Wichita eagle., 1888-06-22

RAGS AND RAG PTCKERS.
WHERE WORN RUBBERS, OLD TINS,
RAGS AND WHAT NOT GO.

Visit to a Warehouse Heaped with Pick
ings of All Kinds-Sorters and Their
Deftness-A Pile of Old RuI bers and
Arctics.
Twas in my golden age of childhood
that there lived, if indeed, she does not
yet bent and withered woman, wrinkled
as China crepe and merry as larlk's song.
Methinks It's as far back as the third time
the pussy willows purred for me when
first heard her shrill, CHEEKY call, ''Raks,
raksP' From then till | was 'quite blk
gerl. missey," old Mary was welcome
arrival upon the domestic scene. Twas
reminded of old Mary the other day by
seeing a woman walking briskly under a
heavy sack of rags. Il was sunny, was
strolIing insensibly and followed her. She
entered warehouse heaped with piclkings
of all kinds; after hesitating a moment
did the same. Things seemed novel, so
when the proprietor looked at NE in rather
a surprised manner, explained like to
add to my slim stock of information re-
garding rags and rag pickers. Whereat
the clerk inquired interestedly, Are you
the woman who writes?" and rag peddler
who had just dropped in leaned up against
the wall and gazed at me fxedly, and with
much the same expression as he would
wear in viewing a freak in the dime
museum.
''Oh, it's great business" " he remarked
Il mean the proprietor-as he glanced
over some letters before conducting me
over the establishment, 'Eif it weren't for
rags there would be no paper, you would
have no Bible, no romance, no-love let
ters, he added in quite courtly manner.
Of all the queer places, that warehouse!
| clambered over the foot hills of rags,
separated by valleys rich with old iron,
zinc sheets, lead piping, brass wire, and
my eye rested upon i&ctic mountains in
the background perhaps | should say
mountains OF arctics. It seemed | touched
rudely upon professional pride when |
asked if that immense bulk and the many
bales for shipping were brought in by rag
pickers. | was informed that rag pickers
are those that go about the streets and
alleys or beg rags, which they usually sell
to small merchants Then there are rag
peddlers who own wagons and go about
among houses buying what they I~ish
merchants buying from both these classes,
and himself, buying mostly from them.
asked the proprietor what under the
canopy he does with all this truck, and |
was told he had contracts with large fac |
tories all over the country. Old metals |
are returned to foundries; paper and rags |
TO paper mills, and also ropes, which ere
used for MANILA paper; vinegar and oil |
barrels to be reflled; bits of leather and |
old boots TO soap factories, where the |
grease is extracted for soap for my elegant |
ladies' white hands; old bones to sugar |
refneries, where, calcined, they purify !
sugar and syrup, or bones may be shipped |
for fertilizing. Ole bottles are returned |
to brewers, etc, new cloth rags from |
tailors back TO cloth factories, and rubber, |
gums" as the Anglomaniacs term them,
to the factory in Massachusetts.
That pile of rubbers and arctics reach
ing TO the ceiling die losk odd. There
were tiny baby arctics and large scows
side by side; those eXasperating
run down -at-the- heel rubbers which peo-
pie had lost III the street and plenty which
had sprung leak and been abandoned.
You've walked from many directions,
through many paths, upon feet shod in
righteousness and those taking hold on
hell. haven't you? They present a good
illustration of reincarnation doctrines,
they will be rid of the useless parts and
the impurity and their best parts sent to
the factory, whence they Will shortly is
sue again. shining and new.
| always used TO deprecate throwing
arctics, etc. into the alleys, but now
shall do all in my power TO assist these
rag pickers TO plentiful spring crop.
They receive four cents a pound for them;
besides, quite a number of boys and girls
get employment in cutting of the rubber.
It's queer, baEng them. Hundreds Of
hem are flung into huge box lined with
0urlap. Then q man on each side pumps
IN windlass-this may not be clear
enough. but that's what it looks like. When
he box was opened. | saw the rubbers
lad been pressed out OF all semblance
The proprietor took me 10 another ware
house where the rags were being sorted
4 long room was bordered with deep
ooxes, in shape and size like tables, with
bottoms of sieves for the dirt to sift
through. On either side stood women
'apidly sorting them, and unerringly
iinging the rags into various barrels
'ound about. They wore calico gowns
'eaching to their feet. and kerchiefs on
heir heads, to protect themselves from
,he dust, They didn't seem to be paying
my attention TO whether rags were linen,
Toolen, mixed. what not. l asked one of
hem how she tells. by the feeling.
We scarcely ever stop to tear it. We get
70 that we can tell anything by touching
t, even with our ewes shut"
Easy learnt? Well. for those as has
he knsGk. Some girls pick it up in a
ouple of weeks. some never can learn il.
)h. it isn't disagreed bic work when YOU rs
ised TO it. Most rags is pretty clean.
'ome, she pointed to a bin. 1t gave new
nearing 10 mems righteousness being
Ike filthy rags. "-"A. Z. P" in Pioneer