The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1888-03-15
THE RAG BUSINESS.
FIVE CLASSES OF PEOPLE IDENTIFIED
WITH THE INDUSTRY.

p,, picLer.. junk Dealers, Cleaners, Con-
.,,,,,s and importers - Scene in a
p.,,or. Warehou,e-Young Gir's Work
ing in a sitting Atmosphere
There are five groups Of classifications OF
labor and handling in connection with rags
and their utilization: , H.
/ The rocpickers, nearly all Italians, VINO
gather the refuse Of the street anu Che snoPS'
. The dealers in rags, papers and ola JUNK
of whom there are about oUO IN the Guy
These are in the main small dealers, and EN-
nloy individually but few hands the mayor
norton of whom are girls and boys IL ID
difficult to ascertain the entire force, out
fair estimate will not exceed 2,3OV.
8 The rag cleaners form the next group
They are also small dealers, as RUE VINO
buy from the rag and junk shops the ruuelS
assorted rags and go over them again. Wv
ing them into wooden and cotton goouS'
These dealers are self employers, have non
two to four men in their employ ana some
Younger hands The entire force so uSedlhay
be estimated at about 900
4. The wholesale or large buyers and con-
tractors form this group. These houses EN-
plov from 80 to 200 hands, of whom three
fifths are girls, many being Of tender years
| There are some thirty large dealers IN the
| city. about ten being handlers only OF WOODEN
rags, bought directly from tailorS, clothiers
wooden and dry goods houses, etc Probably
there are / 900 hands employed,
). This group comprises the agents Of thu
paoer shodiv mills and the importers of rags
1, l,la MIMI tpI'
! the city. The bushes to them IS proti,abl
one.
STIRLING ATMOSPHERIC.
On Pike street. 4 little east side thorough
fare near the river and down town, which
probably not known to the great majority c
| New Workers, is a dealer in WOODEN rag
almost entirely He is a busy dealer, keel
ing four large trucks constantly moving an
having a working force Of about 100, c
whom forty whine are girls. lineage of Q
least one-half OF these may be questioned
They do not look, as a rule, over |? veal
old, though in reply to questions they dt
clared themselves to be Is or more
The premises are dirty in the extreme
How can they help being so in such bus
ness! The two houses are occupied frol
DdStIllbUl " SdtlGl. NC hOOAS IL ( NH'--A GIL
cherries; the Gir is choking, full OF dust an
dirt of all kinds; it is thick enough to CT
with knife Down there in the basement
ten dirty, slippery steps lead 10 lt-there al
fourteen girls at work amid sliding atmo
phere. The floor is boarded, but the wal
are damp. Under the sidewalk is a stove, al
this is the source of all the heat in the Shol
The upper floors are q little better, but Il
place is unwholesome and filthy beyond.
would seem, what is unavoidable in such
business. The wages paid are: For Il
women and girls from $! 80 to - per weei
the larger portion receiving from s. 10 $50
The hours Of work re zen; half hour
allowed for dinner, which the girls general
get at home, as they mostly live in II
vicinity. The wages Of the men average
per day, the truckmen and few others r
ceiving more.
In this place, which is typical. the rags al
received direct from workshops and stores
all kinds engaged in the manufacture
clothing and handling of dress goods. The
come in bags packed closely and weighir
from 800 to 500 pounds each. The Pike sire
mans dealings range from Brooklyn
Newark. The men handle and empty Il
: bags on large tables with heavy frames al
stout network of wire, having orifices OF ha
an inch or so. Over this network the ra
are moved by hand 50 that the dirt, etc, fal
to the floor in great clouds viii h ill the eye
ears. mouth and lungs.
on THE SORTING TABLES.
The rags are sorted on these tables al
divided into wooden, mixed and cotton good
each being placed in separate barrels. T
colors and quality are also noted in sortin
and when again baeged are arranged thel
by The cotton and silk goods are sold f
paper stock and the wooden and mixed to L
| wooden mills, chiefly in New England whe
they are manufactured into shoddy Mix
wooden and cotton goods are not in delnan
but when used the cotton is burned cut
some process.
Il vas not a pleasant place, this Pike sire
warehouse, with its sQualor, dirt and du.
Even less inviting were the hands employe
; The men naturally were rough, Sturd
ragged: the girls and women-the latter /
ing mostly elderly-are generally Iri
Americans Of the poorest type, with fc
Jews among them. The Italians keep out
the warehouses. They content thcmselv
with the work # gathering and live VIII
engaged in tie open air. The dealers amol
them are controllers Of labor-padroncs
fact; or they have got into the city swi
and contract to handle its refuse But t
little ones at the Pike street warehouse, |
grimed, ragged, rough, hollow eyed, pinch
of feature. dirty OF course, all coughil
more or less from the constant irritation
the lungs.
The cleansing shops are no more invitii
70 the eye or nostrils, but the dust is not
intolcrahle. The rags are bought from t
junk and rag dealers, who buy direct fro
the Italians, or they are gathered dire
from salall shops and factories. The IA
are placed in great pans and washed |
stirring until the worst filth is remove
when they are sorted and divided rough
by material, co!ors and quality, and WHIT
dried are again disposed of to the wholesa
dealers. New York Graphic.
The Circus Riders Tune.
why don't You change the tune in tn
organ once in while. I should thir
| 'ryvorrIi oct friv1tfuIly u,u,tnn,,,, III,