Ellis Island - A Day In The Life: A British Perspective 1895

This article provides a detailed account of the daily activities and challenges faced by immigrants arriving at Ellis Island in 1895, from a British perspective. It offers a unique insight into the experience of immigrants as they navigated through the immigration process, showcasing the diverse backgrounds and stories of those seeking a new life in America.

Tender Brings New Immigrants to Landing at Ellis Island. Emigrants coming up the board-walk from the barge, which has taken them off the steamship company's docks, and transported them to Ellis Island. The big building in the background is the new hospital just opened. The ferry-boat seen in the middle of the picture, runs from New York to Ellis Island. Quarantine Sketches, The Maltine Company, 1902 [2]. Library of Congress # 97501086. GGA Image ID # 148396ba43

Ellis Island, the modern Castle Garden of New York, is undoubtedly the most cosmopolitan center in the world during the height of the emigration season. It serves as the gateway for millions of immigrants, a place where their journey to America truly begins.

There, on any day of the week, men, women, and children from every country in the Eastern Hemisphere, clad in every variety of garb—Teuton, Slav, Celt, Saxon, Hindu, Arab, Turk, Greek, and Scandinavian—are gathered in crowds, chattering loudly in myriad tongues, gesticulating where speech is incomprehensible, and endeavoring by many a device to naturalize themselves as speedily as may be to their novel surroundings. This diverse mix of cultures and languages is a testament to the global impact of Ellis Island.

America! That hospitable land that is the bourn of their most ardent hopes and aspirations. They arrive with a determination to make a free, prosperous home, despite the distance that still separates them from their dreams. Whether they left Mount Hermon with tear-dimmed eyes, said a sad farewell to the old moss-grown homestead in a Brittany apple orchard, or carried off a pot of shamrock from Queenstown Harbour, their hope is unwavering.

It is true that a narrow river strip now separates the emigrants from the mainland. Still, it may prove to them an impassable gulf, should the United States Government determine it so.

This dread uncertainty notwithstanding, care seems to sit lightly upon them, for the majority are in blissful ignorance of the new regulations that deny admittance to the needy, infirm, and stringent as the law is, the executive department under Colonel Weber, Inspector-in-Chief, could not possibly be conducted in a more humane and considerate fashion. The staff of officers and matrons seems endowed with sensibilities as tender as their power of discernment is acute.

Peasant Girl in Search of Work

It is almost every day for three or even four thousand persons to pass through the hands of the emigration authorities. This ever-increasing influx caused the transference of headquarters from Castle Garden to the Barge Office and, within the last few months, to Ellis Island in the North River, which is set aside purely for emigration purposes.

Here, a large oblong building has been specially erected. With a square turret flanking each of its four corners, it is quite a conspicuous object upon entering New York Harbour.

Within is a large reception room where the emigrants wait their turn to pass through the turnstile and respond to the various interrogations about nationality, age, trade, finance, and destination that are invariably addressed to them.

Anyone too ill to proceed on his journey or suffering from an infectious disorder is detained in the well-appointed hospital and, if necessary, ultimately transferred to the city hospital—this branch of the service alone costs the United States Government $100,000 per annum.

Every assistance is also rendered to those in perplexity, for although a very large majority have booked themselves through to the State where they have friends or employment ready for them, there is a minority that imagines that New York is Eldorado and that once they set foot in the New World, all anxieties are at an end.

These are similar to the despair of the statesman and the philanthropist; these shiftless beings, with scarce a dollar to call their own, cherish wild ideas of fortunes to be won or farms to be bestowed for the mere asking.

While fair lands are waiting for the plow and deserts for the irrigator who shall make them "blossom as the rose," hundreds and thousands of miles of distance prove the insuperable barrier that keeps the penniless emigrant in New York and adds to the miserable swarm of persons of all nationalities which has made the Bowery a perfect byword—because of its terrible over-population, crowded into tenements, under conditions worse than any in London, only second in horror to the notorious Neapolitan chambers, or the honeycombed district of San Francisco known as Chinatown.

Arrival of Steamships in America

When a Transatlantic Liner crosses the bar, the first class and intermediate passengers are immediately landed, while the steerage contingent is detained and transferred to tenders, which carry them with bags and baggage to the Island where the business formularies must be transacted.

The emigrants' friends are in waiting. They have been here since dawn, and they may have to wait until after sunset before the last passenger has landed.

There is a sense of eager expectancy in the air, but the greatest order prevails. It is difficult to realize that these well-dressed men and fashionable-looking girls were themselves less than twelve months ago, new corners to a strange land.

Now, to all intents and purposes, they are Americans; hosts come to welcome the guests, whose advent they have hastened by sending their savings, wherewith to purchase the ticket that shall extricate father, mother, sister, or sweetheart from the miseries of rack-rented Irish bog or over-taxed Italian città.

At length, the long hours of suspense are tit an end. The intelligent young servant girl has her arms clasped tight around the neck of a venerable son of Erin, who starts back with a half-sheepish look as his gaze wanders from his tattered coat to the attire of his lady daughter.

The small brother seems even more abashed—not even a big bag of " candy " reconciles him to his once bare-footed, red-petticoated sister, who has become a superior-looking person in one short year.

But father, mother, baby sister, and little brother are soon all at ease, for coats, shawls, and hats of the latest New York fashion have been produced out of the depths of a mysterious-looking basket, and each member of the family now feels on equal terms with the elegant daughter who had at first seemed so overwhelming in her unwonted magnificence.

While this transformation of "tatterdom" has been proceeding in one part of the hall, a very different scene has been enacted only a few yards away. Again, it is a young girl who has acted as a pioneer for the old folks at home, but this time, life's drama is a tragedy, for she is told that the face she had so long ached to see is cold in death, and the dear form of the mother has found a watery grave in mid-ocean.

The Dead and Dying

In the hospital, too, a mother is weeping over the little child who lies dying in her arms. In the mortuary, the body of a nameless man is stretched, whom the Steamship Company has persisted in landing, and who will again be returned to the ship, with the intimation that the emigration authorities do not undertake Vie landing of corpses.

And so this poor emaciated remnant of humanity battledores from steamer to landing stage and back again to find an unknown grave outside the harbor bar. In the hospital, too, a mother is weeping over the little child who lies dying in her arms.

In the mortuary, the body of a nameless man is stretched, whom the Steamship Company has persisted in landing, and who will again be returned to the ship, with the intimation that the emigration authorities do not undertake the landing of corpses.

And so this poor emaciated remnant of humanity battledores from steamer to landing stage and back again to find an unknown grave 'outside the harbor bar.

Nor is it fair to be severe upon the 'United States Government' for this sorry state of things, for too many of the steamship companies employ more or less unscrupulous agents, especially on the borderlands of the Mediterranean Sea, and many an ignorant peasant is tempted with specious promises to abandon his little all and to embark in a vain pursuit of health and happiness.

A Slavic Immigrant Woman at Ellis Island in 1905. Photograph by Lewis Wickes Hine. New York Public Library MFZ (Hine) 93-6226. NYPL 91PH056.008. GGA Image ID # 14e474ee48

A separate room is provided for the girls and single women who have come off alone to seek their fortunes in the new world. This department is almost invariably crowded, for so great is the demand for servants, or as they are more usually called, " hired girls" or " hired ladies," that young Scandinavian, German, Swiss, and Irish peasants are tempted to make the first start, which will eventually lead to the emigration of the entire family.

As a rule, employers or reliable friends come to claim the newcomers, but failing this, provision is made that no girl needing her free choice goes into New York as a homeless wanderer.

Colonel Weber is a man of the world, and his quick eye discriminates between the true and the false persons who come to befriend his charges. Occasionally, a girl emigrates on the promise of marriage. Whenever the slightest suspicion arises as to the genuineness of these matrimonial prospects, a detaining hand is in all kindness laid upon her. In fatherly fashion, the Colonel interviews both bride and bridegroom. Suppose he believes that the man means to play the girl falsely. In that case, he acts as an officiating priest and sends for the Registrar, and a special license has the knot tied then and there in his presence.

It seems incredible, but it is no less a fact that foolish girls now and then emigrate with the view of wedding men they have never seen, and cases of personating the true bridegroom occasionally occur.

Colonel Weber's action, far from being tyrannical as it would seem at first sight, is realized by those who know the department's inner history to be in every sense beneficent. Thus, many are saved from the harpies who lie in wait to pounce upon guileless victims.

Another interposing providence is in readiness in the person of the agent of a Ladies' Benevolent Society. She invites any girl in trouble to a home. As is not infrequently the case, she has been shipped off by the cajolery of some betrayer desirous of avoiding expense and disgrace.

Of all nationalities, the Jews, to their honor, are the most concerned over the interests of their co-religionist, and whatever the ultimate lapse into poverty may be, help is invariably forthcoming at the outset.

These special agents, along with one or two missionaries, are the few persons privileged with a footing on Ellis Island. They are in addition to the ample staff of New Castle Garden officials provided by the United States Government.

Many of these are men and women with considerable linguistic acquirements; one of the oldest men on the staff speaks seven languages and passes with perfect ease along the gamut of tongues from Hindustani to Hibernian English and modern Greek to German patois.

All day long, the many turnstiles are kept in constant revolution, and the crowds of emigrants, as they disembark upon Ellis Island, march off in files to the intervening clerks who stand in position to receive them. " Click, Click," goes the turnstile, and a swarthy turbaned Arab, direct from Mount Hermon, his brown arms gaily tattooed, passes his examination as to occupation, possessions, and so forth, and then makes way for a fair-haired broad-shouldered Teuton, who gives in his name as George T. Bokholt, aged twenty, and declares in response to interrogations that he has twenty dollars in his pocket of " reines Geld."

His blonde little sister Frynge accompanies him, neatly dressed in a Sunday black frock. At the same time, behind them comes a bright-looking Alsatian maiden, Adele Blaess, with her all tied up in a red cotton handkerchief and a few dollars in her purse, which she proudly displays, together with a railway ticket, which will take her to her aunt on the Pacific coast somewhere near San Francisco.

These are passed, and " click" goes a neighboring turnstile, where a quick-witted official prepares his Hindustani as a little white-turbaned visitor comes in sight. At his heels is a lonely Afghan who baffles everyone with his speech and who would be utterly sad were it not that a kindly Syrian family has taken him under their wing.

The Syrian party's spokesman is bright, black-eyed Sultana Meinnia. Dressed in French fashions purchased en mole at Marseilles and possessed of a marvelous facility in speaking both English and Spanish, she seems commander-in-chief of the motley caravan of her fellow country people, the majority of whom are still in the rainbow-hued garbs of their sunny land.

Hungarian peasants in homespun, the men in rough jackets and top boots, the women with short dresses and kerchiefed head-gear, are next in line, behind them an Austrian mother, her child on one arm, an unwieldy bundle in the other which she clutches with difficulty, unaided by anyone, least of all by the Roumanian peasant who stares placidly at her, and draws his sheepskin more tightly around him as he tries to push before her.

Meanwhile, Italians and Poles are filing in at a third turnstile. At the same time, another contingent of Arabs engrosses the entire attention of two officials. Amongst these is a little twelve-year-old bride, Zehenig by name, who, coming straight from the mountains of Lebanon, has nevertheless picked up a lace hat, feathers, and ruffles somewhere on the voyage. Indeed, most of the Orientals stop at Marseilles, and there, for a few francs, lay in a stock of manufactured curios and relics, which they dispose of to credulous Westerners as genuine native articles.

The bride's elder sister follows up in the rear—picturesque in her lace mantilla coquettishly thrown over her massive coils of hair, beneath which gleam a pair of the boldest of black eyes. The brilliant red shawl over her shoulders and startlingly blue dress makes her an object of universal attraction.

Behind them again, a group of tired-looking Arab mothers is wearily standing, with heavy bundles of bedding poised on their bead, tin pots and pans jingling on their arms, and cross-hungry children clinging to their skirts.

Their gay particolored bodices are open, revealing their skinny necks, and long gold earrings are rivals in the color of the wizened cheeks of women who are mothers at fourteen and old women at twenty-four.

Panting, heated, and worn as these poor women arc, their lords and masters follow them with the coolest unconcern, pipe in mouth, hands in pockets, utterly oblivious of the fact that they are now treading on American soil, where man has the unique privilege of being burden-bearer for the race.

Detention Pen On the Roof of the Main Building at Ellis Island, Where Emigrants Held for Deportation May Go in Fine Weather. 1902 Quarantine Setches. The Maltine Company.[2] Library of Congress # 96506924. GGA Image ID # 148480ecb4

Meanwhile, all those under temporary detention have assembled in an ante-room, where they squat on the floor, lounge, or sit around, some fast asleep, others singing to a guitar, upon which a gay Lothario of a Portuguese is strumming old love songs.

Behind this lively group, a little barefooted Mohammedan maiden, her toes tucked under her quaintly figured petticoat, is weeping bitterly and drying her eyes at intervals with her lace mantilla. To her dismay, some Beyrout ticket agent has deceived her and now finds that the ticket she holds in her hand, instead of taking her to Chicago, must be given up in New York.

With only four dollars in her pocket and never a friend within a thousand miles, she is in despair. It is hard to make her realize that the authorities are in telegraphic communication with her friends to whom she will be sent, provided they are willing to receive her.

But Colonel Weber's sole attention is concentrated upon a well-to-do looking German couple, who stand with scowling faces while he investigates their case. The middle-aged " Frau " is the chief offender: a bigamist with a decidedly romantic vein in her composition.

Fifteen years before, she had married her first love, and five years later, he was sentenced to penal servitude for participation in outrages and consequent murder. When prison bars separated her from her husband, believing that woman should not live alone, she hid her to the New World. There took unto herself a simple-minded fellow, who, making no inquiries, was content to bask in the sunshine of a capable " Hausfrau " who could cook good dinners and add to his savings.

But the soul of a professional cook may have its sentimental side. In the intervals of dishing up the courses, her mind wandered back to the cottage in the Fatherland. When a " Zeitung" intimated that the term of ten years was at an end, she said farewell to her pots and pans. She announced to her second husband that she was seized with an unutterable longing to revisit the Fatherland.

So her trunks were packed, her husband embraced her in affectionate ignorance of her design, and he missed his naturalization papers until weeks after. Still, no suspicions were aroused in his simple breast, and it was not until today that the horrid truth dawned upon him.

In response to a special messenger from the Emigration Office, he now rushed and found himself face to face with his faithless wife and her old love, whom she was introducing to America utilizing the stolen papers as a duly naturalized and respectable citizen.

White with rage, the much-injured man stood speechless while the woman at bay declared with astonishing arrogance that she had been legally divorced ten years before and now merely desired that her old love should live as a friend of the family and helper in the business.

Needless to say, the second husband did not see the matter in this light, and the ex-convict (under the new law) was returned to his ship with the intimation that there was no room for men of his sort in America.

Not infrequently, as many as forty cases call for special investigation on any given day out of a disembarkation of three to four thousand souls; of these, for example, out of a group of Italians, five are proved to be convicts, seven utterly penniless and physically incapable of work, who would at once come upon the public charge.

Therefore, These twelve are prohibited from landing on American soil, and if they succeed, it will be by sheer strategy. Having given bonds for good behavior, the remaining twenty-eight pass through the turnstile.

In an inner apartment, a Dutch family of fourteen persons is congregated: grandparents, father, mother, aunts, uncles, and children, clean, well dressed, and well provisioned with money, but everyone possessed of all identical physical infirmity which manifests itself in bent back, or lame arms or legs; after medical inspection, they pass muster, and are transferred to the tender which plies between the office and the mainland.

The bleating of babes is heard above all other sounds. Mothers are hushing tired little ones to rest, and in a corner stretched upon the floor is quite a kindergarten of little flaxen-haired darlings who have fallen asleep over their buns and milk.

The restaurant arrangements are excellent, and good plain food at moderate prices is to be had in abundance, German sausage and Irish stew being the tour de fora. Still, the Northern sighs in vain for his whiskey, the child of the sunny South for his purple wine, and the Englishman for his beer, as all drinks of an alcoholic kind are excluded from this Prohibition Island.

Colonel Weber, who has been Chief of the Emigration Department for many years, has many stories to tell of his special protests. On one occasion, an eight-year-old Englishman arrived, labeled from " Liverpool to Philadelphia, care of the Captain."

He had enjoyed himself immensely, but he was so unwilling to leave the ship that the captain had to send him ashore under a special convoy to frustrate his desire to play stowaway on the homeward trip.

A still more juvenile voyager was little Patrick Mahoney, who had been despatched from Cork—with about as much care as is usually bestowed upon a Saratoga trunk—to rejoin his mother on Long Island.

This two-year-old toddler, or "Tiny Pat," as he universally called it, became the pet of steerage and saloon and found scores of willing slaves ready to do his bidding.

Arrived at Castle Garden, no mother was there to welcome the baby, and a matron at once took the sad little waif possession of, scrubbed down, dressed in new clothes, and then, at the urgent request of the Colonel's children, was sent to their home where "the perfect beauty of a flaxen-haired boy, sweet as a peach," as his admirers describe him, became such a center of attraction, that there was mourning and lamentation when the distracted mother came to claim him. The poor stupid creature had mistaken the date of the ship's arrival and had come down to the docks three or four days too late.

Italian stowaways are a great bugbear of the new and old Castle Garden, for they are usually incapable and penniless. Societies, however, exist that, on occasion, will take them in charge and endeavor to convert them into good citizens.

The Padrone system is America's greatest curse, for under it, hundreds of laborers are enticed to be let out on contract or sweating systems. Specious promises tempt many English and Italian girls. They are hired as street organ grinders, singers, or tambourine players.

They are practically sold into servitude without even the advantages of the enslaved person, for, when broken down in health, their good looks vanish, and sweet voices become hoarse; they are turned adrift to go —" God knows where."

To freedom-loving, free-trading Britons, many of the Ellis Island regulations may appear harsh and tyrannical. America, with its wide fertile plains, only waiting for the husbandman, ought to be the refuge for all of every degree, but there seems an element of selfishness in a people that decrees otherwise.

On the other hand, the United States of America occupies a proud position by attaining a higher civilization for its "common people" than any other country in the world, if we except, perhaps, the Australasian and Canadian colonies.

A mere "triumph of mediocrity," it may be. Still, it is a triumph in which the greatest possible number of people share. Its government is naturally anxious that the upward trend of centuries should not be retrograded by the influx of foreigners whose standard of comfort is low.

Emigration is, indeed, an enormous factor in the future of that great continent. The figures have risen with fluctuations from 9,927 in 1821 to 560,319 in 1892.

A tiny and steadily decreasing proportion of these emigrants hail from the British Isles; the majority are from countries where free government is unknown, while many are escaping from absolute tyranny and come prepared with but one idea, viz., " to vote against the Government," and are incapable of grasping the new situation in which they so suddenly find themselves placed:

The proper remedy would be not to restrict emigration, for America needs population as much as population needs America, but to deny civil rights to all those unable to pass a simple constitutional examination conducted in the English tongue.

Each state enjoys Home Rule, the most important department of statecraft. Many an ignorant emigrant becomes a voter within a few months of arrival, having stated his intention of taking out papers of citizenship when the five-year residence required by the Federal Government has expired.

The old Puritan State of Massachusetts sets an example worthy of imitation. It denies the vote to every foreigner who has been resident for at least five years in the country, can read the constitution and write the English language with some degree of exactitude, and has paid tax within two years.

A leading article in a New York newspaper recently drew attention to the existing abuses, illustrated by the case of a man who, on coming to claim the right to vote, was asked by the Registrar, " What is the governing power of the United States?" The candidate for enfranchisement, scratching his head, looked puzzled. Still, after sundry jerks from his wife standing by, he managed to stammer out, "Yes, sir, I know, it's the Sinnit."

" Quite so," replied the officer, " but what are some other factors in Government? It is the Senate, and what?"

"Yes, sir, indeed," replied the aspirant. " It's the Sinnit and %Vat."

And so far as can be determined, this highly intelligent and newly arrived foreigner, while still an alien, was not denied admission to the list of those who, by expressing their opinion at the poll, are determining the future of the great Western Republic. To balance this danger, the United States seems gifted with a supernatural power of absorption.

While in New York, every second person you meet in the street speaks a strange tongue, out West in Colorado or California, Washington or Nebraska, the English tongue everywhere prevails, and the foreigner is, to all intents and purposes, as much an American as his native-born neighbor.

Especially in the Far West, English is taught as a foreign language. The juvenile foreigners who might resent the additional duties imposed upon them in the schools are encouraged by finding that, in their turn, young Americans are called upon to apply themselves to the acquisition of German or French.

Dr. Harris, Minister of Education at Washington, D.C., remarked that after many years of practical experience, he has concluded that the best means of Americanizing the foreigner is to educate in polyglot fashion according to the nationality, which preponderates in any town or district.

Hence, Americans, proverbially the poorest linguists in the world, are waking up to the need to apply themselves to acquiring languages other than their own.

But to return to the travelers, it is now late in the afternoon. The exchange bureau, restaurant, and waiting rooms are closing, and Ellis Island will soon be deserted.

The tender is waiting to convey the last band of emigrants to the mainland. The baggage room is quickly disgorging its multifarious and curiously labeled luggage. By the time the mainland is reached, the Expressman will be ready to transfer passengers and luggage to the railway stations.

When they arrived, the emigrants had nothing to do but " board the cars" and take their seats. These second-class or emigrant cars are very rough compared with the luxurious Pullmans.

Still, they are not infrequently fitted with berths upon which travelers may spread their ship's bedding. They are invariably provided with lavatory and cooking arrangements of a simple kind, while the ubiquitous ice-water tank is like a grateful fountain in a weary land, as the train slowly crawls night and day over the arid plains of Arizona or the alkali-blotched deserts of Utah and Nevada.

Source: Balgarnie, Florence, "Home-Seekers in Western Lands; a Day in Ellis Island, the New "Castle Garden" of New York"m English Illustrated Magazine, Vol. 13, May 1895.

Conclusion

Ellis Island was a crucial gateway for millions of immigrants entering the United States. The article highlights both the promise and the challenges faced by these new arrivals. It underscores the complexities of the immigration process, including medical inspections and the challenges posed by language barriers and cultural differences. The narrative captures the mix of hope and hardship experienced by immigrants, emphasizing the importance of Ellis Island in shaping America's demographic landscape.

Key Points

• 🌊 Immigration Process: Ellis Island served as the primary entry point for immigrants, where they underwent inspections and interviews to determine their eligibility to enter the United States.

• 🩺 Medical Examinations: Immigrants were subjected to thorough medical inspections to identify any contagious diseases, mental health issues, or physical disabilities.

• 👥 Diverse Immigrant Groups: The article describes the variety of ethnicities and nationalities, including Europeans, Asians, and Middle Easterners, arriving at Ellis Island.

• 🏠 Temporary Housing: Some immigrants, especially women and children, were provided with temporary accommodations if they needed to stay overnight due to various delays.

• 📜 Document Inspection: Immigrants' documents were meticulously checked, and many were required to prove they had the means or sponsors to support themselves in the United States.

• 💼 Employment Opportunities: The narrative mentions the role of Ellis Island in connecting immigrants with employment opportunities, often facilitated by railroads and other industries.

• 🛳️ Emotional Reunions and Losses: The article poignantly describes moments of joy and sorrow, such as family reunions and the discovery of lost loved ones.

• 🚸 Vulnerable Populations: Special attention was given to vulnerable groups, such as single women and children, to protect them from exploitation and ensure their safety.

• 💼 Baggage and Belongings: Immigrants often arrived with all their worldly possessions, which were processed and sometimes scrutinized as part of the inspection process.

• 🌐 Cultural Impact: The diverse influx of immigrants at Ellis Island significantly contributed to the cultural mosaic of America.

Summary

1. Ellis Island's Role: The island was a critical point of entry for immigrants, where they underwent necessary procedures before being allowed into the country.

2. Medical and Legal Inspections: Immigrants faced rigorous medical exams and legal checks, ensuring they met the entry requirements.

3. Diverse Arrivals: A wide range of nationalities passed through Ellis Island, reflecting the global reach of immigration during that period.

4. Temporary Lodging: Provisions were made for those needing overnight accommodations, particularly women and children.

5. Employment Assistance: The island also served as a hub for finding work, with many immigrants connected to jobs upon arrival.

6. Emotional Moments: The narrative captures the emotional highs and lows of the immigrant experience, from reunions to losses.

7. Protection for Vulnerable Groups: Measures were in place to safeguard vulnerable individuals, particularly women and children.

8. Baggage Handling: The processing of immigrants' belongings was a key part of their experience, reflecting their journeys and aspirations.

9. Cultural Contributions: The diverse immigrant populations significantly enriched the cultural landscape of the United States.

10. Challenges and Criticisms: The article also touches on the challenges and criticisms of the immigration process, including issues of overcrowding and inadequate facilities.