New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1845-09-26
THE TRIBUNE.
LABOR IN NEw-YORK:
ITS CONDITIONS CIRCUMSTANCES AND REWARDS
No. XVII The Rag-Carpet Weavers.

The Journeymen Weavers are nearly all foreign
ers--Irish Scotch and Germans. There are YER
few Of our own countrymen to be found anon
hem. i, is estimated that the number Of Journey
men Viewers in the City is nearly five hundred
but only abou, three hundred Of these are at the pre-
sent time engaged in the business. The low wage
AND the scarcity of work have caused large mum
Der Of them TO turn their attention TO other brancse
Of industry. and j, is only occasionally that thoy
work at their trade.
The whole business Of manufacturing Rag Carpets
il pretty much in the hands Of few individuals
who own nearly all the establishments where thii
kind Of carpetng is made. Of these establishment,
there are about hundred and fifty in the City
and we know Of one person who owns twenty five
Of them The olcnership consists in the following
The Boss as he is termed owns the looms fixtures
&c buys oil the materials used in the manufacturing
q the article rents the place where the work is car
ned on, and employs the Journeyman at q certain
price for as many CHAINS of carpeting as he mag
weave. This cham is piece of carpe,ing one
hundred yards ia length A Journeyman never
works By the day but always by the yardso that
what he can make by his trade depends upon his
own skill and industry. The Boss visits his esiab
ishment about once day, to receive the money for
what carpeting may have been sold and also TO see
that things are going right
The Journeymen Weavers work about ten hours
IN the Summer months, and in the Winter they are
engaged from seven in the morning until nine at
night They can make from four to six dollars a
week. The latter sum is considered good wages ;
bat to earn it the Journeyman must ply the shuttle
quickly The average wages earned by this class
are about four dollars q week
There are two different kinds of carpeting manu-
factured at these establishments The common
Rag Carpet is made out of old rags These rags are
got from the odds and ends of taiors cuttings from
the rag picker who goes about through the streets
with basket and stick with hook at the end Of
(which sdeath on any thing resembling rag-and
also from families who are in the habit of keeping
what is called r0g-bag. After being washed and
cleaned the rags torn and sswed into strips of
about two three yards in length and half inch
IN width. The cosrs are sorted, and they are then
put up in banks of three or four pounds in weight
each and sold for five six cents a pound-the
price depending very much on the quality of the
rags This gathering and cleaning of these rags
give employr2Wt 10 quite a large number OF the
poor Of the q lSvho thus get scanty subsistence
BY collecting the waste rags and selling them To the
carpet and paper manufacturers. With these rags
the common kind of Rag Carpets are made, and
which sold for about and six pence and three
shllings yard
There is better article of carpets made of listing,
al, Is called This listing is the selvage of broad
eioah cut up into strips in the same manner as the
ngs Carpetng made of this material is worth from
shilling to fourteen pence more yard than the
Rag Carpetng The Weaver gets the same price
for working ON the common ag-Carpet as on the
Listing. Some one of the Journeymen attends TO
the selling Of the carpets in the estabshment-for
ihls he is allowed extra pay il takes his time from
his regular work
Worstcd Yarn, of various colors is also used in
the manufacturing Of carpets. tits for ornamentins
he work to make it look well The establishments
where the .Iouneymen Viewers work are only oc-
sapied by them during the hours they attend to
work. These establishments are generally located
n cellars, and look more like dungeons than ary
thing else. You may go into dozen OF these estab-
hshmenis and YOU will find that all have the same
appearsnce--all are alike gloomy and uncomiori
able ccbwebs and mould abound ON the walls and
ceilings; the air is anwhoesome, close and damp
and the occupants have the appearance OF persons
who have been confined in prison a long time such
thing as a rosy checked weaver would indeed be
curiosity. These establishments look more like
places TO ncsrcerate telon than TO put good Gu,
gems In TO earn q small pittance TO keep soul ana
body together.
The very 10y wages which are made by the Jour
heymen Weavers, compel them 10 exercise the most
nsh economy and self denial and those who are
hardened with large families find 1t right squeezing
10 keep ne pot boiling We have seen some who
aid that they were sometimes astonished themselves
nhow they got along.
There are some ofthe Journeymen Weavers who
nave constant employment all the year round but
here are many as | have before mentioned who
ne Obliged to seek other occupations until they can
Procure work at their regular trade.