The S.S. Arcturus, August Wirtanen embarked at Hanko (or HankÖ as seen in the map below) for the trip to England. More than likely he arrived at Victoria Docks, Hull, England and then by train through England to Liverpool, Southampton or Glasgow where they would board an ocean liner for the voyage to North America
Passenger list data gives the following information:
Last name Wirtanen
First names August
Age or age class 31
Port of departure Hanko
Place of destination Sault Ste. Marie
State of destination ON
Country of destination CDN
Price of ticket FIM 251
Ship from Finland Arcturus
Date of departure from Finland 01.03.1902
Ship from England* (means the data was not stated)
Date of departure from England 99.99.9999 (means the data was not stated)
Ocean Line Allan Line
Port of departure in England * (means the data was not stated)
List and page 24/21
(Clemensson & Andersson 1996, p. 46).
The Finnish emigrants usually traveled from an English harbor to America and only a small number used a German harbor. In the beginning the route went via Sweden, and from one of the harbors there they took a ship to England or Germany. In 1911 the Swedish America Line opened a direct route from Gothenburg to New York This was a popular way for the Finns particularly in the 1920's. Direct traffic was also established from Norway to North America and the person who used Copenhagen as a way-station usually went via England or Germany.
The majority of the emigrants traveled to Hull, England and then by train through England to Liverpool, Southampton or Glasgow. There they embarked on some of the big steamers to cross the Atlantic Ocean. The most important shipping companies were the German HAPAG and Norddeutscher Lloyd, and the English lines Cunard, Inman, National, Dominion, White Star, Anchor, Allan, State and Wilson.
The Emigration via England
In the 1880's the German shipping companies Norddeutscher Lloyd and HAPAG started routes from Hanko (Hangö) to Stockholm, Copenhagen and Lübeck and soon also to Hull in England. In the autumn of 1891 the Finland Steamship Company (F.Å.A.) started a direct route from Hanko to Hull. For some years the company totally dominated the traffic from Finland to England. (August would have come this way in 1902)