The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1905-12-29
lions on the border where Russian

tions ON the border where Russian
immigrants are held up.
ain most cases the so called cure
Ii only temporary. Immediately after
the treatment the immigrants eyes
lose their redness, the inflammation or
the eyelids disappears, and tears cease
to fiow. Sometimes the cure will last
only overnight. In other cases the
eyes are not again affected for weeks.
When a Russian Jew who has under
gone such treatment passes the In
spection Of the German official at the
border he is frequently sent to New
York. whether he wants to go or not.
He Is regarded as the legitimate prey
Of certain steamship companies. For
example | have heard such talk as
this at the border stations: Agent
Where are you going? Immigrant-To
England. Agent-You are liar; you
are going to America. Show me how
much money you've got.
"The immigrant produces his money,
which the agent takes, handing back n
through ticket to New York and the
change in German money. OF course
the agent gets his commission from the
steamship company. If an immigrant
fears that his eyes will hurt him again
he buys second class ticket and so es-
capes inspection by the steamship ply
slcian at Bremen or Hamburg. have
often heard steamship agents on the
border advise diseased immigrants to
take second class passage, which,
they say, will get them through safely.
"Other Russian immigrants fearing
deportation Mt New York manage to get
to England and attend eye clinics at
Liverpool and London. Here they are
told that Ellis island will certainly
catch them, but II they go to Boston or
Philadelphia they can land. Some,
however, go to Canada, hoping to reach
the United States that way. One Liver
pool boarding house Is kept by Andrew
Barber at 5 Kent street. Barber told
me he could get anybody through. He
said the steamship doctors examine the
first cases thoroughly, but let the last
few through easy
For the purpose Of appearing in
good shape Mt Ellis island, the Ameri-
can port, and evading the inspectors,
immigrants with trachoma frequently
use drug called adrenaline. This i'm
mediatply stops the inflammation of the
eyelids by causing local anemia. They
carry the stuff in vial secreted in
their clothes. AS its effect soon wears
of, immigrants have to repeat the
treatment again and again on the sly.
The use Of adrenaline, however, does
not always fool the inspectors, and
believe that at Ellis island these fakirs
are generally caught. The drug gives
the eye a certain paleness which. by an
experienced inspector, may be detect
ed" .n
DR.. Fishberg emphasized the fact
that Commissioner Watchorn, at Ellis
island, was doing all In his power to
catch "doctored' aliens. He said that,
In his opinion, better work could not
be done, yet he said Ellis island should
not have to bear the brunt Of the fight
against the diseased alien. The law
by which steamship company was
fined 500 for every diseased alien
caught aboard, he said, was not suf-
ficient deterrent.
There should be a rigid inspection
on the other side" he said. Marine
hospital officials ought to be stationed
at all the important immigrant stations
of Europe. The marine hospital serv-
ice of the United States is famous for
| its efficiency. and it would thus head
| off the tide of disease at It's source.
Naples is the only European port at the
present time where officials of this
service are now stationed, and their
vigilant and thorough work there has
let few diseased immigrants through"
The doctor said that such an exten-
sion Of the marine hospital service had
been strongly recommended by Mr..
| Sargent. the commissioner general Of
immigration, who, he added. was doing
all that was possible to keep the
shores OF America clean"