Over 1.5 million Irish immigrants migrated to New York City during the 1840s to escape the Irish Potato Famine, many arriving on overcrowded "coffin ships" and with high death rates along the journey. They comprised the largest group of immigrants in New York next to Dublin. Most Irish settlers suffered greatly from disease, famine, lack of work and living conditions in the crowded Five Points neighborhood, where they also clashed over jobs and housing with existing black residents. Newspapers like the New York Herald became important sources of information for citizens, reporting on crime, fires and other daily events. The opening of the Erie Canal transformed New York into an economic hub, diverting trade from the Midwest and fueling the city's