JAMES SWANTON WAS BUSY IN HIS OFFICE DOWN ON LEVIS QUAY, BUT greeted Dan warmly.
‘Can I help you, doctor?’ he asked, curious about the reason for this visit from his fellow committee member.
‘I am not here on committee business but with regard to another matter,’ Dan replied. ‘I was riding to Oldcourt yesterday and I noticed one of your ships had unloaded corn, but was preparing to return to Newport with no cargo. I spoke to her captain.’
‘The import of corn, grain and materials from Liverpool and Newport is the backbone of my milling business.’ James Swanton leaned forward and fixed the doctor with his gaze. ‘Despite this calamity, business must go on.’
‘I understand that, Mr Swanton.’ Dan had not meant to sound critical in any way, for he needed to get the merchant on his side. ‘It is the empty cargo hold that I want to discuss with you.’
‘I may be a businessman, Dr Donovan, but while Irish men and women starve I am not prepared to export any food goods from this country on the ship I have hired. Timber and fuel, yes, but no foodstuffs or livestock! I have considered using the hold to transport those who are willing to leave this sorry place but I’m not sure if any would accept such an offer.’
‘Believe me, Mr Swanton, they most certainly would,’ Dan declared firmly. ‘If such an offer was made, would it be possible to use your empty ship to transport those desperate to escape from here with no fare payment?’
‘It is not a passenger ship,’ Swanton reminded him. ‘There would be no comfort for people on such a voyage, but it would at least transport them quickly and with no charge.’
‘That is most generous of you.’
‘I need to talk to the captain about it, but I will not agree to provide passage to any who are sick or infirm. I don’t want to risk the captain and crew falling ill or have them turned back at the docks.’
‘I promise that I will medically examine every passenger travelling and ensure they are strong and well,’ Dan assured him.
‘Then I will find out from the captain how many passengers he can safely accommodate and agree dates for the sailings with him.’
Dan thanked him warmly and they agreed to meet up in a few days’ time to organize things further.
James Swanton arranged free passage on his grain ship for a hundred people. Over the course of the long week that followed, Dan approached a number of orphaned young men to see if they were interested in his plan. He also spoke to Helena Collins, a widow with three boys who had planned to leave Ireland with her husband, and a desperate young couple who had been evicted and were sleeping rough in the fields. All were anxious to escape the hunger and desperate to begin a new life away from the sadness of their homeland.
Many he talked to were utterly destitute, with not even a coat on their back. They could not be sent to Newport or Liverpool in such a state and so, taking their pawn tickets, Dan redeemed them. Using some of the donations he received, he returned much-needed coats and shawls, boots and britches, and dresses to their rightful owners.
As word got around, Dan became inundated with requests from people wanting to take the free passage across the sea but regretfully he could only issue so many tickets.
Two weeks later, Dan returned to Oldcourt with the Mersey Lady’s first passengers. The water was choppy and a strong wind was blowing. The young men and women, and few children he had handpicked for this first voyage waited anxiously as the sailors unloaded their cargo on to the waiting barges and the captain shouted orders.
He waited patiently on the quay alongside James Swanton.
The relief committee had agreed to issue two shillings to each passenger just before their departure, for they would need it on their arrival in Liverpool. The waiting passengers had few other possessions with them, only a blanket and some oatcakes that Mr Swanton had donated to them.
‘I am very glad to be of assistance.’ The miller smiled as he introduced Dan to the ship’s captain.
‘Once we land these people I cannot provide any further assistance to them,’ the captain explained. ‘They must find work themselves or journey on across the Atlantic, but it is not my care what happens to them. The sea ports are filled with starving Irish, who do little to help themselves and plague the taverns and hostelries. Many of them are being returned to your shore.’
‘That is understood, Captain, but I promise you that these people are willing to work.’
‘Dr Donovan, I will only transport passengers who are strong, healthy and fit for a sea voyage.’
‘That is only prudent and I have checked each one personally. Though they are malnourished, they are otherwise healthy,’ he assured him. ‘Captain, I thank you sincerely for agreeing to help these people.’
‘We will sail in less than half an hour,’ the captain announced peremptorily. ‘We cannot tarry as rough weather is expected.’
The passengers soon began to board the vessel. Dan was filled with sympathy for Mrs Collins, who wept openly as she and her children stepped on the deck of the ship.
‘Thank you, Dr Donovan. We will never forget it for you.’ Michael and Jane Carmody, filled both with excitement and plans for their future, smiled as they shook his hand.
‘Our uncle has a boot factory in the town,’ grinned Donal Harrington, who was travelling with his brother Tommy. ‘We hope to get work there.’
One of the doctor’s own tenants, Michael McCarthy, had welcomed the opportunity to leave Cork with his family. A few of the other passengers were young men from the lanes of Skibbereen who were more than ready to work and escape their lowly background.
One of the crew untied the ship from its mooring and the sails were hoisted as the vessel moved off. Pulling his coat tightly around him as the wind blew, Dan watched from the harbour wall with James Swanton.
‘I’m glad that we managed to assist a few souls today to escape from this place of hunger,’ James Swanton declared firmly. ‘Thank you, doctor, for your help in arranging such matters.’
‘I was glad to do it.’
‘Next time my grain ship is here, I’ll see to it that it will transport a few more of those who you consider suitable for free passage,’ he offered as the two men shook hands.
As he turned for home, Dan was already mentally drawing up a list of deserving passengers.