The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-12-10

sweeps.
THE CLIMBING Boys SoLILoQUY.
The two stanzas which follow show the
line of the poets work to enlist sympathy
for the climbing boys:
wake and see the morning shine,
And all around me gay;
But nothing behold is mine,
No, not the light of day
No not the very breath l draw;
These limbs are not my own;
master calls me his by law;
lily griefs are mine alone.
The agitation continued until 1S4O when
parliament passed IAN act for the regule-
ton of chimney sweepers and chlmneys."
This provided that any person who, after
July l, 1912. should compel, or knowingly
allow, any child or young person under the
age of 81 years to enter a chimney or iue
for the purpose of sweeping or coring
the same, or for extinguishing fire therein,
should be liable to q fine of from 45 to 910,
and in default two months imprisonment.
The act also forbade the apprenticeship of
anyone under 10 years to a chimney sweep.
In spite of this act, it has been violated for
years, and associations for the suppression
of climbing boys in England, Ireland and
Scotland have been unable to break up the
custom.
ENGLISH CHIMNEY SWEEPS.
ment commissioners, appointed few years
ago to investigate the matter and report to
parliament, that several thousand children,
ranging from to Is years, and some of
them girls, are as much slaves to chimney
sweepers as before the passage of the act,
in fact the 300 fues Of the houses of parlia-
ment were "cored" by five boys in viola
ton of the law, and some idea of the reve-
nue. derived from chimney sweeping in
London may be gathered from the fact that
the Bank of England allows its contractor
4400 a year.
Chimney sweeps begin their work as early
as years of age, and q master sweep some
years ago, who had been fifty years in the
business, gave some very interesting infor-
nation concerning the cruelties endured by
the London sweep. He said that he was
less than years of age when he was sent
up his first chimney, and he remembered
that his master told him he would find a
pork pie at the top of the chimney. His
master had three little girl climbers and
carried leather belt to thrash the boys
with. The lad ran away, but was brought
back and beaten.
SWEEPS IN THE SOUTH.
Charleston claims to be the only city in
the United States which has kept her faith
in chimney sweeps This is an error. Sa-
vannah is welded to the ancient CUSTOM
here are not treated as they are
in England. As far back as 1903
an ordinance was passed providing for
a chimney contractor, who should sweep
the chimneys of all occupied buildings once
| a month from Oct. to April l in each
year, and kitchens and wash houses once a
| fortnight. A fine of $50 was provided for
in case any one opposed or prevented the
| work from being DONE and any neglect of
the contractor was punishable by fine not
exceeding $50. Notice in writing left at
| the house the day before stated when the
chimney would be cleaned. The occupants
| of the house were required to pay for the
| sweeping, but the amount was not men
toned. Any sweep boy, not licensed by
count, was made subject TO fine of not to
exceed $40.
THE BAKERS CHIMNEYS.
In 1923 the ordinance was amended so
that every "baker or keeper of cook
house" was required to have his chimneys
swept once week as long as they were in
use, and the contractor was instructed to
lay the city off into twelve sections the
chimneys of which should be swept once
month, the occupants to pay for the sweep
ing. In 1S43 the ordinance was amended
fixing the fees at 10 cents per story for each
chimney. In 1851 the council amended the
ordinance so that it provided for laying off
the city into two districts, the first being all
that part of the city west of Bull street, and
the second for that part lying east of Bull
street. 1t also provided for the election by
council of two contractors, one for each
district, who should give bond. The last
amendment was adopted by council in De-
cember, 1852, making 1t optional with tho
owners or occupants of houses to have
chimneys, wherein coal Is exclusively
burned, swept or not" 1t is under the
ordinance as amended that the city is now
working.
NOT VERY FAT OFFICE.
The present contractors are William A.
Freeman in the First district, who lives at
the west end of Bay street, near the canal,
and Daniel Sullivan, contractor for the
Second district, who lives at No. 10 South
Broad. Mr.. Freeman was elected in Janu-
airy, 1887, for two years, and Mr.. Sullivan
was elected in the March following to fill
tho vacancy occasioned by the death of Mr..
Cassidy, the contractor elected at the same
time Mr.. Freeman was. The contractors
give a bond Of $500 each for the faithful
performance of duty.
A MORNING NEWS reporter saw both con-
tractors yesterday and while they gave a
rather doleful account of the difficulty en-
countered in getting chimneys to sweep,
both confess that they will be candidates
for reelection next month. They say that
there are chimneys in their districts whore
wood is burned, which have never been
swept since their election as contractors.
A HARD FEE TO COLLECT
They say that it is next to impossible to
get their fees from the occupants OF the
houses, who are renters. and that landlords
will not pay. They dislike to put people on
the information docket for so small sum,
and as a result they do rot get much out Of
the office. Little colored boys go around
and sweep on their own account, claiming
that they are employed by the contractors,
and IL is next to impossible to catch the
little rascals.
In lamenting the disincliuation OF the
people to have their chimneys swept, the
contractors say that the danger OF fire is
increased by foul chimneys, to which many
fires are attributed. Then in sweeping
chimney the climbing boys often find de-
fects in hues which, when reported, pre-
vent quite a number Of fires.
The contractor in the First district employs
two colored boys for climbing, and the
second district contractor employs one. The
contractors report at the exchange every
morning to see If any orders have been left
for chimney sweeping. They go at an early
hour II necessary. 80 that a chimney can
be swept before q fire is started in the
morning.
HOW IT IS DONE.
Where there is CRATE TO the chimney the
sweep goes down the chimney and cleans it
with Scraper and brush; where 1t is an open