Page:Immigration and the Commissioners of Emigration of the state of New York.djvu/119

 CHAPTER VI.

CASTLE GARDEN

THE Commissioners of Emigration organized on May 8, 1847, at the Mayor's Office in the City Hall, and on June 14 elected Mr. Win. F. Havemeyer President, who resigned, however, in February, 1848, and was succeeded, on March 1, 1848, by Mr. G. C. Verplanck, who has ever since held that office.

The work of the Board was originally apportioned among several standing committees, four of which are still existing, namely, the Ward's Island Committee, consisting of six members, and the Auditing, Finance, and Purchasing Committees, of which the two former consisted each of three, and the latter of two members. In the course of years, owing to the increase of business, four other committees were added to the original four, namely, the Castle Garden (1855), consisting of six members; the Railroad (1867), of three; the Agencies and Counties (1867), of five; and the Labor Exchange (1868), Committees, of five members. The Marine Hospital Committee, the most important of the original four, consisting of three members, ceased to exist when, in 1859, the Commissioners gave up the Marine Hospital.

The Commissioners had their first official quarters in the old Almshouse building (where the new Court-House stands at present). There they remained until January 19, 1854, when the building was destroyed by fire. They then found a temporary place in Franklin Street, between Broadway and Elm Street, for the meetings of the Board, where the offices of the Vice-President and Secretary, the examining physicians, and the receivers of applications for relief or admission to the hospitals, were also located. Another office was kept in Canal Street, for the reception of applications for employment, advice, or similar aid. But an alarm soon arose from the apprehended introduction of contagious diseases in the neighborhood of both locations, which was intensified by the fear of the owners of adjoining real estate of a depreciation in the value of their property.