The Stowaway Crisis: 2,392 Hidden Passengers Entered U.S. Ports in a Single Year (1921 Report)
In 1920, U.S. ports saw a surge of 2,392 stowaways and 18,543 deserting seamen, overwhelming Ellis Island authorities. This rare government report exposes the smuggling networks, daring escapes, and corruption that allowed thousands to enter America illegally via transatlantic steamships.
Number of Deserting Seamen during Period Was 13, 543. Nautical Gazette Representative Visits Stowaway Detention Room at Ellis Island.
AS motley, a crowd, as one could well imagine, revealed itself to a representative of THE NAUTICAL GAZETTE when he was admitted into the stowaway room at Ellis Island. There were about a hundred of them, some playing games, some reading, but the majority chatting in little groups. They were clad in the most varied garbs, and one wore a blanket over his shoulders.
Practically none could speak English, although several claimed to be able to do so. Most were waiting resignedly to be sent back to their respective countries. Still, some were hoping against the hope that appeals made to Washington for admission into the country would prove available.
A young fellow of intelligent appearance was brought forward as one of those who could speak English, and he could. He asked about his nationality and said he was a Turkish subject. Still, he would never have provoked comment on Broadway or Piccadilly.
"I got on board at Havre," he said, "and hid for three days under the boilers. Then it got too hot for me, and I came out. I took some food with me."
Another young fellow said he got on board at Danzig and was discovered the first day out.
"They made me work hard," he said. He had been on Ellis Island for five months, having appealed to Washington for admission. However, he didn't expect to be allowed to enter.
The group contained many nationalities. In the group were two or three Negroes from the West Indies and one lone Chinaman.
A Group of Stowaways being detained at Ellis Island. GGA Image ID # 14333644c4
In Desperate Mood
It was stated that the previous day, a couple of the stowaways had contrived to get their freedom by breaking doors and windows. It was believed they had somehow reached the mainland.
So no chances were taken when the group photographed for this article was led out into the large exercising ground with big wired windows overlooking the Bay to face the camera. They were carefully counted out and counted in again—thirteen stowaways.
In the make-up of the average stowaway, there is, of course, a big dash of the adventurous, frequently of the irresponsible, and sometimes of the criminal. It is a mistake, however, to assume that all stowaways are criminals.
The stowaways have stout champions as well as detractors. Among the latter is at least one Ellis Island official, who described stowaways as "non-moral irresponsible [people] who would cut your throat for fifty cents."
Some of the stowaways now reaching American ports in large numbers are youths of humble origin desperately anxious to leave their war-stricken homelands. Several have jumped overboard in New York Bay.
One stowaway lay concealed beneath a pier for three or four hours while a search for him was in progress. Finally, he was fished out half-drowned.
The knowledge that they will be punished if sent back to the home authorities prompts these heroic attempts to land.
Put Out at Palermo
Sometimes, stowaways do not escape a watery grave in their zeal to reach shore. This happened to one of two stowaways who not long ago jumped from the Presidente Wilson as she came up the Bay from Trieste. Commissioner Wallis's story is a most remarkable one.
While one of the two stowaways was caught in the tide and carried out to sea, the other was washed up on Staten Island. The boy was fine-looking but, when closely questioned, refused for a long time to furnish any real information.
Finally, however, he told the whole story. It appeared that when the vessel left Trieste, she had eighteen stowaways in her. At Palermo, they were all put off, but at Naples, fourteen more got aboard and reached New York.
On landing here, none of the ship's officers or crew, nor any of the police or detectives, were anxious to go into the holds to search for the stowaways. When finally rounded up and confronted with the boy who had swum ashore, the other stowaways threatened him and said, "Wait till we get you in Naples. We'll cut your heart out." Commissioner Wallis said that in the circumstances, the boy would probably be kept on this side of the ocean.
In a recent address, Commissioner Wallis emphasized the great increase in stowaways arriving at American ports. That week, he said, two steamers had brought eighteen stowaways each, another had got 23, another 24, and one had come with no less than 44 aboard her.
The Commissioner said the investigation had revealed a regular organization stretching from Trieste to Liverpool for the assistance of stowaways. The recognized charge for permitting a stowaway to get on board and supplying him with food during the voyage was thirty to forty dollars. The crew stood in with the stowaways, and in some cases, the ship's officers connived with the traffic.
Simultaneously with the increase in the number of stowaways, the number of seamen arriving on vessels coming from Europe has grown. A large number of these seamen ship for the sole purpose of entering the United States. Ten Transatlantic liners arriving at New York from Dec. 13 to Dec. 22 brought 9,764 seamen and about one hundred stowaways.
If seamen continue to arrive at the rate maintained during recent months, from 600,000 to 700,000, they will reach here in a year's time.
Seventy-three Seamen Deserted
The Immigration authorities are now examining the passports of seamen before the ship docks. This departure entails a vast amount of work and incommodes to little extent the first and second-class passengers. Before the change was made, seamen got off the ship before the passengers. They sometimes left her before she was made fast, and the companies found it impossible to keep them back. From the Turkish Gul-dj-mal, formerly the Germanic, of the White Star Line, 73 seamen were missing after her arrival here.
Termed Nuisance of the Sea
The stowaway is the nuisance of the sea," said a prominent steamship crew member to a representative of THE NAUTICAL GAZETE. Just now, they are arriving in large numbers, which makes people forget that we have always had the stowaway with us.
Why, when the Cunard Company began to run ships from here to the Mediterranean about 1905, their first ship came back here with over twenty stowaways on her. Transatlantic liners from the Mediterranean average from five to twelve stowaways on each trip.
Deserting seamen are a complicated problem to deal with. Any sailor under the Seamen's Act can claim his accrued wages four days after being in port, but what's to prevent him from walking off? Sailors are, in many respects, a privileged class, and many are irresponsible youngsters.
After presenting credentials, they receive a seamen's passport from the country to which they owe allegiance or from the country from which they ship.
No seaman can land in any country now without a passport. On arrival in the United States, the Immigration Officer boards the vessel and examines each seaman's passport.
He puts his visa on his passport, and after that, the seaman is at liberty to go ashore. Suppose he deserts? Who's to know? Perhaps he will ship on another vessel because he didn't like the ship's master that brought him.
Perhaps he decides to stay a little while in America and finally decides not to go to sea again. If he does this, his proper course is to apply to Ellis Island for registration of his entry into the country.
Table Shows Large Increase
A glance at the accompanying table will show the enormous increase in stowaways and deserting seamen during the year ending June 30, 1920, the first complete year since the war for which figures are available.
Table Showing Number of Stowaways and Deserting Seamen during Fiscal Year 1920. GGA Image ID # 14335e83a8
Last Two Years by Ports
The year indicated no less than 18,543 seamen deserted at American ports, while the number of stowaways arriving was 2,392. In the last year before the war, the totals were 9,747 and 787.
The annual report of the United States Department of Immigration for the year ending June 30, 1920, has much to say about stowaways. Many of them gained admission, though the majority were returned to the ports from which they came.
At New York, no less than 302 were admitted during the year, though generally, they are spoken of as "an undesirable class, extremely troublesome while in detention." Many come on small ships of lines with infrequent sailings, which accounted for many of the prolonged delays in repatriating them.
"Their obstreperous actions and numerous attempts to escape have added greatly to the usual difficulties. . . . It seems that the companies concerned do not take adequate precautions to prevent unauthorized persons from boarding their vessels abroad," says the Ellis Island report.
Philadelphia admitted 45, and sixteen others escaped. The majority of the stowaways in the Delaware district arrived on tramp steamers. Baltimore admitted 34 stowaways. Besides these, 16 American stowaways arrived at the port. The Baltimore Commissioner says about stowaway arrivals:
"The last few months have seen a peat increase in arrivals of this class, the principal contributing causes for which are apparent. These are, briefly, the distressing economic conditions in some parts of Europe and the West Indies; the consular vie requirements, which many aliens cannot comply with or measure up to; the help afforded by sympathetic members of crews in assisting and facilitating the hiding on board of destitute aliens, many of whom are or have been of the seafaring class; and laxity in searching vessels before sailing for this country. There is every reason to believe that the influx of stowaways for these reasons will be even greater in the coming year.
Seattle Didn't Search Ships
Norfolk admitted 41 stowaways, Jacksonville 23, and Boston 14. At New Orleans, 40 were accepted, chiefly young negroes. Galveston admitted 31. A sharp watch had to be kept, says the Galveston report, for draft evaders from Mexico or deserters from the American Army in France.
San Francisco admitted thirteen stowaways but debarred 24, including fourteen Japanese and one Chinaman. Seattle did not attempt to. Search ships for stowaways.
"Owing to the fact," says its report, "that we have a limited number of officers in this district, no attempt has been made during the year to search incoming vessels for stowaways. But 13 stowaways were discovered during the year, all Japanese. Eleven of these Japanese stowaways were deported, the remaining two being admitted. A much larger number of stowaways has undoubtedly gained admission to the United States through this district in this manner.
Under the present manner of handling seamen, however, it is such an easy matter for them to gain admission to this country after being granted identity cards that there is little incentive for aliens who desire to gain unlawful admission to come as stowaways."
"2392 Stowaways Reached US Ports During Last Fiscal Year," in The Nautical Gazette: An International Weekly Chronicle of Shipping, New York: The Nautical Gazette, Inc., Vol 100, No. 2, Whole No. 2578, Saturday, 8 January 1921, p. 37-38.
Recap and Summary of "2,392 Stowaways Reached U.S. Ports (1921)" 🚢🛃📜
This fascinating report from The Nautical Gazette presents a detailed analysis of the increasing number of stowaways entering U.S. ports in the early 20th century, along with the growing issue of deserting seamen. With over 2,300 stowaways and 18,543 deserting seamen recorded in a single year, this report provides a deep dive into maritime immigration challenges, illegal entry methods, and the systemic failures that allowed stowaways to reach American shores.
Rather than focusing on one or two individual stories, this article paints a broader picture of a global migration crisis, showing how war, economic distress, and crew corruption fueled a surge in illegal transatlantic migration.
Relevance to Ocean Travel and Historical Significance 🌍🚢
This report is particularly valuable for:
Teachers & Students 📚 – A rich historical account of immigration enforcement at Ellis Island, illegal migration methods, and the global impact of post-war instability.
Genealogists 🧬 – Offers insights into how some ancestors may have entered the U.S. undocumented, particularly those who "disappeared" from ship records after deserting.
Historians 🏛️ – Highlights the maritime impact of post-World War I migration, corruption within shipping companies, and evolving immigration policies.
Maritime Enthusiasts ⚓ – Showcases the difficulties captains faced in preventing stowaways and how ships became vehicles for illegal immigration.
Most Engaging Content ✨
🔹 A Motley Crew of Stowaways at Ellis Island 🛃 – A firsthand description of the Ellis Island stowaway detention room presents an almost cinematic image: men wrapped in blankets, speaking dozens of languages, and clinging to desperate hopes of avoiding deportation.
🔹 The Corrupt Smuggling Network 💰 – A hidden underground business was exposed, revealing that stowaways paid ship crews between $30 and $40 to sneak aboard, with some officers even aiding the trade.
🔹 Escapes and Daring Attempts to Land 🏃♂️ – Some stowaways broke out of detention centers, while others jumped overboard in New York Bay, willing to risk drowning rather than deportation. One hid under a pier for four hours before being "fished out" half-drowned.
🔹 The Presidente Wilson Incident 🌊 – A dramatic case where 18 stowaways boarded a ship in Trieste, were thrown off at Palermo, but 14 got back on at Naples. Upon arrival in New York, one swam ashore while another drowned in the bay. His fellow stowaways threatened to kill him in Naples for betraying them.
🔹 Mass Stowaway Arrivals on a Single Ship 🚢 – Some ships carried over 40 stowaways per voyage, overwhelming immigration authorities. The U.S. government scrambled to enforce stricter policies as thousands attempted to enter the country illegally.
🔹 Deserting Seamen: A Growing Concern ⚓ – The report reveals that nearly 19,000 sailors abandoned their ships upon arriving in the U.S., using their seamen's passports as a loophole for illegal immigration. This phenomenon posed as much of a problem as stowaways.
Noteworthy Images 🖼️
📷 "A Group of Stowaways Being Detained at Ellis Island
This visually reinforces the chaotic and desperate reality of detained stowaways, illustrating their diverse backgrounds and the difficulty of processing such large numbers.
📷 "Table Showing Number of Stowaways and Deserting Seamen During Fiscal Year 1920."
A crucial historical document showing the sharp increase in stowaways and deserters after World War I, helping historians and genealogists track migration trends.
This detailed maritime investigation offers a rare window into post-war immigration challenges, the desperate measures taken by migrants, and the complex relationship between ship crews, immigration authorities, and stowaways—a must-read for maritime historians, genealogists, and history enthusiasts. 🚢🛃📜
