Many European immigrants traveled to America in common rooms below the deck of ships. What were these large, crowded compartments called?

Results of the search The web snippet The cabin of the admiral on the middle deck of the third deck was called steering. "Once used as the steering area for passengers, hundreds of them were placed in a single large hold.

Explanation:

Early emigration days were originally built, for cargo transport, the ships used to carry emigrants. The passengers were actually placed in the hold of freight. For the steering accommodation temporary partition was normally erected and used. The passengers had to often use ladders to go down to the inter deck and the crossing between the hatches could be both narrow and steep. As there are no set standards for this, the manner in which the ships are equipped could change. The furnishings had to be removed quickly and did not cost as much as required.

The origin of the term "driving" in the sense that the part of a ship allocated for passengers traveling at the lowest rate is uncertain. The majority of encyclopedias and other published sources agree in some way that the word "steering" comes from the fact that the rudder's control strings are at the point of the vessel. A more creative theory suggests that it comes from "steers" and indicates that emigrants have been transported in the same decks as animal animals. Interestingly, the expression "steering" is in English only.