New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-04-09
BARGE OFFICE TROUBLES.
TwENTY-oNE DETAINED IMMIGRANTS ES
CAPE
THE ENFORCEMENT OF THE NEW LAW CAusEs
A coMMoTIoN-THE BURGUNDIA IN
OURS A HEAVY FINE.


Between the steamship companies controlling
lines to Italian ports and the Italian society,
Colonel Weber is having no easy time In trying
to enforce the new immigration law All day
yesterday at the Barge Office the question Of
Italian immigration kept things lively
Phelps Brothers q Co., agents of the steamer
iniziativa, from which three immigrants who had
been placed aboard to be returned to Italy were
allowed to escape, took the matter of the intei-
probation OF the law into their own hands, and
sent the following letter to Colonel Weber:
we hereby protest against you having put on the
have decided are to be returned to Italy on the ground
that under section 10 OF the last act such persons
arc to be returned on the same ship If practicable
as this ship does not return 10 Italy t Is not
practicable. We therefore decline any responsibility
same having bee doSe Il the rt I nsapce Gs Mbon
notice 10 MS. We request you TO tase ana keep
them back, Which we viii do at the earliest poss5!,
moment.
This cool request that the Barge Office be turned
into a clearinghouse for detained immigrants be.
cause it was inconyenient to keep them on board
ship as the law directs, and the disclaimer OF any
responsibility for immigrants placed on board to
be returned, called forth from Colonel Weber in
reply letter in which he said IN part:
beg to say that II was entirely practicable, and
found to be by officers, to return 10 the vessel
those who were excluded under the law It, may not
seem that it is at least practicable Ii the view that
you set forth that il Is not prstcable because the
agents Of the ship deem IL nadvisabe to re-
her TO the port from which she sailed should be
held to be correct, the law would nulfy itself In every
such case 1t cannot be permitted that the authorities
of an almshouse or prison mey place the inmates
thereof on vessel destined to tSs country which
vessel was not to be returned to the port whence shs
sailed and that such conyicts or Raupcrs may 10
.osted people on the ground that the business
0 ,d Shfr e for Of Se e vess to py he
ports. am not aware Of any law requiring me 70
give notce to steamers bringing deoarred mgranys
steamers. Copies of the amended law were mailed 70
the steamship companies before vent into eecs anu @
cline to receive or to be responsible tor Sons
care since their arrival In this country
No instructions from Washington having been
received as to whether the clearance papers should
be refused ship from which Immigrants had
been allowed to escape before conviction of tho
offence or not, the Iniziativa received her clear
ance papers yesterday and will sail to-day.
While the Iniziativa affair was being con-
sidered word was sent to the Barge Office that
twenty-one of the twenty-four immigrants placci
on board the Burgundia, of the Fabre line, to be
returned had been allowed 10 escape. Inspector
Palmiri was sent at once on board the steamer Dy
Colonel Weber and demanded to see the immigrants.
Only three could be found, but the officer IN
charge said 20, they are somewhere about the
ship They will turn up all right" The Bur-
gundia has cleared and sails at a. m. to-day.
A Barge Office official will be on hand at her sail
ing, and if the missing immigrants are not found
on board proceedings will be at once begun. II
twenty-one immigrants have escaped from her, she
is liable to fine of $4,000. People representing,
it is said, the Italian Society yesterday sued out
a writ of habeas corpus before Judge Dacombe IN
behalf of Domingo Mariana, one OF the detained
immigrants the IniZiotiva. The writ IS re-
trInable this morning. He had been ordered back
to Italy as person likely to become public
charge.
BARGE Office caused for q time more excitement
than all the rest put together IL was the at
tempt of Michel Loereca, detained Italian, 10
drown himself. Logreca landed here on March
IL from the Cachar from Naples. He was with
out money and was ffty-nine years old. He was
not sent back at once, as he said that he had a
nephew here who would come ana glSe 60 po,,uS nus a.
support him. No nephew could be found, ana 10
was decided to send the man back TO ltaIy. ies-
terday lie jumped from the window oil inc barge
Office into the water. Some OF the employees saw
him iump and taking ropes and lfe-DuOys Ju!nFeu
in after him. lie fought so hard 10 get away from
them that it was not until boatman came 70
their assistance that they were ape 10 geS Sa sue
man out He was taken TO the barge ,a Ulaco
hosptal where he talked continually OF the Mana,
protesting that he was not member Oh Vha'
benevolent organization. 90. NIL,
The complications at the Barge Office are nkely
TO begin again to-day, as two more shlps ioaueu
with italian immigrants steamed into the harbor
Yesterday. They are the Cashmeire, with ] 4oo
immigrants on board and the Blmnli, WIN ao.uS .t
500. The Italian Society sent docIors 10 S on1
Rarre Office who examined some OF the detalneu
Immigrants. and who dispute the diagnosis oil tne
official doctors. The society has also arranged u
ccatter broadcast over Italy circulars giving lta
ian immigrants points as 0rtrv TO and stating
,vbot diseases are barred. Among other tnlhgs
strongly recommended by the society as llkeis 90 90
facilitate the landing Of would-De lihinisi"H