The Voyage of the Tønsberg from Christiania to Quebec, 1853
In the spring of 1853, J. Stammerud of Furnes emigrated to America with his wife and child, together with several others from Hedemark and Christians Amt (Oppland). His later account of the journey was published in Oplandsposten.
Stammerud and his family boarded the Tønsberg at Christiania (Oslo) on May 4, 1853. The ship sailed the same day, but persistent headwinds made the first part of the voyage exceptionally slow. It was not until May 30 that the vessel reached the English Channel, meaning that the passage from Christiania across the North Sea had taken twenty-six days. The voyage continued westward toward Newfoundland. On the Grand Banks, the Tønsberg encountered calm weather and dense fog. On July 2, the ship narrowly escaped being run down by a large steamship.
The emigrants also saw fourteen or fifteen large icebergs drifting nearby. Despite these hazards, no accident occurred. Life on board was relieved somewhat when the crew caught a large quantity of cod and two halibut, each weighing more than twelve bismerpund, approximately 70 kilograms or 150 pounds. The fresh fish was distributed among the passengers. On July 10, the emigrants sighted the North American mainland. They still had the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the St. Lawrence River ahead of them, and unfavorable winds continued to delay the ship. An American pilot came aboard on July 17. On the morning of July 22, after more than eleven weeks at sea, the Tønsberg finally anchored at Quebec. The crossing had not been without loss. Two children died aboard the ship during the voyage. Soon after arrival, the emigrants were also confronted with a serious cholera epidemic that was affecting Quebec and the transportation routes farther inland.
Stammerud and his party left the Tønsberg on July 25 and immediately continued their journey westward.
[Christiania Intelligentssedler 1854.10.28]
