Rock Island Argus., 1902-06-10

of newcomers and their nondescript
bundles and boxes.
The new commissioner of immigra-
tion. William Williams, was COM
PEELED last Sunday to request his en-
tire staff to remain and work over
time so that the overcrowded rooms
might be emptied of immigrants. and
baggage.
Never since the world began have
such loads of human freight been car
ried as those that are now being un-
loaded i'm New York harbor.
The little sailing ship Mayfiower
had only 1O2 immigrants on board
when she arrived at Plymouth Rock
in 1920. This body of Pilgrim
Fathers was but handful when com
pared with the hundreds and even
thousands that are crossing the ocean
in the gigantic steamships of today.
In one ship alone, the Batavia.
. .6g6 immigrants crossed the Atlantic
and landed at Ellis Island on April 1.
If these people who We're carried i'm
single trip were to settle by them
selves on Il western prairie they
would constitute town of no mean
size.
Other notable shiploads in the last
two weeks have been as follows: La
Bretagne. 100; Rhine. 2.0l2; Perugia,
.233; Phoenicia. 2,194; Celtic, 1000;
Tartar Prince. LOO; Cassul 1,S00;
Rotterdam, 1000 and Pretoria, 2.2O5.
On April ). 9.657 were put ashore
from Ellis Island, and ON April !,
12.14O. These were the two record
breaking days.
Taken month by month the number
of immigrants this year has been as
follows: January. 1929; February,
29.519; March. 57.175 and April. 13.-
CO.,. And in the first seven days of
May the books show q total of 25,12O.
No previous four months can show
such record of immigration as this.
Even the heaviest year falls 10000
and more short of these figures. And
every sign at present points to
still greater increase.
New York City is the great gate
way of the United States. Out of
every 100 immigrants 81 land at Ellis
island.
In 1901 the total number of immi
grants was 462 sos, and 3Ss.931 arriv-
ed at this port.
Taking the figures for the first
three months of this year, obtained
by "A Sunday World reporter from
the official records of Ellis island. il
appears that New York is still the
most popular state.
Out of total number Of104.931
33.797 remained in this
state and G9.14O went elsewhere.
Chicago or other cities in Illinois
is the destination of 7,737 of our fu-
ture citizens. The little state of New
Jersey gets almost as many-6,445.
The factory towns of Massachu-
setts received 5.61O of the new work
ers. Ohio had its population increas
ed by 4,64O, Connecticut by 2,932, Cal
ifornia by 1851. Michigan by 1865,
by 1913. Wisconsin by l.
O59 and Iowa by 1.O2O.
The cities and not the country ap-
pear TO be the main attraction to
these workers from Europe. Com
paratively few go TO the farming
states. Minnesota leading the list
with 1.313.
y very few scattering handfuls
turn their faces toward the southern
states. \ single block in New York
City will receive more people than
such states as Georgia Kentucky.
and North Carolina. Ever
Tennessee was chosen as their des-
by only IL immigrants.
OF the 35.797 immigrants who chose
New York as their future home 692
were Irish. l,9OO were Germans, 6.900
were Hebrews and-16.6T1 were Ital-
ians.
y great change is shown in the ma
tionality of the newcomers. Thirty
years ago "a out of every 100 came
from Great Britain. Germany. Nor
way and Sweden, and only one in
every 100 came from Austria, Italy,
Poland and Russia.
Today this proportion is totally re-
versed. The Germans. English. Irish
and Scandinavians are coming by
the hundred. while the Hungarians,
Poles and Italians are pouring over
by the thousand. These three ma
tionalities far outnumbcr all the 9th
ers combined.
In March 9,2S6 FinlandCrS were put
ashore, having fled from their native
land to escape military service. This
large number of emigrants attracted
the attention of the governor of Fin
land. and he at once stopped the rush
to America by refusing to issue any
more permits.
But the great bulk of immigration
is now coming from Poland, Austria
Hungary and Italy, and more than
une-half of the immigrants chose for
their homes the states of Pcnnsyl-
vania and New York.
Spring Fever.