Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1892-09-24
ITALY IN AMERICA.
A Day in the Camp Of an italian
Gravel Gang.
How the Men Eat, Drink and Enjoy Them
selves-shrewd Financiering Necessary
to Make both Ends Moot-Hard
Work and Small Pay.
Especial Letter.l


When "settled weather" begins In the
spring, the Italian portions Of Chicago
become suddenly deserted by most Of
the men, and the dusly women and
children IRE left to come and go ut their
own pleasure, carrying their bundles of
rags and sticks upon their heads. Only
an occasional old man, too feeble to
longer fear the burden in the heat Of
the day, and those who have become
established in some line of the mendi-
cant profession which keeps them in
the city throughout the year, remain to
keep the chattering women and chill
dren company.
The fathers and husbands of these
humble women reverse the order OF
high society, and instead Of sending
their families into the country to spend
the hot months they so themselves
but on q very different sort Of pleasur-
ing than that in which the usual urban
tie INDUCES on his or her summer rus
ticating! To be sure, these small sons
of Rome go to camp out" and camp in
O very "large way" too, but instead OF
pitching tent under the cool shade of
northern woods, beside tempting trout
streams or lakes teeming with pickerel
and muskalonge, 1.-THE Etalians"-as the
country people among whom they go
invariably como to call them-usually
camp ON the bare exposure of some sun
beaten field, alongside the heated rails
of q ''side track" In the place of guns,
fishing rods and tackle, they are armed
with skillets, tin pals, shovels and
picks.
A single long, close shed comparative
" innocent Of windows, and honey
combed with rough and narrow hunks,
accommodates seldom less than hun
dred of these emigrants from the city, and
forms striking contrast to the pic
turesquc canvas tents or the cheerful
verandas and spacious rooms OF sum-
mer hotels with which we are accus-
toned to associate the exile from city
cares and smells during the heated
term.
The canoe in which the Italian la
borer takes his daily exercise, during
his sojourn in the country, is a hatcar,
and the sylvan retreat where he finds
sure game is the sweltering basin OF o
gravel pit.
If this earth affords hotter place,
under the searching beams OF an Au-
gust sun, than the glittering bed OF q
gravel pit, where even a fair breeze
cannot be felt, and the stones and
gravel reflect and intensity the heat,
then neither the Italian nor your cor
respondent has found 1t!
But these knights of the shovel and
pick did not seem to realize the intense
heat, as they jabbered in musical tones
and heaped the fatcars with clean
gravel, in the big pit at Geneva, ILL.,,
or leaned on their shovels, waiting for
loaded train to pull out and an empty
to back in. They were as jolly as a
crowd of picnickers and far more polite
than as many excursionists.
The superintendent of the pit Is a
brawny, good natured American, who
gave his orders, through his italian in
terpreter, in prompt, decided way
which commanded instant obedience
from the shovelers. The interpreter Ia
usually the assistant superintendent or
':boss" of the pit and is very important
man, both in times Of peace and war.
The latter occasions are, fortunately,
not very frequent and are generally the
result of feuds between the opposing
cliques into which large bodies of men
seem to inevitably crystalline when
thrown into the constant intimacy OF
camp life. Inquiry among the villagers
who live nearest the camp developed the
universal verdict that the laborers IRE
honest, orderly and quiet and give no
trouble or annoyance. Although the
entire cooking of the camp is done with