The New York herald., 1879-09-30

peculiar cry, "Ne-ol--rays." This individual. who
drives abroad IN wagon. generally characterized by
great inhrmity as TO both wheel and BODY. aud Is
mnent for the ossiferous character OF his equine
possessions would. indeed feel it indgai;y be
cassed with the low I-tal-i-an" His is legitimate
business; he is trader and, IL Is said thief. His
scale reported to be reg ulated indicate
pound for eysry four put in it's balance and he goes
about marauding on gullible housewives. Like the
Italian ra9picker the ragnienmark the hre distinc
tion in terms-has location all his own. Justbeyond
F'tyninth street, west OF Eighth avenue, covering
three or rour whole blocks. is shanty settlement
where over hundred OF these ragmen reside Unlike
the Italians, they do not handle paper at all Their
mixed rags $ from gypn houss % Souss ostensby at
cent and half pound. but III fact ut the rate OF
cent and half for four pounds. They sort
their rags in the wagon. and ut junk shops and
paper stock dealers receive for some high as ten
cents per pound Prices range from ten cents down
TO one cent and half The immense profits de-
rived from tins trade will be at glance. The
ragman lives ike an ordinary clty squatter. aud
each day closes out the stock he has collected.
WHERE THE RAGS co.
In conversation with MIR. j. w. Lyon dealer In
paper stock. which includes rags. waste paper &C..
some interesting facts were CLEANED Mr. Lyon says
that all the rags collected America used here
in making paper and such is the perfection and
cheapness OF American methods OF manufacture
that there Ia o movement OF rags from oil Eu-
rope to America. He himself has every week hum
dreds OF tons of rags shipped to him from Liver
pool and dozens in the trade tell the story. He
estimates that less than one hundred tons of
rags and waste paper are collected daily in
New York city alone. Tho production of
other American cities is relatively as largo and
yet rags imported from Europe to nuke paper
with III return for tho rags Europe receives paper.
and the cost OF its production is left with Mr..
Lyon says that he has known ragpickers to make
much as $40 day, week in ana week out, while
others could not mako moro than 81. often not so
much. 1t depends lie says, very much on the bust
tact OF the picker. The ones who make
much as $40 generally pay small fees to Office boys
and porters who save the sweepings for them.
INFECTION RAGS.
In the transmission OF deadly and infectious dis
eases rags have performed an active part. 1t is
a{al ip cAn linn
the great cholera epidemic OF 1s4S and 1S40 that the
disease carried in old clothes rags, brought
will be remembered. Carried oil 53 293 persons. Ye
low fever about eighteen months since. carried
in rags in trunk from Mississippi into Northern
Texas, aud. after remaining almost nine months
locked up III the trunk. they gave out the germs
that had attached to them long before. and in
fected whole village. Generally after war
the rag market grows very active. owing
to the large quantities OF clothing taken
nmt and vsn tn now recrSts enpua cethes are are
tattered beyond identity. These sold to camp
followers, who make quite q little income. Added
these fragmentai suits these battle field
gers get all the rejected cotton batting lint and linen
from the hospitals Otten owing to the difficulty Of
transportation from battle fields the hideous heaps
made up OF these constituents remain to tester and
grow rotten IN the sun. Or all that they finally
brought to some city and used for purposes OF
rags do not bring black or typhus fever with them
from the scene OF carnage they generate
it out of their own ioulness. During
close OF tho recent Russo-Turkish war, 1t
will be remembered that Austria made quarantine
against rags. 1t further stated by Russian
medical authorities that the black plague. it was
called, had been transported into Central Russia
from Asiatic Turkey by some Jews who had bought
and transported ragged and cast OF soldiers clothes
from infected district. Members OF several noble
families in France died Of peculiar fever attor the
roturn OF the Crusaders many OF whom brought
back with them, trophies articles of
saraeen raiment, plucked from ,corpses on
tho field of battle. Smallpox and pucrperal
iover have also been conveyed from place to
other i'll rags. Rocking as the streets OF Now York
fuse is brought still Althicr and 1t would seem
that there is much more danger Of the rags and pa-
per being impregnated with tever germs in these
novels than in tho street cutters A short while
ago the health authorities made crusade against
the crowded toncments in which cigars were being
manu- tactured, and it in contemplation also to
prohibit the fabrication Of articles Of clothing in
these human hives, but yet nothing has been done
to break up such nests Of infection.