The New York herald., 1921-02-28


something 10 look nj during the morn
ing and evening promenades. Also. in
the waiting rooms. windows permitted
view OF West street. so the immi-
grant always had something to do.
Thursday passed in the same manner.
Tompers among some OF the inmi-
grants began to grow sharp. but tenn
per did not good. They continued to
wait. and to walk up and down for an
hour In the morning and evening. the
steamship company continued to feed
them. Friends who called at the piers
were refused permission TO speak 10
them. 1t was forbidden.
Then Disease Broke Out.
Nothing happened on Friday worth
mentioning. The immigrants continued
to wait. So did the others. Their ;siends
and relatives outside also waited. Those
who had come from out of town to vel
come them found their small stores OF
money dwindling with great rapidity.
On Saturday the Celtic sailed to
Queenstown and Liverpool to get another
load OF first and second class passen-
gers--and immigrants. That caused
some excitement among the immigrants
shut up IN the waiting rooms. Some. 1t
Is said. declared that they Wished they
were on board her. Others were still
determined to get into the United states.
The day passed. a week had elapsed
since the Celtic doclSed. During this
week several eases OF pneumonia de-
veloped among the passengers. These
immigrants were carried on g tug to
Ellis Island, where there is a hospital
for aliens greeted by illness in the new
world.
Yesterday nothing happened to the
immigrants. They continued to wait In
hope, in despair and in lethargy. To-
day. it is said, they may be transferred
to Ellis Island If not to-day, they may
reach the immigration station to-mor-
row, or possibly later in the week. How
long they will be detained there is
problematical. There arc others before
them. There was a concert for imn1i-
grants at Ellis Island yesterday at
which they were told to be good citizens,
but the Celtic passengers weren't there.
The passengers on the Celtic, of
course. are not the only ones who are
waiting. There are others on liners
from Italian, Greek. French, British and
other European ports waiting. On Fri
day last, for example. there were $500
immigrants waiting on ships In the bay
and at dock for entrance to Ellis ISL
and. On Friday last 1t was announced
on the bulletin board at the Ellis Island
ferry that immigrants would not land
from the Re d'Italia. Celtic, Guiana.
Themistoclcs, Aquitanin, Chicago, Gu
glielmo Peirce Canada and Lcopoldin
1T was also announced that friends OF
passengers on the Bcrgcnsfjord, Rou-
sillon, Drottningholm. Patria. Gdansk.
Sofa, Giuseppe Verdi, Adriatic, Poland,
Duca d'Aosta. Vauban. Columbia, Presi-
dent Wilson, Lapland. Uberaba and An
to,io Lopez might visit them on the ISL
and.
steam ship Companies Blamed.
Byron n. Uhl acting Commissioner
of Immigration at Ellis Island In the
absence of Frederick a. Wallis, COM
missioner, said that the island accom-
modat tions would hold just so many Inn
migrants and that the others had TO
wait their turns on board their ships.
He declared that the responsibility for
the situation rested with the steamship
companies.
"To-night our quarters at Ellis Island
will be jamned to the limit by 1900 I'M
migrants" he said" A large percentage
OF these are Immigrants who for one
reason or another. cannot be admitted
to the United States at present. They
are being held here pending the arrival
OF relatives or money for tranSporta-
ton. or something of that sort. They
should never have been permitted BY the
steamship companies to take passage on
the other side.
"As long ago as last summer the
matter Of bringing immigrants 10 this
country who have not the money re-
quired by law for admission or who
are Ineligible for immediate entry for
| some other reason was takon up with
the steamship companies. Little. II amy.
Improvement resulted. These incliSibles
are still clogging up the neck OF the
bottle
Personally IL appears 10 me 10 be
poor business policy on the part OF the
steamship companies, for while the
thousands OF immigrants are kept on
the ships or OH Ellis Island the steam
ship companies must pay for their
food.
"Of course we need more buildings
on Ellis Island to take care OF a great
er number of immigrants. but this is
no remedy for present conditions"
Commissioner Uhl mentioned the
names of several vessels on which i'm
migrants had been held for six. seven
and eight days. Sometimes barge loads
Of these immigrants were brought to
Ellis Island only to be sent back again
to the ships because many of the inn
migrants needed 10 be deloused. This
action was @ matter of preservation for
the other immigrants on Ellis Island
and also for the 750 employees.
Great Onrush Continues.
Immigrants arriving on the Aauitania.
which docxcd on Thursday, after arriv-
ing Tuesday, were permitted to land
from her pier after examination there
inspection began on Friday afternoon.
The reason they were permitted to land
without going to Ellis Island after wait
! Ing their turn on the ship was that
Postmaster-Gcncral Burleson interviewed
in their favor. Mr.. Burlcson was IN
terested in seeing that the Aquitania,
ain important mail carrying ship, sailed
Saturday afternoon on schedule. This
of course, was not possible with the
/ immigrants on board, so an order was
Issued by the immigration authorities
at Washington, at his request, making
possible the examination of tho aliens al
the piers immigration authorities. as a
rule, are opposed 70 ship inspection. as
there is danger OF permitting imml-
grants with contagious diseases to &c
ashore Saiiing5 OF liners arc sometime,
held UP for several days because imml-
grants on board have not been re-
moved
There has been practically no LEI
down In the number of immigrants
I coming 10 this country this winter. Nor
fnally the greatest number come In the