Our Story With the Steamer ‘Poitou’

The French steamer “Poitou” in 1891 brought the Menesini family: Mr. Italiano Menesini with 42 years old (Shoemaker and Tailor), Ms. Marianna (Rossini) Menesini (wife, Tailor) with 28 year old, and Amelia (Brunetta) Menesini, with 7 years old.

Amelia Menesini and their parents were from Pescia (at the time this village belonged to the Province of Lucca but now it belongs to Province of Pistoia, in Tuscany, Italy). She married to an important local Colonel Carlos de Souza Castro, in the city of Iguape in 1903, which is a town next to the city of Santos. Both cities, Santos and Iguape, were the main ports located southern from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Date of disembarkation: January 18, 1891 at Santos. They went to Sao Paulo where they lived until 1902. After 1903 they lived in Iguape and Santos. Mr. Italiano Menesini passed away on 1895 in Sao Paulo. Ms. Marianna Rossini Menesini passed away in 1913 in Iguape. Ms. Amelia (Brunetta) Menesini de Castro passed away in 1939 in Santos.

The steam name was “POITOU”. This 1,926-tonne vessel also belonged to the French company SGTM Lines – Société Generale du Transports Maritimes and was 99 meters long and 10.6 meters wide. It had only one chimney, two sail masts, and was made of iron with only one propeller. Two inverted motors gave it the speed of 10 knots. It was built by the Malcolmson Brothers shipyards in Waterford in Ireland.

The ticket expenses and costs were sometimes paid by the passengers themselves, but most of the time they were subsidized by the Government of the Province of São Paulo. They were shipped in the third class of ships, usually located in the holds of the same and with capacity above capacity. By the end of the nineteenth century voyages were already made by steamships, known as vapors (vapores/vaporetos), faster than sailing ships, but with poor facilities, since they were usually cargo ships adapted for the transport of passengers. The crossing of the Atlantic Ocean was carried out between 21 and 30 days.

In 1870 its inverted engines were replaced by a compound engine. In 1893 it was retired and turned into scrap metal. A second “POITOU” ship was built in 1903 and wrecked 4 years later on the coast of Uruguay.

The Poitou of 1867 belonged to the French SGTM Line, Societe Generale de Transports Maritimes. She was 2303 tons gross, 99.00m long x 10.6m beam which is 324.8ft x 34.8ft. She had one funnel, 2 masts, iron construction, single propeller, 2 inverted engines giving a speed of 10 knots. She was built by Malcolmson Brothers in Waterford, Ireland, launched in 1867. Oct 1867 maiden voyage Marseilles (in France) to Rio de Janeiro. 1868 first voyage Marseilles – Buenos Aires. In the 1870s her inverted engines were replaced by compound engines. She was scrapped in 1893. [South Atlantic Seaway by N.R.P. Bonsor – material obtido ao site  www.theshiplist.com ]

The steam “Poitou”:

1. Left Genova: 20th December 1890. The passengers were from Italy and Tyrol.
2. Stopped in Marseille, than stopped in Rio de Janeiro on 15 Jan 1891. Many passengers disembarked in Rio, but 89 Italians were in transit to Santos (including the ancestors Mr. Italiano, Marianna and Amelia Menesini, from Pescia,Toscana, Italy).
3. Disembarkation in Santos on 18 Jan 1891.
4. They arrived at the Hospedaria in Sao Paulo on 19 Jan 1891

The record of the landing of Rio de Janeiro in 1891, called “Movinento”, issued by the Central Reparation of Lands and Colonization, reports that steam from Genova, Marseille, with a stopover in Rio de Janeiro on January 15, 1891, had the following conclusions:

• Passengers Health: Good

• Mortality: None

• Births: None

• Passenger complaints: None

The ship had 367 passengers in 3rd Class. When 90 came spontaneously, and 277 came based on work contracts in Brazil, of which 200 were already directed to one place, 6 to another and 71 to another.

7 passengers spontaneously disembarked for the capital of Rio de Janeiro, while 83 went to the “Island of Flowers” (Ilha das Flores). The Flores Island immigrant hostel was located on Flores Island, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The area until 1890 belonged to the municipality of Niteroi.

It was constituted in an inn of immigrants instituted by the then “Inspection of Land and Colonization” of the Ministry of Agriculture on May 10, 1883, according to some documents; it is known, however, that the first book of Registration of Immigrants is dated of 1877. It was deactivated in 1966, being occupied by Navy of Brazil.

The island served as a hostel until 1966, having received immigrants from dozens of nationalities, most notably the Portuguese, Italians, Spaniards, Poles and Germans.