Omaha daily bee., 1888-01-24
AMONG THE WHARF RATS.
Cunning Kogues Who Are Watched
From a Floating Police s tation.

INoSutS w uo are " utCHCu
From a Floating Police s Station.
New York Graphic: 1t may seem
strange that there are gangs of human
beings who live on the river and are
housed like water rats under the docks
and piers of this great town. Not even
London with its hosts of Thames pirates
and its skulliing boat robbers ever had
more lawless multitude than the
thieves that for many years made the
harbor of New York IL terror to honest
mariners and a danger to commerce.
Most of the old gang who swept the
rivers and piers in their snaky black
boats ten to twenty years ago have been
shot to death. drowned, or have died in
prison. and, although the watersise of
the city is much safer than it was in
those days, there are still many preda-
tory rascals that keep the watchmen
wakeiul along the piers where goods
are temporarily stored.
The working ground OF the river
thieves is wherever booty is to be found
and carried with the smallest risk. AT
the East river docks fronting the Brook
lyn navy yards, where the river sweeps
around a ragged jutting turn and the
tide dashes obout uncomfortably, the
pirates occasionally hold high carni-
val. The big south side tenements run
| ming down nearly 70 the waters edge
are hiding places for the criminal and
storage ground for their plunder.
So too on the west side, down in the
| neighborhood of Charlton and the ad-
| joining streets abutting on the docks of
| the North river. where the vicious ele-
ments live and thrive, the water thieves
| find chances for robbery and odd corners
in which to hide what they have stolen.
Before the present system of police
| surveillance and repression was adopted
| no mans life was thoroughly secure on
| any of the richly-laden vessels that lay
| within easy reach OF the docks when the
| darkness of night covered them, and
many a tale of piracy is yet told among
| the grizzly-bearded longshoremen that
| crowd the drinking places along the
| West street piers.
The scandal OF the lawlessness, the
robberies and occasional murders that
occurred on the waterfront eliminated
one night when a arichly-frcighted slOop,
captain. crew and vessel, were taken
bodily from an East river pier, towed
out safely far into the bay, and stripped
of everything of value that the sloop
and it's crew possessed. The hull of the
boat was left, but that was about all, and
the crew were landed and warned toget
| away from New York as fast as they
L
when after long investigation two of the
chief pirates were captured, not man
of the sloop's party could be found to
testify against them.
But the occurrence stirred up the au-
thorities, and very soon the harbOr pa
troll became recognized and essential
portion of the city's police force. Itdid
notsuppress river piracy, nor has it sup
pressed it, but the thieves have been
driven from many OF their skulking
places under the piers and along the
docks, and where almost whole cargOes
used to be stolen and carried away the
robbers must now content themselves
with small boatlOad and run their
chances of escape from the swift-oared
| police boats that day and night keeI
watch and ward over the docks and the
stream.
Down under the shadow of the big
iron pier that is the city's great outlet
to Coney island during the summer
months there is a ragged looking stone
building, where the department Of
docks has Offices. Close up to this
building, in a granite-walled slip, lies
sidewheeler that carries forty men, an6
is nothing more nor less than II verit
able police station. No one would sup
pose that in official parliance the good
sins single word Spatrol'' on her Wheel
house, is numbered precinct station
house, with roundsmen and sergeants
and n captain, just like the big build
ings in various sections of the towr
where our ordinary policemen are
| housed.
But the men who fill the ranks on the
| Patrol are of far different Drawn anC
muscle from the men that guard oul
streets. Many of them are young
| hearty fellows who have served an ap
| premiership on the sea, and all Of then
can handle an oar or launch boat will
as much prOmptness and safety as tn,
, most experienced sailor. They carr,
, no clubs while on duty along the river
for the pirates need more forcible ar
) guments than the shaking of nigh
| stick, and those are furnished usual,
= from the quick-speaking mouths of tn
5 big revolvers which the harbor polio
5 carry.
The life is not n pleasant one by an
= means, for the river front is long on
: and the wintry nights are the thieves
= best time for plundering. Through tn
: darkness, the rain and the sleet, alon
$ the choppy water, under big ferry pier
2 and among the harbor shipping, on
/. into the stream and over toward tn
g Jersey shore, around the dirty Eas
4 river docks, always full of good thing
: and swarming with thieves, the thre
a police boats, with six men each, pul
n silently and swiftly all through tn
y night, The pirates know that the glar
r Of the police lantern may be throw
1 upon them out of the darkness at an
A instant, and that once spotted six pail
$ of brawny arms will send the boat spin
/ ming through, the water after them in
o | way that will make escape impossible.
s The harbOr patrol has done and COZ