The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-06-19
AT CASTLE GARDEN.
SCENES ABOUT THE GREATEST
DOORWAY IN THE WORLD.

Tho forts Through Which Millions Enter
tho United Statcs-How the New Corners
Look and Act-It Was Hero That Jenny
Lind Sang Years Ago.
Tho old Castle Garden building is not
a pretty one 1t is simply an old fash
toned round stone fort. from which the
implements Of war have been missing
some forty years. and in their place are
q few ratings dividing the floor into
large cribs or pens into which the emf
grants are hcrdcd almost like cattle
But it is an amazingly interesting build
ing. In itself il carries the mind back
10 the revolutionary period, when the
city was In its babyhoOd-a little village
clustering around the Battery. Then one
rccollects that after this il was a fashion
able gathering place, sort Of opera
house, the one in which Jenny Lind sang
when she was here After that the in
torost in the old building ceased to DO
local, and has become almost universal
rather than national, for winding through
its single great apartment from the boats
ON the river side TO the gates that face
the park has passed a food Of men and
women from every civilized land, num-
bcring 100000 souls, and building up
our population by a method nprecedent-
ed in the worlds history.
SCANNING A SHIPS LOAD.
Two ship loads of greenhorns were
filing into the old fort as stood looking
on into the first pens from boats that
had brought them from ships lying out
IN the harbor. Down the bay the health
officers had assured themselves that there
were no contagious diseases aboard. but
40 the water gate Of the Castle were
other doctors who narrowly scanned
every cmigrant as he or she landed, and
who every now and then touched one on
the shoulder and babe him stand aside.
IL was their business to discover any
such severe sufferers from illness az
might seem 10 be unable TO make their
own way in this country, all cripplos
and whatever Young girls might happen
along who appeared TO be on the verge
Of motherhood without the accOmpani-
mcut of husbands. These amount TO
very many every year AID such were
aftcrward closely questioned, and unless
there was somebody TO guarantee that
they should not become @ charge upon
the public they were sent back TO Europe
hv the steamer lines that brought them.
at no charge TO them or the authorities,
because it is the duty Of the steamship
people o. scrutiuize all who apply foi
passage on the other side and TO refuse
TO bring cmigrants Of this sort.
These people were all waiting thciI
turn 20 give their name, age, birthplace
and destination for the clerks to put on
record i'm the big books Of the garden
While they waited they smoked then
pipes. nursed their babies, bought I'm.
palatable looking rcpasts at provision
counters. washed and tidiod themselves,
sprawled out ON the benches and slept.
and SD were obliged To spend the greater
part of the day until the boats from the
railroad dcpots should come up IN the
afternoon TO take them zap town or over
to Jersey. and thence into the rapaciou-
may of the great west. Some of them
had thcir money changed by brokers APP
pointed for the purpose, who doubtless
make a great deal of profit. butare under
bonds to charge no more than Wall street
rates Of commission, and TO change the
single silver piece Of the poorest Italian
woman at the same rate rs the $1,000 OF
one of the well 20 do.
PROTECTED IRON sHARpERs.
The only money the cmigrants can
part with i'm the garden now must 60
for provisions or railroad tickets or &c
the very ontcrprising barber who has q
shop there and seems i'm much demand.
His signs are peculiar They are in
German, and they announce 'Razoring,
fifteen cents; head washing, twenty
cents" The signs of the provision
dealers show that leaves Of rye bread
fetch fifteen cents, or other bread ten
cents; that cheese goes for twenty cents
pound, and that the other articles IN
strong demand are ham, pumpcrnickei,
lager beer and pie, all of which are sold
at rates proportionatc to the prices given
above
Doubtless there is q good deal Of
swindlingand cxtortion prlcticed among
the landlords who keep the omigrants
boarding house in the streets all around
Castle Garden, but it is the cmigrauts
fault if hc suffers very badly. for great
many of these places are licensed, arc
reasonably well conducted. and are re-
sponsible for the manner in which they
treat their guests.
But this is "a very wicked city, and
down about the Battery is % very wicked
part of it, so that, even if an cmigrant
manages to get into a good house where
he is not charged more than twice as
much as he ought TO be, he cannot
safely venture a half block away
from his lodgings without being APP
preached hy some of the boldest and
most plausible and most ingenious ras-
Gals in town, who make it a business
20 live upon these people. The best plan,
after an, Is for the cmisrant not to leave
Castle Garden at an. but follow the
routine course Of the majority Of his
fellow passengers. and start away by
railroad. with his tickets looked after
and bis baggage carried free, on the
afternoon Of the day lac lauds.-Julian
Ralph IN Pittsburg Bulletin.
Wanted His Father to Know.