Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1861-06-13
lN0rtester 1ailp Syn.
From the Illustrated London Times.
THE ASHES OF LONDON.

AS tne bfOunu was covered Win snow, and
the weather so bitterly cold that, had the mer-
. curry in the glass grown six degrees taller,
freezing point would still have had the start of
it, | was in doubt whether Mr.. Dodd's "elmi.
majors" would be at work. So l intimated to
the yard foreman" at whose house l called
one morning at the extremity of the year, As,
however, that polite person pronounced that
nothing but rain licked EN-" buttoned up
my greatcoat, while he lit his pipe and rolled
up the sleeves OF his blue guernsey, and we
set off.
There are several "yards" connected with
the establishment but the one wanted was
that one devoted to dust, and | found it be-
tween the stabling department and another
set apart for the reception of monstrous slop-
carts aud all else pertaining to scavengering.
The dust yard was, as near as | could guess,
about hundred and fifty feet wide and seven
ty broad, one end opening on the main street
and the other to the Regents Canal Thanking
one side of the yard were Il score or so Of up.
reared dustcarts, and on the other sde extend
ing almost from the outer gate to the waters
brink, were great mounds Of ordinary dustbin
muck and i'll the midst OF the mounds--liter-
ally, so that in many cases part only of their
bodies were yisible-were thirty or forty wo
men aud girls. In view of the canal, the sur
face covered with big slabs of yellow ice
ly through the yard, aud with frost and snow
everywhere to be seen, there sat the "hI-wo-
men, girls Of sixteen and old danes OF sixty,
each holding before her sieve as large as the
top of small loo table, in which she dexter
ously caught the huge shovetul supplied by
the "feeder," all as busy as bees and as cheer
full
As a body, the females evinced by their at
tire little taste and less generalization indeed,
in most cases they presented an appearance of
having crawled through a bundle of rags,
trusting entirely to chance as to the part of it
from which their heads might emerge 1t is
only just however to mention that the above
remarks applied chiefly to elderly parties, la
dies who had outlived the frivolities OF youth;
but maidens there were much mare scrupu
lous, wearing the bonnets fully trimmed and
tashlonably off their heads, revealing tresses
copiously oiled and evenly parted. Respect
ing this latter feature, the advantage attach
ing to light hair was manifest in all such
cases the parting was as plainly distinguishes
Bile as a dusty lane between two hedges
whereas the ladies of raven locks all that was
observable was centre channel, suggestive
Of the system of drainage patronized by our
forefathers, and still to be seen in ancient al
leys. Most of the ladies wore coarse, finger
less gloves, and all OF them great lace-up boots
such as carmen wear, and great sack-cloth
aprons, such as few carmen would care to be
burdened with
Conversing afterwards with gentleman in
the employ OF the firm, said he, Glow they
t ,,,,1r,;,.q,s - taIf ~ Tordon boyo Iaf,
~, A. - 81 u IL ''"- 49, -, II
s,,,roSo ~, sort of hraatfast no.
s.o H., - -, 49,,
~ bar,a tho,,,J ,aod for ali tI,o,, ,rot r., on,
Sot,ro@,, ,,,as i hordi, ,,or,i, tnaS,t;on;nI,
NJ = ,ti"oI, ~ H., $3.50, int -
tIon, nInI, ,ooatho. and atdnt ,,Uaivo onIo,.i,
one one, makes fire Of hree1e and brews an old
l,ot.ir an ~ .,ol- ~ rd .I,i ,,;th . sf,o ~.
go ~ hnood > y ." .at - i'.r 4; H.
~ y. 90 i -., -, y re- -
thnn ,,liIl s's,';a;,,,, ,,,c,,ld 80.
.,tan ~ 9'AO1 sus ~
tors omI ND ''d .n,iii lo,,Js ), ad rre,,
0or,a ,,on,or ord .1atlistants ar -, astsIs
iishmenfs hnf / mover vef met a h3liy IF ~
male laborers looking 80 thoroughly ieairt,ya
and iolly. Every one was fat. every one was
ROSY and laughino and singing as though it
IveTe ca.,ital finn IN crovel amidst the reiuse of
the town ont in The men ara Siberian air
bleak and witherino The least Gkelv-look
;nGr If The comnanv was a cornulapt lady oocd
obont f;ftv and Win bor lows bonnd ro1nd
viii a rod roo INF avon s%o ,yas moi en- moor.
IL, but not slso n1tTad o,rov Of Indians IittIa
nine with an apna,ita with which without
taxing her hands from the seiye She DEXTER.
onsIv shifted to the corner of her month so as
admit of her SWELLING tbn chorns ot the dittv
a leather-lnnoed voung Irshwoman was at The
fine SINGING
I have since northumberland 7 am thankful
for the discoverv-.-tbat INV impressions as to
the healtbiuess Of these toilers among filth
and ashes were NOT erroneous. | have DR..
Gnv's authority for stating that. despite their
constant and immediate contact with the most
lootbsome refuse tLev are among the health
Jest of our WORKING nonnlation. The medical
authority in onesfidn states Them TO he ga
healthy ruddv comnIexioned race.--the health
lest set got mon have over seen do NOT
tb;nl, Sbetber in town or conntrv such an
other bodv Of mon rould be brougit togathar
evcent hv salection II ;s rot q,oing too far ~
asst of tben, tInt e Tho ons'rap;son ,roro
limited "a tba inIabitants of TanJon or onr
Lore to,yrs NO 600 If salootad tradasn,ar
n"eIl ho fn,,,a :, ntol az - ~ ~
,stT,a,, hro,,|,tt t1,ott. - t. n,,d
saan, frn,., tJ's s,ortI;n to+
ians who nrotest against NEGLECTED. dust heans
d itl9 t I'm, taI,-; oht ipI
tbot tho RoarJ Of Healtb i nnite mistaken in
nrosocnt;no owners of renk mo dnstb;ns If
PahoyId hnSever he borne in mind tl,at dur.
;n,, tha onorot;on ~ sitting tha dnst il evnos-
od in an onen enace Desnita tho welI.knnvn
mower IF ashas to absorb every sort Of noxious
eemanation if The Iii women nursued their
labors in n covered building the results would
doubtless he very different
To retnrn however tn the dustvard Toh.
.erved fiat everv STEER had near af hand two
or tbree old baskets and that each time she
called ont asoryn . and a vonth, bv timing
into her ready sieve n shovelhIl from a ''rawS
hoa,, ssarvaJS har ste novo tho fresh snnnv
q handy twist 60 as "a snread the material