70 EARLY UNDERTAKINGS. (1838, 
Bunker Hill (and I believe the other boats on the 
lake are not materially different) is rather odd, but 
very well adapted to answer the purpose for which it is 
intended. All the boats carry large quantities of 
freight, and the whole space beneath the main deck is 
occupied by merchandise, and by the boilers and fuel. 
The deck is crowded with boxes, bales, and casks, 
many of which are directed to places in the far West 
yet so distant that they have hardly commenced their 
journey. The after part is occupied chiefly by a sort 
of cabin for deck passengers (equivalent to steerage 
passengers), in which men, women, and children, 
Dutch, Irish, Swiss, and Yankee, are promiscuously 
jumbled. It is infinitely better, however, than the 
steerage of packet-ships. The bow of the boat is 
occupied by a different set of passengers, viz., eight or 
ten horses, destined to draw sundry wagons which 
now occupy a very conspicuous situation in front of 
the promenade-deck. You would suppose there was 
no room left for cabin passengers. On the contrary, 
their accommodations, though by no means splendid, 
are really very comfortable and complete. They 
occupy what in a North River boat forms the prome- 
nade-deck, which here extends nearly the whole length 
of the vessel, has a ladies’ saloon entirely separate 
from the gentlemen’s cabin, and three or four private 
state-rooms for families. The gentlemen’s cabin is 
fitted up with state-rooms with three berths in each, 
and as there was only a moderate number of pas- 
sengers I was so fortunate as to secure a whole state- 
room to myself, where I enjoyed very comfortable 
rest. When I rose, we were approaching the town of 
Erie, Pennsylvania. I made an attempt, while we 
were detained at the wharf, to get on shore to botanize ; 
eas, 
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