The New World – Steinway & Sons | Departure
Until the mid 1840ies, the Steinweg family was growing constantly. Eight children survived the suckling age. The sons by the by joined their father’s workshop. The sales opportunities for the finished pianos however were limited, the economical circumstances remained difficult. Heinrich Engelhard (1797–1871) therefore began looking for alternatives: In 1849, he sent his second eldest son Karl (1829–1865) to America to check the state of piano making thereat. To Karl, it seemed promising. In May 1850, the Steinwegs sold their house in Seesen, and boarded the Helena Sloman, the first German steamship to sail overseas, to go to New York.
Caption 1
Newspaper note about the emigration of the Steinweg family from 19.03.1850
Braunschweigische Anzeigen, Niedersächsisches Landesarchiv Wolfenbüttel, Z 34 Nr. 106/1 Nr. 66
Caption 2
Advertisement for the emigrant ship Helena Sloman from 25.05.1850
Allgemeine Auswandererzeitung No. 61, electronic journal library, University Regensburg
Report of the first journey on the Helena Sloman from 25.07.1850
Allgemeine Auswandererzeitung 86, electronic journal library, University Regensburg
[quote:]
“On the first two days, we also had coffee and tea (casually stated: two liquids to which the terms can only be granted out of exaggerated flattery) from the common tween deck kettle. The weekly sugar ration was one pound per person. After speaking to the captain, we achieved a daily ration of potatoes, plum pudding on Sunday and fresh meat on Thursday. […] Thus we lived on the legally granted ship’s food as best as possible, meaning we took what was legally due to us; because we were not able to lecture on any ‘basic rights for emigrants’ as there was no public display of ship regulations, or other, available to protect the emigrants. […]
I am now going to describe the […] 2nd cabin, containing ‘room (?) and bedding for 32 people’. This is a small house between the hatch of the middle section of the tween deck and the foremast. It is absolutely true that the cabin can easily be aired. […] We were indeed lucky not to suffer too much rain, as the water would not only penetrate through the badly framed windows, but also through the joints of the wooden ceiling, falling onto the table and into a few bunks.
The captain is a friendly man, as far as not doing anyone any harm, however he does not care about the passengers of his own accord and answers most of the well-founded complaints with a mere shrug of his shoulders. […]”