Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-01-26
GOTHAM'S WHARF RATS.
MEN WHO LIVE BY STEALING FROM
DOCKS AND SHIPS.
Plumber Hidden in the Rivers Bed
Thieves Who Are Expert Divers and
Who Are Able to Elude the Police.
Selling the Loot.

Plunder Hidden In the RIVERS BED
Thieves Who Are Expert Divers and
Who Are Able to Elude the Police.
Selling the Loot.
A great city like New York contains
many people who live by violating our
laws, and these people are divided into
odd groups. each having distinctive pur-
pose Of its own. One Of these groups in
tests the water front Of New York, and
nowhere in our civilization can be found
more degraded class of criminals. The
members are known to the police and to
the watchmen on the ships as wharf
rats" The title is certainly well chosen
The wharf rats are expert swimmers and
divers and are as agile in avoiding the po-
lice u IS any Intelligent rodent i'll escaping
from the clutches Of cat These men
and grown up boys live as criminals from
choice. They extract more happiness
from the theft Of a bag Of coffee or a coil
OF rope than the average person would
from a Christmas PRESENT. Ii shot at
while stealing from a ships cargo they
Jump into the river, sink out Of sight and
come to the surface under the protecting
shade Of "A wharf II not wounded they
take their experience as "A joyful advent
ure II wounded they rest on the rafters
under the pier until night comes along,
rI,,.a. -, e,,,,,.,,i.,,~,,s % oil ,Es wharf
- ~ - -, rarfn,
IT.. h.,, 80, s,',.araI ID y, brct.bot
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,1,.'d -, -. III chem,
srl'J- r - -
w. IL fti,, :, 49,, 80,
~ s -, "p H. a. ,,,iIaa,,aL
$500 s,,o,.faIi nd ai,,.ars 800
-. - II, ~ H.. ,l,rd.r Tavlor
- -. - :, -, 49,. 80
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supply Of tobacco.
CRIMINALS OF Low TYPE
Buch-ho Taylor is the best known Of
tue wharf rats but there are hundreds
who follow in his footsteps. As rule
they commit no greater crime than petty
larceny The majority Of the wharf rats
do their work at night and move about on
the water in row boats Their speciality
is the stealing Of rops which is an article
easy to dispose Of to junkmen who do
business w,th shipmasters. If chased by
the harhOr police they abandon their boat
and swim, nader cover of the darkness, to
places of refuge under the wharves Some
of these fellows makes a specially Of using
giant augers. aud boring through the
flooring of the docks and into the sugar
barrels that have been uuloaded from
ships They empty the sugar into bags.
amt then dispose of it when the opportu-
nlty offers.
All these wharf rats do not carry their
plumber to the stores along South and
West streets. Ia some cases the plumber is
too bulky, and in other cases the wharf
rats are too well known to risk discovery
by carrying the stolen goods in the street.
Friendly junkmen fill this deficiency.
There is IA band Of junkmen that goes
from wharf 10 wharf in boats and buys old
SUITS from the captains of ships. Some
times these junkmen have something to
sell in the way OF rope, anchor chains and
pulley blocks. The wharf rats await the
coming of these junkmen, and in their
lairs under the wharves make their sales
- - a. =, a.t
| d..ntnd hv iunkmen for tho nlunder oh
/ ..,.lbv the wharf rats These degraded
/ clmnns If our civiIization have very
/ / .rlo ronraco md are Of n sneakv dis