Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1885-07-30
MONEY AT THE DUMPS.
A snug Fortune Raked Each Year Out oi
Heaps of Refuse.

Huge wire baskets with hosting
gear of iron chains have been rugged at
all of the fourteen dumps on the North
and East rivers, and Italians may be
seen everyday soaking rags in the
baskets. The idea of the unique machine
was borrowed from the dog pound.
The rio is liked upon the end OF the
pier. When the basket is full it IS let
down into the water. and the tide is
left to do the washing. Every pound
of dirt washed out of the rags repre-
sents the loss of cent and quarter,
the average price of rags at wholesale,
and many dollar is hopelcssly sunk
in the river that way. The board OF
health and Mai Bullard, chief Of the
sanitary police, who got up the wash
ing business, are held responsible Tor
this outrage.
The ash-harrels of the city, before
their contents are finally dumped into
the sea, are made to yield quite $1,000
year to nearly one hundred Italians
who handle the refuse at the dumps.
This is exclusive of the rag-picking IN
the streets, which still goes on in spite
of police prohibition. The city gets its
share of the profit. The work OF trim
ming the scows. or in other words, of
packing the dirt evenly before they are
sent out to sea, is sold by the city to
one Tom Roach for $40 a week.
Roach hires the privilege OF sorting
over the refuse as the cart dumps their
loads, and of picking out what is worth
having. He is, however, merely the
middleman, and Jose Cicarilla, an
Italian, is the real contractor. lie
paws to Roach, or his equivalent, a
bonus of $50 a week for his contract,
and hires a sufficient number Of his
countrvmen at from - to 81 q week TO
do the work. AT present his staff en-
braces ninetv-four men, whose duty
it is to sort over and trim daily scow-
load Of refuse at each dump, exclusive
of the waste-paper gathercrs, who form
a sort of skirmshing line at the dumps,
helping little, and receiving a pit
lance of 81 or 81 80 week from the
sub-contractor, and all the waste paper
they can find. The aggregate amount
of money paid to this army OF scaven-
gers in the course Of the year by their
boss is between $1,000 and $4,000.
Some of them live under the dumps,
others in cheap tenements, all in squa-
Tor and misery.
Rags and bones are the principal
sources of revenue OF the asl-heaps.
Some rags are much more valuable
than Others but. taken as a whole,
they bring / cents pound. The loss
in weight is caused by the new order
to wash them before they are packed
in bags and sent to the junkshops, and
the extra pay Of the four men who are
needed to handle the baskets are more
than made up for by the greater yield
since the police began their systematic
raid on the ash-barrel ragpickers.
Though hooks are piled slightly, yet in
every street a change has already been
worked. Seyenty-iiye or eighty rag
pickers have been locked up in station
cells for disobeyiug the law, and in
Little Italy it is beginning to be under
stood that the health officers mean
business.
Bones, that stand next upon the list
and are scrupulously saved by the del
vers, bring 90 cents barrel rs mater
ial for comeback, kniie-handles, and
buttons. They are exported in close
wagons, principally TO Crow Hill,
across the river, where the charcoal
factories are. Whole bottles are quoted
at IS cents barrel aud broAcn clear
glass at a quarter barrel Until
recently tin cans were an important
source of revenue, ut the rate of So or
- bio load. the supply being unlimi-
ted. But now they are drug in the
market, and are left to the stale-bcer
workers. They have had their day.
The East-sider, present resident of
First avenue, who first saw visions OF
wealth in the tin and solder of empty
preserve cans realized his dream. He
has retired with snug fortune. The
waste paper. too, /, despised by the
trimmers, and is lett to the skirmisners,
who sell it for what they can yet.
II. 81. ,,;,..;,,.,..
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