. . . The remainder of my time in London was taken up in visiting the Saints and getting out our list of emigrants. The day previous to leaving London I purchased a coat and vest at London Bridge and met several companies of Saints at the railroad station. Thursday evening we attended the meeting at Penton Ville. I then returned home and worked hard all night until 6:00 o'clock Friday morning when I got up from the desk and had a cold water bath. I went down to Sister Longs and then to the Euston Station where I met many friends who had come to see us off for Zion. At 11:00 a.m. our train rolled out amid the swinging of handkerchiefs, "goodbyes," etc. Arriving at Liverpool we found that one of our members had been left, but he soon came on the next train. We arrived at the docks at about dusk, people were coming in by the hundreds until the docks were crowded. Soon the tender came up for us when all went on board, luggage and all. We were so thickly packed in that one could not turn around without crowding onto someone, and these were all Latter-day Saints, or the greater part of them, but I was ignorant of the fact until moving away from the docks our whole cargo of passengers started up "Oh Babylon O Babylon We bid Thee Farewell," and "We Thank Thee O God for a Prophet," etc. This was one of the grandest sights that I had ever witnessed. Arriving at our ship, Wisconsin, on which we were to sail we were crowded up a "gang way" then down a gang way into steerage of the ship where we remained for the night in a very uncomfortable situation.

The next morning, October 15, 1881, quite a number of the brethren came on board from the office to complete arrangements for sailing. At 4:00 p.m. we started. Our passage across the sea was of a very agreeable nature. A day or two before leaving our much esteemed friend Brother Thomas C. Griggs received a cablegram that his mother was very low and for him to be released to return home. This deprived us of his company over the sea and across the overland route as he left on a ship earlier.

The Sunday previous to arriving at New York, we lost a little babe, it having been sick from its birth. Also one of the cabin passengers died of heart disease, a gentleman from New York. Our little babe was buried at sunset under the American colors. The purser performing the ceremonies. We had previously held our own [p. 64] funeral services over the body.

Arriving at New York we were met by Brother James H. Hart with our mail matter, here we learned of the death of Bishop E. [Edwin] D. Woolley of the 13th Ward, Salt Lake City, on leaving Liverpool we also heard of the death of President Orson Pratt.

Early in the morning we landed at New York, our luggage was taken on land. Custom house officers came on board. While moving our luggage one of our girls, Annie Dennis, got her fingers broken. A tender came for us after our luggage had been examined by officers and we were all taken to Castle Garden where we herded ourselves for a day and night. I did not go out in the city much as I was to busy with our Saints trying to keep them in the corral.

Next day we crossed the river to the railroad depot, after considerable work and running to and fro crossing back over the river for things that had been forgotten, we finally got "All Aboard" bound for the west.

The feelings of nearing home now began to grow genuine. Our train consisted of nine cars all packed with Latter-day Saints, but not all practical. While in the Irish Channel we affected the following organization:

Lyman R. Martineau, President
George Barber, Secretary
Alexander Burt, Captain of the Guard
Joseph C. Bentley, Assistant Captain of the Guard
Robert F. Gould, Chaplain

This organization continued throughout the entire journey. On our journey overland we had considerable difficulty getting food for our company and that at high prices. We also found it difficult to keep the Saints all in the cars. When the train stopped at stations for a few minutes, on several instances parties were left behind and had to be forwarded by other trains until they caught up. On the whole our journey was very pleasant. From Rock Springs until we reached Ogden we left some of our company at different settlements where they intended to remain. At Cheyenne we met A. D. Miller, George Hunt and quite a number of the Utah boys returning home from working on the Denver and Rio Grand Railroad. We made room for A. D. Miller, George Hunt and a friend in our car and they accompanied us to Salt Lake City. . . . [p. 65]

BIB: Bentley, Joseph C., [Autobiography] in Bentley, Joseph T.,
Life and Letters of Joseph C. Bentley, A Biography (privately printed, 1979?) pp. 64-65. (CHL)
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