The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1883-01-17
SUMMER NIGHTS ON CITY PIERS.
Where the Poor, Old and Young, Find rest
and Pleasure.

u ana FtetsuFes
The public parks. no doubt, are great
blessing to the poor of the City, but they
are not the only sources of comfort and
/ pleasure. At the close of day during
which the mercury has been toiling among
the nineties, il is on the long piers which ex-
tend out from the heated City into the rivers
| that the tenement-ho pour their tired &C.
cupants. Many Of tlem prefer these places
/ even to the public parks, The string pieces
of the piers take the place of benches, and
the smooth planks serve as substitute for
the hard walks. 1t is true that not only the
trees, the shrubbery. and the grass. but also
the many warnings TO leave these attractions
| alone, and the uniformed authorities to see
/ that these warnings are observed, are want
ing on the piers. But the parks nave no
fountain as attractive as the river, and no
more beautiful panorama than is presented
on its surface.
As the long hot day Of midsummer draws
to close the piers begin to swarm with
poor people of ell ages. Not an inch of the
outer string pieces is left vacant and the in
side of the pier answers as playground for
the children. vacant pier is of course
preferable 10 one at which ships are moored
aud which is partially covered with freight.
BY the time the sun has set it is difficult to
secure a seat on one of the before deserted
/ piers. From within short distance of the
street to the very end the string piece is lined
with men, women, aud children who are en-
joying the refreshing breeze. Old women,
mothers with infants at their breasts, and
little girls with children nearly as large as
themselves in their laps, sit side by side.
Restless little ones kick and roll and scram-
bic with each other at the very edge of the
string piece, while those who have charge
of them sit uneoncernedly BY as if there was
no danger. The boys race around in full
enjoyment of their freedom, while hard
working men smoke their pipes in peace and
gaze out upon the river Some of the peo-
pie are quite shabbily dressed, while others
are neatly attfed. A few of the women are
barefooted while nearly all of them are bare.
headed. There are several baby-carriages
standing ON the pier The children have
been removed from some of those, and are
OlpHAuS hui hlNItiS III tie itIlS VI tueit
proud parents, while others of these little
conveyances are still occupied by their for
lunate owners who look as though anxious
to join the other children at play There
are several barefooted and STABILITY dressed
little girls with old faces wandering around
among the children. These girls ara engage
ed in the dry-Durture of Infants and look
as if they would gladly give up their young
charges and join the happy groups Near
the end of one pier young mar. is playing
upon a musical instrument, while boys and
girls are attempting to dance to the music.
The next dock appears 10 be devoted to
bathing ard fishing. Two or three canal
boats are moored at cue of the piers, and
the poor people crowd npon those.
Many OF the poor people remain out on
these piers until midnight or after, and some
Of them lie down to sleep with the murmur
of the tide in their ears. There is no organ.
lied body of Police under the rule of the
Dock Department to knock the feet of sleep.
ers with their clubs and to order them to
move on. The night watchmen OH those
piers on which freight has been left seem to
content themselves with Watching tee goods.
One would suppose that these piers would
be great resorts for tramps. But they rarely
iuxnrlate III the wholesome surroundings
with which these places are blessed Tie
people who gather here have little money to
bestow ON beggars. Tue piers Of the East
River from the Battery to Harlem are GOV,
cred with poor people during the evenings
of midsummer Near Twenty Third-Street,
where the stream widens ont into small
bay and the piers are very long, these river
side pleasure resorts. -ere-s een.sely crowded.
And even those which are near the parks
seem to prove greater attraction than the
latter to the weary working people, A
great many of the piers on the North River
are leased to steamship companies which
have covered them with sheds, and to these
the public are not admitted. But there are
others which are still open, and on these the
poor people can pass a delightful evening
The new stone pier just above the Battery
used to be a great resort before it was leased
to the Iron Steamboat Company, and was
covered with two-stored shed to which an
admittanee fee is asked. On some of the
North River piers at which the excursion
steamers land their passengers the poor peo-
pie are we come to come and sit. 1t seems
20 afford them great delight TO watch the
approach of the returning excursion boats
and to observe the pleasure-seekers as they
hurry across the gang planl 5. The rocks
along the west side of the upper portion Of
the town are also crowded with people in
search of fresh air every hot evening.