The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-04-22
THE BARGE OFFICE EYE.
DETECTS PHYSICAL IMPERFECTIONS
IN IMMIGRANTS.

It Also Looks Out for People Who Are
Insane or Idiotic-Poor Foreigners Are
Subjected to Rigid Examination Be.
fore Being Allowed to Land.
Few immigrants whose mental or phys
ical condition prohibits them from landing
go through the portals of the barge Office
without being found out. The system of
inspection which ends there begins at the
port from which the immigrant sails. Just
after boarding the steamship he is exam
ined in cursory way by the ships sur
geon or an assistant. As the steamship
companies pay for the support of every de-
barred immigrant pending decision in his
case, and are compelled to take him back
free of charge, it is to their interest to have
none but steerage Passengers WHO are
mentally and physically sound.
By taking first or second cabin passage
an immigrant may evade the final rigid
inspection at the barge Office, and get into
Uncle Sans dominions merely to become
a charge in the future. This is possible, be-
cause cabin passengers, even though they
may intend to settle in the United States,
are not subjected TO any examination, save
one Of the most perfunctory sort, either
before or after landing at the piers of the
companies.
Since the federal government assumed
charge of the landing of immigrants no
cases of contagious disease have been dis
covered by the barge Office physicians
Health Officer William NJ. Smith general
ly manages to find out at Quarantine,
he NJ hic lDo
coming vessel from foreign port, whether
Or not there Is contagion on her.
LANDING PASSENGERS
If the disease is not virulent one, like
smallpox, yellow fever or cholera, DR..
Smith sends cipher dispatch to DR.. R. NJ.
Guiteras, chief of the barge office staff,
telling him how many patients he may ex-
pect, the nature of their disease and what
ship they arrived on The ships physician
frequently discovers the disease on the
voyage and has the patients isolated in the
ships hospital. II they are children, with
measles, scarlet fever or diphtheria, they
are transferred from the ship to the imni-
grant barge, where they are kept in a
,losed room apart from the other inni-
grants.
After all the barge's well passengers have
been landed the i'll ones are taken off and
put into the barge Office contagion ward.
They are there examined, and if the dag
1osls of Dr.. Smith is confirmed the pa
lents are sent to the reception hospital at
he foot of East Sixteenth street, where the
health department takes charge of them
smallpox patients are sent directly from
quarantine to North Brother island
Foreign municipalities overburdened
With paupers have a habit of shifting the
for their support on Uncle
sam. They are cunning enough to send
My those whose incapacity cannot be cas-
ly detected. It is to find these that DR..
and his assistants so out on the
tone pier nearly every day in the year and
watch the immigrants as they descend the |
from the immigrant barges. |
only few of those who are detained for !
more thorough examination than IS possi- |
'ie at the foot Of the gsngpiank, down I
which the home seekers come in swift pro- !
ession, are finally excluded
Decrepit men or women, whose labored I
ait generally gives them away, are always .
etained until they or their relatives give 4
ssurance IN the substantial form of q 500 /
ond that they viii not become a charge on 1
he government
GOOD EYES NEEDED.
An immigrant with glass eye Is invari i
bly, held-not TO pay duty on his eye, bu:
0 allow the doctors TO make a careful ex-
OF his real eye to see II IL is ike
: TO last. Several immigrants with glass
yes have been sent back since the federal
overnnens took charge Of immigration
{ this port becz1se TIE sight OF their re-
laining eyes was SO poor taat their ability
, support themselves was q question Of
My few months.
immigrant with that form OF disease
allied locomoto- staxy, the symptoms Of
hicn resemble paralysis Of the lower
m6s, Is usually discovered by his shutting
ait. The deaf and dumb are not detected
, the gsnZplank They are found out By
le registry clerks, who always ask CUES
ons requiring verbal responses.
Alter running the gauntlet Of praeticsd
res az the foot OF the gsrgplKak the pro-
ession Of immigrants passes under TIE in
action Of Dr. A. p. Newborn gs = flies
As; the registry clerks Sd the ssccnS foor
she building. Dr. Mewborn nss The Oh
srvant ere of al artist TO assist him IN
ng.izg o1t those who are mentally TT
ind Ee nat iuf~r~sEsr-l~ tags r~-cg