ELLIS ISLAND

Station 2:The trip across the Atlantic Ocean was rough the ships were crowded and dirty so many passengers were very tired when they arrive in New York Harbor. One of the first things they saw is was the Statue of Liberty. <br/>People cheered when they spotted the famous symbol of America.<br/>A lot of people were happy to see it because they have never seen it before and it's they spent a lot of money to come to America.

Legal detainees lived in a dermatory room on the third floor they might wait a few days or even a month then their case would be reviewed in the hearing room. People who were detainees or for medical reasons were cared for at the Island's hospital or kept in quarantine somewhere treated for weeks or even months.

The registry room was nicknamed the great hall because it is so big. The waiting area and the great hall had long metal rails that held main trails or ordinary lines as people went through the medical and legal inspections.<br/>The large rectangular room is 200 feet long and 102 ft wide many immigrants had never seen such a large indoor space. It was added in 1903. The noise in this room could be intense.

Most of the immigrants who came to America through Ellis Island were from eastern and southern Europe. In many cases they came to escape the poverty and exited into towns in countries such as Italy and Russia.

The arrived steamship crew gave officials at Ellis Island a list of names of the passengers on board. The Manifest as this list was called, had the name and a description of each passenger. One by one, the passengers were called forward to speak with a uniformed inspector Seated on a tall seat behind a high desk.

An area on the first floor of the building became known as the kissing post and got the nickname because it is where families and friends waited for their loved ones after months of being on the ship, they kissed and hugged and shouted with joy and relief. For the immigrants, long journey was finally over. They were in America.

Officers wearing uniforms greeted the ferry boats as it docked at Ellis Island. They shouted and motioned to the passenger to walk down the grand plank to the main building.​<br/>The officers passed out number identity bag tags. The people who did not speak English we're often unsure what the officers were saying. The commotion was overwhelming men,women,and children struggled off the boat carrying trunks, clothes, sacks, and suitcases.

after the medical and legal inspections, the immigrants arrived at the top of another staircase at the other end of the Great Hall. This staircase had three aisles. Immigrants who were being detained were often brought down the center aisle. People who were traveling west or south walked down the right side of the staircase.

The doctors at Ellis Island developed a system to an identify immigrants who needed medical attention. The first test was a 6 second physical a uniform doctor looked for any sign of illness or contagious diseases. The doctor noted whether the immigrants limped or were short of breath. If their eyes were red, if they acted disturbed or seemed otherwise abnormal. They would get sent back.

The immigration process began on the winding stairs that led to the registry room. Doctors stood on the second floor and watched each person. They look for people who have trouble walking or breathing or showed signs of other health problems.

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