Departure from Southampton

Southampton Departure | Partida desde Southampton

ENGLISH VERSION

When the SS Dresden sailed from Southampton in January 1889, it did so quietly, without the drama that would later surround its arrival in Buenos Aires. Yet this moment marked the true beginning of one of the most complex and misunderstood migration stories of the late nineteenth century.

Southampton was not merely a port of call. It was a recruitment point, a place of selection, and a symbolic threshold between old lives and uncertain futures. From here embarked dozens of families—English and Irish alike—many drawn from the surrounding districts of Hampshire. They were tradespeople, labourers, laundresses, domestic servants, men and women accustomed to work rather than speculation. For some, like Charles and Charlotte Ware, Southampton was home; for others, it was the last familiar ground before crossing the Atlantic.

The departure was carefully staged. Contemporary newspapers describe the presence of Argentine consular officials, immigration commissioners, and representatives of the Norddeutscher Lloyd line. Emigrants were addressed on deck, reassured that passage costs would be advanced by the Argentine government and repaid later through structured instalments. Employment, housing, and food were promised upon arrival. In these early accounts, the scheme appeared orderly, generous, and benevolent—an example of modern, state-supported migration.

From Southampton, the Dresden proceeded to Queenstown (Cobh), where the largest contingent boarded: more than a thousand emigrants from Limerick, Clare, Dublin, and the Irish Midlands. Together, these groups formed one of the largest single assisted-emigration movements ever undertaken to Argentina.

What followed is well known: overcrowding in Buenos Aires, improvised shelters, illness, death, and the ill-fated attempt to relocate many families to the agricultural colony of Napostá. But focusing solely on the collapse risks obscuring something essential. The people who boarded the Dresden were not passive victims or “undesirable emigrants,” as later narratives would suggest. They were families making rational decisions in a world marked by economic pressure, land insecurity, and limited opportunity.

Some returned. Some re-emigrated. Others dispersed across Argentina, Britain, Canada, and the United States. The Southampton connection reminds us that the Dresden was not an endpoint, but a node—one moment within longer trajectories of movement, adaptation, and survival.

To begin the story at Southampton is to restore dignity to its protagonists. It allows us to see the Dresden not only as a failed migration experiment, but as the starting point of many lives that continued, transformed, and endured well beyond the shadow of that single voyage.

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VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL

En la noche del 23 de enero de 1889, el vapor SS Dresden zarpó del puerto de Southampton rumbo a Buenos Aires. Era un barco nuevo, imponente, recientemente construido en los astilleros de Govan, y navegaba bajo el mando del capitán H. Bruns como parte de la flota de la Norddeutscher Lloyd. A bordo viajaba un primer contingente de 245 emigrantes, en su mayoría familias del sur de Inglaterra, seleccionadas dentro del nuevo programa de emigración asistida del Gobierno argentino.

La escena del embarque fue solemne y cuidadosamente organizada. Funcionarios consulares, representantes diplomáticos y el propio comisionado jefe de emigración europea, Samuel Navarro, estuvieron presentes. Antes de la partida, los emigrantes fueron reunidos en cubierta y se les explicó el funcionamiento del sistema de pasajes adelantados: el Estado argentino financiaba el viaje, que luego sería devuelto mediante cuotas firmadas en Buenos Aires por los jefes de familia. Todo parecía indicar que se trataba de un proyecto serio, planificado y respaldado al más alto nivel.

Desde Southampton, el Dresden se dirigió a Queenstown (actual Cobh), donde embarcaría el grueso del pasaje irlandés. Allí subirían entre 1.300 y 1.500 personas provenientes principalmente de Limerick, Clare y Dublín. La prensa de la época describió las disposiciones como “excelentes”, destacó la buena provisión de alimentos y subrayó que prácticamente no se registraron quejas durante el embarque. Incluso se relatan aplausos y agradecimientos dirigidos a los representantes argentinos al momento de la partida.

Sin embargo, otras crónicas contemporáneas —especialmente desde ciudades inglesas como Portsmouth— ofrecen una imagen menos optimista. Relatan familias empujadas por la falta de trabajo, hombres que abandonaban oficios duros pero estables, padres que vendían la ropa de sus hijos para poder pagar un depósito mínimo. Para muchos, la emigración no era tanto una oportunidad como una huida desesperada: “no puede ser peor que aquí”, decía uno de ellos antes de partir.

La partida del Dresden desde Southampton marca así el inicio de una historia compleja. Bajo una apariencia de orden, optimismo y promesas de prosperidad agrícola, comenzaba un viaje que pronto pondría en evidencia la distancia entre el discurso oficial y la experiencia real de los inmigrantes. 

Este fue el primer acto de una trama mayor, en la que expectativas, políticas públicas y vidas concretas quedarían profundamente entrelazadas.

The Southampton Connection – The SS Dresden and a Forgotten Journey (1889)

In January 1889, the steamship SS Dresden left Southampton carrying 250 of emigrants bound for Argentina. Among them were families from Hampshire, whose stories are now slowly being reconstructed through newspapers, passenger lists, and private letters.

Recent research has brought to light a remarkable letter published in 1889, written by C. & C. Ware, former residents of Southampton, addressed to John Clarke of Woodmill Laundry, Portswood. Writing from Temperley, Buenos Aires Province, they describe starting a laundry business shortly after arrival, their first customers, the difficulty of roads and transport, and the networks of local support that helped them settle.

photo credit: Colin Lee | Southampton Heritage Photo

LIFE IN THE ARGENTINE REPUBLIC

WHAT HAMPSHIRE IMMIGRANTS THINK OF IT

The Hampshire Independent, July 27th 1889 (*)

We have been favoured with letters received from former residents of Southampton by friends in the “old country,” from which we call some interesting particulars as to the experiences of some who have started a new career in the Argentine Republic.

One of the letters, from “C. and C. Ware,” addressed to Mr. John Clarke, Woodmill Laundry, Portswood, and dated from Temperley, F.C.S., Buenos Ayres, says:

“We started our laundry this week, and got through satisfactorily, for all we had to manage without the copper, for a native built it, and didn’t he take his time about it! He commenced Monday morning and finished on Wednesday afternoon, but he made a good job of it.

All the young people round are so interested in it; they have never seen such a thing before, nor a lot of the grown people either.

We are getting nicely settled now. We had a start last week. Mr. B——— sent his coachman round with C——— with his trap to pick up the linen, and again yesterday to deliver it, and the people were so pleased with it; all of them have never seen such ironing as mine.

Mr. B——— bought a light cart for us on Friday, and he has a horse and a set of harnesses for us of his own. You cannot do much out here without a horse and cart, for the roads are awful. Directly there is any rain they are all mud. You put your foot down in a place where you think it is nice, and in you go up to your knees in a crack. The poor horses and oxen often get stuck in the bad places. Some roads cannot be used in wet weather.

All the ladies round are very much interested in us; it is a good thing they found some in the Dresden that would try to get on, for they are almost TIRED OF TRYING TO HELP THE IRISH, for so many were fit for nothing but to drink and smoke and beg for money. I don’t think any of us would have been in the Emigrant’s House so long if it had not been for them, for directly a lady or gentleman showed themselves we got very nearly knocked down if we were near enough to speak to anyone.

I am glad to say it is all over and the place begins to feel more homely, especially now I am doing the work in my own way. We are all ever so much better since we came to Temperley.

The bread is not staying enough; besides, it is eight cents for a small loaf, and they bake them so. I wish very often that I had brought a sitting or two of eggs with me. You can set the hens all the year round here. A lady that I work for came to see me last Sunday, and she advised me to KEEP POULTRY, for the people have such trouble to get eggs. They were 40 cents the half-dozen a little while ago, and I expect they are more now that the winter is on.

I think it a very good start indeed, and we are very pleased with it ourselves. It does not cost us anything for firing, and it will not for the horse’s food, as they turn them out when not working. There is such abundance of grass, and we have a nice field of clover to put our horse in.”

The writer was found in the SS Dresden passenger list as: Charles and Charlotte (C & C Ware) as fathers and Annie, Charles and Alfred as their kids.

This letter is especially important because it:

• Confirms the presence of Southampton emigrants from the Dresden in early Temperley

• Shows how skilled trades allowed families to rebuild quickly

• Describes daily life, food prices, roads, poultry keeping, and relations among immigrants

• Offers a rare, unfiltered voice of emigrants only weeks after leaving England

At the same time that the story of the SS Dresden has long been told as one of failure — collapse, broken promises, hunger, and displacement — individual family trajectories invite us to rethink what this episode actually meant, both then and afterwards.

A particularly revealing case is that of Charles and Charlotte Ware, who travelled from Southampton aboard the Dresden with their children. Far from being migrants without skills or support networks, Charles already appeared in the 1881 British census as a laundryman in South Stoneham, Hampshire. Charlotte, née Clarke, came from a family closely connected to the laundry trade in the Portswood area. This combination of transferable skills and family networks helps explain not only the letter written from Temperley, Buenos Aires, describing the opening of their own laundry business, but also a longer and more complex migratory trajectory.

After their time in Argentina, the Ware family returned to England and resumed their trade in the Southampton area, as confirmed by later census records and numerous newspaper advertisements linked to Woodmill Laundry. Even more suggestive is the appearance of their son Martin Alfred Ware, recorded as having been born in Canada — strongly indicating that the child listed as “Alfred” on the Dresden passenger list is the same individual, and that the family had already experimented with migration to North America either before or after their Argentine experience.

This case highlights a crucial point: prosperity did not always take the form of immediate success within an agricultural colony. Instead, it often emerged through mobility, adaptability, and the ability to transfer skills across borders. For families like the Wares, the Dresden was not the end of the story, but one chapter within a much broader transnational life history.

Revisiting the Dresden through these personal narratives allows us to move beyond a monolithic interpretation of failure. It reveals lives shaped by repeated attempts, returns, and reinvention — trajectories in which even difficult experiences became part of longer processes of survival, learning, and, ultimately, continuity.

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Newspaper reports from Britain, Ireland, New Zealand, and Argentina also show how closely this migration was followed abroad, especially after the failure of the Napostá colony, where many Dresden passengers were initially sent. While some returned to Europe, others — like the Wares — re-emigrated internally, finding work and stability near Buenos Aires.

We are currently cross-referencing:

• SS Dresden passenger lists

• Southampton and Hampshire census records

• British Newspaper Archive reports

• FamilySearch and Ancestry records

If you have family letters, photographs, shipping, census, or parish records and/or stories passed down about relatives who went to Argentina — especially from Southampton / Hampshire between 1888–1895 — we would love to hear from you.

CONTACT US

This is an open, ongoing research project, and the Southampton connection is proving to be a vital piece of a much larger Atlantic story.

* (Content provided by THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)

Supporting the Dresden Project

Some stories refuse to disappear.

The story of the SS Dresden — its passengers, its broken promises, and its long aftermath — is one of them. For years, this project has grown slowly, carried forward by research, testimonies from descendants, and a shared desire to understand what truly happened in 1889.

The book The Descendants of the Dresden is taking shape but we need some time for more consistent presentation of the digital versions (in spanish and in englsih) with design, printed version and other things to come.

This is not the end of the journey at all — it is only a new beginning.

This project has always been independent. It has not been funded by any institutions, universities, or grants. It exists thanks to time, persistence, and the generosity of people who believe that memory matters.

If this story resonates with you — whether as a descendant, a historian, a reader, or simply someone who believes that overlooked histories deserve a place — you can help make the next stage possible.

By supporting the Dresden Project, you are contributing directly to:

• Professional translation of the book

• Layout design and preparation for both digital and printed version

• A limited first printed edition

• The continuation of research and outreach

Every contribution, large or small, helps move this project forward.

This is not only about publishing a book.  It is about making sure this story can be read, shared, and carried forward across languages and generations.

Thank you for reading.
Thank you for supporting.
And thank you for helping keep the Dresden Project alive.

👉 Support the Dresden Project here: 

Volver al Dresden

Este libro tuvo muchas vidas antes de llegar a ser libro.

Empezó como una investigación, casi como un impulso personal, una necesidad de entender qué había pasado con esas familias que llegaron en 1889 a bordo del SS Dresden. Con el tiempo se fue volviendo algo más grande que yo.

Cuando en 2010 me mudé a vivir a la Patagonia, el proyecto tomó una forma más clara. 

Con más tiempo para pensar y escribir, el trabajo avanzó mucho gracias a la ayuda y el empuje de Edmundo Murray y Peter Mulvany que fueron clave en ese momento: me sacaron de mis propios límites, me obligaron a ordenar, a profundizar, a no quedarme quieto. 

Para entonces, el libro había avanzado bastante. 

Pero la vida pasa.

Nacieron mis dos hijos, y el foco —como corresponde— se fue a otro lado. El Dresden quedó en pausa. No olvidado, pero sí guardado. Durante más de diez años.

Hace poco, por un accidente de mi mamá, me tocó quedarme mucho tiempo en casa cuidándola. En ese tiempo, distinto, apareció de nuevo el Dresden. 

Primero de manera tímida: abrir archivos, releer, ver en qué había quedado todo, preguntarme qué le faltaba. Después, casi sin darme cuenta, una cosa llevó a la otra.

Y acá estamos.

Este blog, este libro, este proyecto, no nacen de una urgencia editorial ni de una estrategia. Nacen de una historia que pedía ser contada completa. De una deuda con los que vinieron en ese barco y con sus descendientes. Y también, por qué no decirlo, de una necesidad personal de cerrar un círculo.

Gracias por estar del otro lado.
Gracias por leer.
Seguimos.

Bolster Family

Dear Juan Pablo,

I only recently discovered that my grandfather and his parents, brothers, and sisters were part of the "Dresden Affair".They travelled from Ireland with eight children, ranging in ages from 14 to 2 years old.

Here are their names from the passenger list at the Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild (http://immigrantships.net/irish_arg/irish_arg1889a.html)

788 Bolster George 38 m carpenter l 16 [my great-grandfather]
789 Bolster Mary 39 m dressmaker l 16 [my great-grandmother]
790 Bolster Elizabeth 14 s misstress l 16
791 Bolster Richard 13 s l 16
792 Bolster William 11 s l 16
793 Bolster George 9 s l 16
794 Bolster Annie 7 s l 16
795 Bolster Thomas 5 s 16
796 Bolster Robert 4 s 16
797 Bolster Joseph 2 s 16 [my grandfather]

Interestingly, they came from a different social background to most of the passengers on the Dresden.

Originally, they were both from the Protestant land-owning class. They married without their families' permission and against their wishes, and as a result were "cut off" and had to adapt to working in trade to make a living and provide for their (large) family.

From what I can see, there were several other members of the Bolster family living around Buenos Aires before the Dresden arrived. Certainly they come from the same parish in County Cork in Ireland, and were members of the British/Irish Protestant community in Buenos Aires. So perhaps my ancestors had been in contact with their emigrant relations and found them more liberal and less intolerant than their own families at home? Or perhaps they simply heard the wonderful tales that were being broadcast by the agents of the 'Dresden Affair', and fell victim to the dream of a better life, like so many of their compatriots.

However, I suspect they may have gone to Napostá. I base this on one thing - as a small child, my mother's Aunt Annie told her stories about how they had trekked in wagons across a long distance through open prairies and wilderness. It must have been a long journey, as my aunt remembered how they had animals with them that were killed for food on the journey, and also that my great-grandmother made soap and candles with the fat from these animals (and suffered chemical burns on her hands from the lye used in the process - my mother's aunt told the story that my great-grandmother had been born a 'lady' so her hands were white and spotless before going to Argentina, but after the chemical burns she always wore gloves when in public). Unfortunately, my mother didn't ask more questions (she was only a child and didn't realise it might be important, and of course everybody who knew the facts is now dead).

Anyway, wherever they went in Argentina, it wasn't a success, and in 1891 they sailed on the Helvius and returned to Ireland. (Again, according to my mother's aunt) they had a child in Argentina, but he/she didn't survive. It must have been a very emotional time for them to decided to return.

I have nothing linking them to Argentina other than the passenger lists and the stories my mother heard as a child. I only discovered the whole Dresden story through your website and SILAS. I wish I could find out more, and intend to do more research to see if I can discover more about what they did while they were there, and if they did indeed form part of the ill-fated expedition to Napostá.

The irony is that I took my son to Buenos Aires only a couple of years ago, and at that time we knew nothing about our family connection via the Dresden. We shall have to return before too long!

Anyway, I thought I would get in touch, and add another story to your collection. If you ever find more records pointing to Napostá and other Irish settlement, I will read about it with great interest!


Kind regards
Hugh (Bolster) Grant


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Whitepages in Argetina says that there are only 3 Bolster living in Buenos Aires city:

- Bolster Eduardo A - Monserrat, Ciudad de Buenos Aires
- Bolster Haydee M De - Flores, Ciudad de Buenos Aires
- Bolster Yolanda B  - Flores, Ciudad de Buenos Aires

Wilkinson family

Thomas Wilkinson and Family

by Edwina Swingler

Thomas Wilkinson, his wife Margaret and their 7 children boarded at Queenstown. They were from Kilkenny, Kilkenny, Ireland. Thomas died in Buenos Aires, Argentina 07 Jan 1897. Margaret immigrated to USA via Cape Town, South Africa 1907 with her 4 younger sons. The oldest son Thomas married Irene Spinetto in Argentina and later moved to US.

Her oldest daughter Marian married a William Foley in US. Johanna her only other daughter married Orey Loveday, their first child was born in Argentina, second in Cape Town and remaining 4 children (all girls) were born in New York, USA.

My husband is the grandson of Johanna and Orey Loveday.

Artículo The Southern Cross – Julio 2014

La historia del Dresden

La historia del SS Dresden y sus inmigrantes comienza en Enero de 1889, casi un mes antes de la llegada del barco, anunciada ya por el agente de propaganda argentina en Dublín, Buckley O’Meara.

A partir de ese momento, los medios empiezan a informar que llegaban a Buenos Aires 250 familias ó 1500 inmigrantes desde Irlanda e Inglaterra.

La historia quedó registrada por los medios de la época. La cobertura durante el primer año de los diarios The Southern Cross, The Standard, Buenos Ayres Herald, La Prensa y La Nación, la cuentan con mucho detalle.

Pero el tiempo fue pasando y con su paso la fue tapando.

No pasó mucho al respecto hasta que Thomas Murray en 1919 publicó “The Story of the Irish in Argentina”, un gran trabajo de investigación y recolección de noticias, libros, cartas y relatos de los Irlandeses en Argentina desde la llegada del hombre blanco al territorio actual, hasta finales del siglo XIX. En su libro, Murray menciona el caso del SS Dresden y cuenta la historia con algunos detalles que luego devienen en errores que se van a repetir hasta hoy.

Pasaron los años y otra vez el tiempo fue tapando la historia con otras historias. Pero, una copia del libro de Murray quedó en las oficinas de The Southern Cross y llegó sana y salva y con todas sus hojas a 1999.

En ese año, Mike Geraghty tenía que escribir un artículo para publicar en el Buenos Aires Herald, unos días antes del día de San Patricio. En su investigación dio con el libro de Murray y con la historia del SS Dresden. De la unión nació “Argentina: Land of Broken Promises”, un artículo que sacó el libro del cajón y revivió la historia de los inmigrantes que vinieron en el SS Dresden ciento diez años después.

Luego de haber sido publicado, el artículo fue reeditado por la Society for Irish Latin American Studies (SILAS) y replicado en varios artículos relacionados con la historia de la inmigración irlandesa.

En esta cadena me encontré, al final del eslabón, con el artículo de Mike Geraghty y la lista de los inmigrantes que venían en ese barco (entre estos mi supuesto tatarabuelo James Pearce).

SILAS fue el punto de encuentro de la historia conmigo y fue también el marco donde empecé a trabajar para ahondar la historia.

Así fue que empecé a juntar las noticias de los diarios de la época y me hice de un buen número de ellas para profundizar un poco más los detalles. Encontré así detalles que no coincidían tal como estaban en la nota de Geraghty, pero que sí tenían algún punto de referencia que la validaba.

Acá empieza la etapa que llamo la “de los descendientes”, y la llamo así porque fue gracias a ellos que empezaron a aparecer detalles para nada menores en la historia.

Primero me encontré con Anne Miles. Ella vive en Inglaterra y me contactó en 2007 porque existía la posibilidad de que fuéramos parientes. Menuda noticia. Ella era nieta de Daisy May Pearce, la pequeña de 6 meses que vino en el SS Dresden junto a sus padres, James y Mary Jane. Ella hizo una maravillosa investigación y probó que James había muerto a poco de llegar y Mary Jane y Daisy volvieron a Inglaterra y allí se quedaron por el resto de sus vidas. Con esto probábamos, no solo que no éramos parientes, sino que mi tatarabuelo no era el James Pearce del SS Dresden.

Poco después, gracias a Peter Mulvany, uno de los descendientes y socios fundadores de SILAS, fue que di con otro pequeño detalle gigante. El nombre del barco no era el “City of Dresden”. El nombre correcto era el “SS Dresden”. Y si bien parece un detalle menor, cualquier hijo de vecino que quiera buscar a sus parientes en el barco City of Dresden (el de verdad), los va a encontrar como una pequeña tripulación de marineros en Nueva York, navegando en un pequeño barquito por las costas de Manhattan, que claro está, nada tenía que ver con el gigante de casi cinco mil toneladas.

Y fue así como poco a poco, la historia que me iba haciendo del ahora SS Dresden, iba cobrando otra forma. Una forma con más detalles y sobre todo, más matices.

Y fueron llegando más e-mails de descendientes.

Y me empecé a preguntar, qué hago? Si mi pariente no vino en ese barco, por qué habría de darle, de regalarle, mi tiempo a esta historia?

Quizás porque la abracé y ella me abrazó a mí y dejarla no era grato. Quizás porque no me gusta para nada la idea de que vuelva a quedar olvidada y tapada otros cien años. Quizás porque soy curioso y quiero saber qué pasó. Quizás porque siento un compromiso con los que me contactaron buscando información. Quizás porque vivir el rencuentro de dos primos segundos (compartían el mismo bisabuelo) que no se conocían, tocándome a mí ser el nexo vinculante, fue una experiencia enorme y única. Quizás por todo. Quizás por más.

Creo que todo sumó, todo se alineo de manera tal como para no dejarla dormir en el cajón de los recuerdos, sino más bien, todo lo contrario, dejarla viva y dando vueltas arriba de los escritorios, en los monitores de la computadoras y las tablets o smartphones, y por qué no, en los medios de comunicación.

Pero cómo? Cómo se hace?

Bueno, lo primero que se me ocurrió fue hacer un documental. La excusa era exponerlo en un Congreso de Estudios Migratorios que organizaba SILAS en México en 2009. Y allá fuimos, hicimos un documental con mi mujer y mis primos para exponer esta historia con los nuevos detalles y avances de la investigación a partir del aporte de los descendientes.

La idea de un documental iba a darle un influjo de vida a la historia, por supuesto impulsada por la magia de Internet.

Pero faltaba más. Faltaba darles a los descendientes un lugar protagonista como constructores de la historia. Y ahí empieza a tomar más forma el proyecto “Los descendientes del Dresden” que impulso hoy.

Ese fue el título que elegí porque las palabras juegan de una manera interesante, para que en el mismo barco viajen, no solo los inmigrantes de 1889, sino sus descendientes también, y que todos juntos nuevamente sigan navegando.

El objetivo del proyecto es sumar a los descendientes desde lo organizativo, desde lo editorial, desde donde sea que quieran participar. Y por supuesto cada uno con su historia.

Y llega un punto en esta maraña que las historias se cruzan y las vidas también. Así los Ryan se cruzaron y se encontraron con Roberto, con Ken y con Tiffany, unos aquí en Argentina, otros en Irlanda, en diferentes condados. Con detalles de la historia que los involucran con la participación en la guerra de la Triple Alianza, que vienen y que van de Irlanda a la Argentina, y con familiares que se conocían por otros menesteres pero no por como “parientes”. Y junto con los Ryan están los Gaineys.

También está Anne Miles, mi gran pariente que no fue. Madre y abuela reciente, investigadora por naturaleza y docente por vocación. Ella es y sigue siendo un pie fundamente en esta historia porque así como el Dresden trajo el mayor contingente de irlandeses al país, también trajo en el mismo barco, el mayor contingente de ingleses. Entonces ella es hoy la base del proyecto en Reino Unido.

También está la historia de Peter Mulvany (McCarthy) con sus primos segundos, quienes se conocieron por una casualidad gracias a Stella Maris Taddio. Stella es madre de un descendiente argentino de los McCarthy que vinieron en el Dresden. Su hijo, Javier McCarthy, se fue a vivir a Estados Unidos y le pidió a ella que investigue la historia de su familia paterna. Y la mamá se encontró con una historia gigante justo atrás del mascarón de proa de la fragata Libertad. Ella buscando información para una de sus pinturas la historia del mascarón de proa, se encontró con la distinción que la Armada Argentina le hacía a Peter como sobrino nieto del único argentino muerto bajo bandera irlandesa en la segunda guerra mundial luego de que un submarino alemán hundiera su barco. Peter es hoy la base del proyecto en Irlanda.

También Stella Zuccarelli, bisnieta de Mary Anne Stephens, quien sigue atrás de todo lo que vamos publicando desde 2005 porque “quiere saber de dónde vienen sus raíces”. Ese querer saber, tan simple y sencillo, pero que en este caso cuesta tanto, tanto esfuerzo en buscar y encontrar detalles de noticias, en las cartas de descendientes que puedan darnos otra idea u otros detalles, en fotos y por sobre todo, en esas historias de familia que llegan hasta hoy.

También está Jorge Nealon, de Mar del Plata. Uno de los primeros en aparecer y contar su historia. Sus dos bisabuelos John Nealon y Theresa Foley vinieron en el Dresden con 9 y 2 años respectivamente. Lazos que juntó el Dresden y que años después devinieron en hijos, nietos y bisnietos.

Pero también están los Bourke, los Bolster, los Treacy, los Rochford, los Reilly, los Dempsey y muchos otros que me contactaron hasta ahora y que también quieren saber qué pasó y sobre todo si tienen parientes por Argentina dando vueltas.

Es por esto que quien sepa que sus antepasados vinieron en este barco, puede participar no solo contando su historia, sino también poniéndose en contacto con otros descendientes y encontrar otra parte de la historia de la familia que no conocían.

Todas estas historias ayudan a que los interesados/participantes sepan más de la historia y conozcan de la vida de estos inmigrantes, qué fue de ellos y qué fue de sus descendientes.

Actualmente el proyecto cuenta con el apoyo de las siguientes personalidades e instituciones: Tánaiste y Ministro de Relaciones Exteriores y Comercio de Irlanda, Sr. Eamon Gilmore TD; el Sr. Concejal Máirtín Ó Muilleoir, Alcalde de Belfast; el ex Ministro de Educación Irlandés Seán Haughey; la Society for Irish and Latin American Studies (SILAS); la Embajada de Irlanda; el Consejo de la Comunidad Argentino Británica (ABCC); la Asociación Canadiense de Estudios Irlandeses (CAIS); Marino Local History Society; The Admiral Brown Society Foxford; The Maritime Institute of Ireland; la Comunidad Irlando-Uruguaya y la Clotarf Historical Society.

Búsqueda de Descendientes

A continuación detallamos las familias que nos contactaron y que están buscando descendientes de las familias en Argentina:

Familia Bourke: Carta de la Sra. Margaret Lyons (Nee Bourke) del condado de Limerick al Sr. Peter Mulvany luego de la publicación en el Limerick Leader de su artículo sobre el SS Dresden y el Proyecto de los Descendientes del Dresden: "En respuesta a su carta en el Limerick Leader la semana pasada en relación con los emigrantes que se embarcaron en el SS Dresden en Cobh hacia Buenos Aires en 1889. Soy la nieta de Louis Bourke, quien fue uno de ellos. Me dijeron que su esposa murió y que se llevó a todos sus hijos con él. Luego, un pariente me dijo que su esposa se fue con él. De esto no estoy muy segura. Un amigo mío buscó en la computadora y encontró los nombres de las personas que fueron. Llegaron el 15/2/1889. Louis Bourke (padre), Ellen, John, Mary, Patrick, Kate, Margaret y James. Louis (el padre) se volvió y trajo con él a su hijo John . Se volvió a casar y mi padre (Tom) fue su hijo. El resto de la familia se quedó en Buenos Aires. No sé nada de ellos. Debe haber unos pocos descendientes aún por allá. Mi padre murió en 1977. A menudo hablaba de su familia en América del Sur. Mi padre nació en 1901, por lo que mi abuelo regresó al menos uno o dos años antes de esa fecha. Mi padre solía decirme que su padre había trabajado en algún rancho cuidando de los caballos y el ganado, cuando estuvo en Argentina."

Familia Treacy: Linda Koenig y Patricia Treacy de Estados Unidos están buscando descendientes de la familia Treacy que vino en el Dresden: los padres John y Kate Treacy y los hijos Thomas, John, Patrick, William, Edmund, Kate y Johanna. En el blog hay es post especial de esta familia con más datos.

Familia Ball: Hace muy poco, María Ball participó de un programa de genealogía emitido en RTÉ. A partir de ahí los primos de María, Thomas y Lynda Ball, junto con María, nos contactaron para buscar familiares de la familia Ball que vino en el Dresden: los padres Thomas y Catherine, y los hijos William, Margaret, Mary, Joseph, John, Vincent, Michael y Charlotte. Michael y Charlotte junto con su madre Catherine volvieron a Irlanda. Ella murió en a poco de llegar (1895) y los chicos siguieron viviendo en su antigua casa. En el Facebook está el video original de The Genealogy Roadshow.

The Southern Cross - Edición Julio 2014 (pág. 7)

Lista de Inmigrantes / Immigrant's List

Pasajeros de tercera clase en la cubierta de un barco de la NDL
Theird class passengers on board a NDL ship.

Foto: Gentileza Norddeutscher Lloyd Archives

A continuación encontrarán el link a la lista de pasajeros con toda la información. Poco a poco vamos actualizando datos. Actualmente estamos trabajando el puerto de origen de cada uno de los pasajeros. De ésta manera podrás ir viendo quiénes llegaron desde Queenstown (actual Cobh, Irlanda) y quiénes llegaron desde Southampton (Inglaterra). En esta planilla podrás utilizar las opciones de filtro para buscar apellidos específicos. Acceda a la lista de inmigrantes haciendo click aquí. Saludos cordiales,

Following you will find the link to the passenger list with all the information. Little by little we are updating the list with new details. Now we are working in the Original port of departure of each passenger. So you will be able to see whom they came from Queenstown (now Cobh, Ireland) and whom came from Southampton (England). In this spreadsheet you will be able to filtre specific names and surnames you are looking. Get the immigrant list by clicking here. Kind regards,


JP

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Reconocimientos: Gracias a SILAS y a Michael Geraghty, quienes generosamente nos brindaron la lista de pasajeros del SS Dresden, trascripta originalmente por el Centro de Estudios Migratorios Latinoamericanos (CEMLA). | Acknowledgements: Thanks SILAS and Michael Geraghty, who generously submitted the passenger list of the SS Dresden, originaly transcribed by Centro de Estudios Migratorios Latinoamericanos (CEMLA).

Stephens Family

Me contactó Stella Zuccarelli. Ella es descendiente de los Stephens que vinieron en el SS Dresden. Su bisabuela fue Mary Anne Stephens, hija de Robert y Rose. Mary Anne tenía 2 años cuando llegó a Buenos Aires en Febrero de 1889.

Stella me comenta que su padre solía contarle cómo era la vida por parte de su mamá y su familia irlandesa. Nunca le contaron el por qué habían venido para Argentina, pero sí que habían parte de la familia que se había quedado en Irlanda.

Los Stephens que vinieron en el barco fueron Robert (31) y Rose (23), los padres y John (14), Mary Anne (2) y Margaret (3 meses), los hijos. Junto a la familia vino la madrina de la pequeña Mary Anne, Mary Bennett (24) (figura en el Certificado de Bautismo).

Stella se decidió por investigar a su familia una vez que su padre falleció. Ella se encontró con la partida de nacimiento de su bisabuela Mary Anne junto con un puñado de historias que recordaba y fotos viejas de la familia.

Cuenta Stella "respecto a Mary Anne creo que el recuerdo de ella me trajo hasta aquí. Siempre se dedicó a la costura en casonas de Hurlinghan. Los Stephens eran de familia humilde. Solo su madrina Bennett adquirió otro estándar de vida. Siempre contaban de una artista hermana de ella en Irlanda. Esto es toda la información que tengo".

Stella está tratando de encontrar familiares tanto en Buenos Aires como en Irlanda que le puedan contar más qué fue de su familia y además sobre Mary Bennett.

Y finalmente agrega que "No quiero la ciudadanía ni nada por el estilo. Solo quiero saber de donde vienen mis raíces. De Italia solo tengo el apellido y el nombre. Pero las costumbres no se pueden evitar."

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Stella Zuccarelli has contacted me. She is descendant from the Stephens who came on board the SS Dresden. Her great-grandmother was Mary Anne Stephens, daughter of Robert and Rose. Mary Anne was 2 years old when she arrived to Buenos Aires in February 1889.

Stella told me that her father used to tell her how was his mother’s life about and of the rest of the Irish family. Nobody ever told her why the Stephens came to Argentina, but what they did to tell her was that some relatives had remained in Ireland.

The Stephens who came on the ship were Robert (31) and Rose (23), the parents, and John (14), Mary Anne (2) and Margaret (3 months), the children. Along with them, it came the Mary Anne's godmother, Mary Bennett (24) (contained in the Baptism certificate).

Stella decided to investigate his family after his father died. She found the baptismal certificate of her great-grandmother, Mary Anne, along with a handful of stories that she remember and some old family pictures.

Stella says "about Mary Anne I think that her remembrance brought me up to here. She was devoted to sewing in Hurlingham’s mansions. The Stephens were a humble family. Only her Godmother, Mary Bennett, got another standard of living. It was always said that Mary Bennett had an artist sister in Ireland. This is all the information I have."

Stella is trying to find relatives both in Buenos Aires and in Ireland that could tell her more about what was about her family and also about Mary Bennett’s life.

She finally adds that "I do not want the citizenship or anything like that I just want to know about my roots. From Italy I have only my name and surname. But habits ones cannot avoid."

Stella Zuccarelli

Mary Anne's Baptismal Certificate
Parish of St. John the Baptist - Blackrock Co. Dublin

Mary Anne Stephens

Mary Bennett

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Passenger List

Apellido	Nombre	Sexo	Ciudadania	Fecha de Partida	Puerto de Partida	Clase	Página de Registro	Edad
Stephens	Margaret	f	English	15/02/1889	Queenstown	3	19	905
Stephens	Robert	m	English	15/02/1889	Queenstown	3	19	31
Stephens	Rose	f	English	15/02/1889	Queenstown	3	19	23
Stephens	John	m	English	15/02/1889	Queenstown	3	19	14
Stephens	Mary	f	English	15/02/1889	Queenstown	3	19	2

Bourke Family

Letter from Mrs Margaret Lyons (Nee Bourke) County Limerick to Mr. Peter Mulvany after the publication in the Limerick Leader of an article about the SS Dresden and the Project:

"Further to your letter on the Limerick Leader last week concerning the emigrants who embarked on the SS Dresden in Cobh for Buenos Aires in 1889. I am the Grandaughter of Louis Bourke who was one of them. I was told his wife died and that he took all his children with him. Then a relative told me that his wife went with him. This I’m not sure of. A friend of mine looked it up on a computer and he got the names of the people that went.They arrived on the 15/2/1889. Louis Bourke (Father), Ellen, John, Mary, Patrick, Kate, Margaret and James. Louis (The Father) came home and brought his son John with him. Louis re-married and my Father (Tom) was his son. The rest of the family stayed in Buenos Aires. I dont know anything about them. There must be a few of their off-spring still there. My father is dead since 1977. He often spoke of his step family in South America. My father was born in 1901, so my Grand Father came back at least a year or two before that. My father used to tell me that his father was working in some ranch looking after horses and cattle while he was in Argentina."

Carta de la Sra. Margaret Lyons (Nee Bourke) del condado de Limerick al Sr. Peter Mulvany luego de la publicación en el Limerick Leader de su artículo sobre el SS Dresden y el Proyecto de los Descendientes del Dresden:

"En respuesta a su carta en el Limerick Leader la semana pasada en relación con los emigrantes que se embarcaron en el SS Dresden en Cobh hacia Buenos Aires en 1889. Soy la nieta de Louis Bourke, quien fue uno de ellos. Me dijeron que su esposa murió y que se llevó a todos sus hijos con él. Luego, un pariente me dijo que su esposa se fue con él. De esto no estoy muy segura. Un amigo mío buscó en la computadora y encontró los nombres de las personas que fueron. Llegaron el 15/2/1889. Louis Bourke (padre), Ellen, John, Mary, Patrick, Kate, Margaret y James. Louis (el padre) se volvió y trajo con él a su hijo John . Se volvió a casar y mi padre (Tom) fue su hijo. El resto de la familia se quedó en Buenos Aires. No sé nada de ellos. Debe haber unos pocos descendientes aún por allá. Mi padre murió en 1977. A menudo hablaba de su familia en América del Sur. Mi padre nació en 1901, por lo que mi abuelo regresó al menos uno o dos años antes de esa fecha. Mi padre solía decirme que su padre había trabajado en algún rancho cuidando de los caballos y el ganado, cuando estuvo en Argentina."

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Passenger List

Bourke	Ellen	f	English	15/02/1889	Queenstown	3	29	34	Servant
Bourke	Louis	m	English	15/02/1889	Queenstown	3	29	33	Labourer
Bourke	John	m	English	15/02/1889	Queenstown	3	29	11	Sin oficio por menor
Bourke	James	m	English	15/02/1889	Queenstown	3	30	22	Labourer
Bourke	Mary	f	English	15/02/1889	Queenstown	3	30	9	Sin oficio por menor
Bourke	Patrick	m	English	15/02/1889	Queenstown	3	30	7	Sin oficio por menor
Bourke	Kate	f	English	15/02/1889	Queenstown	3	30	5	Sin oficio por menor
Bourke	Margaret	f	English	15/02/1889	Queenstown	3	30	3	Sin oficio por menor

Letter from Mr. Byrne to The Souther Cross - Feb. 18th 1889

Following, the letter of Mr. Michael Byrne to The Southern Cross, telling some of his impressions his visit to the Hotel de Inmigrantes at the moment when the Irish and English from the SS Dresden where there.

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Buenos Aires, February 18th, 1889.

To the Editor of the Southern Cross.

Dear Sir:

In company with a friend, I visited the “Asilo” on Sunday morning and a more appalling sight I never before saw. I hope I shall never again behold such wretchedness. Long before I reached the Home, I was stopped by groups of half-starved creatures, whose blanched faces told the hardships the poor people were forced to endure. My friend proposed to take the women and children to a “café”, where they all got tea, bread and butter, he paying the bill. On leaving that group pretty satisfied with the “God-sent” breakfast, we crossed to the station , where we met group after group of starving people, who all complained of hunger. After saying a few encouraging words to the poor people, we passed into the Home, where after pushing our way through a motley crowd of Italians, we came in contact with the Irish.

The sight I shall never forget. Never, in this world shall that wretched scene of human misery fade from my mind. Numbers of half-starved men, women, and sickly children lay about in all directions, all crying loudly for something to eat, something to satisfy the intense pangs of maddening hunger. 

Owing to the great number of Italian immigrants who were located in the Home, prior to the women and children were lowed the miserable satisfaction of passing the night in the dining-room, the dirt of which would be hard to describe. However, it was better than those who had to remain under the inclemency of the skies, without a single thing to cover them or a dry place to lie upon. 

Quite a number of women remained walking about all night, their husbands refusing to let them go into the dirty dining-room, which, they told me, was infested with vermin of all descriptions.

On approaching one respectable looking old man with a sickly child in his arms he said: “Musha, Sor, could we get a sup of milk anywhere? Shure, it is not for myself I ax it, but for this poor child that is dying in my arms. Katie, the “creature”, God help her, is sick also, and poor Mary”, he added, pointing to his wife, who sat nursing another ragged child, “is lost entirely with two c ilder”. And with a look full of tenderness on the emaciated form of his wife, he went on “sure, if anything happened her, we were all lost complately”.

Such scenes were witnessed by all who visited the Immigrant’s Home, therefore it is useless to describe them. On moving a little farther I met Mr. John Drysdale went to the cookhouse and ordered that the breakfast be given at once. About 10 a.m. on Sunday morning the poor people got bread and meat for the first time that they had anything, since they left the steamship Dresden. A number of Irish and English ladies and gentlemen put in an appearance, and after a while a good number of the immigrants were taken away. Amongst others I noticed the following who did what they could to alleviate the sufferings of the unfortunate people; Mr. John Drysdale, Mr. E. Casey, Mr. Thomas Duggan, Mr. Michael Dinneen, Mr. J. F. Gahan, Mr. T. A. Gahan , Navarro; Mr. T. Gahan, Suipacha; Mr. W. Ham, Mr. and Mrs. John Cunningham, Father Constantine, Father Gaughren, and Father Adrian, Mr. N. C. Fitzgerald, Mr. James Ham, Mrs. Quiroga, Miss McGuire, Mr. J. Finnigan, and many others too numerous to mention.

Before evening many young girls were removed and the women and children began to stir about giving vent to their disappointed hopes, and repeating the false promises held out to them by the immigrant agents in Ireland. Oh! Mr. Editor, could these worthies behold their unfortunate dupes reeking in misery and want, it would prevent them sending another consignment of our countrymen to endure the perils of a wild goose chase to South America.

I don’t for a moment question these distinguished gentlemen’s right to earn good living, but I think, Sir, that they ought to earn it honestly. Fancy immigrants being told that when they arrived here, houses would be ready for them, lands given them, implements, seed, money, etc., etc; that Father Fahy was still living, and had a bank for supplying money to immigrants . Such gross falsehood may do for a time but must finally fall through. It is the duty of this present batch of immigrants to write home a true account of their hardship to their people, and not till them, will they prevent their countrymen from being so easily duped.

I remain, dear Sir, yours respectfully,

Michael J. Byrne

The Story of the Irish in Argentina - Thomas Murray

British Immigration Committee at Buenos Aires

In December 1888 the news about Messrs. O'Meara and Dillon as Propaganda Agents in Ireland, was already knew. There is an article published in "The Souther Cross" (that also mention a similar one the other newspaper "The Standard") that has a very interesting reflexion. This was the starting kick for the formation in Buenos Aires of a special Committee that could handle the large batch of immigrants coming from the British Isles. There is a second article published a month and a half later that speaks about the formation of the "British Immigrant Committee" and the resume of that first meeting. Hope you like it!

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Viernes 28 de Diciembre de 1888 - The Southern Cross

Immigration

We are glad to learn that our E.C. “The Standard” approves of the idea which we suggested last week that an association should be formed here consisting of persons from the British Isles without any distinction of English-speaking immigrants. We have no doubt that our American cousins would also gladly lend a hand in furthering so useful a work. The need for it is so urgent that it requires no further advocacy on our part. Suffice it to say that able workmen (our countrymen) are seen roaming through the streets daily because know not to whom to apply, and on the other hand we are assured by estancieros and others residing in the camp that the are in want of honest men and would pay them good wages.
With regard to the wicked project of O’Meara and Dillon to send poor families adrift on these shores without any guidance or protection, we shall repeat here the words of our Rosario correspondent who is a true Argentine patriot: “You cannot say too much to discourage the coming here of Irish families on speculation, unless they have capital to enable them to start on an independent flooting. I have heard of several very sad cases lately, of people who have been induced through false representations made by unscrupulous, or ignorant agents to leave comfortable homes in the United States and to come here, or to Cordoba to live on starvation wages, and to deny themselves every comfort they have been accustomed to. One case in particular was very sad; a family went up to Cordoba under circumstances I have mentioned.
They had not been there many weeks when one of the sons, a bright, promising young man, who, had he stayed in the United States, might have risen to any position in life, sickened and died, and now the family is making great sacrifices so as to get back and begin life again wight of their great sorrows and bereavement. There are many families striving to exist here, in one miserable room for which they pay half their earnings. Strong men, the heads of helpless families are paid 1.20 and 1.50 paper, per day, and they have to pay from $12 to $20, per month, for the pooreet kind of a room, and to put up with the unspeakable inconvenience, and run the great danger of living, eating, sleeping, and working in one crowded apartment, with all kinds of lodger in the same house, and every misery the flesh is heir to. It is no friendship to the country to send people out to such hopeless misery, whilst, on the other hand, it is the most heartless cruelty to the victims who, too frequently, lack the means to return whence they came.”
Finally we do not at all object to the suggestion made by the Standard that something should be done to unite the English-speaking people of Buenos Aires for their mutual benefit. We can be of use to one another in many ways while we still adhere to our opinions with respect to the national rights of our respective countries.

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Martes 12 de Febrero de 1889 - The Standard

Notice | A meeting will be held this day at 3 o’clock pm at the office of Messrs S. B. Hale and Co., No 50 Calle Reconquista, (new number) to consider the best measures to adopt for providing for the 1000 Irish emigrants expected to arrive today in Montevideo in S.S. Dresden. All who sympathize with the object of the meeting are respectfully invited to attend. Buenos Ayres, Feb. 11th 1889.
(signed) John Drysdale, Eduardo Casey, Tomas Duggan, C. H. Sanford & Edward Thomas Mulhall

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Miércoles 13 de Febrero de 1889 - The Standard 

The Irish Immigrants

A meeting was held yesterday at the office of Mesrs Samuel B. Hale & Co. with the object of considering the best course to pursue to afford every possible accommodation to the Irish Immigrants about to arrive by the SS Dresden. Mr. Casey was unanimously voted President and Mr. John Drysdale Vice President, who owing to Mr. Casey’s absence took the chair, Mr. F. H. Mulhall was named Secretary. We notice amongst those presents the following gentelmen: Michael Dinneen, Guillermo Walton, Williams, J W Reade, Thomas Duggan, Douglas Darkin, Eduardo Kenny, Miguel J. Byrne, Maurice Fleming, S. Lyndon Owen, Rev. F. Constantine, N.T. Rider Hancock, Rev. Eugene Ryan C.P., Samuel G. O’Farrell, C.H. Sanford, David Methven, Samuel Johnston, J. Mohr Bell, Michael Hearne, Edward J. Byrne, Pedro A. Connor, Hugh Nelson, John O’Connor, David A. Gartland, Ing Jes Smith, J.M. Conelly, John Nelson, John F. Pearson, F. H. Mulally, R.M. Runciman, R.A. Norton, J. M. Mulhall, Eduardo T. Mulhall, John Drysdale, Chas. Clarke, Francis A. Bowen . The chairman, in opening the proceedings said that he was glad to see such a large attendance of the principal merchants and bankers of this city and estancieros of the province. 

The immigrants would be here in a few days, and the object of the meeting was to see how they could be best cared for -they should be well received and, if possible, provided with situationism and he was sure that those present would do everything in their power to encourage the English speaking immigrant- everybody would be willing to assist in this good work and privude employment for the new comers. Father Gaughren stated that Mr. Gartland had offered to take over five hundred familis and settle them on his lands near Bahia Blanca, giving each family forty squares of land, and means of subsistence to the amount of 1000 m/n per family, charging interest at the rate of 9% per annum. This would include the cost of management of the colony, and he would allow the colonists from ten to 12 years for reimbursement. He would open a store on the colony, provided with all necessaries for the settlers. He was willing to withdraw his proposal should a more favourable one be offered. He was merely prompted by a wish to benefit the emigrants. Mr. M. Dinneen, Editor of the Southern Cross, said that this proposal should be receive full consideration. He, therefore, proposed that a sub-committee be appointed and that some gentleman should be nominated to see whether the land was suitable for farming.  

Mr. Jonstone, the well-known shipbroker , stated that the Irish Immigrants of the Dresden were in charge of the Head of the Immigration Department, Mr. Samuel Navarro. He added that this was the largest consignment of immigrants from the north ever sent to this country. Minister Quirno Costa, he knew, was anxious to do all in his power to help the new arrivals, but it was expedient that some gentleman should superintend their treatment at the Emigrant’s home, and provide for their separation from Italian arrivals.

At this juncture the following letter from the indefatigable British Consul, Mr. Ronald Brigett, was read:-

British Consulate. Buenos Aires, 12th February, 1889

Dear Mulhall, I see your name attached to a notice calling a meeting to concert measures to find employment for a large number of expected British Immigrants. I should like to have attended, but the shortness of the notice and the necessity of sitting on a Commission to take evidence in a lawsuit pending in England prevents my doing so. Last week I interviewed Mr. Sundblad , the Comisario General de Inmigracion and he did not appear to apprehend difficulty in treating the new arrivals. I mentioned the formation of a British Immigration Aid Society had been mooted, and he expressed his opinion that the need did not exist, as the Argentine Government lauded, housed, fed and sent to destination, all free of charge, any new arrivals. Doubtless, however, he will be glad to cooperate with any Committee which may be formed. He showed me the Asilo, and as I was there at dinner-time, I had the opportunity of seeing the food, which was excellent and plentiful. The sleeping accommodation appeared good, due regard being paid to the separation of the sexes. Married people had rooms apart. While you were at Committee I wrote a notice for The Standard calling upon all those who had land to offer or who wished to give sheep on shares to make known their requirements to Mr. Sundblad at the Immigration Department. There is an Infirmary at the Asilo, but as many of the arrivals may prefer treatment at the British Hospital. I have already written to the Hon. Secretary enquiring how many beds are vacant.

Yours sincerely,
Ronald Bridgett

Mr. Dinneen then asked that an interpreter be appointed to give the immigrants information about the country and state their requirements.
Mr. E.T. Mulhall, Editor of the Standard, proposed the formation of the following sub-committe: Lord Mayor Cranwell , Father Constantine, Mr. John Drysdale, Mr. M. Dinneen, Father Gaughan, Mr. F. Mulhall, Mr. David Methven.
Mr. Thomas Duggan suggested that all proposals for accommodation of the immigrants be submitted to the above sub-committee as well as look after them on their arrival.
Mr. Christie stated that he would be happy to give employment to a few families.
At this juncture, it was stated that Minister Quirno was ready to give employment to 20 or 30 adults, start them at 20 dollars per month, all found, on his estancia.
A letter from Mr. Smart (1) was read, offering employment to all tailors among the arrivals.
Mr. Bowen, the well-known capitalist, thought that Mr. Gartland’s proposal deserved serious consideration, as it involved, so to say, the creation of a bank with a capital of $400.000, the care-taking of thousands people, and the foundation of a distrinctive Irish colony. The people, he said, were not dropped in a wilderness, and authorities were near to redress any grievances. In the vicinity of a market, so to say, independent of a railway, they could cart their own produce. A committee should be appointed to get the very best terms for the people and by all means to found an Irish Colony. Mr Sewell, be stated, had offered to proceed to Mr. Gartland’s estate and report thereon. Mr. Sundlad had offered to suplly 250 tents until the immigrants put up wooden houses, and Father Gaughan voluntared to accompany them as chaplain.
Mr. Runciman thought that if this proposal were accepted the immigrants would be in very good hands, and Mr. E. T. Mulhall suggested that in case of sickness the patients should be sent to the British Hospital.
Mr. Francis Mulhall, Mr. Dinneen, and Father Gaughan stated they would have much pleasure in going to Montevideo to meet the immigrants.
Mr. C. H. Sanford, of the firm Samuel B. Hale & Co., said that he was very much pleased at the proposal to these gentlemen to go to Montevideo, as it would afford an excellent opportunity (…) the feelings and expectations of the emigrants.
Mr. Dinneen suggested that some sort of a permanent association be formed to assist English-speaking emigrants coming to this country and this was a splendid opportunity of starting it with success. Seconded by Mr. Sanford it was carried unanimously, the following gentlemen giving their names and voluntearing to assist in the good work:-(some names above)
The proceedings then terminated, Mr. Runciman proposing a vote of thanks to Mr. Gartland, which was likewise unanimously carried. Votes of thanks then followed to the Chairman and Messrs S. B. Hale and Co. for placing their offices at the disposal of the association.
The proceedings of the meeting were taken down by Mr. Robert Keogh, to whose services we are indebted for the above minute report.

(1) - Mr. Smart was James Smart, the English Tailor (click for related link)