Wichita eagle., 1889-01-13
Daily X Easle
OUR NEW YORK LETTER.
WHAT BECOMES OF THE OLD
CLOTHES OF NEW YORK.
An "Old Clo'" Magnate-The Clothes That
Are Turned In by Sneak Thieves-Men
Who Sell Their Clothes-Vhat Becomes
of the Swells' Clothes.
Especial Correspondence

NEW YORK l. %.-You who have won
dered at what becomes of old clothes or have
puzzled over the business done by the ped
der, who gives foolish women 10 cent vases
for their husbands $50 oyercoats, need but
to go to Bayard street, near Elizabeth in
the busiest part Of New York city, to find
your questions answered on a scale so vast
as to be astounding. The street is narrow,
dirty, foul smelling and hideous 1t Is one
Of the two outlets from Mulberry Bend and
Baxter Bend to the Bowery All day 1t is
crowded by the votaries Of trade, and all night
by those Of vice. In its most crowded quarter
is small tumble-down frame building, which
seems always on the point OF falling apart.
Leading to the basement below the uneven
sidewalk Is flight of stone steps, once rough
but now smooth and polished by the count
less feet of ascending and descending visi-
tors. The basement, or cellar, runs back ap-
parently as FAR as the house. In front it re-
ceives little daylight from the street, but
everywhere else its illumination comes from
smoking gas Jets Everywhere are clothes
piled up in vast heaps, out OF which conc the
sallow men and palhd women who renovate
the goods and prepare them for market.
Down the stone steps marches an army of
clothes peddlers. They are Of every race and
type. Most of them are the itinerants of
glassware and china fame described, but be-
side these are clerks from tailor stores, mes
sengers from slop shops and sweaters, sneak
thieves, low ''fences" Tor receivers of stolen
goods, and statesmen from other establish
ments
Nearly every man carries on his arm the
goods he has bought, bartered, begged or
stolen during the previous twenty-four hours.
Some is broadcloth from Fifth avenue, and
some rags from the Five Points Each ar
ranges his load SO as to facilitate the work of
the "boss" of this cellar For the buyer,
manager, bouncer and proprietor is one and
the Same person. he is large, muscular
and rather fine looking man with profusion
of rich but tawdry jewelry and gems about
his person He sits in a heavy oak arm
chair near the doorway, SO as to
have the sunlight fan upon tho goods
he buys. He wastes no words nor
even courtesy in his trade As the would be
seller approaches, he quickly seizes and in
spects the goods, offers a price and his work
is over. II the seller accepts, the money is
ready for him there and then if not he turns
and goes without word. The men who will
bargain and chatter by the hour with their
customers never waste time in that manner
among themselves. Though the buyer sell
dom ceases judging and Offering, he never
leaves his chair, unless it be to 81 fire out" a
tramp or sneak thief. Hours at time his
monotonous words flow out to the single file
of sellers that reaches from him up the steps
TO the sidewalk. The talk, though monoton-
GUS, Is full Of interest-and grammatical er-
rors. twenty-five for them pants Ten
for that vest Get out Of here, don't want
no buns around. One and a quarter for that
coat refused them pants yesterday don't
work this racket g second time now or I'll
shut you out of my trade altogether. Two
dollars for that overcoat. Skip away there,
you blank thief | won't take your stuff
at no price, and don't come around here
again; l can't afford to have the fly cops
nosing in my store. One dollar for that coat
and vest. Three dollars for that overcoat.
Take away that suit; l don't want it. Two
and a half for that coat and pants. Fifteen
cents for that vest. Twenty for them pants
Tires dollars for that newmarket" One of
tho clerks said; ''This is really wholesale
second hand clothing place. Originally it
was retail store, like a hundred others in
this part of the city. 1t did good business
and the proprietor prospered When he had
enough money to carry on large operations
he opened a wholesale business, which has
been growing ever since There are only
few other places of tho same sort in this
country, out there are a great many in
Europe.
Where do second hand clothes come frons
From every place where there are men. Very
few come from the great swells. They wear
their costumes much longer than is commonly
supposed, and then give them to their SER
wants. The best grade comes from middle
aged business men. They are careless, and
spot and soil their wearing apparel in no
time. They are too lazy to do their own
cleaning, too independent TO keep valet to
do 1t for them and too proud to send their
stuff around to professional scourer. Pawn
brokers receive and dispose of great many
clothes, but Of second rate stuff and even
lower. The first class stuff is always re-
deemed; in fact, much of it is left there on
storage, the men in that business taking if
possible more pains and precautions than the
great tailors on Broadway. Thieves bring
good deal, but much less than you'd suppose
They almost always so through what they
steal and empty the pockets and cut out any
makers name, or owners initials or indelible
ink marks Sometimes when they are in a
great hurry they won't go to this trouble
Its only then that we run a chance of finding
anything IN the pockets or concealed in the
lining. Do you know that men leave more
inside the Innings Of their vests, coats and
overccats than they lose through holes in
their pockets. A great deal Of clothing
comes from boarding houses and lodging
houses. There are always people who leave
things behind them through forgetfulness,
and others who do the same thing as a kind
of collateral for small debts.
"W heredo we sell ole cloP Pretty much
al over, except TO the very rich. Even here
We have customers. There are five million
aires IN New York who regularly buy their
every day clothes IN our shops. Some goes out
into the country, but most of it stays in the
CITY and is sold there. Clothes are awfully
cheap now. The slop shop and sweater sys-
tenn has reduced the cost of labor 10 almost
nothing. You can have q coat made for
eighty three cents, a fall overcoat for ninety
and winter overcoat for a dollar. You can
buy a new suit, and good one, under this
system for anything from ten dollars up-
ward Second hand goods won't sell unless
they are at least a third below the cost of
new ones, and then sell in very small quanti:
ties To sell rapidly thsy should cost about
half rates As the dealer must make his profit.
you can easily see that the price We pay is
very small Upon that basis the amount OF
old clothes IN the market is almost unlimit-
eted, and the business keeps on increasing
everywhere, and especially in the great
citieSn WILLIAM S FALEs
Their View of 1t.
Englishman-You-aw-live in Califor-
aiah, believei
American-Yes, sir. San Francisco is my
hOr,a