After the Ocean Crossing: Norwegian Emigrants on Their Journey Inland

A Warning from a Passenger on the Niord, 1854

For many emigrants, reaching North America did not mean that the difficult part of the journey was over. The onward trip from Quebec to destinations in the United States could involve complicated transportation arrangements, unexpected charges, overcrowding, illness, and disputes with agents and transport companies.

One such account was written by Tønnes L. Fladestøel, who had traveled from Stavanger aboard the Niord of Arendal under Captain Olsen. His complaint was later published in Stavangers Amtstidende as a warning to future emigrants. The newspaper introduced the account by noting that many emigrants had little opportunity to put their experiences into writing. Complaints about poor treatment therefore rarely reached the public, making it all the more important to publish them when they did.

The Voyage from Stavanger

Fladestøel and his fellow emigrants left Stavanger on April 16 aboard the Niord. During the Atlantic crossing, Captain Olsen initially made a favorable impression on the passengers. Shortly before they reached land, some of them even prepared a statement for publication in the Norwegian newspapers praising the captain for the way he had treated them. Fladestøel later regretted that they had signed it so soon. The major difficulties began after their arrival in Canada.

Choosing an Inland Transportation Agent

At the passengers’ request, Captain Olsen offered to arrange their onward transportation from Quebec toward Chicago and Milwaukee. Two competing companies approached the emigrants. One was represented by Hoelfeldt and the other by E. Stangeland. The passengers were divided over which company to choose. According to Fladestøel, the captain strongly favored Hoelfeldt and reacted angrily toward those who preferred the alternative. The group eventually agreed to travel through Hoelfeldt’s line. They received a written contract containing what appeared to be favorable terms. Among other things, they were promised that the journey to Chicago and Milwaukee would take five days. Instead, it took eight.

Additional Charges and Broken Promises

The emigrants soon discovered that several provisions of their contract were not being honored. They had been promised boiled water for making tea and coffee. Fladestøel complained that obtaining it proved difficult and that passengers could be treated roughly when they asked for it. At Hamilton, their baggage was weighed, and they were charged five cents per hundred pounds more than the price stated in their contract. When they later boarded a steamboat from Chicago to Milwaukee, they were required to pay for their baggage again. Upon arrival in Milwaukee, another charge of two speciedaler per load was imposed as wharfage. At each stage, the emigrants produced their contract and protested that these additional charges were contrary to its terms. Their objections had no effect.

Overcrowding on the Steamboat

Fladestøel considered the conditions aboard the steamboat the worst part of the inland journey. Passengers and livestock were crowded together so tightly that he described the situation as distressing to witness. Many of the emigrants became ill during this part of the journey. Their contract supposedly entitled them to lodge a complaint with the authorities if they were not treated properly. In practice, however, Fladestøel recognized how difficult it would have been for newly arrived immigrants to pursue a legal case in an unfamiliar country. He placed much of the responsibility on Hoelfeldt, arguing that the agent should have ensured that the agreed terms were respected.

A Warning to Future Emigrants

Fladestøel’s account concluded with a strong warning to those planning to follow the same route. He advised emigrants to be extremely cautious when dealing with Hoelfeldt and claimed that the agent had a very poor reputation among immigrants. He also warned travelers not to place complete trust in the captain of the ship that had brought them across the Atlantic. In his view, financial interests could sometimes outweigh concern for the emigrants’ welfare. The newspaper nevertheless added an important qualification. It noted that reports from other emigrant vessels sailing from Drammen had been considerably more favorable. Those ships had been praised both for the arrangements made for passenger comfort and for the humane and considerate conduct of their captains.

The Journey Did Not End at Quebec

Fladestøel’s experience illustrates an important aspect of nineteenth-century emigration that is easily overlooked. For passengers traveling from Norway to the American Midwest, the ocean crossing was only the first part of a much longer journey. After reaching Quebec, emigrants often had to transfer repeatedly between steamships, railroads, canals, and other forms of transportation before reaching their final destination. At each transfer they depended heavily on agents, interpreters, railway employees, and steamship companies. Language difficulties and unfamiliarity with American transportation systems made newly arrived emigrants particularly vulnerable to misunderstandings, excessive charges, and broken agreements. The experience of the passengers from the Niord was therefore not simply a complaint about one particular journey. It provides a valuable glimpse into the difficulties that emigrants could encounter during the often overlooked inland stage of their migration to America.

Sources:

[Drammens Blad 1854.11.03]