The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1875-08-14
Especial Correspondence Of THE GLoBR.l
LETTER FROM AsPINwALL.
AsPrNwALL, Aug. 1, 1876

ted my coming 10 TINS place, ana am no
more inclined to leave II now than l was
when first landed here on the eleventh
day of April, and what is of vastly more
importance 10 me, my health thus far has
been as good as 1t ever was In Vermont,
and with the exception of a few cases OF
fever the foreign population Of this place
are all well, and there is not now, and l
think has not been since my arrival here
case of sickness among them severe enough
to confine any person to his room more
than day or two, which statement, l
think, speaks quite well for the healthiness
Of the place, and shows that all stories are
not always to be believed.
For the past few days have been af-
iorded unusual good chances to see the
laborers here at work. wish that could
write out a description of the way they
work for know it would be quite inter-
estng. They go at it in such different
manner from the way in which laborers in |
the north do, but l am not equal to the |
emergency, but am going to do the best ] |
can. A person must see them at it to be
enabled to form any correct idea. They
are generally worked in gangs of from ten
to twenty-five and sometimes forty men.
We will imagine a ship at the dock is to be
loaded with cocoa or coffee from the cars
A gang of twenty-five men are at work,
four of them are inside the cars to load the
trucks, twenty are engaged with the trucks,
and the other is the foreman. The men
are all barefoot, some have on hats, some
| do not, others are attired in nothing save
pair of pants, and some will have on both
pants and shirt, and one thing that will
strike us quite forcibly will be the same
ness displayed in the clothing as far as any
absence from soap and water can make it.
Another thing that we cannot help observ-
ing will be the very few whole garmentf
that we shall see, and think that it would
be an unusual occurrence TO see anything
in the shape of clothing that was not ex-
ceedingly we'll ventilated. Had Falstaff,
when getting his celebrated recruits, any
such field as this from which to gather
them, he certainly would have been able to
have banded together lot that would have
placed his now renowned ones clear in the
shade. But am wandering. The car is
opened, the leaders have taken their posi-
ton, and the trucks are waiting (by the
way, they don't object to that, and the
longer can they wait the better) but the
shrill voice Of the foreman starts them
off and truck number one 10 wheeled
into position, bag of coffee or cocoa is
thrown upon it, and away it is taken to the
ships the others follow along, each dump
ing their load near the ships hatchway,
when they return again for another, and so
they keep it up all day long, ten hours to a
day. When truck is loaded care has to
be taken to have the mark come so that 1t
will be in sight, as before the ship is
reached two check clerks are passed, one
for the railroad company and one tor the
} ship. Considerable skill and caution are
required for this position, as frequently on
truck there may be three or four di fferen'
packages, no two having the same mark, in
which case it may be necessary to turn
, over four different pages in the book, with
which each clerk is provided, and in it il
every mark together with ciphers under
each one, denoting the number of packages
under each, and it will not do to detain {
dozen or fifteen men while looking for {
mark, so very often they are KEEP
pretty busy, and green hand has a Httl
, more than he can comfortably do to keeI
perience. Sometimes, however, a delay
will occur tor q few moments, which thu
darkies make the most of. Yesterday
while loading the French steamer, one o.
the checkers thinking that they had go
. through for the day, left for his office
Fourteen trucks were loaded, and wher
t they got to the clerks they could go nc
further until the absentee returned.
happened to DO there, and the way thos'
, trucks were dropped was not slow, ant
4 about as soon as one was down just abou
l the same time the man was comfortably
= resting himself on the bag of cocoa will
which they were loaded. These men car
take the most comfort Cor appear to a
leas) in al uncomfortable position of any
0 people living, do believe. They will lay
: down every chance they get, even if /
8 takes them longer to get up and down thar
e they have time to lay. They tire terribl,
easy, and when at work will take every ad
e vantage they can to rest a momen
@ or two. If one wants a drink O
n water and goes for it, nine chances GU
n Of ten but what he will manage to be gon
q long enough to get the drink, and also in
n dulge in q short sit down somewhere
where he can get the benefit Of the breeze
r They have to be watched every minute an,
! as for hurrying them that is impossible
t They will take a slow, easy gait, and i
r well watched wal keep 1t up all day, an,
Y it is singular the amount of cargo that
i gang Of twenty-five Of these fellows will
@ load or unload in day. They general.
' hum some Jamaican song, or whistle, d
I not talk much, and as whole, work abou
|. as much as natives of "a tropical countr.
: usually do.
o In one respect they are very much Xix
!. laborers that have heard of in the nort
of whom it was said that if they heard tn
whistle blow for dinner, just as they had
nail about half driven, they would leav
;. the nail as 1t was and finish it on their re
turn. So with these fellows. If they hav
r a load half way from the car to the plac
where they are to leave it, they will drol
the truck and start, and nothing can in
duce them to take it to it, destination. .
8 Last evening thought would take
q walk out into that part of the city mostl.