Italian Immigrants Submitted By: Larie Tedesco December 2004 Source: Daily States October 25, 1898 Page 1 Column 7 ************************************************* Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ This Article Runs Along The Side Of The Page And Some Parts Are Very Dark And I Cannot Read All Of It. To Swell The List Some 1369 Italian Immigrants Land To-Day Came Over On The Bolivia And Will Be Distributed Among Plantations Scenes At The Landing Big Crowd On Hand To Receive Them The Biggest Ship Load Of Immigrants That Ever Came To The City Of New Orleans; Arrived At The New Orleans And Northeastern Wharves At 12:30? O'clock To-Day. There Were 1,369 Men, Women And Children On Board The British Ship Bolivia, Commanded By Captain Craig, A Veteran Of Twenty Odd Years In The Business Of Immigrant Carrying. Every Mother's Son And Daughter Of These 1369 Immigrants Were Italian Or Sicilian And There Were Nearly So Many Of Their Sisters, And Their Uncles, And Their Cousins And Their Aunts, Not To Speak Of Fathers, Brothers, Mothers And Sweetharts, Down On The Wharfs Were Aboard Ship. The Bolivia Arrived Off Algiers Point At An Early Hour This Morning And It Was About 10 O'clock That Special Deputy Collector A.N. Howell, In Company With Gen. Wicker, Special Agent Mcenery, Mrs. Guy J. Saxton And Representatives Of The Press Boarded The Steam Tug Corsair At The Head Of Canal Street And Dropped Quickly Down The Big Red And Black Hull Of The Immigrant Carrier. Mr. Howell Also Had With Him Inspector E. B. Holeman Of New York In Charge, And Inspectors N. J. Arbeely, S. A. Eppler, Both Of New York; E. L. Rominson Of Baltimore, And B. W. Baker, Of Norfolk, And Also Mr. Joseph Di Micheli Of New York, The Interpreter. Surgeon J. B. Stone, Of The United States Marine Hospital Service, Were Also Along, And Went Down For The Purpose Of Conducting The Required Physical Examination. They Found With The Exception Of Three Men, Every Soul On Board In Fine Condition, And Even Those Three Were Not Seriously Afflicted. But One Death Occurred In Passage, And No Births. The Above Party Of Eastern Inspectors Were Ordered By The Department To Take Charge Of Immigrants Upon Their Arrival. They Were Ordered To Go To Pensacola, Where It Was Thought The Bolivia Would Put In To Land Her Big Cargo Of Human Freight, But All Quarantines Being Thrown Off And All Possible Danger Being Declared Over They Were Allowed To Come To Their Original Point Of Destination. The Bolivia Left Palermo Some Twenty-Three Days Ago And Had Fine Weather Until She Struck The Florida Straights, Where Heavy Seas Were Encountered. Early In The Morning The Italians Of This City Began To Gather At The Northeastern Wharves, Where Their Fellow Countrymen Were Scheduled To Land. By Noon The Crowd Had Increased To A Thousand Or More, And When The Big Ship Was Standing Out In Mid Stream Began To Move Slowly Up The River About That Time They Crowded The Edges Of The Wharves To The Immigrant Peril Of Their Necks. As The Vessel Crept Up At A Snail's Pace And Arrived At A Position Nearly Opposite The Wharves, The Crowd On Shore And On The Ship Began A Frantic Waiving Of Hands And Hankerchiefs Of Every Immaginable Bright Color. There Were Flashing Black Eyes And Queer Exclamations Of Recognition And Excitement, Whth Index Finger And Thumb And Arm Outstretched Those Separated By The Waters Of The Mississippi Carried On Their Greetings In A Frenzy Truly Italian. As The Ship Neared The Wharf The Crown Grew Doubly Excited And The Four Policemen And Two Inspections Who Were On The Wharves Had Their Hands Full, More Than Full In Cleaning A Landing Space. There Were Several Free Scuffles And A Good Deal Of Profanity In Italian And Plain American And It Took Some Time To Compel He Italio-Americans To Keep Back To Otherside And Out Of The Way. It Would Never Have Been Accomplished Then Had It Not Been That Some Thoughtful Person Secured To Ropes And Stretched Them Across The Entrances Of The North And South Sheds, Thus Leaving The ? Converted Portion Between Perfectly Free For The Inspectors And Their Victims. But It Will Be A Good Many Hours Before All Will Be Landed. Eachman Will Be Exemined Separately Aboard Ship And Then Allowed To Go His Way. He Will Be Conducted To The Outside Of The Shed Before This However, And There His Friends And Relatives May? Seize Upon Him And Do With Him ? They Like. No Baggage Will Be Inspected Until Tomorrow. This Is The Order Given By Special Deputy Inspector? Howell. There Is Over 200 ? Of Clothing, Household Goods And Not To Speak Of Nuts, Of Which The Relatives Of Fair Italia See To Be Definately Fond. The Bringing Of These 1369 Italio Immigrants Over To This Country, ?Suming Nearly A Month In Passengers?, A Striking Lesson To He United States War Department, Who Had Worlds And Worlds Of Difficulties In Handling Regiment Or Half A Regiment Of Soldiers On Board A Ship Or Even A Company. An Eyesight Inspection Or Throngs Of Immigrants On Board Ship Disclosed The Fact That There ? Not A Sick Looking One Who Came Under The Scrutiny Of The Reporter. In ? It Is Just The Reverse. They Were The Healthiest, Ruddlest, Brownest And Well Conditioned Lot That Could ? Imagine And All Appear To Be In ? Trim To Go Out To The Various Plantations In Louisiana And Work As An Italian Peasant Can. A Priest And A Nun Were Also Aboard The Bolivia, Coming From Italy To See Relatives. They Were Mather Giova? Larosa And Sister Josafina.