The free press., 1893-07-13
NEW WORLD GATES.
The Ellis Island Immigrant Sta
tion Has Many Oddities.
How the Arrivals from Foreign
Shores are Received.


comprises little world all in itself.
The steerage passengers are brought
to the island Oh barges, and are led to
large room upstairs in the familiar
building, where they are asked to
register. The physical examination
which follows is searching and thor
ough. If the subject passes, he and
his family are permitted to move.
In due course the new arrival is
brought before the officers at the de-
tention desk, where he must answer
another list of questions and show his
money. The money changer does
strange business, handling the cur
rency of the civilized world. He will
take Bank of England notes with the
same readiness that he handles South
American currency. South American
money is about the same size and
shape as American paper, but it is
printed in cinnamon brown and slate
blue. German currency is printed in
black and green. Italian notes are of
many sizes and shapes, printed IN pale
blue and carmine. Russian rubles are
gridironed with as many hues as there
are colors III the rainbow. The notes
of the Bansue de France are made of
white paper, printed in black and
blue, with numerous allcgorical pict-
ures on the face and back.
AS soon as ship arrives, and the
men, women and children are fairly
within the receiving room, an attend
ant, mounting himself on table, in a
conspicuous position, calls out his
list of letters, The immigrants eag-
erly crowd about him. Expectancy,
hope and fear are written upon their
faces. On days when the German
steamers come in, the malls German !;
on French days it is French; on Ital-
ian days Italian, and so on. Strange,
rude foreign names resound through
the wide hall. Those who get letters
retire 10 convenient hooks in the de-
tention room, to read messages from
their friends in America.
One of the most interesting places
- tta
Many of the strangers bring with
them food of various sorts, hard
bread and bologna, but for others,
who have a cent or two to buy, the
counter comes in handy.
Once in every two or three days,
over the seas, come pair of fleeing
lovers, who, after due consideration,
resolve not to enter the land of the
free until they have been made one.
Ellis Island weddings are one of the
unique features of the well-known
station. There is one room where the
prospective bride and groom usually
go when the ceremony is to be per-
formed. 1t is reached by long hail
in a corner of the building. Many a
couple has been united here. If the
young woman desires the rites of
some church, she is sent to one of
the numerous mission houses along
State street, where she finds pastor
to marry her in prompt order
Sometimes, too, Il girl marries in
order to stay in the land of her choice,
America. Very often she cannot pass
the financial examination, and, having
matters explained to her, she finally
decides she will marry some good fell
low, who will be her protector, guide
and friend.
Sometimes child will cross the
sea under the care of stranger. At
the immigrant station the couple must
part. The child is to go TO one part
Of the country, the friend to the other.
Sad scenes of this sort are almost daily
enacted. If the waif is too young to
be trusted to remember her destina-
tion, one OF the officials places around
her neck tag, telling the story, and
she is forwarded much after the
fashion of live baggage. There is q
telegraph office, where detained peo-
Pile communicate with friends. They
are fed, free of charge, at luncheon
time, by the authorities. The meal
consists of bowl of soup and dough-
nuts.
Recent statistics show that fully one
tenth of our agricultural laborers are
immigrants. Estimating the source OF
wealth of each immigrant as equal to
that of farm hand, 1915 per head,
it would follow that the value OF the
6,00O.0 900 people who left England.