The Crossing Coffin Ship In 1851 there were often as many as fifteen ships a day sailing to America from Liverpool. Within eight days in 1851 eleven ships carrying 1568 passengers sailed to America from the port of Cobh in Ireland. In the first half of the century conditions on the trans-atlantic ships were often appalling. The worst death rates occurred during the famine on the notorious “coffin ships” with death rates a high as 30% on some of them. Some idea of the conditions endured by people on the coffin ships of the famine period can be gleaned from the story of the "Elizabeth and Sarah", which sailed from Co. Mayo in July 1847. She carried 276 persons, instead of the 212 listed, and had only 8,700 gallons of water for the voyage, instead of the 12,532 gallons she should have had. Each passenger was entitled to be given 7 lbs of provisions each week, but none was ever distributed. The 276 passengers shared 32 berths, and there was no sanitary facility of any kind. The voyage took eight weeks, because the captain took the wrong course, and by the time the ship broke down and was towed into the St. Lawrence River in September, 42 people had died. Approximately 98% of passengers travelled as steerage with 2% travelling cabin class. Cargo was loaded first, then the cabin passengers and only when the ship was ready to sail could steerage passenger’s board. Most of the passengers had never been on a ship before. Leaving was an emotional moment as they caught their last glance of home. Steerage passengers had to cook and fend for themselves, crammed together on the lower decks. Overcrowding was a constant problem leading to outbreaks of cholera and typhus. David Hollet observed that “British emigrant ships on the north Atlantic run only allowed ten feet of space for every adult, two children counting as one, and infants not being include in the calculations. American ships, being somewhat better, allowed for fourteen feet for every steerage passenger. In relation to food, it was only incumbent on ship owners to provide steerage passenger with water and biscuits the quality of which was often questionable. Steerage passenger were expected to bring their own food on board and cook it as required on the few grates provided. Cooking took place on the open deck leaving passengers open to bad weather and the danger of fire. The staple food of Irish emigrants on the ships was oatmeal and water, boiled into what was called mush, or burgoo by the sailors. Pigs were often killed and cooked on deck. Often fires could not be lit for long periods due to weather conditions and passengers were compelled to eat raw food. Health care on these ships was either totally inadequate or non-existent. Most ships had no proper toilet facilities and even when rudimentary water closets were provided, these were located on the open deck, and could not be used in rough weather. Disasters and shipwrecks also took their toll. Passengers tried to make of their lot. There was often music among steerage passengers as someone invariably had a flute or a fiddle or even a set of bagpipes. A dance might take place on deck in the evening if captain did not stop it. The sighting of strange fish and unusual creatures was also common distraction. Until 1850, when iron-hulled screw steamers were introduced, it took at least a month to cross the Atlantic. By the 1870s the journey held fewer terrors as steamships cut he travelling time, competition reduced fares and government regulation greatly improved conditions on board ship. Fares fell to as little as Ł1.16d and the Cunard line had reduced travel time to two weeks by the late 1850s Back