Wichita eagle., 1888-06-02
FROM FOREIGN SHORES.
THE TIDE WHICH SWEEPS INTO
THE FAR NORTHWEST.

Castle Garden Arrivals as They Appea,
in st. Paul, Minn.--Swedes and Nor
wesians-A Big Famiiy-New Conner.
Greeted by Friends.
The tide Of immigration into Northern
Minnesota, Dakota and the far Northwes.
flows through St. Paul The immigration as
to lis character may be broadly divided into
two ciasses-foreign immigration and immi-
grafton from Yankeedom. Each branch is
handled differently, and is kept distinct. The
incoming representatives of the monarchies
OF Europe journey along together, and the
migratory people from tho eastern states
travel similarly by themselves. And SO they
seldom Iall i'll with each other. II almost
might be said that there are two streams OF
immigration; but this would be hardly cor.
rect, as they ere all going in the same direc-
ton, and will probably mingle at their
destination.
The Castle Garden arrivals are to be found
at the Emigrant house at the Union depot.
Or the half hundred or more men. women
and children who were waiting about the
place for trains to take them further west,
there was not single person-it may seem
strange, but it is fact-not single one that
l unarmed would hesitate to meet in the
street on dark night. The faces were all
intelligent; not really bad face in the
lot. They are worthy Scandinavians and
Germans.
An emlgrant house is a necessary institu-
ton at a point like this where there are large
numbers of emigrants changing trains. The
foreigners must be kept to themselves for
various reasons, and one reason is that very
few of them speak English, and therefore to
keep on the right track all the time they
must hang together and keep in constant
communication with the polyglot emigrant
passenger agents as they go along from place
to place. Furthermore, they have to be pro.
tected against sharks of various species, and
particularly against the boarding house
sharks, who would like to get theE outside,
I'LL them with aqua FORTS, and work them
down to their last hard earned nickel
BIG FAMILIES.
The emigrant room is in the long brick
annex at the Union depot, at the north of tbs
sheds. Here is an array of old country COS
tunes and characteristics-brig colors and
odd cuts of garments--quite bewildering to
the senses The agent who is skipping about
the room reading the tickets of the innni-
grants fer them, and answering questions in
five or six different languages at the rate Of
1900 q minute, pauses long enough to inform
me that a family of nine and ten children
may be found waiting in the emigrant room
almost any day
THE run is higher than that sometimes. y
he said, with nod, but they very seldom
go beyond fifteen. There was one man
through here With thirty-two children in his
train last season. One wife? Oh no; it was
his third wife he had with him; but then. you
see, with three wives the average was ten and
two-thirds children each"
Tie majority OF the immigrants (perhaps
1t would be moro proper to call them transi-
grants i'll the room are Swedes and Norve-
gians. The young men are Of the peasant
and farmer class--llsty young fellows. with
broad shoulders and finely developed limbs,
most Of them wearing big boots and shiny
black buckskin pea jackets. Some of them
have families along with them, but the ma
Jority are single young chaps. The agent
says they all have place to go to, secured
for them in advance by friends already set
tied in the west. A few Of the Norwegiaps
are going to Washington territory TO engage
in the fisheries, and tae whole crowd will be
widely scattered by the time the long journey
Is at an end.
FOREVER EATING.
One gets the impression that transigrsnts
are forever eating. While they are waiting
in the emigrant house they open up wide
mouthed carpet sacks, and from the cavern
Gus depths thereof fish out great loaves of rye
bread, bologna sausages and dried meats
The young men carry enormous clasp knives
with blades six inches long, and which they
use with great elaboration in whiting up
their rations piece by piece as thew cat.
Meanwhile the babies are playing about the
floor, and feeding on cookies at the same
time. Wherever a transig.ant sits down.
ihere he eats. Yet it is doubtful if anv OF
them have genuine square neal from the
lime they start from the old home to the time
they reach the new. Many Of them, when
hey start, lay in supply of coarse food
sufficient to last them during the whole jour
ney, and this is their only provender until
the end of the journey is reached.
It Is quite curious to watch newcomers al
they greet friends who come in to see them
The newcomers are anything but spruce"
in appearance. They are roughly clad
While one of them is looking restlessly about,
watching for q friend, the expected one ar
rives; the fresh arrival stares, filled with
surprise His friend, instead of appearing
in flannel trousers and buckskin coat, is
fairly dazzling in wide pants light spring
overcoat, tall silk tile and four in hand tie
He has been in the northwest for few years
aud has prospered, and the newcomer, after
his first surprise is over, listens with mouth
wide open as he hears the spruce young mah
tell how he can afford TO wear such good
clothes l saw three OF four such meetings
the afternoon | was at the emigrant house,
md such scenes are to be met with there
almost any day.-Pioneer Press