The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1880-06-17

{
at night, all four gangwEys are kept
constantly full, and the entries are. as
far as is consistent with clearness, made
by abbreviations, When the immigrant
ls asked his name. the chances are that
he has to lay down q big satchel or some
other heavy bundle that he has carried
up to this moment, unbutton his over
coat, often his leather coat under that.
and almost always a, vest or two, from
some mysterious recess of which he
draws forth his passage contract, his
tickets for inland travel Cif he has al.
ready purchased them ON the other
side), perhaps his bsptismal certificate,
and some other papers. Tho register
knows by experience that It IS of no use
to keep shouting - him te-merely tell
his name and answer the questions. To
do so would merely confuse the poor
fellow and make him all the slower in
his movements, aud ho Is hound to es-
tablish his individuality BY documentary
evidence, however long 1t takes him.
While waiting for him, the register
shouts 10 those next In line to get their
tickets ready, and the succeeding three
OF four move on pretty rapidly. Then
comes another who has not heard the
order, and another delay occurs. "Must
have patience here, comments the req
ister, turning with grim smile to the
reporter. The women are generally
much more prompt than the men in
having their papers ready, generally
coming up with them in hand, knowing
by this time that they are simply pack
ages, that these papers are their labels
and they arc to be forwarded some
where but when called upon to come
out of the animated package condition
and answer some questions, they are
lost. 1--
where are you going ?'' o buxom
Irish lass is asked.
To Springfield. sor. fwhere me
brother is" sls
"What Spring field in what State
There are almost as many Springields
rs there arc States"
Yes, sor." 1i,;
Isit to Springfield. Massachusetts,"
Yes, sor." -
"Or to Springfield. Missouri"
Yes, sor."
"Or to Springfield, Illinois?''
9. Yes, sor."
After much confusion and exaspera-
ton of the register, who keeps his tenn
per with the patience of a craven image.
she brings to light letter from the
brother she is going to join, and it Is
found that the last Springfield named IS
the right one.
From the registers desk they shuttle
along to the desk of an assistant book
ing-clerk employed by the railroad.
The distance is only few feet, yet in
that short space some Of them who
have a particular genius for making
trouble have already got their papers
buttoned up again in the innermost re-
cesses of their clothing. Here it Is
necessary that they shall be exhibited.
The clerk looks up with a quick, ex-
perienced glance that tells at once
where the person before him is from,
and demands: 'sHoor reiser Du hen?"
or ''Woreisen sic hin?' or lou aIlex
vous?" or "Hoor skal Du resa til?" ac-
cording as the person before him is
Danish. German, French or Swedish;
but II the broad countenance of an
Emerald Islander meets his eye, he
puts the same query in the familiar
form, "Fwhere are We goin' ?" Out
come the papers again. One has a
ticket for inland travel. and is prompt
ly reduced to his normal condition of
package. by being set aside by Gar
den officer, who tells him he will be
collected and shipped at five o'clock.
Another, who has no ticket, is permitted
to retain his personality of being .
little longer, until he shall have bought
ticket at the railroad Office twenty
feet away, to facilitate his doing which
the assistant booking clerk gives him a
booking clerk, telling Just where he
wants to go and what the price of his
ticket will be. About this time the i'm
migrant, escaped from the gangway,
finds himself near the exchange desks,
which confront the railroad Office, and
by conspicuously posted signs in several
languages is informed of the market
rates of his foreign money.
As rule, the Germans rather pre-
fer coin'-the exchange clerk resumes
conversation, turning back from plant
ing handful of gold aud silver with
loud melodious clank and clatter-
''except the more intelligent ones.
The more ignorant the people are the
more they cling to the solid metal. Just
one grade below some of them would
admit of nothing but wampum or beads.
Paper appeals to the appreciation of
brains No, ma am, / am not the
general information bureau. That
handsome gentleman over there is, -
Probably five per cent. of the Swedes
and Norwegians who come over have
been here before, and have gone back
to pilot out their friends with the aid of
their experience in having once gone
through the mill - You will be called
for, sir, Mt five o'clock. Stand aside
anywhere you please, only in this gang
way, and don't say q word, and when
the time comes you'll be shipped right
along all the same rs II you had asked
all about it and been old.--That, of
course, makes it great deal easier for
us. It's n real pleasure to get hold of q
party like that.--No. miss, don't
keep the trunks here. You can see for
yourself that 1 don't. In fact, have
nothing whatever to do with them.
Ask the baggage master over yonder.
The assistance afforded by another
class of experienced steerage travellers,
those, who originally shipped from
Queenstown and come down here to
meet and see through their friends
arriving from the same place, is rather
more annoyance than help. They want
to air their knowledge and Importance
before the new arrivals, and only make
bother. There is one of them, n
woman, at it now. She shouldn't be let
in on this floor. but in such crowded,
busy times as these it is almost impossi-
bic to enforce regulations strictly, and
there are some women who can't be
kept out any way"
So he chatted on, lin three different
languages with equal freedom, in the
course of his conversation with the re-
porter and the interjected replies to
three other persons; occasionally pune
tuating his remarks by rapidly making
change of American for foreign money,
which he does with as much ease and
freedom from calculation as if the
transactions were no more than giving
two nickles for dime, and so he goes
on all the day long.
The Irish woman whom he has al
ready spotted as one who should not be
on the floor comes bustling up with a
younger one, an immigrant, and super
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