Imported Americans / The Story of the Experiences of a Disguised American and His Wife Studying the Immigration Question

by Broughton Brandenburg

June 23, 1904.

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CONTENTS

CHAP.		PAGE
I	The Impetus and the Method	[1]
II	Life in a New York Tenement	[7]
III	To Naples in the Steerage of the Lahn	[25]
IV	Conditions in the Neapolitan Zone	[47]
V	In the Roman Zone	[61]
VI	In the Heel and Toe of the Boot	[71]
VII	Gualtieri-Sicamino and the Squadrito Family	[83]
VIII	The Sicilian Countryside	[104]
IX	The Departure	[118]
X	From Sicily to Naples	[130]
XI	Through the City of Thieves	[138]
XII	Roguery and Illiteracy	[151]
XIII	The Embarkation Process	[159]
XIV	The Voyage	[171]
XV	The Voyage (Continued)	[184]
XVI	Nearing the Gate	[198]
XVII	Within the Portals of the New World	[205]
XVIII	Through Ellis Island	[215]
XIX	The Dispersion	[228]
XX	The Struggles of the Gualtieri Boys in New York	[238]
XXI	Legislation and Evasion	[246]
XXII	What to do With the Immigrant	[297]

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

The Real Problem	[Frontispiece]
The Tenement in Houston Street in which the Author and his Wife lived (The chimney-shadow marks their room)	Facing page	[8]
Mrs. Brandenburg in her wretched Tenement-room	Facing page	[12]
Life on the Steerage-passengers’ Deck on the Lahn	Facing page	[28]
Preparing to Serve a Meal on the Lahn from the Food-tanks and Bread-baskets	Facing page	[38]
Peasant Types	Facing page	[50]
Mangling Hemp	Facing page	[56]
Morning in the Village and Vineyards	Facing page	[64]
Threshing Beans	Facing page	[72]
Scilla—Draught-oxen of Italy	Facing page	[82]
The Messenger—The Guide—The House of the Squadritos—The Town (Gualtieri)	Facing page	[90]
Part of the Family gathered in the Kitchen (From left to right: Ina, Tono, Giovanina, Antonio, Mrs. Squadrito, Giovanni, Jr., Nicola, Maria)—Felicia Pulejo—Concetta	Facing page	[98]
Visitors in the Author’s Room—Teresa di Bianca—The Old Woman up the Valley—Shyness in Shawl and Pattens—Small Children Labor in the Fields	Facing page	[104]
Giacomo Marini, the Municipal Secretary—Nicola Squadrito at Work (Carmelo Merlino at the right)	Facing page	[114]
Ina and Her Friends in Procession to the Church for Farewell Blessings	Facing page	[124]
Departure From Gualtieri
“Declaring” in the Messina Office—Party’s Baggage on Lighter—Friends, Neighbors and Relatives	Facing page	[132]
The Storied Vicolo del Pallonetto in Naples	Facing page	[146]
At the Doorway of the Capitaneria—Author’s Party on the Quay	Facing page	[162]
Mid-Voyage Scenes
Mora—Syrian Jews—Prostrated by the Swell—Children Escaping Seasickness	Facing page	[184]
Half a Dozen Races on Common Ground—His Brothcup—The Immigrant Madonna	Facing page	[190]
Life Aboard the Prinzessin Irene
Men’s Sleeping-quarters—Ladling out Food—The Purser Hurling Passengers About—On the Fo’c’s’l-head	Facing page	[194]
Part of the Author’s Party—All Eyes to the Statue of Liberty	Facing page	[206]
Croatians and Italians—Swedes Arriving—Loading the Barges, New York	Facing page	[210]
Rushing Immigrants on Barges—Inspectors and Immigrants at Ellis Island	Facing page	[214]
Stairway of Separation—Checking into Pens	Facing page	[218]
Excluded for Age—Waiting for Immigrant Friends	Facing page	[222]
The Immigrants’ Track Through Ellis Island,	Facing page	[227]
Mr. Broughton Brandenburg, as he Looked when He Passed through Ellis Island as an Immigrant	Facing page	[230]
Stonington—The Barber-shop—The Squadrito House	Facing page	[234]
Night-porter’s Staff at Siegel-Cooper Company’s (Nunzio Giunta in front of post)	Facing page	[242]
Nicola Curro at Work—Ina Americanized—Saint’s Figure, covered with Bags of Money	Facing page	[264]
Nicola Curro Studying English in the Author’s Home in New York	Facing page	[280]

CHAPTER I
THE IMPETUS AND THE METHOD

That there was a tremendous increase in immigration in prospect was announced by the agents of the great immigrant-carrying lines of steamships as early as January of 1903. All Europe seemed stirred with that tide of unrest. It was to be a great year for the departure from the Continental hives of the new swarms, and an authoritative foreign journal prophesied that the sum total would be 1,500,000 for the twelve months.

In America the cry was redoubled that the doors of the United States should be altogether closed or rendered still more difficult to pass. The Shattuc bill was about to find favor in the House of Representatives, the Lodge bill was cooking in Boston, and in every newspaper or periodical of the land articles and editorials were appearing that attacked or defended various phases, conditions or proposed remedies of immigration. Even in the German and Italian papers, which speak for Germany, Austria and Italy, the most fertile immigrant-producing grounds, there was but the barest trifle printed that was from the point of view of the immigrant himself. In the American papers there was absolutely nothing.

One day I was in the Grand Central station in New York, ready to take a train for New Haven, and as I came up to the gate I saw, passing through before me, a group of more than twenty newly arrived Italians, following the leadership of one short, black, thick-set prosperous-seeming man who spoke Italian to the left and broken English to the right. They were tagged for Boston and other New England towns, and, bearing their heavy burdens of luggage and bundles, with faces drawn with weariness, eyes dull with too much gazing at the wonders of a new land, with scarce a smile among them except on the faces of the unreasoning children, they were herded together, counted off as they passed through the gate and taken aboard the train, much as if they had been some sort of animals worth more than ordinary care, instead of rational human beings. Here they were in charge of the conductor, who grouped them in seats according to the towns to which they were destined.