[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.Thiscategory was one example of the Commission s help for immigrants whomay have arrived in an earlier year.Thus, simply summing all the totalsin Tables 7.2 and 7.3 involves some double counting.Double countingcould also occur if an individual died at the Marine Hospital or Ward sIsland, and then was buried at Commission expense.A number of otherpossibilities exist, although the reports generally indicate that the vastmajority of those helped had arrived that year, or in some cases, dur-ing the immediate preceding year.In addition, most of the categories areprobably mutually exclusive.Thus, the sum of those listed in Tables 7.2and 7.3 870,000 individuals or 32.6 percent of all arrivals between1847 and 1860 is an overstatement, but probably not a major one, ofthe actual number of arriving immigrants helped by the Commission.The activities of the Emigration Commission were funded by the same$1.50 head tax that had been previously imposed.As the volume ofimmigration rose through 1854, and the activities of the Commission25Commissioners of Emigration, Annual Reports, pp.80 1. 166 Mass Migration Under Sailexpanded, the tax proceeds proved insufficient.The financial situationwas worsened by the need to buy land, by improvements at Ward sIsland, and by the general desire to provide better assistance to those itwas helping.Almost every year, the reports indicate the Commission ranshort of money.In particular, in many years, the Commission did notreimburse the counties in a timely fashion.In April 1853, the rate wasraised to $2.00 per passenger.The abrupt decline in immigrant volume in1855 did not help the financial situation, because the Commission neededto continue to make payments on its existing debt and the lower volumetranslated into a reduction in the revenue generated by the head tax.26In addition to keeping sick immigrants away from the general popu-lation and helping immigrants leave the city, another motive for havinga government agency assist the arriving immigrants was the presence ofrunners and others who would endeavor to cheat the newcomers out oftheir funds.To the extent the runners were successful, more individualsbecame stranded in New York City, increasing the burden on the city.Before 1855, the reports are filled with discussions of this issue.In August1855, the solution was found when the Emigration Commission openedCastle Garden as an immigrant-landing depot.The Commission erectedphysical barriers to keep out the runners, although this procedure hadto survive a court challenge.Within the confines of the landing depot,the Commission provided for the various needs of the immigrants.Oneyear later, the Commission established a program of lending money toneedy immigrants to continue their journey, although the immigrantshad to leave their luggage as collateral.Upon repayment, the luggage wasshipped to the immigrant.Finally, in 1857, the Commission sent an agentto Europe in an effort to keep the immigrants from being defrauded ontheir transatlantic tickets.Although it is unclear how successful eitherof these last two endeavors was, the later reports speak glowingly ofthe establishment of Castle Garden as providing a cure for many of theprevious problems.The establishment of the Emigration Commission and Castle Gardenmight explain the increase in New York City s share of total arrivals inthe 1850s (Table 7.1).After staying stagnant at about 65 percent since1835, New York s percentage increased to 75 percent between 1850 and1860.It is possible that, by letter and word of mouth, immigrants learnedof the new system and more decided to sail for New York.26Commissioners of Emigration, Annual Reports, pp.189 90. The Immigrants in the United States 167The Geographic Location of the ImmigrantsUpon arrival in New York City or another port, friends and family greetedmany immigrants.Some, such as Johann Bauer, stayed with friends fora few months before leaving the city
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]