| x |
My name is Adina Green and I am 28 years old. I left
Gothenburg, Sweden
on November 9, 1916. I am planning on meeting my husband when I arrive in
America. He is with his parents in Brooklyn, New York. His dad sells fruit
and vegetable on a pushcart from dawn to dust. I plan on helping him when
I arrived. My world changed here in Sweden when my dad suffered a massive
heart attack at the age of 44, and he died. So I must leave here an find
a better way of life in America for the rest of my family November
10, 1916
The first part of our journey began with the inspection before you board
our ship.Everyone had take a cold shower and then get checked for bugs.
Fortunately, I was lucky I didn't have any bugs. The next thing they did
was spray us with some chemical. Then we had to wait 36 hours in a hotel
room, just to make sure all the bugs were gone.
November 12, 1916
We are finally aboard our ship the Stockholm.
We are scheduled to leave in a few hours. The sleeping arrangements are
horrible. We must climb down many stairs to reach the
steerage. This is where we sleep. Finally, after 6 hoursI hear the
Captain blow the horn signaling our departure.
November 14, 1916
After 2 day aboard ship, everyone is seasick. The wind is blowing and
the rain is making everything damp and soggy. We are assigned a bunk for
each family; because I was traveling alone I had to share a bunk with
another family. The bunks not only had to accommodate all the members
of a family, but their belongings as well.
November 18 1877
The morning sun is shining across the water, and I feel much better today.
I am able to roam around the ship. I made friends with a couple of lads
from Italy. We played cards and danced to some music. My clothes are dirty
and I am not able to take a bath to keep clean. However, everyone else
is in the same position. I can hardly wait to get to America
November 24, 1916
It’s cold and raining and I am sick again. The ship has been rocking
back and forth since yesterday afternoon. All the small children on board
are sick. One little 3-year-old girl who was running around and fell and
hit her head. Her father bandaged her head with an old cloth to stop the
bleeding. I hope she will be O.K. The smell below the deck is overpowering.
Not only do passengers have to put up with the smells of disease, sickness
and unwashed bodies, but also the smell from the cargo brought over on
the voyage from Ireland. This grayish material, bird droppings, was used
as fertilizer in both Ireland and Scotland. This is very disgusting to
me and the other passengers.
November 28, 1916
To pass the time I have been playing cards with some of the other girls
onboard the ship. I learned a new game called Hearts, however I have lost
1.00 and can’t afford to gamble anymore. I spend so much time waiting
in line to use one of two topside cooking fires. (Imagine up to 300 people
trying to cook on a pitching, rolling deck.) If it rain we have no fires.
We are lucky to get a drop or two of weather and some bread to eat.
November 30, 1916
I woke up this morning hear the Captain sound the fog horn. I like I see
the Statue of Liberty in the distance. Everyone is excited and crying.
I am so happy to be almost there. After several hours we are allow to
leave the ship.
I make my way across the gangplanks with lots of other people.
The first thing I need to do is go straight up a long set of stairs called
the “Stairs to the Great Hall”. There are several doctors
and nurses at the top. They are asking people several questions. I saw
some doctor put a big X with a piece of chalk on a man. I was lucky I
made it through this test. Click
Here to see Chart
Next came the medical exam, and I also made it through this test. After
you had been checked out by the doctors, you had to pass a mental exam.
The doctors had you perform things that we think are incredibly easy,
but if you were an immigrant who had no education, the tests were very
hard. I had to put a puzzle together, it was hard but I passed. After
this was the legal test they asked questions such as: What is your name?
Do you have any relatives here? Do you have a criminal record? Have you
ever been to the United States before?
I passed all the tests and was able to go meet my future husband with
his parents
|
x |