Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-09-10
LIFE IN CASTLE GARDEN:
A Congress of Nations--How Imini-
grants Feel and Look and Act
Some odd Officials.

"Did YOU ever kill an immigrant.
captain?" INQUIRED reporter of bluff
George E. Moore, the veteran landing
agent of Castle Garden.
Never had the luck-bad luck, I
mean. I have landed every immi-
grant that ever came here-eleven
millions of them-and we have never
killed Or injured one of them or lost a
piece of baggage. Singular, isn't it,
But [ don't want to brag, or Well
surely have aa accident right off"
Didn't you ever have suicide
here?'
mary su. You see, if person is
going to kill himself he does il on the
voyage when everything looks blue
and he Is feeling sick and miserable.
By the time they get into port they
feel better; they have the interest OF
seeing strange sights in new coun>
try. and the hope of finding some
thing to make them happy in this
unknown land of promise. If they
put.off committing suicide until they
get here they postpone it until they
get away. Besides, good many eyes
are watching here, and people acting
suspiciously are placed under surveil-
lance at once"
Il suppose you see many queer
characters here?"
Queer characters? O, Lord" and
Capt. Moore gave q gasp as expressive
as a whole Grafton,
If you wish to see a mosaic of hu-
mainly go to Castle Garden. IF you
wish 10 study human nature IN many
aspects and of many nationalities this
is surely the school of schools. Castle
Garden is Cosmopolis. 1t is the gath
ering place of the nations. 1t is the
modern tower of Babel. 1t is the meet
ing of the waters. Il is the greatest
human kaleidoscope ever invented.
Capt. Moore is very fond OF present
ing his friends with little book, is
sued BIZ the American Bible society,
which gives John Iii, 16-"For God
so loved the world" etc, translated
into 1874 different languages. If the
eleven million human bodies which
through Castle Garden could be elias
sified according to nationality there
would be few of those tongues left
uprepresented in the vast agglomera~
ton. What a procession! Is there
L
contained all classes and conditions of
men, women and children, for the
nobleman has been there as well as
the beggar. It has been the birthplace
and the deathbed of people. It has
seen giants and dwarfs and all man
ner of monstrosities. And it has fur
nished also some of the best blood
which the United States possesses to-
day. Castle Garden is big thing on
ice.
Castle Garden is one of those nat>
ural theaters which almost always
have some new drama upon the stage.
Visit it at almost any time and you
will find some unique picture or novel
situation in the tangled skein OF
human life. The bulk of the incom-
ing tide of travel is, Of course, com.
monplace and uninteresting, as life in
the lower strata of society is very apt
to be. A ship~load of Immigrants
pours into the gateway, bringing Inc
flavor of some particular nation with
it, and then pours out again and goes
westward, and IN the thousand people
there may not be a dozsn who excite
a ripple of interest In the observer;
a comet, or planet, an eccentric star
or brilliant one, and the attention is
fixed. Dig down little and you fad
not dirt, not chaff, but the golden
sand which makes life something more
than a mere animal existence-the
material" of the poet, the dramatist,
and the rOmancer.
Look at that pretty girl with wooden
shoon and golden band about her
hair, sitting apart from the rest, with
far-away look In her eyes and a
faint smile on her lips as she tHcks a
rude letter away against the white
, bosom behind her quaint bodice. Can
you not see the love story there, the
fearful separation years ago. the
struggling farmer in the west, the
waiting maiden in the east, the
summons to come. and the happy re-
uniting not far off MOVIE Why, it is
as plain as print to an old Castle
Gardener. Every steamer brings q
score of lovers on their way to union
and reunion. These old country low
ers are more faithful than those of
Young America.
Yonder is Swedish lass who fairly
makes the Yankee tongue itch to be
able to talk her language. Her gay
SKIRT comes down to the knees. Below
it are top boots. Above it snow
white waist. Above that-ah! such
Nilsson smle What is the romancs
here2 Bless your heart, young man,
isn't that arch little creature a ro-
nance III herself2 Where are your
nerves?
1t is noticeable popularity of the
north country people (for Castle Gar
den) that they are strikingly clean
and neat in person, intelligent in
manners, and they make themselves
quickly at home in strange place.
a Swedish girl will firt with a good
looking American young man as free
~ and naturally as watering place
belle, whereas the representatives of
more southern nations (and apparent
~ more dirty ones) act more like
friphtenPd animals than iOtelljpent