The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1907-12-07

taken out and burnt at the end OF
each voyage.
The washing accommodations wers
perhaps the worst Inconvenience.
There was one large room. with rows
Of basins all round H. AS matter
Of fact very few of the passengers
really minded was toll that one
line had once fitted up a bathroom In
the steerage quarters Of vessel, but
the bath had rusted away long before
st was used Steerage passengers also
never want 70 undress. Not even the
children are put TO bed properly. There
was one little chap Of three in the
cabin next to mine whose boots were
not taken on from the day he left Eng
land to the day he landed in New
York.
1t was particularly rough crossing
for the time Of year Nearly every
body was in. including the stewards.
and the chaos that reigned for one day
and a night was indescribable. Men,
women aud children simply lay under
the hatchway in punches. and when
the ship rolled to one side they rolled.
too. and when she lurched forward
they rolled forward.
Perhaps &C was because of the rJ1gh
sea that the doctor became so popular.
He was slngularly kind and never
minded being fetched at any hour OF
the day or night lie had something
good for every ache ana pain. and the
children adored him About the fourth
day out we had TO show our vaccina-
tion marks or be vHccinated again
After seven days at sea we were told
that the next morning we should be at
New York The girls put their hair in
curriers', the women washed their babies,
and the men had their boots cleaned.
All that night nobody seemed to think
of sleeping. and by 4 in the morning
most Of the emigrants had their lug
gage strapped up and were ready to
land. At 4;30 there was a cry Of "All
on deckw aud on deck, breakfastless
and cold, we lad to go One man who
went up to have a wash was not al
lowed down to his berth again, and
there he stood in the chilly dawn, with
the rain pouring down, without coat or
shirt.
For two hours we stood and shwered.
watching the mail being taken off by
tug, while within a couple Of hundred
yards Of us lay land Presently lit.
Gle. round, pompous looking tug steam
ed up, and round. pompous looking
man in a heavy fur coat stepped or
boa-d- the United States of America
doctor for whom We had waited two
long hours
We marched past bin, a long lire OF
cold and shlyering humanity, and then
we had breakfast.
Then we steamed into the New York
harbor.
We stood, baggage in hand, all ready
60 be landed and taken over to Ellis
island. when suddenly the cry went
round, "No steerage passengers landed
today; perhaps tomorrow, perhaps not
tn next week. The d9ckmen are on
striker
The sides Of the steamer touched
land. the noise Of the street cars would
be heard above the shouts Of the work
men. but for an the chance OF MS walk
ing on that land and using those cars
we might as well have been In the
middle Of the Atlantic. That was the
longest day | ever spent To stay still
and inactive while the life Of a big city
rolled past me the minutes seemed
hours aud the hours days
But II was better than IL might have
been, end the next day we were taken
20 Fills Island, packed together as tight
as sardines ia a box on board a round,
many decked steamer There we were
made to march in single Gle before in
spection officers and doctors. our vacci-
nation cards pinned 70 our coats as the
card OF a prize COW IS tied round its
neck. About three minutes is devoted
20 each person under ordinary clrcum-
stances. Ones eyelids are again turned
inside out Sometimes the doctors
chalk something on an emigants
shoulder. which means that they think
something is wrong. "H' means heart,
and "L' means lung Then the emf
grant is detained for thorough eX.
animation and, IL necessary, is "de-
| ferred." He then has TO pass before a
Jury, who decide whether he is to he
permitted to land or shall be deported
st TGuls Globe Democrat