The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1883-04-18
CASTLE GARDEN.



{ A repres sntative of tho Telegram stood on
The stairway overlooking the rotunda to-day
and watched the movements of the throng
on the floor below. 1t was a noisy, restless
mass of humanity, clad in strange gear, and,
ike the people at Babels tower, polyglot
and bewilderingly unintelligible. There
were hundreds of them, antlike, struggling
to overcome each other and reach tho desks
toward which all seemed to be tending.
Men in sort of half uniform stood at these
desks and shouted stentoriously in different
languages. The purport of the exclama-
dons or even the correct sylables thereof.
Hid not reach the ear of the visitor or those
near him, but individuals in the crowd ON
tlie ground floor were individuals to whom
the words conveyed desired information, for
they frantcally elbowed aud pushed their
way through the surging mass and fought
for first place. There were strange looking
beings in tie assemblage. Men and women
from Boheinia; peasants from Hungary ;
maeFS from the Fatherland unhappy look
ng people from Ireland rosy -cheeked girls
l.
yivacious mon and women from La Belle
France, and black-eyed olive-skinned
peasants and contadnes from the sunny
slopes of The Apprentices and the valleys of
Tuscany. Like great congregation listen
ing to preachers at u monster evangelical
meeting they stood around the desks in the
centre of the rotunda or stove to get Ameri-
,an money for foreign gold. Outside of n
barrier were dozens of men attired in the
garments of this metropolis. They wore
great round metal badges aud had cards in
their hat bands. They were boarding house
runners and at one time in the past had
been immigrants themselves. They were
held in check by the iron rails and gratngs
md could not get at their prey because the
gate was locked. They had somehow or
other succeeded in distributing or sending
their cards TO the new corners, who wore
them in conspicuous places, just as the
runners did, thinking doubtless that it was
part of the process necessary to becoming
an American citizen.
The barrssr was removed on given
signal and the runners bounded nimbly into
the arena-that is, the rotuuda. 1t was
marvellous with what celebrity they singled
out their quarry. Most of them had already
been labeled-that is TO say they wore the
runners cards, and were scrupulously avoid
ed by those whose business tickets they did
not display. There is sort of professional
courtesy among emigrpnt boarding house
runners, an unwrtten law which compcls n
man to keep his hands off the immigrant
who has been marked by another house.
This law was rigidly obeyed in the present
instance, and the runners found little or no
difficulty in getting their lloebs together and
doing business 1t was singulary simple
the method of procedure the runner ran up
TO men, women and children, hastily looked
at the cards worn by them, aud ms fast as no
found his own just pushed the wearer into
line with the rest like n drill sergeant arranp-
ing recruits or shepherd gathering his
tiocks. When each boarding house mau
had marshalled his company he gave tho
order to pick up traps and march, Each of
these platoons presented an odd and very
instinct appearance. The runner usually
picked up the best looking girls valise or
the most influential mans bundle, and ac-
eompanied by the owner or one of the
children. headed the column and led the
way out of Castle Garden, across the
park, followed by the emigrants in columns
of twos, threes or fours or in single flo,
according to taste and nationality.