Wichita eagle., 1890-01-31
RAGPICKERS OF PARIS.
MRS. FRANK LESLIE WRITES CT
THE CHlFFONNIERS.
Some Astonishing Facts About These
Strange Scavengers of the Streets of the
Great French CapitaI-Eheir Orsaniza-
ton and Their Work.


large pearl, weighing 1a5 grains and valued
at $4,000. He immediately put posters up Oh
all the walls of Paris Offering handsome re-
ward for It's recovery. Several weeks elapsed.
when poor woman called on the commIssary
of police in the Rue MonsnartTe and handed
the lost pearl to that official Fer name was
Gautier. She was chiffOnniere, or female
ragpicker, by trade, and he'd found the pearl
in a heap of rubbish In the Rue Laffftte She
lived IN small wooden sianty in the Rue du
Ruisseau, poorly teBanted street belonging
to a quarter known as LIS Grandes Carrieres.
SO named from the large quarries" on the
northern slopes Of Montmartre, where the
city formerly got muck of its fine limestone
for building.
The new law that forbids housekeepers
placing their rubbish in the streets over night
has been sad blow to the corporation to
which this poor, honest woman belongs
Some compensation has, it is true, been Of
fered them by the tolerance Of the pOlioe,
who close their eyes to the infringement Of
the regulations in the narrow streets which
are lined with shops and warehouses. They
have each taelr own concierge, who permits
them to forage at daybreak among the rnb-
Dish brought down by the servants from up
stairs.
They have a longer days work now. For
mcrly they started OUT at 10 at night, and at
4 or in the morning, when the carts made
their rounds. they had disappeared from the
streets. Now they must remain unta tine
scavenSefs appear or the scene, OF at ieas:
until the boxes OF Rubbish have been emptied
into the common bin placed on the edge Oh
the curb by each concierge.
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 (soIterj, as he Is called, who
stays at home and does nothing else. He sits
in his room like a gentleman, and there quiet
ly assemblies examines and separates the diff
fercnt articles picked VI by his work people.
He then sails the material to buyers OF vari-
Gus sorts.
The business IS anything but lucrative
one. Parisians, however, throw away every
year more than $4,000 tons Of stuff, which
the ragpickcTs collect and sell for upward OF
25,000,GGo francs or nearly $5,o00,0 900. The
daily returns amount in all to more than co.
coo francs GA 900, but there are 40, 900 men
and women to share the sum between them,
50 that each gets an average of franc %
confines, on less than SIS cents Two hundred
pounds of waste paper cannot be sold for
more than couple of francs, WOODEN rags
are only worth cents a pound, cotton 8
cents, and bones at best fetch l franc So CEN
times, or 81 cents, per hundred weight.
A man working steadily all mig ht-for they
still ply their trade on small scale, despite
tae e<lct of the prefect-may earn, if he has
a fair amount of good fortune, from forty to
l,-% A
does occasionally turn mp in the rubbish. but
a pearl o. purest orient hue-weil, 50 to
speak, never. Besides, every member Of the
corporation Of ragpickers is bound under
severe penalties TO deposit any valuable he
nay 5nd at the nearest police Office. Each
has a card or ticket with @ number inscribed,
and number corresponding with that on
the card is fastened to the hOtts or basket
Eagpic1ers, moreover. have always been
noted for their industry and honesty.
The 'new law" l have alluded to was de-
cree enacted by NJ Poubelle, project of the
Seine, requiring every concierge TO provide
q box for the rubbish of tho tenants, and 20
have it ready for the dust carts on their
morning rounds. 1t came into force Jan 49,
1884. The evident effect if not the object
of this regulation was 10 check the chiffon
nier's occupation, and to give the dust con-
tractor monopoly of tbs refuse. On sanf
t2ry grounds the project may bcve been
right, but policy required moderation even
in question where the health of 50 large
city as Paris Is concerned. The fact CT sud
denly reducing so large crowd Of honest
servants to downright begSary was a nis-
sake.
Public opinion, which in France, as in
other countries OF = similar high degree Of
civilization, is the Supreme ruler, spoke up In
favor Of the ragp!cker and against that
nainor sovereign known as the project OF
the Seine. Many deputies also humanei;
Joined in the protest, so that the now manor
tai n Poubelle was constrained 10 ofIer par
tial excuses for els action In the matter, and
promised that the utmost tolerance should DC
exercised by the authorities IN behalf Of this
particular and-as Re adIpitted--"noss boa
{, lie" Industry. The ragpicxers were II
future to he allowed to turn o7s :as new dust
boxes, 50 as 10 be able to rake ove- the COZ
tents.
l will conclude this article about rag
pickers By relating tbs story OF . Poor
woman, Mime. Vaaard, who arrived az com
potency by collecting orange peel, and
taercoy not only helped herself, but gave
occupation to others She became . rich
person, great pa1roness Of art and reeu-
lar bSbitue OF tee opera Her husband was
in business as disaUer OF spirits and es-
senoes such as are used by perfun9S and
dealers IN liQueUrs. She gave han as much
assistance as she could He, however. died,
whsreupon she tried for some time 70 carry
on the distllery alone but without success
TALKING over matters one day with SEE
keeper OF a restaurant where SIC used 70 take
her dinner, she was much struck WITH q I--
marx taAt he MADE, TO the effect that there
YVES fortune 70 be realized by some clever
par aon IN the Grange and lemon peel which
was daily thrown away oy the gArcocH o.
ne cafes
She took the hint and poadsred over il
The next thing SIZE did was 70 sea Ter stock
10 tTzoe and become sort Of amateur c.G
fOnElere. with this aiffereoce-tazt tie Co
Iect OF ner guest was orange and ks.ae1 peel
cnly. she struck AZ business reiafsous With
the hnSocadiers AMI the Various wass<Ts vso
well. you know aew E,~a az~s-vere glad
10 help n young and. 81 SIC vas toen, ao-od
.coxin- wsrrs.n Thew ali. 10 fact, xxSraed
Der venture In thss Dew iisae WIS coss>osr-
able iaferes.
She hsd c-eror,e task * fra, brt sooa
IS soc got TO De known matters went CT mere
sEnoots1iy- Inc pe4i iSe& proved & success
n fact. sac pros!seres 50 raEsa!y THAI she WIS
IRE sesl- aals - eE psoy ois< aaIos 70 60 The
cIty roTk a Collecting tse material from
t-e street, IS also from the sn~Asrs@, Tor ssS
-slu~-- II vFhsc.s he cocirzc,e-d
- = "a herssA. evss s5ssss rs soGES