``These halls have tiled floors, painted walls, high ceilings, and colored-glass windows.  They are steam heated an electric lighted and equipped with means of ventilation.  Around the entire hall are wide wooden shelves or benches.  The baggage is placed under these and on them the immigrants sleep as many as find space.  The rest sleep either on their baggage or on the floor.  No other sleeping accommodations are at hand.  Men, women, and children from one country are all in one hall.  Poor and insufficient toilet and washing rooms are situated in the small yard.  Nothing is charged for accommodations during this enforced stay at Myslowitz, nor can they rightly be called accommodations.

``The walls in the two halls were alive with vermin.  When I noticed this and learned that I must remain until the evening of the following day, I sought to escape the threatening danger.  There was no responsible person in charge to whom to apply.  Finally one watchman allowed himself to be convinced that my baggage might become infected and permitted its removal to an adjoining hall, where I also insisted upon being allowed to remain.  Two Polish girls who arrived on a later train were lodged with me, and the three of us slept on a bench along the wall.  A watchman made his bed in the other end of the room.

``When once the emigrant has entered this hall or control station (and he is conducted there immediately on descending from his train he is not allowed to leave the building except to enter the train that is to bear him from there.  Food and provisions are to be had only at the canteen.  The keeper was intoxicated the evening of our arrival, as were the watchman and porters during the entire time.  Though the price lists on the wall contained fruits and other desirable foods, the stock at the canteen consisted mostly of drinks, beer and various wines and whiskies in small bottles.  There were also tobaccos, some bread and sausage.  The travelers ate such provisions as they still had from home.  Sunday morning we tried to get either some coffee or tea.  The canteen keeper was either still or again drunk, and there was nothing to be had of him but liquors, and, moreover, his manner was most objectionable.  The officers who again appeared to relieve newly arrived emigrants of their tickets declined to release us to go to the adjourning depot for some breakfast.  Their reply was that there was a canteen to supply all an emigrant's needs.  Finally, after 9 o'clock, the wife of the canteen keeper appeared, and she consented to get us some coffee.  By ordering it immediately we were able to have some dinner at noon.  This consisted of soup, boiled beef, potato salad, and bread.  The price charged us was 25 cents.  Later a higher price was asked of others.  This, of course, was exorbitant and far beyond the means of the average emigrant.  Besides, not less than the full meal could be had, and this must be ordered a half day in advance.  Prices, too, were constantly wavering, and getting correct change was all mere luck.  German, Russian, and Polish were all spoken in the canteen, and German, Russian, and Austrian money all accepted.  Ignorance of some one of these languages or coins was continually affected in order to defraud.  A Russian laid a half mark on the counter and ordered a glass of beer.  He drank it and waited for change.  Receiving none, he asked for it.  The waiter pretended he had been given only the price of the beer.  In other instances he argued that the coin given him had not the supposed value, or returned too little change.  More often he insisted on explaining in a language unknown to the emigrant.  There was constant argument at the bar about overcharges, and watching the transactions there for some three hours I saw that most of the complaints were well founded.  In a few instances where the emigrant insisted and was about to prove his point beyond dispute he was turned over to the drunken canteen keeper, who talked so loudly and so without reason that no argument availed.

``It was not only difficult but practically impossible, to get any food, while beer and whisky tempted the hungry and the thirsty.  Needless to say, many of the emigrants drank more or less, not only in Myslowitz but later in the train.  Liquor was the one thing with which a person could supply himself for the journey.

``About 2 o'clock the doctor came and the examination, for which some were detained twenty-four hours, some longer, was to take place.  All were driven into one room and passed single file before the doctor.  He examined each one's eyes and the ordeal was over.  The clothing and baggage of some of the Russian Jews was disinfected, our tickets were returned, and we were sorted and packed into the train.  There were coaches for Bremen and for Hamburg.  The Jews were put in separate coupés, but this division was not strictly observed, for in the coupé with myself and two Roman Catholic Poles were also three Jews.

``I had had a through ticket from Krakow to -----, third class, for fast trains.  In Myslowitz the agent returned me 6 marks 80 pfennigs on it and said I would go with the regular emigrant train, third class, and also fast, but would pay only fourth-class fare.  The train made but few stops and reached  in twenty hours.  The coaches were the regular third-class kind, supplied with wooden seats, and divided into coupés.  They were filled to their utmost capacity and the numerous and bulky baggage filled the racks overhead and the floor.  Some coupés were so filled that the occupants took turns standing.  The sleep obtained under these conditions was anything but restful.  In the morning about 5 o'clock our train stopped at Magdeburg.  Here there was a mad rush to the pump at the station to wash and to get water to drink.  That continued to be the one excitement the entire half day--watching for stops at stations where drinking water was to be had.  No stop was made for breakfast and there was no opportunity to get anything along the way, except at  about 10, when our cars had been attached to some regular train.  Sandwiches were sold at the station at 35 pfennigs apiece, a price beyond the emigrant.  After twenty hours' ride we gladly piled out of the train at -----.

``We were first led into a room for examination.  A physician looked into each one's eyes.  Another officer measured each one, noted his description and birthplace.  Another officer put the usual questions as to age, kind of employment, address of friends in America and Europe, and amount of money at hand.  To him were also given such papers as each had to indicate that his passage was paid or partly paid.  While these were taken to the office for inspection, we were led to an adjoining room where food awaited us.  Each place at the long tables was supplied with a small white enameled dish resembling a wash basin.  On this were two large slices of good rye bread.  There was also good fruit, marmalade, and tea.

``When the officers returned the names of all those having passage engaged in the steerage of the ----- were called off and an interpreter was told to inform us that the steerage passengers had gone on board just before noon; that we had either to wait ten days for the steamer ----- or pay the difference, 30 marks, and go third class on the -----.  This news caused great dismay to all.  Waiting meant not only weariness and loss of time, but an expense of at least 2 marks 25 pfennigs per day for board and lodging.  The payment of an additional 30 marks was impossible for some, for others it meant the paying out of their last coin, and how was one to get to his destination?  What could he show in money in America, or how telegraph his friends there?  And there was no longer time to get money from home by telegraph.  Many of those from eastern Galicia and Slavonia had already had to make unexpected additional payments along the way after thinking that their transportation to New York had all been paid to the agent at home.  Serious consultations took place.  My own plight was quite as serious in a way as that of the others.  The stay of ten days would have been horribly tedious, and there was nothing of value to be learned more than a short stay would reveal.  The agent in Prague had been most unwilling to sell a ticket for passage in the steerage, saying that practically none but Russian and Polish Jews of the filthiest habits traveled thus.  Now, all my fellow travelers from Myslowitz were to go third class and no doubt many others who were lodged elsewhere.  A group of Slavonians and myself, who were most anxious to go steerage, proposed that we be allowed to pay only for the more convenient transportation to the steamer and there be put in the steerage.  The officers would consider no other alternatives; we must pay the difference and go third class or wait ten days for the next steamer.  There was more consulting, counting, borrowing, and lending.  At last all had decided to pay and go and take the chances of being admitted on the other side because of lack of money.  My lot was cast with the rest.