Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-05-02
A RAGMAN'S HARVEST
Spring the Time When Most All Cast
Off Clothing is Disposed Of
THE PEDDLER'S WORK AND PROFIT.
Ten to Twelve Dollars a Day in 1t, if a
Man Knows His Business.
WHERE THE BEST RAGS ARE FOUND

Twill tell you something about the rag
business? Certainly I will And the
speaker, the proprietor of junk shop,
proceeded Immediately to discourse upon
the business in a very interesting and in
structive manner, after perching himself
upon rickety barrel in front of his estab-
| lishment.
"You see, this is the ragman's harvest
time, both the gatherers and the dealers.
We have ten wagons out the year round,
but while during the greater portion of the
year driver is contented to bring in one
load day, in the spring time he can bring
in two or three loads, without any effort
whatever Everyone is cleaning house and
discarding winter clothing at about this
time, and the ragman is in great demand"
SIS there much:profit in the business?"
eyes, there is fair profit for all of us,
but the gatherers, or peddlers, as they are
called, have the best of it. They have
learned thing or two in the past few years,
and while they used to sell us anything and
everything, they bought at one price, they
now sort their rags, and some kinds are
worth very much more than others, you
know.
WHERE THE MONEY IS MADE.
lucky Irishman. See, he puts the old cloth
ing in one pile, that is called rough rags
and is only worth half cent pound. Rough
rags are used in the manufacture of roofing
paper. Then, you notice all the soft wool
ems are placed in a separate pile, and they
are worth from to cents pound, for
after q series of evolutions, they are sold in
the cheap clothing stores as 'all-wooP
clothing. The cotton rags are all put to-
gether, you perceive. There are ten grades
OF cotton rags, and they are used in the
manufacture of stationery-dainty or other
W, BE, according to the grade of the rags.
not only has the advantage of the grading,
but he discovers anything of value that
may be in the rags. See that man over
there searching every pocket in that coat;
often nice handkerchief or cigar case, or
some such trinket rewards his search. It
depends good deal upon what part of the
city the rags come from, as to whether or no
anything of much value is found. There in
the shop are three old men examining a
linen shirt, and debating regarding it. They
have laid it one side, and will sell it to a
secondhand clothing store. The assortment
of rags from which it was taken comes from
the East End; out there is where the incest
rags are found.
DIFFERENCE IN THE RAGS.
"Very good and serviceable clothing is
often given to the ragman in the wealthier
neighborhoods, especially in the springtime,
when the thrifty housewife wants to get the
rubbish out Of the closets and attics. On
the Southside a different class of rags re-
ward the gatherers, for the working people |
discard their garments until abso-
lutely necessary.
Country rags are the nice |
clean rags, though. They are
generally done up in a |
neat little bundle, after having been laun-
dried. The tin peddler is always welcome !
out in the country, where the good wife gets |
many bright tin from him In exchange for |
rags. The business would be much better
for us There were not so many Hebrews in |
it. They do their own gathering and their
wives and daughters do the sorting, conse-
quently they keep prices down, but still our
men sometimes make $12 day. That is, of
course, when they work the entire day.
''What do they do with their money? you
ask, concluded the junk shop proprietor.
''Squander it in drink too frequently just
as soon as they make it,