Irish Potato Famine

By June 1846, corn meal supplies were exhausted. The Relief Commission estimated that 4 million Irish would need to be fed during the spring and summer of 1846, since nearly 3 million pounds worth of potatoes had been lost in the first year of the famine (TGF). In the spring of 1846, under Charles Edward Trevelyan's control, the British attempted to implement a large-scale public works program for Ireland's unemployed, which proved to not have very much success (TFI). A quote from vice-guardian (British government official) of Ennistymon workhouse states, "There were collections of dirt and filth almost under every bed. On inspecting the laundry, we found the clothes, which had been washed and were in the process of drying, completely covered in rats, and the persons and clothes of the paupers generally neglected." As seen from the quote, the workhouses, which were designed to increase the quality of life for the peasants, essentially created the same horrible conditions which the people were living with before.
             By December 1845, the price of potatoes had doubled, and by the summer of 1847, over 3 million people were being fed by government soup kitchens and those organized by Quakers (TGF). The people were so starved that many resorted to "Bleeding", which was draining a little bit of cows blood and mixing it with rotten potatoes and cabbage to make soup (TFI). Between 1845 and 1850, over 1 million Irish starved to death, 500,000 were evicted and 500,000 emigrated to America, Britain, or Australia on rotting, overcrowded "Coffin Ships" (VOG). A passage to America on a Coffin Ship was approximately $10, but there was no guarantee that you would actually arrive there, considering how many died on those ships (LFI). A Coffin Ship was the most popular method of emigration, however it was not equally effective. The passengers were cramped, had minimal food and were given a tight living quarters meaning diseases and viral infections spread extremely rapidly (TFI).