Scenes At The Landing At Castle Garden

The arrival of a steamahip in the lower bay at New York is reported by telegraph, and if she brings steerage passengers, the number is bulletined at the Castle Garden landing stage, thus enabling the officials to be prepared for the reception of the new arrivals. The vessel proceeds directly to the cornpany's doek, where the saloon passengers land, and where the immigrants are transferred to tugs and barnes, which put them ashore at the Castle Garden pier. From the inclosed wharf they pass óirectly to the interior of the uilding, and, entering a narrow pasage, which admita them only in single ines, they reach the desk of the bookng clerk, who greets them with the uery : "Your name ?" which he is preared to articúlate in almost any modern tongue. In addition to the name, the register has columns for reording the occupatior, former residence, and destination, and each individual is asked if this is his first appearanca at the American gateway. Some are unable to intelligibly name their destination, but all such usually have an order for a Western railway ticket, and this being produced, affords the desired information, The registry clerk detains the immigrant harály a moment, and he passes on to a counter where nis order for a railway ticket - purchased in Europe, of the steamship igent - is exchanged for its equivaent, which the railway company will require. The new arrival is then at liberty to go his chosen way, but if he is to journey westward by rail, he will find it necessaiy to wait several hours, or possibly until another day, when he ia ferried direct from the building to Jersey City. If he has money to be exchanged, this can safely be done within the building, and the plainest of food is exposed for sale. The accommodations are hardly luxurious, but such as they are, are free for a reasonable time; coal stoves warm the great rotunda, and for couches. wood benches or the floor must suffice, unless there is luggage to be utilized for this purpose. Representativos oL boarding houses are admitted to the building, under certain restrictions, and are allowed to solicit patronage, the authorities endeavoring to protect the strangers from imposition. Many of the immigrants flnd lettera awaiting them from friends and relatives already established in America, and frequently a sum of money, or its equivalent, is found inclosed. These Communications quently bear the name of the steamer on which the intended recipiënt is expected to arrive, and this enables tiie clerks to deliver them the mere readily. Others among the new arrivals expect to ünd friends awaitüig them, and the parties in waiting having passed in the names of those they seek, these are announced by an official, and the joyf ui demonstrations incident to a reunión between long-parted frieuds may be witnessed. ïhe list of steerage passengeis by a single steamer often reaches 800 or 900, and as several sliips may ariïve in one day. it will be seen tliat a great army is liable at times to pour in as rapidly as it can be easily cared for. Most of the immigrants have a deflnite destination, and a prospect of work, but the labor bureau at Castle Garden has found employment for thousands, who land with no edge of the country, and with no intelligent idea of procuring situations. Nearly every Germán arriving here is ticketed to some western point, and the Swedes, Danes and Norvvegians, as a rule, also have their future home and occupation determined upon before embarking for the new world. This is the result of communication with friends or kindred, previously established here, aDd not infrequently an immigrant will have several hundred dollars in his possession. Perhaps 15 or 20 per cent. of the arrivals have no delinite plans for the future, and on the register "New York" is entered as the destination of all such; of these, some remain in the vicinity of the metropolis for months and years, but the great majority ultimately drift to some point in the interior. The poorest immigrants in material wealth ut least - are said to be largely of the Slavonic and Italian races. Something like flve per cent. of the srrlvals report having landed i here ior the second or tlihd time, and occasionally a steeiage passenger is meL who has crossed the ocean as many times as the business man or I the wealthy pleasure-seeker who is at I homo in the luxurious saloon of the modern Atlantic steamsïüp.- Boston Post,