Wichita eagle., 1888-05-06
TIE RAG BUSINESS.
FIVE CLASSES OF PEOPLE IDENTIFIED
WITH THE INDUSTRY.

Rag Picker., Jurk Dealers. Cleaners. Con-
tractors and Imporfer-Sc scene in q
Dealer wa-ehousc-Yousg Girls Work
ing in n Sitting Atmosphere.
There are five groups Of cisssifcations Of
labor and handling in connection with rags
and their utilization:
l. The ragpickers, nesrly all Italians. who
gather the refuse of the street AMI the shops
2 The dealers in rags. papers and old junk.
of whom there ere about 500 IN the city.
These are IN the uaip small dealers, and EN-
pfoy Individually but q few hands, the major
portion of WHOM are girls and boys is 10
difficult TO ascertain the entire force, but .
fair estimate viii not exceed 900
s. The rag cleaners form the next group
They are also small dealers, as . rule, who
buy from the rag and junk shops the rudely
assorted rags and so over them again, Ovid
ing them into wooden and cotton goods.
These dealers are self employers, have from
two to four men in their employ and some
Younger hands. The entire force 50 used may
be estimated at about 200.
4 The wholesale or large buyers and con
tractors form this group These houses EN-
ploy from so 70 300 hands, Of whom three
fifths are girls, many being Of tender years
There are some thirty largo dealers IN the
city. about ten being handlers only Of woolen
rags, bought directly from tailors. clothierS
WOODEN and dry goods houses, etc. Probably
there are 600 hands employed
5. This group comprises the agents Of the
paper shoddy mills and the importers of rags,
OF which there are q considerable number IN
the city. The business To thssa Is profitable
one.
A srrFIISG ATMOSPHERE.
On Pike street, a little east side thorough
fare hear the river and down town, which il
probably not known 70 the great majority Of
New Workers, is a dealer In wooden rags
almost entirely. he is q busy dealer, keep
ing four large trucks constantly moving and
having a working force of about 100, Of
whom forty-nine are girla The ago Of at
least one-half of these may be questioned
They do not look, as a rule. over y years
old, though III reply to questions they de-
clared themselves 10 be Is or more.
The premises are dirty in the extreme
How can they help being 50 in such q BUSH
neSsi The two houses are occupied from
basement TO garrett The floors are cold and
cherries; the air is choking, full of dust and
dirt of all kinds: it is thick enough 10 cut
with knife. Down there in the basement
ten dirty, slippery steps lead to THERE are
fourteen girls Rt work amid sitting arncs-
phere. The floor is boarded, but the walls
are damp. Under the sidewalk Is a Stove. and
this is the source of all tina heat In the shop.
The upper floors are a little better, but the
place is unwholesone and filthy beyond, il
would seem, what is unavoidable in such a
| business. The wages paid are: For the
women and girls from 81 50 TO IS per week,
the larger portion receiving from s. to $3.50.
The hours of work are ten; half hour is
/ allowed for dinner, which the girls generally
get at home, as they mostly live IN the
vicinity. The wages of the men average 81
per day, the truckinen aud "a few others re-
ceiving more.
In this place, which Is typical, the rags are
received direct from workshops and stores OF
all kinds engaged in the manufacture OF
clothing and handling Of dress goods. They
come in bags packed closely and weighing
from 800 to 800 pounds each The Pike street
mans dealings range from Brooklyn TO
Newark The men handle and empty the
bags On large tables with heavy frames and
stout network of wire, having orifices Of half
an inch or so. Over this network the rags
are moved by hand 50 that the dirt, etc, falls
to the floor I'm great clouds which I'll the Dyes,
ears, mouth and lungs.
ON THE SORTING TABLrs
The rags are sorted on these tables and
divided into wooden, mixed and cotton goods,
each being placed in separate barrels. The
colors and quality are also noted ia sorting
and when again bagged are arranged there
by. The cotton and silk goods are sDid for
paper stock and the wooden and mixed TO the
wooden mills. chiefly in New England, where
they are manufactured into sboddy. Mixed
wooden and cotton goods are not IN demand,
but when used the cotton LIS oarusd out by
some process.
Ii vas not a pleasant place, this Pike street
warehouse, with It's squalor, dirt and dust
Even less inviting were the hands employed
The men naturally were rough, sturdy,
ragged; the girls and wofnen-thc latter be
ing mostly elderIy-are generally Irish
Americans Of the poorest type, with few
Jews among them The Italians keep out u
the warehouses They content themselves
with the work u gathering aud live willis
engaged In the open air. The dealers among
them are controllers Of abor-padrones TN
fact. or they have got into the city swim
and contract 70 handle its refuse. But tho
little ones at the Pike street warehouse. be-
grimed, ragged. rough, hollow eyod, pinchsd
Of feature, dirty Of course, all coughing
more or less from the constants irritation Of
the lungs
The cleansing shops are no more inviting
TO the eye or nnstrils, but the dus. Is not as
intolerabisL The rags are bought from The
junk and rag dealers. who buy direct from
the Italians, or they are gathered direct
from small shops and factories The rags
are placed In great pans and washed by
stirring until tho worst fxh Is removed,
when they are sorted and divided roughly
by material, colors and quality, and when
dried are again disposed 81 to the Wholesale
dealers.-New York Graphic
She Was . Woman