The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1880-04-20
Il Tin House

n lew rodS Dack from the waters edge at
San francisco, surrounded by tangle of
weeds, stands u curious cdifice, about seven
by nine feet and two feet high, constructed
chiefly of strips of rusty tin torn from large
coal-oil cans, with here and there bit of
board. The entrance to this abode is oil
aperture about eighteen inches wide, run
ming across one end, and pecping in, we see
few pieces Of old straw mating and car
pet. This is the last surviving relic of a
number of similar cciflces that dec
| GRATED the spot last Winter, and shell
tered from twenty to thirty men during the
whole rainy season, whose mode of living
attracted much notice at the time. An i'm
preston seems to prevail that these men
chad adopted their singular life from choice,
preferring to exc a scanty living from the
refuse Of the dump piles to applying them
selves to any active work. Recently q re-
porter visited the solitary structure among
tho dumps for the purpose of interviewing
its occupant. He found a slender looking
ifldn, upwards of fifty years old, shabbly
dressed, with full grayish-brown beard
clear blue eyes and intelligent face, who
expressed himself in excellent language
1t is said that he was u. Captain during the
Mexican war, and he reluctantly ucknowl-
edged 1t to be true, seeming very avcrse to
giving his name or any information by
which his friends or family might learn his
whereabouts s'anti circumstances He gave
this history as follows:
81 came to California from Boston in
40, attracted by the discovery of gold l
never learned any trade, for up to the time
came out here it had never been necessary
for me to work. went up in the noun
talns to Sonora, and staid there most OF the
time for twenty-four years. In the early
days did very well, never making ten
strike, but very fair wages Then times
grew dulcr and l thought would come
down TO the city, for it seemed as If any
one ought to be able to make a living
where there is so much to do all the time.
got few odd jobs of work at first, but no
steady job. My clothes kept getting
worse and worse, until finally I was
ashamed to show myself to the few old
friends had here. The times kept grow
ing dullcr, work more scarce, and O little
over year ago I had no money, no friends
and was forced to come here, where have
been prctty-much evor since. Sometimes
l get little job of work-sawing wood or
something of the kind, and do little bet
ter for time. San Francisco is a hard
place to get work. There is a good deal
doing, but too many to do it. And then
the Chinese are everywhere and crowd
tho white men out.
What was the general character of the
men who have been living on the dumps
the last eight months 2''
"Therc were men of all trades, farm Ia
borcrs, machinists, carpenters. Among
them there were several who were evident
ly first-class mechanics, who had been en-
ploycd in some of the lirst-workshops East
They had come here strangers. were unable
to get work, got out of money and had no
other place to 20. Some of the men had
families back East, but when men come to
that pass they don't like to talk about their
lives. All were hoping for better times by
and by.
Where have these men gone l.ow2"
The most of them have gone to the
country and some of them have got work.
Others have failed on account of the large
number of Chinese employed on farms. |
should have gone TO the country myself but
| couldn't stand the work on farm. I am
getting too old and broken for that"
90 suppose a good many men are brought
down to this On account of drink"
Not so many as people think. Out of
the twenty or thirty men who were here
last Winter not more than two or three
were brought down by drink. Another
thing-wc have been spoken of as hood
lums. On the contrary, tho hoodlums are
are our greatest enemies. They delight in
making raids on us and tearing down our
houses. The hoodlums, like all outlaws,
have plenty of ways of getting money, and
don't need TO come here. Sometimes when
they have been committing dcprcdations
they come down ana sleep IN the weeds "
'"" What kind Of time do you expect
next Winter p
Hard to tell, sir If times don't i'm.
prove don't SEQ what poor men will do.
There are thousands of men in this city to-
day living in a way that would surprise
people if they knew it. In the Wintor d
lot more crowd into the city from the coun.
try, to say nothing OF those all tho while
arriving from. tho East. These are hard
times, sir, and no mistake"
l. "a "The Mkt Casc,"