The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1888-12-07
"HOPpERS' /" HOLIDAY.
Description Of the Annual
Outing of London's Poor.
Taking the Midnight Train from the
Metrcpoiis-Ths HeP-Piekers
and Their Employers.
Nsr York line.

| priated for her missions and relief so
cieties, EnglanG's poor impress me as
the poorest, the most degraded and
pitiable wretches I have seen in all
Europe. One realizes the cause and
effect Of 8 Socialist rising in London
better when ne has witnessed the want
and penury which drives these men TO
any alternative whose result may be
other than that which IS already
theirs. However, it is rot my pur-
pose 10 prste Of social reform or the
thousand and one arguments pro and
con. Any reform seemed quite i'm
possible 20 me the other night as
watched 4 crowd OF London poor
pushing one another around the cor
ner leading toward the London bridge
railway station. | paused in amaze
ment. who are they? What are
they7 Where are they going?" |
asked one standing near. "Hoppers,
was his reply, and this was all that he
| vouchsafed TO answer me.
/ listened TO one OF them, gaunt.
unwashed, unshaven fellow, holding
a child in his arms, while another
| chung around his knee TO avoid being
swept away with the passing crowd.
ME and the little un's can pick up
from 30 to 40 bushels day, and this
littlest un hops like any growed-up
folk"
BOUND FOR THE GARDENS.
Then knew they were a party of
| hop-pickeYs bound for the gardens,
| which have made the south of Eng
land so famous for her hops. They
were making their way by thousands
/ to take the midnight train from Lon
don. Kept back by line of police,
I who made vigorous use OF stout arm
| and club as the crowd pressed forward,
7 each anxious to preeede his neighbor
lest the little round window OF the
booking-office should be closed before
I he got chance to secure the shilling
excursion" in lieu of the 'four-shilling
regular" fare TO county Kent. ~.
This is one OF the sights OF London
at this sea on-''the annual outing of
the slums 600 of London's miser-
able poor off for their yearly harvest,
their luggage consisting OF tin kettle,
a saucepan, cup and saucer, and a
ragged cover, which they dignity by
the name of blanket, while any added
luxury in the way of knife or fork
| may be begged, borrowed or stolen at
their earliest convenience. There were
/ whole families huddled together, some
asleep on the sidewalks, Others arrang-
ing the family properties. while the
head OF the house pushed his way with
the Others TO the ticket Office to buy,
most likely, two tickets for himself
and wife, while a family of twelve
| will be smuggled in as under age"
J a,,A 20. he .raAtt ~ ha mo - Off rfa ole
let it be said that the ages of these
children are never questioned pro-
vided a ticket for some member of the
family be found among them. At
| midnight sharp the train starts, leay-
ing such as have not arrived in time,
or such as cannot afford TO pay the
small fare, TO tramp il, and | am told
that of the 10000 who 90 down, As 900
go by train, IA 600 tramp it," and
about 1000 find their way down by
conveyance of one kind or another.
Although few start on what is
known as "a spec hop" the majority
OF these pickers know exactly to what
garden they are going, As each year
they try to return to the master they
were under the previous season. At
the beginning of each season the "hop-
pers" write around TO the various
farms, one man often being the sec
rotary for hundred or more who can
only sign their epistles with the time
honored cross, and although they are
of such rowing disposition, they new
er fail to let their address be known
when hopping season approaches.
They are replied to on postal card,
telling them the date to appear. and it
i worthy of note that many have been
in the same garden from 10 to 20 years.
often living the entire ii months upon
the savings from this one profitable
month of September. One old woman
has gathered the blossoms for over AZ
| years, and tells me that good season
will produce over 5000 900 pounds of
blossoms from the fields of Kent.
SLEEPING ACCOMMODATIONS.
1t is pretty sight, the soft-changlng
fields OF autumn growing indistinct
where that haze peculiar to English
landscape makes changing lights and
shadows over the green. There begin
the hop gardens, the long lines of vines
dotted with the figures of the workers,
while all around may be seen the
white tents cleaning in the sunlight.
These are the sleeping accommoda-
tons Of the hoppers, far preferable to
the stuify brick houses, which are still
to be seen, but which have been more
or less deserted owing to their over
crowded condition. for these people
seem TO avoid all that savors of their
London life, and prefer the open air.
Nth straw for beds and pine boughs
for pillows. TO sleeping twelve in a
room scarcely large enough for six
| Each man on entering receives his
number stamped on piece of tin,
which is usually hung about his neck.
A. il becomes precious boon as time
wears on, for by it the owner can OBJ
tain food, faggotS and doctors aid
| when necessary.
| Work begins at the blowing of the 6
n. III. horn and ceases at Is p. m. and
rs sytematic a sequence OF work is fol-
lowed as in any factory. The men
cut the hop vines close to the ground
pull up the long poles to which they
are tied and Law them across the
"hosse. kind of bind, at a suitable
height for the women and children to
pull of the hops Underneath hangs
sack into which the blossoms are
dropped, which is empiied at inter
walls by the tally man, who meas
ures the amount picked. notes il in his
hook TO the credit of the hopper or
throws it back upon his hands to be
repicked, that i. Sifted from the
leaves "A tally-man's life is not a
happy one. " Rera'ed on all sides. he
must be stout both Of body and nerve
10 carry out his orders. and lucky is
the. "tally-man" who can bear the
brunt of il, A good picker can earn
from s. to Il day. His allowance
i 6I. until the end Of the week. when
the remainder IS booked to his credit.
The wise man viii avoid he pewter
beer pot and village bar. and return to
London with a good - or SO: but.
ala they are few indeed
We inquired the Use OF the odd
stove pipes which are - noticeable
among the gardens. and were told they
we're cast houses. The curious extiu-
lgui>herliSe ventilators are a kind of
kiln nsed for driving the hops Large
quantities of charcoal mixed with sui
rhur, are burned here to purify the
hops. When cool. the hops are packed
IN pockets about one hundred
weight each, and shipped 10 London
where they are great speculation
Fortune are made ami Lost more rap
idlv in hops than in any other staule
product. said farmer Who had the
wear before lot everything he pos
~eS-ed IN an unfortunate hop transac-