Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1886-10-02
STREET SCAVENGERS.
HOW CITY ASH BARRELS FURNISH A
LIVELIHOOD TO THOUSANDS.

sion or Shantytown by Ragmen-People
Who Make Good Incomes hut Live In
squalor.
While 1t might be stretching point to
assume that all ragmen are milliOnaires
in disguise it is nevertheless true that
you may find on the books of the saving
institutions in this city the names Of
hundreds OF them who are worth from
IS. 600 to $4,000 apiece. To one who has
made no study of the life and habits of
the ragpicking fraternity, the statement
that even much larger sums are honestly
amassed in he business may seem an ex-
aggeration. The secret of these accumu-
iations is not that ragpicking Is an excep-
tionally remunetative occupation, but
that those who engage in it are often to
the last degree economical and save
almost their entire income. And this is
enlarged by contributions from every
member of the family down to the 5 year
old baby of business, who Sells papers or
matches or perhaps devotes himself to
rescuing cigar st jumps from the gutter.
TWO CLASSES OF RAGPICKERS.
Be it known that there are in New
York at least two classes of ragpickers.
One has a semi official standing, and the
other is composed OF the independent,
irresponsible guerillas of the streets. The
official pickers are comparatively recent
institution, and gained their status
through the street cleaning department..
The ashbarrels aud the cutters are the
chief source to which the ragpickers look
for a living and possible fortune, and
these are within the domain of the depart
ment under Commissioner Coleman, who
has m lde many changes in the old system
of street cleaning. The whole island is
divided into districts, to each of which is
attached dumping station. On the
North river side there are six OF these
dumps" The carts of the department
collect in the course of each day from the
thoroughfares, the side streets, the alleys
and the courts about $500 loads of gar
bage and ashes and dump them into the
scows.
The dump pickers are really but small
portion of the city scavengers and are not
held in particularly high esteem by the
more Independent spirits who roam about
on their own responsibility. 1t is not gen.
orally known that the latter district and
CLEAN the city and suburbs almost as sys-
tematically as the street cleaning depart
ment ITSELF At the Brooklyn bridge
about 0 O'Clock any morning you will find
a small army of the manual toilers Of the
two great cities Fastening to their work.
From Brooklyn, always by the footpath,
comes great procession of mechanics,
porters and laborers. But there is also a
current of humanity setting towards the
City of Churches. Many of these are Ital-
ians, Germans, Frenchmen and other
foreigners, hurrying down with pick and
shovel from the tenement house districts
on their way to daily toll in the streets
and suburbs of Brooklyn. In these groups
may be seen not few Italians who carry
hooks and bags instead of picks and SHOW
els. They are the early birds among the
city scavengers, and hardly an ash barrel
or likely gutter in all the city OF Brook
Ign will escape their attention, while
some viii prosecute their search in the
remoter towns of Long Island. Before
the morning is well advanced 200 or more
of them will pass over the bridge. A
similar exodus of these emerge tic and
business-like rag gatherers may BE- noted
at the Pennsylvania and Erie ferries.
Jersey City ranks high in their estimation
as fertile field of operations. Still other
sells of ragmen make their way TO the up
per part of Manhattan island and branch
out into the annexed district.
THE REASONS FOR SYSTEM
Much Of the apparent system of these
daily pilgrimages Is accounted for by the
fact that some of the ragpickers of an
ambitious turn Of mind have risen to the
dignity of junk dealers, anG laying aside
the bag and hooks themselves, have gath
cred about them a considerable body of
compatriots as dependents. They have ap-
preciated the necessity Of system in order
TO increase the profits of the business
and so by arrangement with other Junk
and rag dealers have districted the city
and suburbs. Two dealers cover Jersey
City with their men, Two or three others
devote themselves particularly to Brook
Ign and Long Island. The east and west
sides and the upper wards are likewise
subdivided. Aside from this districting,
however, there is considerable compete
ton In the favorite localities, and many
OF the ragpickers are too shif5less to en-
ter into any combination. preferring to
work when and where they please.
An agile an industrious ragpicker
gathers irein fif:y to 100 pounds of spoiis
day. and he makes from 81 to - and
sometimes more. according TO tie quality
Of his ra = aad otner pickin G. Be isa
very Incompetent ragpicker who can not
AVERAGE 81 50per day. His expenses are
usuaily VERY Light and sometimes nothing
at all Uaiexs he is foraging in very
remote diStr Ct he pays no fares. but
brings hts .oad home on his shoulders or
IN some III fances in handcart His
lunch consists OF 4 piece OF hard bread
and cold nsx at, which he carries wrapped
in . paper At the b0tfom or his bar. III
business Is prospecting he sometimes IN
dulges in the luxury Of an after-iunch
glass Of beer. It Is his own fault il he
has not nfcked mn enough cigar efrfrnx,n