The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-10-05
TUE RAG PICKERS OF NEW YORK.
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WHERR DO ALL THE RAGS COME FROM:
SOCIAL LIFE OF THE RAG PICKERS.
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THEIR ANU SEMENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Ehe Dwellings of the Chiaonniers.
WHERR DO ALL THE RAGS COME FROM:
SOCIAL LIFE OF THE RAG PICKRRs.
THEIR SEMENT
ghe Dwellings of the Chisonniers.
THE RAG PEDtARS AND RAG MERCHANTS,
&C., &C., sc.

oV', 0S.g GU.
Light a. we may esteem it. there very few branches
Of business Of importance the rag trade Last
year the imports of rags Of ali kinds into the United
Sates amounted to Is .Ss 45s pounds and OF these
1OO5s 652 pounds from Italy alone England sent
rs CIT 359 the Hanse Towns oss 6os; Turkey Levan
kc. LAS, 625 and Trieste and other Austrian ports
2l6 9s pounds No other country in the world strange
r. saw is more dependent upon rags than the United
8ates and this great measure attributable to the
Immense consumption of paper in the publication of
newspapers magazines and works OF all kinds, besides
THAT is used for commercial and mercantile purposes
These facts viii incline look with more respect
IN the chifIenners whom daily pick
ing up scraps of paper and rags which
avery morning with the sweepngs OF the stores. The
IRE at the basis of this great trade and supply
nense proportion of the material from which that ndi
pensble article paper is made. About twelve fifteen
years ago the rag trade confined 10 few Germans
and rish many Of whom have acquired large fortunes
aud still in the business They employed in its
higher branches however, and dignihed b. the
appelation of rag merchants. During the last eight
ten years the large influx of engrants has greatly in
creased the number of pickers and they e
mated at about Ave thousand Of those about vesxths
are German and the remainder Irish This includes
only those who pick up rags in the streets and who
round city with bell or
ing china and other in exchange for them
The pckers also called hookers from the little
iron hook with which they always armed Those pick
mp rags bones metal India rubber old boots and shoes
and fact anything that be sold converted any
useful purpose There also paper pckers, who pick
mp the paper swept from and shops and the deal
ors, who act kind OF middle purchasing from the
rag pckers and others and selling at certain per cent
age the rag merchants There are some rag dealers
who buy only the clippings Of tailors, shirt and cap
makers others engaged in the manufacture Of the
various articles Of dress portion OF the rags or
nants which they purchase is made into rag carpets.
This exceedingly lucrative branch OF the business
and large fortunes realized By in it, We
heard Of who engaged ia il about two years ago
npon credit and who is worth dol
lars Some years ago required less capital than
now consequence of the greater cheap Of the clip
pings but thea there very few engaged Nearly
Ill the German dealers in it 1T present began years
ago with few dollars These are in comfortable and in
dependent circumstances and unlike those in the old rag
trade who hive in the midst Of 6lth they dwell in well
furnished houses.
There dealers who extensively engaged in
the purchase Of tailos clippings and who bay peinc
pally from the various clothing throughout the
CITY. They employ from twenty three hundred hani,
(sn women at from twelve shillnss twenty per week
pounds for this kind of work. They sort the clippings
according to their quality large proportion Of the
pollen rags made into kind OF cloth called shodiy"
he preparation of the the manufacture of shoidy
sboth curious and interesting. The rags which it
de reduced by OF machinery their original
manufactured staethey are, in fact, literally
no wool This wool, after some preparatory cleaning
rocess and being mixed with wool, is made all
kinds Of cloth VI course there varieties of this clot l.
ONE Of which is said TO be nearly durable a. that
made from new wool, but il is generally inferior.
Immense quantities of rags obtained from Ne,
Jersey, Pennsylvania New York. Connecticut and from
al parts Of the Union, by the paper manufacturer,
this State Every grocers shop in village purchases the
rags from the inhabitants and collects them for the rag
merchant who has his agents travelling the country
In this way millions of pounds collected yearly in ad
diton to what gathered by the country and city ped
lars and the rag pickers. There paper makers
who each million pounds OF rags every year
the vauo of which, at average of five per pound
ID three hundred thousand dollars In the printing Of the
HERALD nikion nine hundred and seventy one
ossand poSds Of epery year. or nine hundred and
eighty Eve tons and half In the manufacture Of this
amount Of paper three niios hundred and eghyfpe
soxsond pounds Of required II estimate the
value Of these rags at hundred and fifty thousand dol
Lars it viii be found that less than Ave hundred rag
pckers earning six dollars week dependent on the
publication of the HERALD for support
Some idea may be formed OF the value Of the paper
picked up in the streets when inform our reader, that
II amounts in the aggregate to about dfy tons week
Immense quantities sold by bcokbinders banibox
makers and others engaged in the extensive consumption
Of paper The best kind of this refuse paper is
actured into book and general printing paper while that
Of inferior quality i made into hanging paper for walls
and binders or paste board The refuse paper Is sold at
various PRICES from one to Ave cents per pound.
The number of wholesale rag dealers and merchants in
New York is estimated at hundred. Besides these
there hundred licensed and unlicensed junk
shops which buy rags from housekeeper and rag pcksrs
aud sell them TO the rag dealers.