a supper of coffee, rye bread, and butter.  Later, on the steamer, other passengers told me of the places at which they had stopped.  Some said the board had been much better than was being served on the -----.  Others complained that the landlords had tried to overcharge them, and when they rebelled, that half of the original bill was gladly accepted.  No one could tell very definitely where he had lodged.  Each spoke of it as the agent's, probably because he had been sent there by some clerk in the agent's office.

``During the day it was necessary to present myself at the agent's office, pay the balance of my passage money, and give certain information about myself.  This consisted of my name, age, occupation, name and address of people to whom I was going, name and address of nearest relative left behind, amount of money in my possession, nationality, last residence, whether married or single, and whether ever before in America.

``Beyond this no inquiries or investigation were made as to my literacy, my past, the source of my passage money, my morals, or mental condition.  My `work book'^a which was to serve as my passport out of Austria, a counterfeit with a false and completely blurred seal, was closely examined, but no unfavorable criticism was offered.

``On the day just prior to sailing all the steerage passengers who were not American citizens were vaccinated by the physician from the ----- and one other.  The women bared their arms in one room, the men in another.  No excuse was sufficient to escape this requirement.  However, the skin was not even pierced in any one of the three spots on my arm, and I later found this to be true in the case of many of the other passengers.  The eyes were casually examined by the same physicians.  Each `inspection card' was stamped by the United States consulate and also marked `vaccinated.'

``July 30 we went by train from ----- to -----, where in the waiting room we were classed as `families,' `single women'--that is, women traveling alone, and `single men,' or men traveling alone.  Thus subdivided we went on board, each class into a compartment especially assigned to it.

``The compartment provided for single women was in some respects superior to the quarters occupied by the other steerage passengers.  It was likewise in the stern of the vessel, but was located on the main deck and had formerly been the second cabin.  The others were on the first deck below the main deck.

``All the steerage berths were of iron, the framework forming two tiers and having but a low partition between the individual berths.  Each bunk contained a mattress filled with straw and covered with a slip made of coarse white canvas, apparently cleaned for the voyage.  There were no pillows.  Instead, a life-preserver was placed under the mattress at the head in each berth.  A short and lightweight white blanket was the only covering provided.  This each passenger might take with him on leaving.  It was practically impossible to undress properly for retiring because of insufficient covering and lack of privacy.  Many women had pillows from home and used shawls and other clothing for coverings.

``Other conditions in our compartment were unusually good, owing to the small number of passengers, 36 instead of 194 in this particular section.  We were not crowded and there was better air and fewer odors.  The vacant berths could be used as clothes racks and storage space for hand baggage.

``Our compartment was subdivided into three sections--one for the German women, which was completely boarded off from the rest; one for Hebrews; and one for all other creeds and nationalities together.  The partition between these last two was merely a fence, consisting of four horizontal 6-inch boards.  This neither kept out odors nor cut off the view.

``The single men had their sleeping quarters directly below ours, and adjoining was the compartment for families and partial families--that is, women and children.  In this last section every one of the 60 beds was occupied and each passenger had only the 100 cubic feet of space required by law.  The Hebrews were here likewise separated from the others by the same ineffectual fence, consisting of four horizontal boards and the intervening spaces.  During the first six days the entire 60 berths were separated from the rest of the room by a similar fence. Outside the fence was the so-called dining room, getting all the bedroom smells from these 60 crowded berths.  Later the spaces in, above, and below the fence were entirely boarded up.

``The floors in all these compartments were of wood.  They were swept every morning and the aisles sprinkled lightly with sand.  None of them was washed during the twelve days voyage nor was there any indication that a disinfectant was being used on them.  The beds received only such attention as each occupant gave to his own.   When the steerage is full, each passenger's space is limited to his berth, which then serves as bed, clothes and towel rack, cupboard, and baggage space.  There are no accommodations to encourage the steerage passenger to be clean and orderly.  There was no hook on which to hang a garment, no receptacle for refuse, no cuspidor, no cans for use in case of seasickness.

``Two wash rooms were provided for the use of the steerage.  The first morning out I took special care to inquire for the women's wash room.  One of the crew directed me to a door bearing the sign `Wash room for men.'  Within were both men and women.  Thinking I had been misdirected, I proceeded to the other wash room.  This bore no label and was likewise being used by both sexes.  Repeating my inquiry another of the crew directed me just as the first had done.  Evidently there was no distinction between the men's and the women's wash rooms.  These were on the main deck and not convenient to any of the sleeping quarters.  To use them one had to cross the open deck, subject to the public gaze.  In the case of the families and men, it was necessary to come upstairs and cross the deck to get to both wash rooms and toilets.

``The one wash room, about 7 by 9 feet, contained 10 faucets of cold salt water, 5 along either of its two walls, and as many basins.  These resembled in size and shape the usual stationary laundry tub.  Ten persons could scarcely have used this room at one time.  The basins were seldom used on account of their great inconvenience and because of the various other services to which they must be put.  To wash out of a laundry tub with only a little water on the bottom is quite difficult, and where so many persons must use so few basins one can not take the time to draw so large a basin full of water.  This same basin served as a dishpan for greasy tins, as a laundry tub for soiled handkerchiefs and clothing, and as a basin for shampoos, and without receiving any special cleaning.  It was the only receptacle to be found for use in the case of seasickness.

``The space indicated to me as the `women's wash room' contained 6 faucets of cold salt water and basins like those already described.  The hot-water faucet did not act.  The sole arrangement for washing dishes in all the steerage was located in the women's wash room.  It was a trough about 4 feet long, with a faucet of warm salt water.  This was never hot, and seldom more than lukewarm.  Coming up in single file to wash dishes at the trough would have meant very long waiting for those at the end of the line, and to avoid this many preferred cold water and the wash basins.  The steerage stewards also brought dishes here to wash.  If there was no privacy in our sleeping quarters there certainly was none in the wash rooms.

``Steerage passengers may be filthy, as is often alleged, but considering the total absence of conveniences for keeping clean, this uncleanliness seems but a natural consequence.  Some may really be filthy in their habits, but many make heroic efforts to keep clean.  No woman with the smallest degree of modesty, and with no other conveniences than a wash room, used jointly with men, and a faucet of cold salt water can keep clean amidst such surroundings for a period of twelve days and more.  It was forbidden to bring water for washing purposes into the sleeping compartments, nor was there anything in which to bring it.  On different occasions some of the women rose early, brought drinking water in their soup pails, and thus tried to wash themselves effectively, but were driven out when detected by the steward.  Others, resorting to extreme measures, used night chambers, which they carry with them for the children, as wash basins.  This was done a great deal when preparation was being made for landing.  Even hair was washed with these vessels.  No soap and no towels were supplied.

``Seeing the sign `Baths' over a door, I inquired if these were for the steerage.  The chief steerage steward informed me that this sign no longer meant anything; that when that section had been used by the second cabin the baths had been there.  Are there then no baths for the steerage I asked.  `Oh, yes; in the hospital,' he assured me.  `Where all the steerage may bathe?' I continued.  `They are really only for those in the hospital, but if you can persuade the stewardess to prepare you a bath, I will permit you to have one,' he replied.

``The toilets for women were six in number--for men about five.  They baffle description as much as they did use.  Each room or space was exceedingly narrow and short, and instead of a seat there was an open trough, in front of which was an iron step and back of it a sheet of iron slanting forward.  On either side wall was an iron handle.  The toilets were filthy and difficult of use and were apparently not cleaned at all during the first few days.  Later in the voyage they were evidently cleaned every night, but not during the day.  The day of landing, when inspection was made by the customs official who came on board, the toilets were clean, the floors in both toilets and wash rooms were dry, and the odor of a disinfectant was noticeable.  All these were conditions that did not obtain during the voyage or at any one time.

``Each steerage passenger is to be furnished `all the eating utensils necessary.'  These he finds in his berth, and like the blanket they become his possession and his care.  They consist of a fork, a large spoon, and a combination workingman's tin lunch pail.  The bottom or pail part is used for soup and frequently as a wash basin; a small tin dish that fits into the top of the pail is used for meat and potatoes; a cylindrical projection on the lid is a dish for vegetables or stewed fruits; a tin cup that fits onto this projection is for drinks.  These must serve the passenger throughout the voyage and so are generally hidden away in his berth for safekeeping, there being no other place provided.  Each washed his own dishes, and if he wished to use soap and a towel he must provide his own.

``Dish washing is not easy, as there is only one faucet of warm water, and when there is no chance to use this, he has no other choice than to try to get, the grease off of his tins with cold salt water.  As the ordinary man doesn't carry soap and dish towels with him, he has not these aids to proper dish washing.  He uses his hand towel, if he happens to have one, or his handkerchief, or must let the dishes dry in the sun.  The quality of the tin and this method of washing is responsible for the fact that the dishes are soon rusty, and not fit to eat from.  Here, as in the toilet and washrooms, it would require persons of very superior intelligence, skill, and ingenuity to maintain order with the given accommodations.

``The steamship company clearly complies with the requirement that tables for eating be supplied in the steerage, and in spite of efforts can not make the steerage passengers use these tables.  Apparently it is true that the immigrants did not make use of the conveniences provided.  But where are these tables, and how convenient is it to eat at them?  The main steerage dining room was a part of a compartment on the first deck below the main deck.  It contained seven long tables, each with two benches, and seating at most 12 persons.  The remainder of the compartment contained 60 berths closely crowded together, the sleeping quarters for families.  During the first few days the partition between these crowded sleeping quarters and the dining room was but a fence made of four 6-inch boards running horizontally.  Only later was this partition made a solid wall.  Most people preferred the open deck to this dining room and its disagreeable odors.

``A table without appointment and service means nothing.  The food was brought into the dining room in large galvanized tin cans.  The meat and vegetables were placed on the tables in tins resembling smaller sized dishpans.  There were no serving plates, knives, or spoons.  Each passenger had only his combination dinner pail, which is more convenient away from a table than at it.  This he had to bring himself and wash when he had finished.  Liquid food could not be easily served at the tables, so each must line up for his soup and coffee.  No places at table were assigned and no arrangement made for two sittings, and as all could not be seated at once, the result was disorder, to escape which many left the dining room.  Beside these seven tables there were two on the main deck, in the sleeping compartments of the single women.  In the other two sleeping compartments there were shelves along the wall and benches by the side of these.  Including these, there was barely seating capacity for the small number in the steerage on this trip.  On inquiring, where the passengers were seated when the steerage was crowded, I was told by the Hebrew cook and several others of the crew that then there was no pretense made to seat them.  The attempt at serving us at tables was soon given up.