New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-04-15

hour Bot the work i so precsr.ous that one csn
hardly be sure OF employment two days in s1cces
sion When there Is east wind SHIPS are kept
back and there is little or no wor. % be done
Thus the living Of these 10000 persons or Al east
three quarters literally depends upon the changes
ofthe wind. Attic London D ,cks to- f--sa-e be
tween the number Of persons emp 'oyed Ha-a gork
II. brisk aa1 when i: 9 sia.L $1,000, At to West
and East India. Docas, $500 at 81 Katherine
Docks. 200 and al the other Docks 300 in
al 900 persons whose existence IS thus p-ecari
o9s. and WHO are '1ruel OF ~ work b. the shl0, .
ing u the wca,aeroock The amount ~ their ,
weekly earnings constantly a, worA wola b .
some $4,000 q which hey are deprgedby causes .
IS fckls as they are inevitable. But .his ~ a.
taking iato account The various OTHER ocr1pa /
tons connected with the shipping If London. q +
gsntlerra p connected Vi the -, Ka,he-il, Do-s /
estimates tha, from 10000 to $1,000 persons ar I
thrown wholly OFT Of emf oymen, by ths ooatinu F.
arce o. cas,ery @inds
Mr. MaYBEw says that tie averaec earnings % /
dock laboror are a. A. 81 week Thi. statement I
+. the result Of very extensive inquiry anon the
la5orers Oae man, remarkable ior industry and
.oresieht. and who for that reason was more gene
rsly employed than the mass a his competitors +.
esrnel du-iny the isst Sumner near 49, 90 81 /
pr vool He sad This was th, Des. sumner \
BIC had had since be bad been in Loulon. Obliged /
t. live as be- does becs1se 10 can tdepend or work
Lnr cey,q1a o)fie secoad doy.s iaDo, is pad on
ever night, aud eau, say whether they "an'
hin on h. morrow
A. most Of the docks the casual iaoorers are
80, ;tl,u, any, recommendation as ~ character
E,.r, ma, can DO the work. md hence i is re
acted 10 by those who find nothing else - i've
b.. -. There are decsyed and bankrupt rnastcr I
butcher, master bakers publcans, sroc-fs. old /
s,diers. old sailors Polish refugees brokeDt0~n /
gentlemen, discharged lawyers CLERKS. suspended /
Government clerks slnsmeu pcrsloDers ser' au's /
,bi,.es" Ofcourse where the WORK IS SO preca |
r,ous md where great proportion Of those waiting
for il are doomed 10 be disappointed the compeii- /
ton among them is Of the most greedy character
Tho Gl,oe.nr extract from one Of NJ. Mayhews /
articles is an illustration Of tins
He who wishes 70 behold one OF the most extra /
ordinary and least known scenes oi TINS metropolis
should went his way 20 the London DOCK 1atrs a; /
halt 4 scvou in the morning There he vii see /
congrcgaied within the principal entrance, masses /
al men Of all grades looks and kinds some ~ han
fashionable surtouts burst at the elbows, with the
dirty shirts showing through; others ~ greasy
epoft.ng Jackets with red. pimpled faces others
IN the rays Of their halt slang geniihty with the
velvet collar Of their paIetots worn through to the
canvas: some in rusty black with their ~AIstcoats
fastened tieht up 10 the throat cthcrs AGAIN NTH
The know ipg thieves curl each side Of the launty
can. while here and there you may see big
,.biskcred Pole with lis bands In the pockets OF
his plated French tr0wscrs. some oIi outside the
yates. smoking the pipe which Is forbidden within
but these are mostly lrsh
Presently YOU know 10y the stream pouring
through the gates aud the rush toward particular
spots that the "caliue f0remen have made their
appearance. Then begins the scullliug and scramb
ling and trctchur iorth Of countless bands high IN
Tho air 10 catch the eye of HIM whose wore may
Give ibcn work AS the foreman calls from book
the names some men jump upon the backs Of the
others so rs to t themselves high above the rest
and attract the notice Of INN who hires them All
arc shou,ing Some cry aloud his surname, some
bis christian name others call out their own names
10 remind him that they are there. Now the APP
neal is made IN IRISH barney now iu brosen Eng
Gsh Indeed 1t is sight to sadden the most cal
Ions 10 see thousands OF men struggling Tor only
one da, 4 hire the scuiile being made the hcrcer
nv the know ledge that hundreds out OF the number
,i,re assembled must be left 10 idle the day out IA
wan, To look IN the face OF that hungry crow is
n spht that must b. ever remembered. some are
smiling To the foreman, 20 coax hum INTO rcmem
bronrc of them: others with their protruding eyes
nave gone there and gone through the same stro5
Gle the same cries. and gone away alter AL with
cot the work they screamed Tor
Anerthc regular gangs Of lsborcrs have been en-
poyod in the morning. there is often want OF ex.
tra hands during the course OF the day. There are
wards appointed where men wait IN the hope OF
such good fortune We copy again from the Re
porter of the Morning CAy0aiclc
"Uis a curious SIGHT to see the men waiting IA
these wards 10 be hired at Al per hour for such are
the terms given Ia the after part OF the day There,
seated ON long benches ranged against the wall,
tLey rcmain-s0me telling their msonos aud some
their crimes T. another. While others dozc away
their time Ram or sunshine, there can aiwaysbc
founJ plenty ready 10 catch the stray shilling or
cieht pcnnvworth Of work BY the size OF the
sbcd Won can tell how many men sometimes re-
main there in the pouring rain rather than run the
CHARGE OF losing the stray hours work Some
loi,er on the bndgos close by and presently as
their practSed eye car tells them mat the Gaining
foreman is in want of another gang. they rush Tor
ward in n stream toward the gate, though only slN
or eieht at most can be hired out OF the hundred or
more than are waiting there Again the same
mad fight takes place as in the morning there Is
the same Jumping on benches the same raising OF
hands the same entreaues, and the same failure as
before
Those who Obtain work ia the morning get food
al a man who Keeps stand 10y the gate, AMI " no
trusts them after they "taken on for the DIN
ner ON which they work. As they Soout al night,
AFTER having received Their wages he gets his pay
Ann the hall crown each tuil worker has earned.
But those who fail 10 be engaged cannot obtain this
credit and must 20 hungry through the day The
struggle for labor impressively described above
is thus the struggle Of starving men for food VIVA;
wonder then that It should be SO fierce and inhu-
man. "hkc an Egyptian pitcher Of tanned ViPers
each struggling to get its head above the others
which is. alas but u somewhat exaggerated image
of that civilized and Christian Society whicA tins