The World. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1891-1896, 1892-06-18

the detention pen, Colonel Weber came
hurryIng through and recognized the
greyheard OF the little party as an old
acquaintance. He explained that the
immigrants returned comprised paupers,
criminals, contract laborers, those suffer-
ing from contagious or loathsome dis
eases and insane and idiots. OF all these
there had been retained during the year
ending April l last, 2094, out of 445, 900.
This, too, was about as Eany as Castle
Garden (when the Emigration Bureau
was State Department. had returned in
four or five years. Colonel Weber invited
the little party to view his offices, VIII, >h
are situated at the west end of the build
ing. They are fine, large rooms, flooded
with light by wide windows. "That's
what we wanted" said he; eight and
plenty of it; for after a week or two of
steerage life these people are none too
sweet. We are doing everything we can
for them in that respect. We have sup
piled them with BARRIERS and are erecting
lighthouses.
There are only about 112 Government
| employees, each of whom speaks two or
more languages. and, in addition, the
trunk railroads have about seventy five
men employed here.
The Bureau was transferred from the
the Barge Office to Ellis Island the first
of this year, and Colonel Weber is ex-
ceedingly pleased with the increased
accommodation and the improved system
it has enabled him to make. ave can
now handle 10000 people a day." he
said. ave handled 800 people in
one day a couple of weeks since, and
everything worked nicely, and there was
no relax of, efficiency of service. We
could not have done this at the Barge
| Office or Castle Garden"
By the time we got upon the huge
| floor again some hundreds of the lmmi-
grants were hustling on the trunk line
railway companies boat and being con-
veyed with their baggage to the various
railroad depots. Others had just passed
the doctors and were registering, so that
we could see the whole system. The
women sat in groups, with their bundles
aud babies, while the men were getting
their money changed, sending kilograms,
buying tickets or laying in provisions at
the lunch counter! In this large new
building there seems to be every possible
comfort and convenience for the new.
corners, and as no one is allowed among
them except officials or persons well
known TO the Commissioner they are en-
tirely protected from sharpers and trick
sters. The rates of exchange are sent
from Wall street every day aud posted
up in several different languages; rail-
road rates are also made clearly known,
aud the food served at the restaurant is
good and cheap.
The women. too, and the children, al
though stability dressed aud bearing the
marks of a passage in the steerage, we're,
Mas Colonel Weber remarked, OF a good
class. There was one large Portuguese
group that, having washed and eaten q
frugal lunch, seemed fairly content to
wait. They had not the fresh com
plexions OF some newly arrived groups
from Northern Europe, but their eyes
were bright with eager hopes Of the fu-
ture in their new land. There were any
number. Of babies and it seemed that
even the poorest OF them had some bit
Of jewelry OF bright ribbon--probably