board, and at once saw that there were more than the contracted for number, and that the ship was badly overcrowded. He made an investigation that showed that Ferand had sold four hundred and eighty tickets. He ordered the last eighty passengers to go ashore, and proceeded to enforce the order without delay. Fortunately a British brig[1] put into Panama that day and her captain was willing to take the rejected passengers at the same rate.
The Humboldt sailed on May 21, 1849. Lieut. Commanding McArthur enforced strict discipline, as being the only means of securing safety and comfort of the passengers and crew. Among the former was Collis P. Huntington, for many years president of the Southern Pacific Company. In the spring of 1890, he recounted to Lewis Linn McArthur, the third son of Wm. P. McArthur, some of incidents of the trip. He stated that there was one exceptionally turbulent fellow aboard, who endeavored to provoke a quarrel with him, and threatened other passengers. When this reached Lieut. Commanding McArthur's ears, he immediately sought out the disturber, and cautioned him not to repeat his annoyances. The man resented this violently and McArthur immediately took his weapons from him and had him put in irons. In a few days his spirits had cooled, and he asked for pardon and promised that there would be no more troublesome conduct on his part.
The passage was very slow, requiring forty-eight days to reach Acapulco. When the Humboldt reached that port the passengers and crew were almost famished because of a shortage of food and water.
After a week's delay, the Humboldt proceeded to San Francisco, which port she reached in due time.
By the middle of September, 1849, the Ewing had arrived from New York, and Lieut. Commanding McArthur was installed aboard, but no sooner had he prepared for operations, than an incident occurred which gave him great annoyance.
- ↑ Julius H. Pratt, in the "Century Magazine" for April, 1891, gives an account of his trip to California in 1849, and describes the voyage of the Humboldt in greater detail. He states that the British brig that arrived so opportunely was the Corbiere.
