The morning call., 1892-03-01
MEN WHO SiW WOOD.
Their Way Is as Hard as the Old Trans.
greSSOrS.

Nearly every rural Californian who has
found himself stranded and dead broke"
after toO-joyOus week in San Francisco
knows that he is safe of a square meal or a
nights lodging and trip across the bay if
he wants a job there by simply putting in
two hours of hard work at the woodward of
the Associated Charities on Webb street.
1t is not an inviting job by any means. and
not solitary instance has been recorded
where Buckley lamb. a coraer politician
or hoodlum has stayed long enough to
earn the flour bits" But to the stranger
stranded in town the thing is veritable
godsend, and many man has dated fresh
start in life from the wood-sawlng job on
Webb street.
The place is in the heart OF the business
section of the city, but withal as quiet as
the grave. About twenty-f men a day
are furnished with jobs. Last year there
were scores more.
TOLD IN CONFIDENCE.
"My case is one of many." said an INTEL
ligent healthy looking rustic who pleaded
guilty to having expended his savings of six
months in a three DAYS orgie on the Barbary
Coast II came to town couple of weeks
ago with hundred dollars and this MORN
ing hadn't nickel. 1t was 40 use bum
ming around town; that wouldn't pay my
hotel bill and l was broke week ago. /
am going over the bay tonight and some
how or other I'll soon be back in Truckee,
where belong. I'm good for $50 The day |
get there and I'll pay my hotel bill here and
have something to spare. All | want is to
get across the bay. Reason whyp Because
l expect to get a job at clam-digging on the
bay shore or On the electric road at Hay.
wards, or on LivermOre ranch or sOme-
where. A man don't want a job Jong If he
goes after 1t instead of waiting for it to come
to him. wish were out at Truckee now."
"Why SOP"
Because the ice season is coming on. It's
q poor day man can't earn SIS saving ice
at TTuckee. and he can't spend much more
than Sc week anyhow. He can go to the
hotel and get his board for S., aud all he
spends over that is his own fault. It's like
the little boys story of the cannon balls
that saved so many lives. The boy was
asked how II was, and he said it was by peG-
pie keeping out Of the way Of them. Up at
Truckee man can save money by keeping
out of the way of the dives and dance-halls
of San Francisco. Without us country
hoosiers the divekeepers wouldn't make
enough money to pay for their license"
HOSPITALITY IN TRUCKEE.
The "hoosier" intimaied that a great
many Of the interested parties in the Kear-
ny-street dives would probably adorn the
limb OF tree IL they made anything more
than temporary stay in Truckee. "We
have a simple rule up there" he said. IF
q stranger gets off the cars we size him up.
A decent white man can stay as long as he
likes. A Chinese who gets off the cars has
TO get on again before the train starts or
take chances. which aren't pleasant to con-
template. never saw Chinese who had
the nerve to stay in Truckee five minutes.
For the rest, man who comes up to do
crooked business is spotted quicker than a
flash. We know him ut cnce. A man with
overalls is all right. A man with his pants
torn fore and aft is all right; we lend him
or give him pair. But the chap that looks
as If his pants were CREASED before he puts
'em on soon gets notice to take walk. If
he stays over daybreak after that wou,dn't
answer for his safety"
ALL SORTS AND CONDITIONS.
''We get varied assortment" said the
superintendent, after the gentleman from
Truckee had vanished. CLERKS and me-
ehanics are quite as common guests of ours
ployes OF mining corporations. or course,
we cannot make distinctions, but we try to
put the men to work according to their
physical capacity. There are three shifts.
II to 2. 2 to 4, and to B. at 20 cents an hour
in each case. The old and infrm appii-
cants are set to sorting and slowing away
the logs which have been sawn by the
stronger men. If the people of S an Fran
cisco would buy the wood of us at the same
rate they pay elsewhere, we could employ
hundreds of more men, and / tell you there
are hundreds to be employed. We cannot
work more than We do, about twenty five a
day,
Its cruel hard work." said man who
had finished his job and received his tickets,
''but y0u never value money till it's been
well earned. ] blew in S240 In one week,
and now I'm glad Of 30 cents. Well it will
be lesson to me.