The Willem I (originally named the Willem I Koning der Nederlanden) was a 71-meter iron-hulled passenger paddle steamer built in 1881. Owned and operated by a Dutch shipping company, it was a modern river liner when LDS emigrants chartered it in May 1882. Unlike massive ocean liners, the Willem I was a long, low-draft vessel designed specifically to navigate the currents, sandbars, and narrow channels of the Rhine while providing expansive deck space for travelers and luggage.
Under the direction of returning missionary Elder William R. Webb, a company of nearly 400 Swiss and German converts—including 9-year-old Marie Emilie Wilker, the Fischer family, and other Saints—gathered in Basel over a 48-hour period. Despite strict local surveillance of LDS missionary activities in certain Swiss cantons, the families quietly coordinated their departures. On May 10, 1882, under heavy rain, they loaded their massive wooden trunks (filled with clothes, specialized tools, and family heirlooms) onto the vessel and began a 500-mile journey north.
Because the church had negotiated a group charter rate to make the trip affordable for poorer families, passengers were restricted primarily to open weather decks. The first two days were marked by damp, cold winds blowing down the Rhine gorge, and keeping the children warm and dry was the leadership’s primary concern. As the steamer wound through castle-lined gorges and past major hubs like Strasbourg, Mainz, and Cologne, it formed a moving border between France and Germany. Subject to visual checks by border guards, the company maintained excellent order, preventing administrative delays or lengthy baggage searches by imperial customs officials.
To maintain discipline among nearly 400 passengers confined to the weather decks, Webb implemented a rigid daily schedule. The emigrants turned the deck into a “moving Sunday school,” holding morning and evening prayer circles. The echoes of German-translated LDS hymns bounced off the cliffs, famously drawing stares from locals on the riverbanks.
The Willem I arrived at the bustling port of Rotterdam on May 14, 1882. Webb reported his relief that not a single soul or piece of luggage was lost. In Rotterdam, Webb met with shipping brokers to finalize North Sea transit payments. He praised the immigrants for their frugality, noting they had successfully rationed their own bread, dried meats, and cheeses exactly as instructed, leaving them with enough resources for the upcoming Atlantic crossing.
After disembarking in Rotterdam, the company transferred to a North Sea channel steamer, crossed to Hull, England, and took a short cross-country train ride to Liverpool, where they finally boarded the SS Nevada on May 17, 1882, to cross the Atlantic.
Bibliography
Schenk, Joep. “Sailors versus steamers. Rhine disputes in the 1840s.” ERC Securing Europe, Fighting its enemies, 1815-1914, Utrecht University, https://securing-europe.wp.hum.uu.nl/sailors-versus-steamers-rhine-disputes-in-the-1840s/.
“Rhein History.” Paddlesteamers.info, http://www.paddlesteamers.info/RheinHistory.htm.