The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1869-06-19
VOLUMES. MI j. B..
ExRefasHeeIef Q Wanderer through
the Savers OF Nov York" ?. r,lt, II

OA,lE.
IsfthetNineteehtla Ward! borderipg ON
the East River, SIN be seen very heat
little two-stoFy frame house, covering al
most an entire squares surrounded by
beautiful garden, the occupant and own
or dtaMhichIIthoughv a German, is, what
We cali one Sf the sclf-made meh of New
York, ,,and ranks among the wealthicst.
Thotak snlan Of little or no cduco.iou, i,
it would make ones blood run cold to
listen, 70 his, daring exploits, and the
many adventures chat he; has passed
through Under the sfree,sofaour t:ty.
Some 'ffseep, years age, he landed ID this
country q perfect stranger, and with but
little money: This he had the pleasing
satisfaction, If such we may call it, Of
being robbed of on his very first night in
the7eity. at German boarding house in
Greenwich street. His vocation at home
wasnethat Of n -uight-scavenger, aud he
was not long in procuring situation in
the. same, business in this city. For fye
years, hesfollowed the same as an employ
ee, which enabled him to save considers
ble money. During the time, he had
frequently found many valuables aud so
pcrsistently were applications made to
search for lost property, that he con.
ceissd s,,e idea of working the sewers of
oursstncets in its search. lie had also
beeosae quite accustomed to sewers, as he
had freqpchtly been compelled to clean
them out, and was us muci, at homo in
these, narrpE and filthy passage ways as
uponthe'streets. The leading contrac-
tors in tho sbovc business found him SO
valuable aud SO daring an explorer that
thy were continually calling his services
iato reqnisition. There is hardly a
sewer oil the islsud in which he has not
been J; aud he seemed TO take great in-
tcfest' in watching the building of new
sewers aud drains, lie knows their
size, length, every tnrn and crook. their
inlets and outlets, aud claims to have
',naay hauntk below the groun.t, uhara,
10y the iurcc Of water, valuablcs that are
Host arc sure to settle ere they can be
carried out into the river. 1t will be
remembered it WAS Il few weeks ago that
u mun was arrested iu Hobokcm with
quite number of valuable articles in Il
basket, aud it was discovered that
hc had got them out of the sewers of
New York. Now many presumed that
eliis was u new business, the like ncvcr
Having been heard of before, yet this is
not 80. There arc quite number, most
iy Germans, who follow this same bust
ncss but they arc very careful not to
divulge the same, as it is said they are
making au independent fortune. 1t is a
regularly established business in France
and Germany, and in many places they
pay so much for the proceeds of the
sewers. 1t is said that there have been
those who have tried to accustom them
selves to the business, but who were uu-
able, in many instances, to endure the
unhealthy odor and poisonous gases.
The first trip ever taken by our in
former along the sewers of the city was on
Courtlandt street, in search of pocket
book that had been lost in the sink OF
one of the prominent hotels on that
street, and which contain 81 $50 in
money, and drafts and notes to the
amount Of $4,000 The sink had been
searched, but all efforts to recover the
lost property were fruitless; it was cvi-
dent that it had been washed out into
the main sewer, and the owner offered
the whole amount of money in cash,
81 ,350, should it be recovered Her
mann, for as such he was known among
his associates, concluded to work the
street sewer that night and sec if it was
possible to 6nd the same. That night,
accompanied by two others, he equipped
himself in o full rubber suit, revolver,
hook, dark lantern, and sieve shov-
el. Descending, at the first opening,
which was about block below the hotel,
he set out on his journey on his hands
and knees through the dismal passage
way. He had no sooner got well under
way, 1.-The powerful light from tho dark
lantcrnaffording him plenty of light, when
he came face to face with one of the larg-
est dock rats that he had evor scon. The
power of the light seemed to stagger the
rat for moment, when Hermann drew