Immigration and the Commissioners of Emigration of the state of New York/Appendix/4
IV. Rules and Regulations.
EMIGRANT LANDING DEPOT, CASTLE GARDEN.
I.—EMIGRANTS.
1. All emigrant passengers arriving at the Port of New York, and their luggage, after being checked, must be landed at the Emigrant Landing Depot, Castle Garden, free of expense. Passengers are earnestly requested to take personal charge of all their property not checked.
2. After landing, the passengers will be examined for the purpose of ascertaining if any are liable to be bonded, or in such condition of health as to require hospital care, and will then be assembled in the enclosure, and the name, occupation, age, birthplace, and destination of each, with other necessary particulars, recorded.
3. Emigrants desiring to take any Railroad or Steamboat route for which tickets are sold in this Depot, will communicate with the officers of the Railroad Agency, and select such route as they prefer. The agent of said route shall be required to transport such emigrants and their luggage to the Railroad Depot or Steamboat Landing, by water conveyance when feasible, by land when not, but in either case free of charge.
4. Before the removal of luggage of emigrants having bought tickets of the Railroad Agency, the same shall be weighed, and each piece labelled and checked to its place of destination, with a common number for all the pieces of luggage of any one passenger, and a proper check given to the owner, setting forth, in ink, the number of his luggage ticket, the number of pieces of luggage, the gross weight, the overweight, and the charge he is liable to for its transportation to the point of destination; which check shall be signed in ink as a receipt for the luggage by an authorized representative of the Railroad Agency.
5. The names of all emigrants expected by friends and relatives will be announced, and all answering to their name will be transferred to such friends and relatives as may be waiting for them.
6. The galleries and floor of the Depot will be open for the free use of recently arrived emigrants, until ready to take their departure; and they are requested to make use of the wash-rooms before leaving the premises.
7. Emigrants desiring board and lodging are advised to communicate with the keepers of boarding-houses having permission in this Depot, and who will be allowed on the floor for this purpose. Every boarding-house keeper, when soliciting an emigrant for his house, must hand such emigrant a card, setting forth his name and residence, the prices, in gold and paper money, of board and lodging, by the day and week, and for single meals and night's lodging.
8. Emigrants wishing to buy food can purchase at the bread stands and restaurant in the Depot at prescribed rates, as stated on cards at such stands.
9. Emigrants remaining in the city of New York or vicinity must defray the expense of removing their luggage from the Depot, and are informed that for this purpose a Baggage Express is admitted to the Depot.
10. Emigrants seeking employment are requested to apply to the Superintendent of Labor, and to make use of the Labor Exchange attached to the Depot.
11. Emigrants desiring to deposit money or valuables over night are advised to do so in the office of the General Agent and Superintendent, who will give a receipt therefor. Employees are forbidden to take charge of such money or valuables of emigrants, unless the same be handed them after business hours; in which case report shall be made as soon as possible to the General Agent.
II. BOARDING-HOUSE KEEPERS.
Boarding-house Keepers, having permission to enter the Landing Depot to solicit Boarders, must observe the following Rules:
12. Every Boarding-house Keeper must wear his badge in a conspicuous place on his breast when entering the Depot, and keep it so exposed while in the premises.
13. Every Boarding-house Keeper must present to passengers, when soliciting such passengers for his house, a card setting forth his name and residence, and the prices in gold and paper money charged for board and lodging by the day and week, and for each meal and night's lodging; and he must also furnish emigrants with a bill setting forth all charges incurred for board, etc., before receiving pay therefor; and must make to this department a daily return of all passengers taken out of the Depot.
14. Boarding-house Keepers are required to direct to this Depot emigrants wishing to communicate with their friends, or seeking employment, or desiring advances on luggage.
15. Every Boarding-house Keeper having permission in this Depot must post in Castle Garden and in his house, in a conspicuous place, where the same may be seen at all times by emigrants, a card containing a list of prices for board and lodging by the day and week, and for single meals and night's lodging, and setting forth whether such prices are in gold or paper money. Prices charged to emigrants must conform with the prices set forth on said lists, and on the card handed to the emigrant, as required in Rule 13.
16. Boarding-house Keepers must behave in an orderly manner while in the Depot, and remain seated in the place assigned them until admitted on the floor.
III.—MISSIONARIES
And Representatives of Religious Bodies and Societies, admitted to the Landing Depot, are to observe the following Rules:
17. They may distribute religious books and papers among the emigrants, and give them all necessary advice of a spiritual nature; and shall report to the officers of the Commissioners of Emigration any wants of emigrants other than of a religious nature, coming under their notice; and shall not interfere in the secular requirements of the emigrants, or the secular matters of the Department, but shall direct all such emigrants to the proper officers of the Commissioners of Emigration.
18. They may visit any sick emigrants in the Hospital as often as their presence is required by such emigrant, and when called by the nurse or other officer of this Department.
IV.—GENERAL RULES
For the Government of the Landing Depot:
19. The business of the Depot will commence at 7 o'clock A.M. from May 1 to Nov. 1, and at 8 o'clock A.M. from Nov. 1 to May 1; and the clerks of the Letter Department shall also be present at all times, after the landing and registering of passengers, to write to friends of emigrants desiring to acquaint them of their arrival, and request funds for their inland journey, or for any purpose.
20. No person shall be admitted within the enclosure except the officers and employees of this Department and the officers and employees of the Railroad Agency, except on permission of the Superintendent.
21. No person shall be employed by any party occupying an office within the enclosure as clerk, ticket-seller, interpreter, or in any other capacity, unless first approved by the Castle Garden Committee; and no employee or other person having privilege in this Depot shall, under any pretence whatever, receive from emigrants or others any recompense for any service rendered.
22. Every employee of this Department will be furnished with a badge setting forth his position, which he shall wear and exhibit while on duty.
V.—RULES AND REGULATIONS
For the Government of the Information Office, for Friends of arriving Emigrants.
23. This office will be open for business from May 1 to November 1 at 7 o'clock A.M., and from November 1 to May 1 at 8 o'clock A.M., and remain open as long as the Superintendent may direct. All persons having relations or friends whom they wish to receive, are requested to report to the clerk the names of the passengers expected by them, and the vessel on which they arrived, with their own names and residences. They will then remain seated until such passengers are brought, and on receiving them they are requested to leave the premises, so as to avoid obstructing the business.
24. Emigrants wishing to have their baggage transported by the Express Company at the Depot (referred to Rule 9) are requested to leave the proper directions at the Express Office before leaving the premises. Those desiring to take away their baggage can receive it on the day after landing, and are requested to apply for it themselves, for the purpose of identifying their property.
25. All services rendered by the officers and employees are without charge or expense to emigrants or their friends, or to any person having business with the office.
VI.—RULES AND REGULATIONS
For the Government of the Labor Exchange and Intelligence Office.
26. This office will be open for business from May 1 to November 1 at 7 o'clock A.M., and from November 1 to May 1 at 8 o'clock A.M., and remain open as long as the Superintendent may direct; and shall be free for the use of employers and of emigrants seeking employment.
27. Emigrants and their employers are requested, after making their contracts and before leaving the office, to leave on record in the Office Register the particulars of such contract, the emigrant's name, age, and date of arrival, and the employer's name and residence.
VII.—RAILROAD DEPARTMENT.
28. It shall be the duty of the clerks and employees of the Railroad Agency to be at their respective stations on the landing of passengers, and so long thereafter as their services may be required, to attend to the wants of emigrants desiring to leave the city by any of the routes for which tickets are sold in the Depot; and in every way to conform to all rules regarding them heretofore or hereafter adopted.
29. It shall further be the duty of the clerks and employees of the Railroad Agency to refer all emigrants desiring information other than regarding the purchase of tickets to the proper officers of the Commissioners of Emigration.
30. The Railroad Agency and its officers are permitted to accept in payment for Railroad tickets and for overweight of luggage gold and silver, allowing for such gold and silver in current funds within one per cent, of the market rate, and furnishing to the emigrant a printed slip, setting forth the number and denomination of the coins purchased, the respective rates paid therefor, and whole amount paid.
31. The Railroad Agency will be required to report monthly to the Castle Garden Committee the number of emigrants transported each month over the several Railroads represented by said Agency and their connecting lines to the chief points to which emigrants go, together with the routes by which such emigrants are sent.
32. No person shall be employed by the Railroad Agency in any capacity whatever, except by and with the consent and approval of the Castle Garden Committee.
VIII.—EXCHANGE BROKERS.
33. Every Exchange Broker admitted to this Depot shall be required to be at his desk while emigrants are landing, in order to attend to the wants of such emigrants as wish to have money exchanged.
34. They shall post in a conspicuous place every day the current market rates of gold and silver, and the prices paid by them for gold and silver of every denomination, domestic and foreign, and shall pay in current funds for all gold and silver bought by them from the emigrants within one per cent, of the current market rates of such gold and silver.
35. They shall furnish to every emigrant, from whom they purchase gold or silver, a printed slip setting forth the name of the broker and the number and denominations of the coins purchased, the respective rates paid therefor, and the whole amount paid.
IX.—RESTAURANT AND BREAD-STANDS.
36. The Keepers of the Restaurant for the use of emigrants within the Depot shall be required to open the same at 6 A.M. in the summer and 7 A.M. in the winter, and to keep open as long as the emigrants require their services; and shall expose in a conspicuous place a list of prices charged by them for all articles supplied, which list of prices must be submitted to the Castle Garden Committee for examination and approval monthly.
X.—WASH-ROOMS.
37. The Wash-rooms shall be open from 6 A.M. to such an hour in the night as emigrants need their use.
XI.—HOSPITALS.
38. The Hospital Rooms are for the use of the sick alone.
39. When any emigrant becomes sick in or is brought sick to the Depot during the night, it shall be the duty of the Night Watchman to have such patient transferred to the Hospital and put in charge of the nurse, and to procure the attendance of the Medical Officer of the establishment without delay.
N. B. It is earnestly requested that immediate complaint be made to the General Agent and Superintendent of any violation of these Rules.
Adopted by the Board of Commissioners of Emigration of the State of New York.
Emigrant Landing Depot, Castle Garden,
- New York, May 18, 1867.
STATE EMIGRANT REFUGE AND HOSPITAL, WARD'S ISLAND.[1]
[The Establishment at Ward's Island, under the control of the Commissioners, shall be known as and styled The State Emigrant Refuge and Hospital.]
I.—THE SUPERINTENDENT.
The Superintendent shall have charge of the Emigrant Refuge and Hospital at Ward's Island, all the buildings and grounds connected therewith, the control of the inmates, and of all subordinate officers; he shall be held responsible for the cleanliness, good order, and proper management of the Establishment; and he shall have a general supervision of all the property of every description belonging to the Commissioners at Ward's Island.
2. He shall receive all persons to whom permits have been given for admission into the Refuge or Hospital, by the Vice-President, or his Deputy for that purpose, or by any Commissioner. No other person will be admitted as an inmate. It shall be his duty to see that all persons having permits for the Hospital are at once transferred to that department. He shall cause the transportation of sick persons in the Refuge to the Hospital; but no person shall be continued or allowed to remain in the Hospital after they cease to need Medical treatment.
3. He shall take charge of all money or other valuable articles, except religious books and emblems, belonging to inmates, and shall cause a receipt for the same to be given to the person from whom they may be taken, and enter the name of the owner, a description of the articles, the date when, and the circumstances under which they were taken, shall be entered in a book kept for that purpose.
4. He shall cause to be kept a Register of all admissions into and discharges from the establishment, distinguishing the Hospital and Refuge, under their several dates, and shall make a weekly return to the Commissioners of each day's admissions and discharges, and also of the births and deaths, accompanied by such remarks as may be called for by any case of admission, discharge, birth, or death. Every Monday he shall make a return to the Commissioners of the whole number of persons in all the departments of the Establishment, designating by actual count the number in each; the number of children under twelve years of age, and a summary of the births and deaths for the preceding week; also, of the number of orphan children of each sex, their ages, etc.
5. He shall give to every adult inmate applying for it a discharge in writing, except insane persons, or those he may consider unable to earn a living or take care of themselves, or such as may be retained for disorderly conduct. He shall take care that no person employed in the Establishment, and no inmate, leaves the Island without his permission.
6. He shall make to the Commissioners monthly reports of all inmates who ought to be or wish to be discharged, and who desire to be sent to any place out of the city of New York, but who have not sufficient means for their transportation, and of such children (orphans or others) who should be indentured as apprentices, or placed at general service. These reports must be accompanied by a statement of the age and condition of each party named in them, and his opinion of the best disposition to be made of each; and any decision by the Board as to the disposition of the parties named in the reports, the Superintendent must see carried into effect without delay.
7. The Superintendent shall make weekly written requisitions for the supplies of every description required for the use of the Hospital and Refuge; and these requisitions, countersigned by the Steward, together with the Apothecary's requisition, countersigned by the Physician, must be delivered at the office of the Commissioners every Monday.
8. He must see that an exact account is taken of all goods and supplies furnished for the use of the Establishment, and proper receipts given for the same; that the goods and supplies are properly taken care of; and should any deficiency in quality or quantity occur, forthwith to report the same to the Board.
9. He shall see that proper facilities are afforded the inmates for writing to their friends; or, when necessary, that letters are written for them, and that all letters for inmates are promptly delivered to them. When notified that any inmate of the Hospital, or is aware that any inmate of the Refuge, is desirous of conversing with a religious person other than the Chaplains, he shall invite such person of such denomination as the said inmate shall require, to visit the inmate; and while such person is present he shall see that due decorum is observed by the other inmates of the Ward.
10. With the exception of the Chaplains and Physicians, he shall select and appoint all officers, nurses, and employees necessary for the various departments of the Refuge and Hospital, to hold their respective places during the pleasure of the Superintendent, who shall report to the Board all appointments and discharges when made.
11. He shall have the control and direction of all the officers and persons employed in and about the Refuge and Hospital, except the Chief Physician and Chief Surgeon; and all officers and other persons so employed must conform to his directions, and must be governed by his decisions in any difficulties which may arise in the discharge of their respective duties.
12. He shall endeavor at all times to find employment for such of the inmates as are able to work; and all inmates who are capable of working shall be employed, as well to inure them to labor as to contribute to their support. At stated hours, they shall repair to their proper apartments, or places on the ground allotted for them, where they shall work in an orderly manner, and at such labor and as many hours as the Superintendent may direct. And in case any inmate able to labor shall refuse to comply with the directions of the Superintendent, he may confine such inmate in the "Lock-up," or discharge such inmate from the Island.
13. When notified by any person of any theft within the Hospital or Refuge, or the grounds connected therewith, he shall immediately take the necessary steps for the recovery of the stolen property, and to secure the offender and bring him to justice; and he must at all times maintain a strict police throughout the Establishment. He shall make out a monthly pay-roll of every person employed, including Physicians and Surgeons, with the name, occupations, salary or wages, amount due, etc., and deliver the same to the Commissioners at the close of every month for approval.
DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT.
It shall be the duty of the Superintendent to select and employ one person, who shall be styled "Deputy Superintendent," who shall be his Principal Assistant, and, in the absence of the Superintendent, clothed with and exercise all his power. He shall reside on the Island, and examine daily into the state of the Institutions; visit every apartment, and see every person therein, as often as good order and necessity require. He shall exercise a general supervision and direction in regard to the discipline and police of the Island, and to the business concerns thereof; and shall superintend all the business carried on, and labor done, in and upon the buildings, or land belonging to or connected with the Island. He must spend the whole day in a general supervision of the Assistants and inmates, direct them in their duties and labors, and report to the Superintendent all neglect of duty on the part of any of the Assistants; receive reports from the Assistants of all disobedience or violation of the Rules, and report the same to the Superintendent, and see that his orders and directions are strictly and promptly observed; and to this end he must be always present on the Island, by day and by night, that he may be able, during the evening and night, to see that all is safe.
It shall be his duty, generally, to see that the whole Establishment exhibits throughout neatness, good order, and cleanliness.
It shall be his duty to see that all the dead deposited in the Dead house are carefully removed for burial as speedily as may be proper, and that the proper certificates of death are signed by a Physician of the Establishment.
II.—THE HOSPITAL.
1. There shall be appointed by the Commissioners of Emigration, a Chief Physician and a Chief Surgeon, who shall have charge of the Medical and Surgical treatment of inmates in their respective departments, and shall be held responsible by the Superintendent and the Commissioners of Emigration for the proper performance of their duties.
2. The Chief Physician and Assistant Physicians and Surgeons shall reside on the Island, in a residence or rooms to be designated by the Superintendent or the Commissioners of Emigration.
3. The Chief Surgeon shall visit the Island at least every other day, prescribe for the patients under his care, and perform such operations as may be deemed necessary at the request of the patient; but no surgical operation shall be undertaken without the consent of the patient; and all capital operations, endangering the life or the limb of the patient, shall be decided on by consultations with the Chief Physician and the Superintendent. In surgical cases requiring immediate treatment, the Superintendent is required to send for the Chief Surgeon, and, when unable to obtain his services, the Superintendent is authorized to call in Doctors Valentine Mott, Willard Parker, Gurdon Buck, Alfred C. Post, John Watson, or W. H. Van Buren, any of whom may perform such surgical operations as he may deem necessary.
4. All persons afflicted with diseases requiring Medical or Surgical treatment, shall be sent to their respective departments by the Examining Physician, and no patients shall be transferred from the Surgical or Medical Wards until cured of the malady for which they were admitted into it, unless subsequently attacked with a strictly pestilential disease; but no person shall be kept or retained in the Hospital Wards who does not require Medical or Surgical treatment, without the consent of the Superintendent.
5. The Chief Physician and Chief Surgeon shall appoint, with the approval of the Commissioners of Emigration, such number of Assistant Physicians and Surgeons as may be deemed necessary for the proper care, and Medical and Surgical treatment of the inmates of the Institution.
6. The Chief Physician and Chief Surgeon shall make such regulations for the sanitary treatment of the patients and inmates as may be found necessary, and prescribe and regulate the duties of the Assistant Physicians and Surgeons.
7. The Assistant Physicians and Surgeons shall be subject to the Rules and Regulations of the Institution, and shall perform all duties in the line of their profession that shall be required of them by their superiors.
8. They may be suspended by the Superintendent, Chief Physician or Chief Surgeon, and be removed from office by the Board of Commissioners of Emigration, and no assistant removed for cause shall be reappointed.
9. The Physicians and Assistant Surgeons shall make one regular daily morning visit to each patient in the wards under their charge, and shall also visit those afflicted with acute diseases as often as may be necessary. They shall report to the Superintendent, in writing, or to his Deputy, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, the names of all convalescent, or partially insane, who are able to work, and, in case they neglect this duty, the Superintendent may use his own judgment in setting those to work whom he may consider able. They shall make an afternoon visit to all patients received during the day. In no case shall an Assistant Physician or Surgeon absent himself from the Island, without the consent of the Chief Physician and the knowledge of the Superintendent. Non-observance of this rule will be considered equivalent to a resignation.
10. The Chief Physician and Chief Surgeon shall regulate the diet of the patients in the Hospital, as well as the hours of eating, and the mode of cooking the food; for this purpose, a regular diet table shall be prepared, which shall be revised as occasion may require, to be signed by the Superintendent.
11. No post-mortem examination shall be held without the assent of the Chief Medical or Surgical Officer of the department to which the patient belonged, and the Superintendent.
13. The Physicians and Surgeons shall make weekly report to the Superintendent of all admissions and discharges, elopements, births, and deaths during the preceding week; and in all cases of smallpox, or other contagious diseases, they shall report such cases at the Superintendent's office immediately, that they may be removed without delay to the Marine Hospital.
REVISED RULES FOR THE STATE AGENCIES AND COUNTIES.
(Adopted in January, 1870.)
To all Almshouse Commissioners, Superintendents, and Overseers of the Poor of the several Counties, Cities, and Towns of the State of New York:
Notice is hereby given, that the Commissioners of Emigration, by virtue of the several Acts passed by the Legislature of this State on and since May 5, 1847, concerning passengers on vessels coming to the City of New York, and all other Acts passed by said Legislature of the State of New York in relation to the Commissioners of Emigration, have established the following Revised "Rules and Regulations," for the purpose of ascertaining the right, and the amount of the claim, of any city, town, or county, to indemnity from the fund created by the provisions of the aforesaid Acts, for the support of any persons, not citizens of the United States, who may have landed at the City of New York within the last five years.
RULE I.
Applications from the Superintendents or Overseers of the Poor of any city, town, or county, to the Commissioners of Emigration for indemnity for expenses incurred, can be received only in cases of persons who have arrived at the Port of New York within five years previous to the date of their application for relief, and who have not been absent from this State for twelve consecutive months, and for whom commutation money was paid or bonds given.
RULE II.
Applications to the Commissioners of Emigration must be accompanied by a statement of the name of the person in reference to whom it is made, his or her age, occupation, last place of residence before he or she came to this country, the name of the ship or vessel by which he or she arrived, the name of the Master or Commander of such ship or vessel, the foreign port at which he or she embarked, and the date of his or her arrival at New York; all of which must be verified by the oath of the party in whose behalf it is made, or, in case of his or her disability, by the oath of any other person cognizant of the facts; and no claim for indemnity will be allowed, unless the name of the person in respect to whom indemnity is sought shall be found in the "Report" of the Master of the vessel in which such person is said to have arrived, such "Report" having been sworn to by said Master before the Mayor of the City of New York, and on file in the Office of the Commissioners of Emigration.
RULE III.
Every application for indemnity must be accompanied by a statement, signed by the Relieving Officer: that the person in reference to whom it is made is unable to support himself or herself; from what cause his or her inability proceeds; whether such inability is likely to be temporary or permanent, and that he or she has no relations in this country able, at their own charge, to support him or her.
RULE IV.
Persons, in respect to whom applications for indemnity may be properly made, must be sent to and maintained in the poor-house of the city, town, or county; they must be required to work under the same circumstances and to the same extent as other inmates of such poor-houses; the account for their support must be rendered at the cost of their subsistence, after deducting the value of the work which they may be able to do and have performed—stating these particulars—and the account must be verified by the oath of the Superintendent or Overseer of the Poor that it is accurate and just.
RULE V.
No temporary or out-door relief, beyond one night's board and lodging, will be allowed, except on the affidavit of the Attending Physician that the person for whose relief indemnity is sought could not with safety be removed to the County House. A similar affidavit to accompany every bill containing similar charges.
RULE VI.
Superintendents of Poor, having claims against this Commission for medical attendance, must state, under oath, the whole amount paid for such attendance outside the County House during the year, the entire number who received that attendance, and how many of them were emigrants chargeable to the Commissioners of Emigration, and they will be allowed for, pro rata.
RULE VII.
The Commissioners of Emigration will reimburse the counties, etc., etc., the actual cost of support of emigrants under the foregoing "Rules," but will not pay for the services of Superintendents or Overseers of the Poor, or of any other officer not appointed by said Commissioners of Emigration.
RULE VIII.
Within ten days after the first day of every month a report must be made by the Superintendent or Overseer of the Poor of each city, town, or county, and be submitted to the Commissioners of Emigration, containing a statement of the emigrants who have been admitted and discharged during the previous month; the date of these admissions and discharges, with an account of their present condition and the expense incurred in their behalf; and unless this rule is strictly complied with, no expense incurred for emigrants previous to the time herein mentioned will be allowed.
- ↑ These rules were adopted by the Commissioners of Emigration, June 16, 1858. It is sufficient for our purpose to give only those portions of them which have reference to the Superintendent and the Hospital. The duties of the subordinate employees, such as clerks, watchmen, stewards, policemen, matrons, teachers, cockswain, apothecary, nurses, and orderlies do not differ from the ordinary duties performed by such persons.