Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-09-12
yoerY THOUSAND sAxDwIcnMES
An Inseressins Feature OF the London
auesss- some Examples or Fallen For

/
A. rnsevras,us Feature or the Lendos
suesss-Ssme Examples or Fallen For
fLonSon Standard
| Probably there Il no class Of men reck-
oned by ordinary folks more pitiable than
the per,pa.etic board.men OF the London
streets. They all look hungry, cold, and
racgedly clad. They work sufficiently
! hard to enlist sympathy; but II IL tacitly
assumed that no human beings would ac.
| cent so degrading an occupation rs that OF
perambulating the cutters unless they had
fallen into destitution through idleness or
vice. Those who know the sandwich men,
however, think better OF them.
During a season like the present, about
civ hundred of these men walk about every
| day. plyIng their poor profession. IL Is
| estimated that from one years end 10 an
ether forty thousand beings take the boards
unon their shoulders for longer or shorter
engagements. About in the morning,
At apy Of the three or -four chief con-
tractors establishment, crowd OF seve-
raj hundred may be found, waiting
patiently for the appearance OF the
| manager and his assistants. When
this authoritative individual arrives, nod
4
of old. he begins the mornings work by
setting out the boards for the regular
! iobs--such as those for the theatres. All
! his regular employes-yes, he has had
many in his constant pay for twelve or III.
teen years-he has entered in his register
by numbers. He calls out, we will say,
mos. | to TO-" The men correspond
| ing TO these numbers come for
ward: each takes up his pair OF
| boards: No. / Is made "ganger"
| OF the others, and is to report about
them at night, and then they set of, a dis
| lance Of ten feet being left between every
| two. The regular men and the regular
| Jobs are thus worked of. Then come the
| odd jobs--some Of them odd In more
senses than one. There is great scramble
toward the end Of the proceedings for any
! boards lighter than the others. An average
pair OF boards weighs six pounds. Four
pound boards are quite luxury. Nodded
boards. like those used for the Savoy The
atre. are to be avoided il possible; they
are heavy. The contractor usually gives
them to the younger men.
After the morning jobs are all disposed
Of, some fifty wOe-begone fellows will still
hover about the yard, on the chancs OF a
late order coming IN. IL such an order
does come, the men selected for 1t, like the
laborer in the parable. still receive q full
days wage, but they may be asked TO stay
out a little later. The regular hours OF
patrol are from 9:15 in the morning TO $50
i'm the afternoon, with an hour for dinner.
The pace adopted is mile and hall IN the
hour. Consequently the days march re-
presents about ten miles.
The days pay for this kind Of work il 1
shilling and pence shlllings and 6
pence week. On this pay, as we have
already remarked, many honest creatures
have contrived 10 get through life for fif-
teen years-ther wives, il they have
wives. eking out their pittance with
little charring. Honesty is the
rule among them. II in the hurry OF pay.
time pence too much be handed TO
one OF these sandwich men, he is
nearly sure to come back with it. Drunk
ards among them are uncommon also.
They have not funds enough IL become
drunkards. Their exposure in the open
air and their exercise give them fairly
healthy appetites for food. Their CANCERS.
moreover. look after them, and common
drunkenness. il reported at headquarters,
promptly destroys mans chance for
further employment.
Nearly all Of The bOardmen live in lodg-
ing-houses at a cost OF two shillings a week
Kitchen fire included). The regular pay
ment Is fOurpence per night, and Sunday
night is thrown in II they stay 4 week in
the same house. Their dinner is usually
made up Of stale bread and buns from the
corfectioner's, ortwopenny "pieces "p0r-
tons OF broken yictuals) from the restau-
rants. Bread andonions form a fsvOrite re.
past. We know OF one sandwich, man who
will eat rs many as fourteen onions with his
bread and butter in the course OF the day.
"They warm me up" says this perlpatettc
phlosopher-one OF the most cheerful crea-
lures in London. In food each single man
dspenses about seven pence per day. This
will include n Tasher OF bacon at night,
cooked by himself before the kitchen fire.
out OF his earnings he has still money
for tobacco. His clothes. indeed. appear
to come 10 him AZ miraculously as
the mamma did to the lsraeliles but
the old hands, at any rate. are supplied
from small but growing charity devoted
to Their crcaturc-comf0rs. The great
liie-tral OF the sandwich man is boots.
The cutters are cold and they are uneven
too. and are rough OH shoe-leather. 4
pair OF boots bought for shilling will
keep man going for a considerable period.
But at times the sush and snow make sad
men are up in life and the circulation OF
their blood ia feeble. II is rheumatism,
with it's allied complaints, that generally
ends their lives. When they come TO sew.
enty they soon pop of.
Az might be naturally expected. certain
Of these men are examples OF fallen for
tunes. Some time ago a gentleman in the
south OF England made bad failure and
took retggs, unfricnded, in London. star
walton made him boardmm for week or
two. Quite lately he stopped in the street
the contractor who had employed him, ard
sand "Do YOU remember my face?" He |
was well. dressed city gentleman. The !
contractor did not recognize his former
employ6, who had got bis head quite above |
water again. Let us hope he exhibits
some practical charity to his quondam a.
sociates OF the gutter. The philosopher |
who eats fourteen onions day is another |
strange eXemplificatiol Of strange fortune. !
He was once a lieutenant in the navy,
knows three languages, and is the heir TO !
the fortune Of female relative in advanced |
age. with whom, however, he has quar- |
relied. This man should write an account |
Of his experiences in life. That life has not |
been without fol:Cs. OF course. but the !
mans character has whimsical, Dioge- |
ncse-like humor about 1t that makes him |
quite an original. Not a few of his !
street comrades. though destitute OF his |
talent, have seen better times like l,s. Ey- |
cry now and again ii happens that one OF a
gang OF boardmen will be recognized by an |
old friend OF sunny days not too proud TO |
speak 10 him. What, old man You |
therei" He is invited up some passage |
to a quiet "pub,' and there treated
probably much too literally. The bet
ter class OF d" broken-downs in
the service, while usually strictly
sober, fall now and again in this
way. II is creditable TO the contractors
that in such cases forgiveness is the rule.
The other side OF humanity's picture, how
ever, must also be looked at. 1t is one OF
the bitterest experiences of such men that
old associates will glance sskance at them
and hurry by. Some OF them have been
thus treated by well-dressed fashonables
to whom they had in prosperity lent money
that was never repaid.
One constant interest attaches TO the
perambulations OF the boardman. Likethc
Seotchman, he is "a linden things Gen.
orally the articles picked out OF the gutter
are almost worthless trifles, but shillings,
aud even soverelgns, are not unknown.
They come there. as rule. by
falt;nc, ,,n,nt,oab From, bo hauts ~