The Mena weekly star., 1897-12-01
ANclNG IMMIGRANTS.
HIocIxs of Thirty in Picturesque cos-
 tunes and Equipments.

tumes and Equipments.
 0na of the most curious sights which the city has to offer is the scene Wnicn takes place almost daily at the barge office dock when the boat loads of lmml- grants from all parts of the world make their entry into this country. 1t IS not, strictly speaking, the first time tna' they have set foot upon American soil, for they have been landed an hour or so previously at the pier of the steam ship on which they came over, ana, alter picking out their several pieces ot bag ioaoe there. have been reembarked, with all their worldly goods, upon the barge office boat, which is waiting to receive them. But their arrival at the Battery marks their formal entrance into the United States, and it is not until after they have successfully passed the care ful inquiries of the registry office that they can be sure that the new land they have chosen is willing to adopt them.
 As the barge office boat draws up 10 her dock there is usually great anima- ton to be observed on her deck. The passengers are standing about in little groups, either talking earnestly, with the abundance of gestures characteris- tic of foreigners, or else gazing silently toward the new city, as if fascinated by it's appearance Every man, woman and child manifests a desire to go ashore immediately, and if it were not for the wholesome respect which they entertain for the blue uniforms of the officials there would probably be something like stampede upon the gangplank. To facilitate the work of the registry clerks the immigrants are divided off while on the boat into groups of 30, and inter- vals are allowed between the landing of the different groups, so that there may be no crowding. The only way in which the groups can be preserved in- tact is by fencing them apart with ropes, and the appearance of the deck thus divided into pens is amusing.
 On the forward end of the boat are huge piles of the larger pieces of bag gage. too heavy and unwieldy for the immigrants to carry in their arms. Judging from the poverty expressed in the costumes of the people, one would not expect them to bring many posses sions with them, but the fact remains that there are bundles, baskets, boxes and budgets of all descriptions. in addi- ton to the trunks and chests which must be moved by the expressman.
 The most picturesque arrivals are the Italian and Polish women, with their re- splendent shawls and the gayly-deco- rated handkerchiefs which cover their heads in lieu of hats. Their gowns are always short enough to satisfy the most advanced dress reformer, and the most popular style of foot covering seems to be high knee boots of stout leather, pre- cisely like those worn by the men. The women march ashore with the heavy, dumping tread which the boots compel, frequently carrying huge bundles upon their heads and smaller ones in their arms. Sometimes, however, it is a baby which takes the place of a second bun- dle, and there may be two or three tod dlers of varying sizes clinging to their mothers skirts.
 The father of the family is not idle, either; his arms are full of what are presumably more family treasures in boxes and bags. The wrappings of the bundles are remarkable for their diver sity. Besides the brown sacl1ing there are brilliant pink calicoes and multi colored plaids, corresponding in kind to the clothes of the owners. Not even the children are exempt from burden-bear- ing. Nearly everyone that can walk has something to look after, and many of them are seen to be hugging fast little wicker or wooden chairs, evidently their own private property. Sometimes band of Hollanders are conspicuous among their poorer neighbors by req son of their clattering wooden shoes and general air of better health and prosperity. Y. Tribune.