Cold Open

It’s 12:38 A.M., on June 15th, 1897, on Ellis Island in New York.

Nightwatchman William Gaines wanders the paths of the island’s immigration station, following a route that takes him through each building once every twenty minutes. It’s a tedious but simple job. There are more than 200 immigrants on Ellis Island, but they’re all fast asleep behind locked doors. And even if they could get out, nobody would dare leave the dormitories after dark, because breaking curfew might mean their application to enter the United States would be turned down.

But tonight is different. William's senses are on alert as the distinct smell of smoke drifts through the air. His concern grows when he catches a glimpse of a flickering orange light reflected in an office window.

He rushes over and peers through the glass. Flames have taken hold of the office furniture and are licking the ceiling.

William opens the door to the office, but he’s forced back by the heat of the flames. He retreats to a nearby kitchen… and fills a bucket with water.

He returns to the office to throw water over the blaze. But the fire is too large.

A few seconds later, the glass window explodes in the heat.

And William decides he can do nothing but run. He can’t stop the fire from spreading. But he can unlock the dormitories—otherwise more than 200 people might be trapped as the immigration station burns to the ground.

Thanks to William’s quick thinking, not a single life is lost. But while the immigrants are evacuated to the mainland, the wooden buildings on Ellis Island are all destroyed. Over the next three years, the immigration station will be rebuilt and Ellis Island will resume its role as the most famous point of entry for immigrants in search of the American Dream. But the official entry records will be lost in the blaze—including the one belonging to Annie Moore, the first person to enter America through Ellis Island when it opened its doors on January 1st, 1892.

Introduction

From Noiser and Airship, I’m Lindsay Graham and this is History Daily.

History is made every day. On this podcast—every day—we tell the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world.

Today is January 1st, 1892: Ellis Island Opens Its Doors to the World’s Immigrants.

Act One: A Long Journey

It’s spring 1890, on Ellis Island.

In front of a crowd of dignitaries, Colonel John. B Weber pushes his shovel into thick soil to ceremonially start the construction of a new immigration station. Many of those gathered for the ground-breaking have been waiting years for this work to begin.

In the early decades of the United States, immigrants could become American citizens simply by making their way to the country’s shores and stepping on American soil. But during the 19th century, many in government grew wary of this open-door policy. Some thought having open borders aided the spread of contagious diseases. Others resented the increasing numbers of ethnic groups they did not want to share America with. On the West Coast, Chinese laborers faced discrimination and exclusion. And in the cities of the East like New York, demands were made to control the numbers of Irish and German Catholics.

As the first federal Commissioner of Immigration for New York, John B. Weber will soon be responsible for processing and vetting every immigrant coming to America through New York City. Commissioner Weber is a former Union soldier and Congressman. But he freely admits he knows nothing of the immigration policies. Still, Weber’s lack of prior experience has proved to be a positive. With no allegiance to any old system, Weber is free to reimagine how immigration procedures can regulate who can and cannot enter the United States. He’s already selected the old US Navy powder magazine on Ellis Island as the location for New York’s primary immigration station. Its place in New York Harbor will allow Weber to control the flow of newcomers and ensure nobody slips through the net.

Over the next year, laborers will follow Commissioner Weber’s blueprints and the immigration station begins to take shape. Lockable dormitories and detention pens are built to house immigrants whose documents will need closer examination, or who await return passage after their claim to enter the United States is rejected. A kitchen and restaurant will cater to immigrants who need to stay on the island, while a hospital will treat those who are sick on arrival and need to be quarantined.

The speed at which these buildings need to be built though, means that corners are cut. Commissioner Weber authorizes the use of wood rather than stone to hurry along construction. But thanks to Weber’s commitment to get the job done, the immigration station is ready on time, allowing many across the Atlantic to prepare for their journeys West.

And on December 20th, 1891, as the finishing touches are being applied to  Ellis Island, seventeen-year-old Annie Moore makes her way up a gangplank in the dock at Queenstown, Ireland - a town now known as Cobh.

Three years ago, Annie’s parents boarded a similar vessel to begin a new life in the United States. And while Annie and her siblings stayed in the care of relatives, her parents found work in their new country and set up a home in Manhattan. But it’s finally time for the family to be reunited. Annie recently received a letter from her parents with enough money to cover her and her younger brothers’ fare to the United States. And today, they all begin the arduous journey overseas.

After she boards the steamship Nevada, Annie finds a small cabin that she’ll share with her brothers, 15-year-old Anthony and 12-year-old Philip. After they’ve stowed the few possessions they brought with them, the siblings explore the vessel. While there’s a first-class section for the twenty or so passengers who can afford it, Annie and her brothers are among the 100 passengers restricted to steerage. There are no windows to enjoy the view as Ireland sinks into the distance and the communal bathrooms and dining areas are squalid and dirty—but Annie stays away from those areas as much as possible, anyway. She keeps her head down, tries not to draw attention to the fact that she’s traveling without her parents. She’s been warned that female passengers often fall victim to unwanted advances and she wants to avoid this fate.

Annie’s only real comfort will come from the few times she’s allowed on deck to look out over the ocean, peering into the distance in the hope that their destination is near. And after twelve-day voyage, the Nevada will sail into New York Harbor, and its passengers will disembark to a brand-new facility. Among them will be Annie, but she will be reunited with her parents only if Ellis Island’s new immigration officials grant her the freedom to begin a new life on American soil.

Act Two: The Arrival

It’s 10 A.M. on January 1st, 1892, at the Ellis Island immigration station, twelve days after Annie Moore and her brothers departed Ireland.

Annie waits in a line on the gangplank of the steamship Nevada with her younger brothers, Anthony and Philip, just behind her.

Annie and her brothers have spent most of the voyage curled up in their bunks as Nevada sailed through winter storms. The rough sea only settled as they neared their journey’s end, and the ship’s captain was informed that their final destination had changed.

Only a few hours ago, clocks struck midnight signaling the beginning of a new year. It also marked the official opening of the Ellis Island immigration station—and the Nevada is the first ship to dock there. But Annie doesn’t really care about any of the festivities. She just wants to finally set foot on dry land.

Annie pushes through gaps, trying to get closer to the front of the line. Most passengers stand aside when they see the three siblings coming, happy to let them sneak forward. But at the very front, a large German man refuses to give way. Annie is so close to seeing her parents for the first time in four years that she struggles to keep her emotions in check. When a sailor at the bottom of the gangplank sees a tear roll down Annie’s cheek, he places a hand on the German’s shoulder, suggesting that the lady goes first. His tone suggests that he won’t take no for an answer and the German grudgingly steps aside and Annie moves forward just as an immigration official calls for the first passenger. Thanks to the sailor’s intervention, Annie is the first immigrant to be processed on Ellis Island.

Because of her unique position, Annie receives a red carpet-welcome. Commissioner Colonel John B. Weber has invited reporters to record the moment when the first newcomer enters the United States through his new immigration station, and he’s delighted when Annie steps forward. The fresh-faced and photogenic 17-year-old should make a great story for the papers.

Commissioner Weber escorts Annie and her brothers to the main processing point in a large wooden hall. Her brothers look around the newly constructed room with awe, but Annie isn’t interested in any grandiose architecture. She has just one thought on her mind: finally seeing her parents again. But first, Annie must be processed through Commissioner Weber’s new system.

Annie is led to a large lectern-like desk. There, an immigration officer asks her a set of standard questions: name, age, occupation, previous country of residence, and whether Annie has an intended destination in the United States. The official nods with satisfaction when Annie gives her parents’ address on Monroe Street, just a few blocks from New York Harbor itself.

But Annie still cannot see her parents yet. After she and her brothers are officially admitted into the United States, she’s pulled aside and taken to a hall where the reporters have gathered. Annie feels self-conscious standing next to Commissioner Weber as he gives a speech to officially open Ellis Island. Weber asserts that America is open to all, declaring the United States to be the land of the free. Then, Commissioner Weber turns to Annie, welcomes her to the country, and hands her a shiny ten-dollar gold coin. A local priest steps in and gives her a silver coin. Following that, a wealthy bystander joins in, handing over a further five dollars.

Although Annie appreciates the gesture, what she really wants is through the next door. As soon as the press conference is over, Annie sprints to the waiting room and into the arms of her parents. Within an hour, Annie and her brothers enter their new family home in New York for the first time—and with an unexpected cash bonus thanks to the generosity of Commissioner Weber and the dignitaries on Ellis Island.

But Annie’s windfall will not be enough to lift her and her family out of a hand-to-mouth existence in cheap lodgings in New York. Many of the details of her subsequent life as an American citizen will be lost to history, and the official documents recording Annie’s entry into the United States will go up in smoke when a fire breaks out on Ellis Island five years later. But Annie will continue to be celebrated as the first immigrant to set foot on Ellis Island, and over the next sixty-two years, 12 million more will follow.

Act Three: The Fire

It’s the early hours of June 15th, 1897, in Manhattan, New York, five years after Annie Moore became the first immigrant to pass through Ellis Island.

Commissioner of Immigration, Dr. Joseph Senner, is woken by a loud hammering on his door. He descends the stairs to find a young man standing on the front step. Commissioner Senner recognizes his night-time visitor as a worker from Ellis Island. The young man quickly breaks the news that Senner has long feared: a fire has broken out at the immigration station on Ellis Island.

Four years ago, Senner succeeded Colonel John B. Weber as New York’s Commissioner of Immigration. His new job brought him responsibility for the Ellis Island immigration station, and Senner was worried by what he found on his first visit there. The processing center was built at tremendous speed, but its buildings were mostly wood. Commissioner Senner thought that left the risk of a catastrophic fire, and insisted that staff conduct regular fire drills. Now, he’s about to see whether his forward-thinking has paid off.

Commissioner Senner races through Manhattan’s streets to the harbor. From the dockside, it appears that the whole of Ellis Island is ablaze. But that doesn’t stop Senner from boarding a boat and setting sail toward the fire. When he arrives at the Island, Senner notes with satisfaction that his staff had followed the emergency procedures to the letter. The bleary-eyed men, women, and children who were released from the dormitories are frightened but compliant as they are shepherded to safety by boat.

Within three days of the fire being extinguished, planning will begin for a second immigration station to be built on Ellis Island. This time, it will be constructed using brick and stone, and the new station will be the point of entry for millions more immigrants until it closes after fifty-four years.

Today, Ellis Island is a museum, and the people who pass through its halls are not immigrants but tourists. Among its visitors are some of the 100 million Americans who can trace their families back to ancestors who followed in the footsteps of Annie Moore, who became the first person to pass through Ellis Island's immigration station on January 1st, 1892.

Outro

Next on History Daily. January 2nd, 1981. British police arrest a man named Peter Sutcliffe for a routine traffic violation, but the authorities soon realize that he is a mass murderer known as the Yorkshire Ripper.

From Noiser and Airship, this is History Daily, hosted, edited, and executive produced by me, Lindsay Graham.

Audio editing by Muhammad Shahzaib.

Sound design by Katrina Zemrak.

Music by Lindsay Graham.

This episode is written and researched by Owen Paul Nicholls.

Executive Producers are Alexandra Currie-Buckner for Airship, and Pascal Hughes for Noiser.