Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-11-10
Frank Leslie Gives the History of
Two Remarkable Chiffonniers.
RARE HONESTY OF AN OLD WOMAN
Organization, Difficulties and Earnings of
Ragpickers.
A LARGE FORTUNE IN ORANGE PEEL

handed the lost pearl to that official. Her
name was Gautier. She was chiffonniere,
or female ragpicker, by trade and had found
the pearl in heap OF rubbish in the Rue
1afitte. She lived in small wooden
shanty in the Rue du Ruisseau, poorly ten
anted street belonging to a quarter known
as Les Grandes Carrieres, so named from
the Large ouarrieS" on the northern slopes
OF Montmartre, where the city formerly got
much of its fine limestone for building.
The new law that forbids housekeepers
from placing their rubbish in the streets
over night has been sad blow to the corpo-
ration TO which this poor honest woman be-
longs. Some compensation has, it is true,
been offered them by the tolerance of the
police, who close their eyes to the infringe
ment of the regulations in the narrow
streets which are lined with shops and
warehouses. They have each their own con-
cierge who permits them to forage at day
break among the rubbish brought down by
The servants from upstairs.
They have a longer days work now.
Formerly they started out at 10 at night,
and at or in the morning, when the carts
made their rounds, they had disappeared
from the streets. Now they must remain
until the scavengers appear on the scene, or
at least until the last boxes of rubbish have
been emptied into the common bin placed
on the edge of the kerb by each concierge.
A RAGPICKER'S EARNINGS.
They have the work of sorting to do when
they get back from their early morning task
of collecting the refuse. Some sell it to a
boss, or trieur (sorter), as be is called, who
stays at home and does nothing else. He
sits in his room like gentleman, and there
nd
the different articles picked up by mis- work
people. He then sells the material to buy
ers of various sorts.
The business is anything but lucrative
one. Parisians, however, throw away every
year more than 800, 900 tons of stuff, which
the ragpickers collect and sell for upward of
25.000, 600 francs, or nearly $5,00O,000 The
daily returns amount in all to more than
10000 francs (S14,O00), but there are 4O, 900
men and women to snare the sum between
them, so that each gets an average of franc
and 70 centimes, or less than 35 cents. Two
hundred pounds of waste paper cannot be
sold for more than a couple of francs.
wooden rags are only worth cents
a pound, cotton 3 cents, and bones
at best fetch Ii. S5c, or37 cents per hundred
weight. A man working steadily all night,
for they still ply their trade on a small
scale, despite the edicts of the Prefect-may
earn, if he has fair amount of good fortune,
from 40 to 90 cents, but not more. A silver
spoon does occasionally turn up in the rub
bish; but the pearl OF purest orient hue
well, so to speak, never. Besides, every
member of the corporation of ragpickers is
bound under severe penalties to deposit any
valuables he may find at the nearest police
Office. Each has a card or ticket with a
number inscribed, and number correspond |
ing with that on the card is fastened to the |
hottie or basket. Ragpickers, moreover,
have always been noted Tor their industry
and honesty
JUST GOOD AND BAD,
There are no classes or categories among
the rag pickers, as some pretend. The are
only the good and the bad. The real chif-
fonier is readily recognized by the adroit-
ness with which, while only slightly stoop-
ing, he transhxes a cork, or any bit of rag
or paper, and drops it into the basket at his |
shoulders. It requires years of patient prac-
tice to do the feat neatly, He contemns imi- |
tators, people who would fain pass them |
selves of for the genuine article. There |
are plenty of such shams who wear the blue /
blouse and 60 about with the basket. but /
they are no members of the corporation, |
They are mere hide vendors.
Catskins still find purchasers, and the /
number of rabbits eaten at cheap restaurants
and water-side resorts enables these provl-
ing frauds to dispose of the bodies Of their
victims. Their calling, however, is a mean
one, for cats don't like being shut ont o.
nights, and those who haunt the Central
markets are protected by the police and the
wstchman. Caterwaulers alone succumb to
urIl Oh I
picker, is proud of mis- calling, He re-
mains true to his hook. In his family all
the men have either carried the basket or
the soldiers knapsack. None have dis
graced themselves so far as to become a
mere day laborer.
The new law" I have alluded to was a
decree enacted by M. Poubelle, Prefect of
the seine, requiring every concierge to pro-
vide box for the rubbish of the tenants.
and to have it ready for the dust carts on
their morning rounds. It came into force
January Is, 1884. The evident effect. if not
the object Of this regulation, was to sum-
press the chifonnier's occupation, and TO
give the dust contractor a monopoly of the
refuse. On sanitary grounds the Prefect
may have been right. hut policy required
even in question where the
health OF so large city as Paris is con-
serned. The fact of suddenly reducing SO
arge crowd OF honest and useful servants
70 downright beggary was mistake.
APPEALED TO PUBLIC OPINION,
Public opinion, which, in France ss in
,ther countries Of similar high degree of
civilization, is the supreme ruler, spoke up
n favor OF the rag-pickers, and against that
minor sovereign known as the Prefect of the
Seine. Many deputies also humanely Joined
q the protest, so that the now immortal M, |
2oubelle was constrained to offer partial ex-
uses for his action in the matter, and
promised that the utmost tolerance should
,e exercised by the authorities in behalf of ,
his particular and-as he admitted-''most j
honorable" industry. The ragpickers
Tere in future to be allowed to turn
ut the new dust-boxes, so as to be
bic to rake over the contents. But for the
ignity OF the thing, the Prefect might as
7ell have revoked his decree altogether: but :
Ike other rulers who have granted constitu-
ions or dismissed obnoxious ministers. he I
Oubtless found it necessary to save appear !
noes. The chIfonnieTs conducted their apita-
on and, in measure, gained their point. with I
u orderliness and good temper that shows '
ow utterly unfit they are to replace the
hsmber OF Deputies. 1t would be dull {
orld indeed If select assortment of them
ere to be transferred to the Palais Bour-
On, though possibly more business would
: done.
1 will conclude this article about rag
iekers by relating the story of poor
oman, Nine. Vanard, who arrived at
,mpetency by collecting orange-peel, and
ereby not only helped herself, but gave
,cupation to others. She became a rich
.rson, a great paIroness of art, and a regu-
r habitue of the Opera. Her husband
as in business as distiller of spirits and A
sences, such as are used by perfumers and y
,aIers in liqueurs. She gave him as much II