Question

What do you think? (can I have a reflection paragraph please)

The story of how Swinburne and Hoffman came to exist is a bizarre chapter in New York’s history. Before the islands existed, many immigrants who arrived with potentially contagious diseases were detained at the Marine Hospital, a compound of buildings on Staten Island known as “The Quarantine.”

Hoffman Island, 1956. Photo courtesy of the New York City Municipal Archives.

Back then, New Yorkers were dying from all sorts of maladies we rarely hear about today: smallpox, diphtheria, cholera. Much less was known about contagious diseases and in the 1850s, and there were frequent outbreaks; when they occurred on Staten Island, locals blamed The Quarantine, particularly after a bad outbreak of Yellow Fever that hit.

Professor Colgrove explains, "Yellow fever was one of the most frightening diseases because it spread in really inexplicable ways. We understand now that it's spread through mosquitoes, but disease in general struck very much at random which is what made it so frightening."

On the night of September 1st, 1858, a few dozen men broke down the brick walls surrounding The Quarantine. They entered the compound with matches and straw and set almost every building on fire. There were no fatalities because the staff and patients had been given advance warning to evacuate the premises. Given that Staten Islanders had been trying to get rid of this place for decades, no one was all that surprised the night The Quarantine burned down. The mob returned the following day to burn down more.

In the years following the fire, no one could agree where to put the immigrants who arrived sick. The city eventually agreed to build two islands from landfill on a shoal in the Narrows: these were Swinburne and Hoffman.

The conditions were horrific, and there was often overcrowding. In 1901, authorities held over 7800 people on Hoffman alone. But detailed records have disappeared, and the number of people who made it off alive or died on the islands is not known.

(Swinburne Island. Photo Courtesy of Bjoern Kils, New York Media Boat.)

In the 1920s when open immigration was drastically reduced, they were no longer needed as quarantine islands. The NY Times declared them "ghost isles" in 1949, noting they were "orphaned amid relics of a more auspicious past." Since then, Swinburne and Hoffman have been used for many unusual purposes: a place to quarantine sick parrots; a training base for the Merchant Marines, and in the 1960s, a film crew was arrested for shooting pornographic films on the islands.

There’s not much left to see over there anymore—after years of being subjected to everything from vandals to arson, the most destructive force was Superstorm Sandy. All that remains today is an old dock off of Hoffman and some crumbling brick walls and a smoke stack, possibly from a crematorium, on Swinburne Island.

The islands are now owned by the National Park Service, and while visitors are not welcome, several tour companies offer boat rides that stop nearby so people can see the wildlife. Today Swinburne and Hoffman have become sanctuaries for herons, gulls and seals.

Answer 1

The story of existence of Swinburne and Hoffman.

Many Immigrants with contagious diseases detained on Staten Island’s “The Quarantine”. Back in 1850s people don’t know much about contagious diseases like cholera but when a bad outbreak of Yellow Fever hits, locals blamed The Quarantine.

A Professor known as Colgrove explains about Yellow fever as one of the most frightening diseases because it spread in really inexplicable ways.So, on the night of September 1st, 1858, a few dozen men broke down and enter “The Quarantine” and set almost every building on fire but luckily no fatalities as the staff and patients had been given advance warning to evacuate the premises. The mob then returned the following day to burn down even more.

After few years no one could agree where to put the sick immigrants who arrived city so they eventually agreed to build two islands from landfill on a shoal in the Narrows: these were Swinburne and Hoffman.

After many years, quarantine islands were no longer needed due to reduced immigrants. Since then, Swinburne and Hoffman have been used for many unusual purposes and also not much left to see over there anymore after adding destruction caused by Superstorm Sandy.

Now, the islands are owned by the National Park Service and the Swinburne and Hoffman have now become sanctuaries for herons, gulls and seals.