The Barge Journey  

"The trip down the Oder, ...was a real pleasure, especially for the children,who often leaped onto the banks to pick flowers."


 


Fig 1.  The barge journey from Grunberg to Hamburg, along the Oder and Elbe Rivers, would have been in excess of 410 linear km's, and although "they did not travel at night", lasted over 14 days.

 
" On May 10, they arrived at the first floodgate of the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal.  Here the police forbade all singing of hymns while passing through towns and villages.  If they did not adhere to this request, then they would have to pay a fine of 5 thalers."
" On May 19, they arrived at Wittenberge on the Elbe.  On May 22, the barges anchored in the Elbe at Hamburg, at seven in the evening"

" Then followed a further six weeks of waiting, before the old Danish ship Skjold of 400 tons, (Captain Claussen) arrived, and while much-needed repairs were made to the boat."


Excerpts from:

Brauer, Rev. A. (?) Under the Southern Cross, Adelaide: SA, and principally the translations from -
Iwan, W. (?) Um des Glaubens willen nach Australien (To Australia, because of their belief), Adelaide: SA, as included in -
Grosser, R. (1997) The Grosser Family History (Third Edition), Lutheran Publishing House, Adelaide: SA.