Emigration to the United States via Hamburg, Germany circa 1903

Russian Immigrants en Route to Hamburg. Illustration by M. J. Burns, Scribner's Magazine, November 1902. GGA Image ID # 14fbe8886d

Mr. Otto W. Helmrich to Mr. Herbert H. D. Peirce

Emigration to the United States via Hamburg

consulate-General of the United States,
Hamburg, Germany, October 8, 1903

Emigrants embarking for the United States at Hamburg should be divided into three classes, viz:

(A) Emigrants arriving from or via Russia
(B) Emigrants arriving from or via Austria-Hungary
(C) Emigrants arriving from other European countries

(A) Emigrants passing the Russo-German border are taken to one of the control stations at Bajohren, Tilsit, Eydtkuhnen, Insterburg, Prostken, Illowo, Otloczyn, or Ostrowo, maintained mutually by the Hamburg America Line and the North German Lloyd, under the supervision of the Prussian Government. At these control stations, emigrants undergo a comprehensive process: they are bathed, their clothes and baggage are disinfected and labeled accordingly, and the passengers are medically examined and placed under medical observation until their departure.

At these stations, there are ticket offices of the two steamship companies, by the officers of which emigrants are also examined as to their pecuniary affairs to ensure fairness in ticket issuance. This process aims to avoid the issuance of tickets to paupers and other persons likely to be deported on their landing in the United States. Those admitted for transportation receive a passage pass, later exchanged in Hamburg for the steamship ticket proper.

Emigrants are obliged to remain at their respective control stations for at least twenty-four hours, but as a rule, they stay for two, three, or four days until enough to fill a train. Thereupon, they are efficiently transported directly to the railway terminal at the Hamburg America Line's emigrants' barracks in Hamburg by a special emigrants' train via Ruhleben, a similar control station near Berlin.

In Ruhleben, their papers are examined to ascertain whether they have properly passed the examination, etc., at one of the control stations along the Russo-German frontier, as described above. Those who have proof of having passed one of the latter stations can proceed immediately to Hamburg. Still, those of whom there exists doubt in this respect, or of whom it is evident that they have avoided or escaped examination on the frontier, are detained until they have undergone the same thorough treatment as prescribed for the border stations and sent on to Hamburg later.

This station at Ruhleben is also used to receive all emigrants -- immaterial as to their former residence -- found in any part of Prussia as "stragglers" (not in emigrants trains). Whenever such emigrants are discovered, they are invariably sent to Ruhleben for examination. 

It can easily be understood that several emigrants escape examination at the border stations because Russia does not approve of emigration, except for Hebrews and Mennonites, and all emigrants arriving from Russia are smuggled across the frontier.

Note: Ruhleben is a Berlin U-Bahn station, the western terminus of line U2. Named after the adjacent Ruhleben neighborhood, it is located in the Westend district close to the border with Spandau.

(B) Emigrants arriving from or via the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy are brought to either the control station at Ratibor or that at Myslowitz, in Silesia, where they undergo the same treatment as at the control stations along the Russian border, without, however, being bathed and quarantined, or being obliged to have their clothing and baggage disinfected, but being medically examined. 

These emigrants are transported in special trains or cars directly to Hamburg from the respective control stations. As a rule, they are not landed here at the terminal at the barracks, as mentioned above, but at one of the regular railroad depots.

(C) Emigrants from European countries other than Russia and Austria-Hungary arrive in Hamburg at any railroad depot without passing control stations.

Treatment of Emigrants After Arriving in Hamburg

Upon arrival in Hamburg, emigrants of the A class are confined to the Hamburg America Line's own emigrants' barracks on the Veddel, a suburb of the city. The Hamburg police department supervises these barracks, which have a resident police inspector and are divided into two sections: the "dirty" and "Clean" sections. 

Upon disembarking, emigrants are directed to the 'dirty' section, where they await a comprehensive examination by the Hamburg State government's official emigrants' surgeon. This dedicated professional conducts a thorough examination of each emigrant every morning, ensuring no health concerns go unnoticed.

Those who have favorably passed such examinations are allowed to enter the "clean" section after having been bathed and after furnishing proof that their clothes and effects have been properly disinfected before entering Germany at one of the previous control stations; otherwise, such disinfection is done here.

After having entered the "clean" section of the barracks, emigrants are allowed to walk about of their own free will and to leave the barracks in the daytime (I know that very few, however, make use of this permission), but they may still be considered as being under medical observation because the said emigrants' surgeon visits the barracks daily. It is the said police inspector's duty to report to him every day fully on the state of affairs, particularly the health of the emigrants. (I may mention that this police inspector has held this position for over ten years. He is known to this office as a conscientious and efficient officer.)

In the event of the outbreak of a case of dangerous contagious disease -- such as measles, chicken pox, smallpox, etc. -- the person or persons affected are immediately transferred to a hospital, and extra disinfection of baggage and clothing of the other occupants of the respective pavilion or pavilions or the entire barracks, according to the seriousness of the case, as well as isolation in a proper manner of the disease is ordered by the emigrants' surgeon and strictly carried out under the supervision of the said police inspector.

The Hamburg America Line's ticket office is also in the barracks, and emigrants of the class herein referred to received their steamship tickets there in exchange for the pass obtained at the respective control stations.

Emigrants of the B and C classes are admitted to the licensed "emigrants' lodging houses" in the city. However, these are under constant control and supervision of the Hamburg Bureau of Emigration, whose officers inspect such lodging houses almost every night, thus preventing overcrowding and controlling sanitary conditions.

In case of a contagious disease outbreak, the same steps are taken as indicated in the foregoing paragraph (regarding the A class of emigrants), and the respective house is disinfected in all its parts. 

Given the heavy fines for any violations of the police regulations, the proprietors of the emigrants' lodging houses are meticulous in their adherence to the rules. Their vigilance is further ensured by the constant surveillance of the Bureau of Emigration, which maintains strict control over these houses.

Emigrants staying in lodging houses in the city are not subjected to medical examination upon arrival in Hamburg before embarkation, and they are allowed to leave the houses and walk about the streets as they please.
As these lodging houses only have room for a limited number of emigrants, most B and C classes are also sent to the emigrants' barracks, as if coming from Russia.

Embarkation of Emigrants at Hamburg

On the day before the sailing date, all steerage passengers for the respective vessel are taken to the passenger halls -- those from the lodging houses in the city in carriages, and those from the barracks on a tender.

Prior to the embarkation all the baggage is personally inspected by the baggage inspector of this office (who receives remuneration for his services indirectly from the Hamburg America Line, but otherwise is in no manner connected with that company or interested therein).

All beddings and bed feathers found are disinfected under his supervision, except those previously disinfected and as such indentified by the official label "disinfected" of one of the control stations. 

Thereupon every single piece of baggage of all steerage passengers is labeled by him either with a red label "inspected" or with a yellow label "disinfected," as prescribed by the United States Quarantine Regulations.

At the said passenger halls, the final medical examination takes place. All emigrants pass the official emigrants' surgeon in single file, and if not rejected, he affixes an official stamp "medically examined" to each ticket, passes the ticket, to which are attached the "vaccination cards" required by the United States Quarantine Regulations, over to the baggage inspector, who then stamps the same with the official stamp of the office, "Passed, United States consulate-general, Hamburg," and returns the ticket to the respective emigrant.

Upon leaving the room in which this final examination takes place, the emigrants immediately go aboard the tender lying alongside the passenger halls, which tender takes them directly to the "large steamer" without be allowed to go ashore again.
Before boarding the tender at the passenger halls, emigrants have further to pass an examination on the part of the local police department. 

This examination also takes place at the passenger halls and is usually carried out by four or five officers of the criminal police (plain-clothes men) for the purpose of preventing the embarkation of German youths trying to escape military duty, army and navy deserters, fugitives from justice, minors leaving without permission of their parents or guardians, women abducted for the purpose of prostitution, for the detection of persons illegally or under false pretenses encouraging emigration, etc., thus rendering valuable services in preventing undesirable immigrants embarking for the United States.

Emigrants found at any of the above-described examinations, both medical and otherwise, physically, mentally, peculiarly, or otherwise unfit to embark, or likely to be deported by the officers of the United States Bureau of Immigration, are invariably sent back to their homes in Russia, Galicia, Hungary, Roumania, or wherever the same may be.

The Hamburg America Line makes it a principle not to allow persons to embark for the United States of whom there exists, as far as can be ascertained here, doubt as to their being admitted to the United States without difficulties. The company will never take passengers at its own risk who have been objected to by the official Hamburg emigrants' surgeon or at one of the previous examinations.

I may mention that a considerable number of emigrants is daily rejected at the several control stations along the frontier; a like number is daily objected to by the Hamburg emigrants' surgeon in the course of his daily inspections of the emigrants' barracks; furthermore, still other emigrants are refused embarkation in the course of the final medical examination at the passenger halls, above mentioned. All of such rejected emigrants are refused permission to embark for the United States and are returned home.

Emigrants from Hamburg are vaccinated on board by the ship's surgeon as soon after embarkation as practicable -- generally before the vessel leaves the River Elbe. The ship's surgeon certifies to such vaccination by endorsing, either by stamp or signature, each passenger's vaccination card, as prescribed by the quarantine laws.

Attending Medical Examinations

The medical examinations of emigrants at the passenger halls, immediately before their boarding the steamer, are invariably attended, from beginning to end, by one of the consular officers here. Besides the official emigrants' examining surgeon, the baggage inspector (who stamps the vaccination cards), and the consular officer, there are present at such examinations the ship's surgeon and second officer, an employee of the passage department of the Hamburg America Line, and one or two officers of the Hamburg bureau of emigration, occasionally acting as interpreters.

This office requires the Hamburg America Line to present the full emigrants' manifest to the inspecting consular officer for perusal at said examination. Although the authentication of these manifests by consular officers is no longer required, according to the recent immigration act, we carefully examine the manifests as to correctness, completeness, etc., striking out all emigrants rejected and drawing our pen over the blank lines of the last sheet of the manifest, thus avoiding possible irregularities, such as adding passengers on the lists who have not passed medical and consular examination.

We also count the number of passengers as per the manifest to obtain the correct number of passengers for the bill of health. As the emigrants pass the examining surgeon in single file, as above stated, and in the presence of a consular officer, almost all of them carrying their baggage, we can also easily satisfy ourselves that all baggage has been inspected and properly labeled.

Consular Inspections of Vessels

To adequately explain the consular duties as performed in Hamburg in connection with this requirement, I deem it proper to divide the Hamburg America Line's and Sloman-Union Line's passenger steamers plying between Hamburg and New York (no steamers leaving from Hamburg for other ports of the United States with passengers) into four classes, viz;

1. Express steamers (Auguste Victoria, Columbia, Fürst Bismarck, Deutschland, Moltke, and Blücher).
2. Passenger steamers of the so-called "P" class (Pennsylvania, Pretoria, Graf Waldersee, and Patricia).
3. Steamers of the so-called "B" class (Bulgaria, Belgravia, and Batavia)
4. Steamers belonging to the Sloman-Union Line (Albano, Pisa, Barcelona, and Pallanza).

The express steamers (1) are generally dispatched from Cuxhaven on Thursdays, remaining in port there from the date of arrival until the date of sailing. The consular agent at Cuxhaven inspects these vessels. Emigrants, therefore, are examined in Hamburg on the day before the sailing date and sent down to Cuxhaven on a tender, about five hours from Hamburg.

On the tender, they receive bread, meat, and coffee free of charge. Cabin passengers for these vessels leave Hamburg for Cuxhaven by special train on the morning of the sailing date (Thursdays); such trains leaving the depot here, as a rule, before 9 a.m. These vessels receive the bill of health at Cuxhaven in the same manner as is the practice in Bremerhaven for the ships of the North German Lloyd.

The "P" steamers (2) are dispatched from Hamburg on Saturdays, receiving the greatest part of their cargo and the entire food and water supply in this port. On account of shallow water in the Elbe between Hamburg and Brunshausen, these steamers, as a rule, cannot complete their cargoes here, and therefore leave the port of Hamburg on Thursdays, anchoring again at Brunshausen or Krautsand, on the Elbe, where they receive the rest of the cargo from lighters.

As of leaving the port of Hamburg, the steerage compartments of these vessels were not yet properly fixed up—this being done at Brunshausen or Krautsand. In this event, it is necessary for us to inspect these vessels there, going down the Elbe on Friday afternoons by tender with the steerage passengers.

After taking the steerage passengers aboard on Friday evening, the vessel starts for Cuxhaven, where it remains until the next morning, when it takes over the cabin passengers arriving by special train from Hamburg, the same as for express steamers, leaving the Hamburg depot at the same hour.

In case a steamer of this class leaves Hamburg not before the eve of the sailing date, which, however, very seldom happens, the inspection takes place here in port, alongside the quay.

The inspection is done in the manner prescribed by the United States Quarantine Laws and Regulations: it involves inspecting steerage compartments, hospitals, water closets, washrooms, crew quarters, and the food and water supply. 

The German emigration laws prescribe a similar inspection, and for this purpose, four official inspectors—former ship captains—are employed and salaried by the Hamburg State government. They are very careful and exacting in their duties, so we generally inspect vessels at the same time, if feasible, that said inspectors make their inspections.

The "P" steamers receive bills of health in Hamburg and supplemental bills of health at Cuxhaven.

The "B" steamers (3) and the Sloman-Union steamers (4), as a rule, carry only steerage passengers -- no cabin passengers. These steamers are generally dispatched from Hamburg directly, without calling at Cuxhaven, and are, therefore, usually inspected here. 

Sometimes, however, for the same reasons obtained in connection with the "P" steamers, the "B" steamers must leave the port a day or two before the sailing date. In this event, we inspect the vessels at Brunshausen or Krautsand in the same manner as explained about the "P" class.

Examination of Cargo Manifests

Finally, to satisfy ourselves concerning the sanitary condition of the cargo, the Hamburg America Line presents to one of us at the depot, about an hour before the cabin passengers' special train leaves, a full copy of the cargo manifest of the respective vessel, accompanied by duplicates of all certificates of disinfection issued for all goods on board requiring disinfection, such as cattle hides not dry salted or arsenically cured, cattle glue stock, used bed feathers, and rags.

Before taking such goods on board, the Hamburg America Line, in compliance with instructions from this office, requires the shippers to present to us, at the consulate's office, the "Schiffszettel" (order to take goods on board) and a duplicate of the respective certificate of disinfection, which is thereupon stamped "passed."

In a similar manner, all Schiffszettel for goods that only require disinfection if they come from a district where an epidemic disease prevails is presented to us beforehand, together with a proof of origin, and stamped by us as above if approved or ordered to be disinfected. 

This requirement applies to articles such as sheep and goat skins, horse hides, raw fur skins, bristles, guts, bladders, and old rubber shoes.

This system enables us to satisfy ourselves that a cargo manifest shows no goods on board the respective vessel that should have been properly disinfected prior to shipment.

Upon approval of the manifest, presented to one of us -- at the depot, as above mentioned -- together with all stamped Schiffszettel, the same being generally found to be in perfect order, it is subscribed and marked "approved," and thereupon, the bill of health is issued.

The cargo manifests for the Sloman-Union steamers (4) are generally presented to us at the office. When one of the "B" steamers is being dispatched, exclusively carrying steerage passengers, the vessel remains in port or at Brunshausen or Krautsand—wherever the cargo is being completed—until the manifest can be sent aboard. 

Under such circumstances, we must examine that manifest in the Hamburg America Line office, generally as late as 1 or 2 O'clock at night. The company can't complete cargo manifests for the New York steamers sooner. For obvious reasons, keeping the vessel waiting until the following day is impracticable. The bill of health must be issued before the ship leaves the Elbe.

In addition to the foregoing description of the consular duties performed here in connection with emigrant steamers, I would respectfully refer to Consult-General Pitcairn's Dispatch No. 272 (May 18, 1903) to the Department of State, of which the following is an extract:

According to the Quarantine Laws and Regulations, all vessels carrying steerage passengers must be inspected, which means that I must board all such vessels. This is generally done on the day of departure, as such inspections should be made as late as practicable before sailing. 

The Hamburg America Line's passenger steamers are generally docked at a quay in the remotest part of Hamburg's harbor; it takes about three-quarters of an hour to reach the vessels' locations from the consulate's office, which is situated in the center of the city. 

The inspection takes at least an hour and a half, as a careful examination is made of all the holds to be occupied by steerage passengers, the washhouses, water closets, compartments for the crew, hospitals, provisions, water supply, etc.

For the convenience of the Hamburg America Line, to avoid delay in the dispatching of steamers on account of low water in the river, passenger steamers are frequently -- throughout the entire summer last year -- dispatched from Brunshausen-on-the-Elbe, about 36 miles beyond Hamburg, and it is in such cases necessary to go down the river on a tender to inspect the vessel there. This consumes, on average, from seven to ten hours and frequently more, often returning to the city as late as 1 or 2 a.m.

The inspections of the steerage passengers take place at the "Passagier-Hallen" (passenger halls), about half an hour from this office, where they are also medically examined by the surgeon employed by the Hamburg bureau of emigration, whom they have to pass in a single file, in my presence and that of the ship's surgeon and one of its officers, thus enabling me to inspect them properly and to see that those who have been found diseased, disabled, or otherwise unfit to emigrate to the United States are stricken from the manifests and prevented from boarding the steamer. 

Such inspections consume from one to five hours and more, and they often take place outside of office hours.  Frequently, the time for the embarkation and inspection of a steamer is set at the same hour, thus requiring one of us to attend to the embarkation and another to the inspection.

The cabin passengers of the Hamburg America Line's steamers invariably board the vessel in Cuxhaven, leaving Hamburg on a special train early in the morning -- always outside of office hours.  On this train are also forwarded the cargo manifests, because the same cannot be completed before a late hour in the previous night. 

These manifests are always carefully examined by one of us, with a view of ascertaining that there are no goods undiscinfected on board which require disinfection under the quarantine laws of the United States, such as rags, hides, skins, glue stock, etc.

In the last moment before the departure of the train an official of the steamship company gives me the number of cabin passengers, and only after having thus been enabled to complete the statements required in the bill of health can I deliver the same. 

This work is done at the railroad depot from which the company's special train starts from Cuxhaven, and consumes about an hour's time.

Three of the Hamburg America Line's regular passenger steamers, the Bulgaria, Batavia, and Belgravia, only carry steerage passengers. When one of these steamers is dispatched, it must wait in port for the cargo manifest, which can only be taken on board late at night after completion, as indicated above. 

We frequently had to go to the Hamburg America Line office as late as 1 or 2 a.m. to examine a freight manifest for one of these steamers.

Although this extract repeats much of what I have said before, I have deemed it proper to include it in this report, as it fully indicates the time consumed in carrying out the quarantine laws and regulations here.

The foregoing clearly explains the amount of trouble and loss of time incurred in the fulfillment of the many consular duties performed here in connection with emigrant steamers. Furthermore, it must be admitted that the performance of these duties is connected with particular danger to the consular officers.

We have to be present at medical examinations in the course of which many emigrants are being rejected on account of dangerous contagious diseases, such as trachoma, favus, syphilis, eczema, measles, chicken pox, sometimes smallpox, scarlet, and typhoid fever, etc. The tickets of such rejected emigrants are given to us, and we strike their names from the manifest.

The room where these examinations occur has open doors at both ends, constantly admitting draft. In the worst weather, we are often compelled to go down the river on a tender to inspect a vessel. Occasionally, we are obliged to climb on board a steamer using a primitive pilot ladder, which, in rain and storm, is always connected with danger for persons not accustomed to such gymnastics, not to speak of the soiled clothes.

By the system adopted in Hamburg by this office and the Hamburg America Line, quarantine and immigration regulations are enforced to the best of our ability. Considering local conditions, this system could certainly not be simplified in any way.

The required services must be performed outside of the office. In the interest of prompt dispatch of its steamers, the Hamburg America Line desires that most of these services be performed outside of office hours. Therefore, the company has repeatedly expressed its willingness to pay the consulate a reasonable remuneration, which we have always refused. We have never accepted any pay from the company beyond the old fee of $1 per manifest, which charge was discontinued immediately upon receipt of instructions from the Department of State.

Otto W. Helmrich,
Deputy Consul-General, Hamburg, Germany
Report to the Honorable John Milton Hay (1838–1905), Secretary of State (1898–1905)

Emigration to the United States via Hamburg (1903)

A Crucial Chapter in Immigration History

For teachers, students, genealogists, family historians, and immigration researchers, this article on Emigration to the United States via Hamburg (1903) provides a meticulously detailed account of the rigorous processes that European emigrants underwent before embarking on their journey to America. It is a must-read for those studying immigration policies, public health measures, and the experiences of emigrants from Russia, Austria-Hungary, and other European nations.

Why This Article is Essential for Understanding Immigration History:

• Extensive Pre-Departure Screening – Learn about comprehensive medical exams, sanitation procedures, and ticketing regulations imposed at Prussian border control stations, Austrian inspection sites, and the Hamburg embarkation points.
• Government Oversight and Control – Discover how German and American authorities meticulously monitored emigrants to ensure that only those meeting strict health, financial, and legal criteria were allowed to board.
• The Hamburg Emigrant Barracks System – The "clean" and "dirty" sections of the barracks, daily health screenings, and strict quarantine measures provide insight into how public health concerns shaped immigration policies.
• Consular and Immigration Inspections – Follow the step-by-step process of final medical checks, baggage disinfection, and consular approvals before emigrants were cleared for travel to the United States.
• A Vital Resource for Genealogists – If your ancestors emigrated via Hamburg and the Hamburg-America Line, this article offers a firsthand look into their experience, the challenges they faced, and the inspections they had to pass.

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• Teachers & Students – A rich primary source for exploring historical immigration practices, labor migration, and public health policies.
• Genealogists & Family Historians – Provides critical insight into the Hamburg departure process, essential for tracing European ancestors who emigrated to America.
• Immigration Historians & Researchers – Offers a rare official account of the screening, regulation, and control of emigrants, helping to contextualize early 20th-century immigration enforcement.

This highly detailed report sheds light on one of the most critical gateways for European emigrants heading to the United States. Explore this article today and uncover the intricate processes that defined transatlantic migration at the turn of the 20th century!