The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1885-09-25
WORKING FOR the PuHLIL
How the Average Street Laborer Man
nges TO Kill Time In the City.
fBrooklyn EaQiel

How the Average Street Laborer Man
sees to XIII Time In the City.
brooklyn Eagie.l
The sffete aristocrats OF the east about
whom we have read so much and who take
such ordinary pains TO kill time. should take
lessons from any Of the workers In
the public department Of New York.
The average street laborer kills time
with les effort and more success
than the most accomplished Of the
effete ronarchs Of the east. One day sat
near front window and observed the ac-
tions OF gang Of four mon who came to
open up portion OF the street It wes q
day that was alternately sultry and
rainy-just the sort OF day
to stay In doors-and had an ex-
tended opportunity Of observing tho actions
Of the gang. It was about 8 o'clock when
first went to the window. They were all
four sitting in row on the curb stone like
SO many blackbirds on the bough of q tree.
They wore overalls, flannel shirGs and
various head-gear, and. as they chewed
tobacco. the four jaws rose and fell In
unison. A picturesque assortment Of picks
and shovels was piled In front Of thsm.
When I glanced out an hour later they
were still staring thoughtfully at the pave
ment and moving their jaws mechanically.
Then the boss, after much effort succeeded
In getting jonted foot measure. about the
size Of penknife, out Of bis overall pocket
and began to measure of a section Of tho
street about ten feet long and six wide. The
Others looked at him with the casual interest
OF men who were about to 60 to work.
Presently the foreman few into q grsat pas
sion, scowled and began to blow up the msn.
He swore like q canal boat captain, black
laI fha l.. Al..,
went over and sat down besides them, and
then the others paid not the slightest alton
tion to him At this point IL began to
sprinkle, and the quartstte journeyed heavily
to q neighboring area, where thsy sat down
comfortably On the stones and lighted their
pipes 1t rained about fifteen minutes
Two hours later the men were again at
@work" They had by this time, amid q
perfect whirlwind Of words, succeeded In
mapping out their work, and they were
yanking up the stones by means Of crowbars
and pickaxes. The boss sat on a neighbor-
boring flreplug and yelled at them encour-
agingly. After q mighty effort they sue
ceeded in loosening the stones, and then
they all journeyed to the area again and
spent an hour eating their dinners. After
this they came out slowly. one after an
other, looked at the stones, looked up and
down the street, stretched, yawnei ana oe-
gan to pile up the stones in the middle of
the street This was designed to protect
horses from stumbling into the hole.
1t also served to almost entirely blockade
the street.
There was now a rectangular piece Of
about six by ten feet from which the stones
had been removed, and which gained
thereby depth Of about six inches Hav-
ing cleared all the stones out OF the space,
the gang sat down again on the gutter +,
admire it. and suddenly it began once more
to rain. They all retreated into the area
and presently the boss sent two OF then
forth armed with bailers. One had an
old tomato can and the other sauce
pan. It was raining hard and the hole was
full Of water. One Of the laborers took
up position at either end of the six-inch
excavation and began to bail 1t out. The
rain beat down upon their broad back.
but they bailed on faithfully for nearly
two hours, not the faintest effect resulting
from their efforts; they might as we'll have
tried to bail out the Atlantic ocean with
couple Of thimblss. When the rain stopped
they stopped, too. and won't back to tho
area, leaving the space completely filed
with water. Later on they succeeded In
loosening the earth little and then thsy
shouldered their picks and shovels and went
stolidly away.