The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1878-07-04
The London Dust.Man.

There he goes, A dusky gloom hangs
over the roofs of great London city, 6
similar gloom fills my room and seems
to have touched all the furniture with
smoky age, and as look down from the
window into the gloomy street, see
him coming along slowly. and crying
in voice like plea for help in afflic'
ton: "Dust-oh dust oh !-dust-oh!"
When the London fog is gray we can.
not see him very far off, for he, too. is
gray from head to foot with ash-dust,
and as he approaches as he comes out
of the mist like phantom, though in
reality he is substantial, square-built,
deep-chested fellow, shod with enor-
nous Butcher shoes the soles of which
are bright with nails), and clad in a
loose blouse and trousers that are tied
up about the knees. The blouse is open
at the chest. and is lifted to the waist
by his big, brown hands, which are
tucked in his trouser pockets. and his
head is covered by the kind of hat that
sailors call ou'wester. His only Or
nament is a pair of earrings; and with
his head thrown back he saunters along
the street by the side of his cart, repeat
ing in measured tones his cry, Dust
oh oh, dust-ohr'
Now and then he stops at house,
and his mate-he has a mate who is as
much like him as pea is like pea-de-
sends into the cellar, bringing forth
ashes and refuse that have accumulated
in twenty-four hours, and when the
cart, which is square box-like affair,
is filled he starts for home with his
load.
What queer home it is! 1t is on
the outskirts Of the city, far away from
the finer streets and buildings. A large
space of ground is as gray and dusty as
an African or western desert, and is
broken by mountains of ashes, some of
which are only few feet high, while
others are almost as high as houses
quite as high, in fact, US the dismal
little shanties on the edge of the reser-
walton in which the dustman and his
fellows live. Other carts and other
dust-men are constantly coming and
going, dumping one load and then re.
turning to the city for another, and as
soon as the load is dumped it is attacked
by crowd of men, women and chill.
dren, who with shovels, rakes and
hooks, turns it over and over, and raise
sitting clouds of dust.
The reader may think that the collec.
tons made by the dust-man are value
less, but such is not the case.
There are more than 800, 900 inhabit.
ed housed in London, consuming more
than $4,000, 900 tons of coal a year, and
besides the ashes from this great q uan.
tity of fuel the dust man gathers the
other refuse of the houses. He is EN-.
ployed by contractor, who agrees with
the corporation to remove the ashes
etc, out of the city. and the contractor
divides every load into six parts, as fol
lows: Soil or fine dust, which is sold
to brickmakers for making bricks and
to farmers for manure; brieze, or elm
ders. sold 70 srickmakers for burning
bricks; rags, bones and old metals. sold
to marine store dealers; old tin and iror
vessels, sold to trunk makers for clamps
bricks, oyster and other shells. sold fol
foundation and road building; and OLD
boots and shoes, sold to the nanufac
turers OF Prussian blue.
Sometimes much more valuable thing.
may remember the romance that Charles
Dickens made out of London dust
man-"Our Mutual Friend"
1t is in sitting the different parts OF
load that the men, women and children
are employed they are as busy as ants
mere babies and wrinkled old dame
take part in the labor, and all of then
are so covered with dust and ashes tina
they are anything but pleasant to con
template, though, as a rule, tLey ar
useful, honest and industrious mem Der
of society.
'Dustie' is what the Londoners ia
miliarly call the dust-man, and only
few know in what ignorance and pow
erty he lives. One would think that h.
would work himself into better occu
patton, but his family have been dust
men for generations, and the genera
tons after him are not likely to change
ST. Nicholas.