The Immigrant Experience From Italy to Ellis Island

Most Italians came by "steerage" or third class. Steerage was so named because it was a large compartment located below deck near the steering mechanism. A one way steerage ticket cost about $35. It was not uncommon for most husbands to travel to America alone. Typically women were young and may have only been married a few months or a couple of years. Their husbands would come to America first, working to save money for their passages. Once the passage money arrived they would make the journey to America to join their spouses.

After acquiring Identity papers and a passport, immigrants traveled to the port city (Naples) where they stayed for several days in a compound set up by the Steamship Company. The men were given short haircuts and both men and women were disinfected.

Once aboard ship the immigrants were taken to the steerage compartment. There was little ventilation in this area. The floors were wooden and sprinkled with sand. The large steerage compartment contained tiers of bunks; each iron berth had a straw mattress with a slip of white canvas. There were no pillows: in its place was each passenger’s life preserver. A short lightweight blanket was also provided and became part of the immigrant’s possession. To the travelers, the berth became their space serving as bed, clothes and towel rack, and baggage storage area. Each passenger was supplied with eating utensils, usually a fork, spoon, and tin lunch pail. A typical breakfast might consist of coffee and a biscuit. For lunch, soup daily and every five days a dish with meat was also given. For supper they would be fed a dish with meat, wine and bread. After meals, the passengers washed their own utensils using their soap and towels that they brought on board with them.

The passengers were to undergo daily medical examinations during the voyage, however they usually received only two, one at the beginning of the voyage and one at the end.

Prior to docking a United States doctor boarded and checked every passenger for obvious signs of illness. If there were none, the ship came to port at a wharf. This is where the first and second class passengers were docked. The third class, however, were loaded onto barges and taken to Ellis Island.

As the immigrants landed from the barge, they were tagged with a number that corresponded to their number on the ship’s passenger list. As a group they were led into the main building where their baggage was inspected. They were led up a stairway to the Registry Hall, were a surgeon checked each arrival’s health card from aboard ship. The entire immigrants were given a series of medical exams. After completing the medical exams, the newcomers were instructed to sit in a waiting room, each manifest group having its own area.

All the clerks (interpreters) with a copy of the manifest sheet would ask the immigrants the same questions and compare the answers. If there were any discrepancies, they could have the new arrival detained. Two of the most troublesome questions were "Do you have a job waiting?" and "Who paid for your passage?"

For those who were detained, there was nothing to do except sit on hard wooden benches and wait. A typical menu for the detained immigrants was as follows:

Breakfast: coffee with milk and sugar -- bread and butter, plus milk and crackers for

Women and children

Lunch: beef stew, boiled potatoes, and rye bread, plus milk and crackers for women

and children

Supper: baked beans, stewed prunes, and, and rye bread – tea with milk and sugar

plus milk and crackers for women and children

Once the immigrants names were read, telling them that they were allowed to leave they were taken to the money exchange office to trade their foreign currency. After that, they were escorted to the ferries that would take them to other transportation, leading to their final destination.

Quota:

We came to America because they told us the streets were paved with gold, what they didn’t tell us that we had to pave the streets.

Anonymous