The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1879-10-03
The NharrRais OF View York.


for May an Illustrated account uf ~ DAY un The
Docks in which lie describes Il cruise along nc
piers al New York with one Of the steaini ut rc.
nee. Oh TINS den of thieves he says;
This under side of The city is shad
owy world even at high noon, and its
structure, as well rs its seclusion, makes
it as good rs forest for hiding. The
piles stand in rows running across the
pier, stringer or heavy timber lies on
:op of each row, jOisis lie acro.s tic
stringcrs, and planks cover the whole.
Thus between the top of each siringer
and the planks there is quite Il space.
where boxes and bundles can be hidden.
The under side of a pier can hold n
good sloopload of packages, and a box
on a stringer is invisible TO any one
passing under the pier, unless he passes
very close TO it. There are many miles
OF piers about the city, and each pier
has great quantity of stringers. So
here is vast region of secrecy right
under the busiest part of New York.
Many of the piers arc supported on such
a dense forest OF spics that only the
smallest skin can pass through the mar
row, tortuous openings. Formerly the
thieves had n channel of this kind from
INV tiiAt VI tIt wy W tlit ClIltT. DIV
which they could travel nearly the
whole distance without showing them
selves.
You see, sir, here are plenty of
chances to hide. These cribs of beams
and spiles, mouths of sewers, odd holes
here and there along the rocky shores
and all of it covered over from day
light, and some of it almost inaccessible.
all that you would think is enough fo,
any set of thieves. But it is not; for
we follow them up and clean out their
holes. They find new places now and
then. Once we discovered a lot OF
hardware and tools hidden under the
guards and in the padde-boX of Il steam
boat that was laid up for the winter.
Many things they hide under water.
such as spelter and other metals. 1t j.
almost impossible to discover these
plants; but sometimes we hit on
them by chance. Once, man who
had been loafing about the deck of one
of the Troy steamboats, threw oyer
board valuable hawser, and then
plunged overheard himself before any
body could catch him, although the |
boat and the wharf were full of people.
Both the hawser and the man fell into |
a skill alongside the steamboat and dis
under the pier. lie had the
start, and of course escaped before an,
IF MS could get n boat and follow him.
But we heard of him aftcrward under
4 certain pier, and we went there 10
ook for the rope. We dredged be-
.ween the piles for three days, and bv
good luck hooked up the hawser. These
men sometimes get their deserts with
)ut any of our help. One Of them who
lad stolelsa boat-load of pig-iron, ran
inder Pier 40 to hide. That pier had
shaft and gearing under it for hosting
&C. lie hitched his boat, and then
climbed up near the shaft; the gearing
;aught his clothes, and we found him
n pieces scattered over his boat. Wharf
lieves used 10 be more successful than
hey are now; they were organized in
'egular gangs. But we have broken
hem up, scattered them, and driven
he most of them away from The docks"
Still darker scenes might he recorded
# this underside of the docks. The
ctors appear first Ia the city's brighter
launts of pleasure, or in its miserable
lens of want and crime. Then they
Wander in the streets alone; and grad
lally but surely stray to the water.
Night is around them, In them. The
ity behind them sparkles with life
nj II cannot penetrate their night, nor
light their dark passage under these
waves to the morgue.