The sun., 1899-04-30
A RUSH OF IMMIGRANTS.
LARGE INCREASE 7HIs FEAR OYER
LAST SPRING.


Coming of tho Films Strict Enforce
ment of the Immigration Lnws-BarEe
Office Scenes" Cousins" by the Dozen.
The spring tide OF immigration has set in at
the Barge once and Is unusually large Com
missioner OF Immigration Fitchie thinks that
the Increase this year is partly caused by the
Spanish war. which held back many who would
have come to this country year ago. and
partly by the purely Advertising effect Of the
war Thus. in January 1891 ,O4l more immi-
grants came to this country than in the same
month OF the preceding year. In the month Of
February the increase was 1873 and in March
3.o77. or a total OF 6.iBl for the three months.
The total immigration for the three months
this year was 44.o57.
More Firms have come to the United States
In the last three months than in all the months
OF last year put together. They come by way
Of England in parties Of two and three hun
dred II has been said by Finnish American
I societies that the immigration is due to the
fact that Russia is trying to denationalize Fin
land. A letter from DR.. Albert =. Ashmead
printed in The Sun the other day. suggested
very different reason for their coming. 1t
interested the immigration officials here
and was the subject Of correspondence between
Commissioner Fitchie and Washington. DR..
Ashmead said that hc had information from
Helsngfors. Finland that DR.. Petersen, the
Imperial nspector-Genoral. was enforcing the
Leprosy law there with unheard-ot severity.
The law has always provided that lepers should
be exiled. but 1t has not been strictly enforced
for long time. DR.. Ashmead believes that
most OF these exiles will turn at once to tho
United States. and that steps should be taken
Immediately to prevent their entry here
Russian Mennonites. Swedes. Irish and
small proportion of the Italian immigrants are
viewed with favor by the imm mgraton officials.
Racantlv n Silpra llp numbnr of Italian
farmers have been coming over; some OF them
were going up into New England to take up the
abandoned farms there, and others were bound
for the West. They are better educated, quick
or witted and great deal cleaner than the lux
Of their brethren. The rest of the Italians, and
the Eastern pe3ples Greeks. Turks tI sDd bras Syr
by the i'm igration officials
The immigration laws are being enforced
how to enforce them. one who is admitted to
the Barge Office the temporary 1u22rters OF the
buildings are put ur again cannot but be i'm
pressed by their earnest desire to keep unde-
those who hUf are likely to become good citizens.
Last Saturday. April IL. the steerage passen-
6so peT s9s o TGrs wnched "a s
as they came from the barges up into the build
nE They were marshaIed 'nt0 %pg 1e
anupper floor. The steam hip company which
bTings them over furnishes to the immigraton IN
which he carries and the name of the person to
grant on leaving the ship gets ticket CORE
eR99ding with hs number her,, on the manifest ,Rn
in shiny black leather bags, shuiile in single
and stamps them. Just beyond him is a ply
sician in uniform. He stops each immigrant.
over. over The SENS seems to- to be healthy he is told
to go on: If there is the slightest trace of any
disease or even OF I'LL health in his, general
bearing his looks he is led aside into
detention pen; If he is al right he passes on
women inspectors and then toanother surgeon.
who checks the work Of the trst. The women
iRsp Of are d nT pTfGGd TGd mgh @
require the attention Of the police ii they we're
admitted. Their instinct in detecting such in.
DISCUSSES IS one OF the most remarkahle things
about the Immigration bureau II the immi-
amines his ticket to find out on what sheet OF
whose, names are on the same sheet are
formed IN ono line, =, The W EQssepgsrs i, from
Cymric torn six lines. Each line passes
through narrow lane. at the outlet Of which
fest sheet. II the immigrant can answer salts
tactoriiy all the Questions that are put to him
lowed to walk out M Of Of the building 'i into the he
United States of America. provided the immi-
3 railroad ticket 70 some point at q distancS
from New York. In the latter case. Il she has
must, go to the barge onrc ana meet her.
thereby personally relieving the lnited states
Iome nes at Snna % Is ,Te TSms s .2
satisfy the inspector that She j. going to proper
people and n T Thn fe HrGi tbo
character of the immigrant comes out more
thaP at any HtHSr p2cH INGrP at thc sessions
on the cases OF those who for one reason and
SREotter have been detained BY the q,peet2rs
Of the inspectors on Saturday were the Vega a
Cymric. The peonee from the Vega We're almost
been taken tor Italians, ThS Earty was re-:
group Of six black haired girls, with, great big
more than iG years old They We're ali II mar Tfs
ried. and their husbands. a set OF slouchy.
them, They we're going out 70 Michigan.
wheIGes they SAID, their friends ,Gld them they
and their railroad tickets and were passed
Most Of The steerHse Of the Gym
iall ,shpoads q Irish ,eirls come over on the
and their tangled hair hangs down over their
shoulders In disorered masses. Others are
ya
MP within block Of Fifth avenue. very, re.
msrkabls feature 9 these smiling sd;eheeked
has cousin waiting for. her in this country:
some of them have half dozen. It is prob
after they have found en- ployment as chamber
maids orcooks: but the general character OF
Irish immigration Is so good that the officials
do not think it necessary to inquire closely into
the degree OF blood relationeh hip 1t wouldn't
quite do, Of course. TO turn the young woman
over to the man cousin. but her cousin sister
is always on hand to receive her.
The boards Of special inquiry consists Of two
sets OF four inspectors each. before which i'm
migrants are arraigned when they have been
detained by the physician or bv any Of the in
spectors Each one brings 10 the board a card.
which states the reason for his detention. The
most frequent reason indorsed on the card is
Likely to become public charge" or as they
abbreviate II in the Barge Office. =" F. G."
There was time when the possession OF $40
was required Of an immigrant who landed
friendless and alone in tniS country. But none
ls friendless now-rOt the meancst Syrian.
Each one has a few dollars seldom more than
$5.a railroad ticket TO his destination and
the name OF friend who will take care
OF him until he finds work. II this friend is in
reality padrone or radrone 5 agent the I'm
migration Bureau has no way of proving il eX-
eept by catching the IMMIGRANT in ie Here
the ingenuity OF the Interpreters comes into