The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-11-13

sian tailors were paid Here was q
woman sewing industriously on knee
pants" with little girl at the same
task on either side OF her. Ii seemed
hardly credible that she got less than
one cent for the completed garment, ne
cessitating from half an hour to an hour
OF steady work. The combined efforts or
the three turned out a paltry four or
five dozen day, and they considered
themselves lucky when seven days UNI
renting labor added 81 to the family
treasury. These garments were or the
simplest sort. which required no buttons.
The rate was seven cents dozen.
Where buttons and buttonholes were
worked, and an elastic waistband and
some extra care as to trimmings, the
sweaters paid twelve, thirteen and even
in some instances fourteen cents a dozen,
but that simply meant fewer dozens I'M
ished in day and no advantage to the
Italian.
Sad indeed would be the lot Of The
women and children at Nos. 30l and BOB, If
there we're no husbands aud fathers, FOR
the sweaters work comes but six months
in the year. and during the other six they
must be lille. The men make llVlng
from the citys refuse. earning from 50
to s. weekly. and often putting snug de-
post in the bank. Others were old men,
ard some families were fatherless and
were hard pressed to keep soul and body
together.
The rents charged by the Celtic pro-
prietOr of the tenement were low. The
first rooms we saw on the first floor each
brought 81 month, and were tenanted
by eight persons. A woman on an upper
floor, who paid s. a month rental, ex-
planned the schedule of prices to US. and
said she found it possible to sew perhaps
FIVE or six dozen knickerbockers by strain
ing herself from Saturday night to Mon
day orning They don't keep Sunday
in the Monroe-street barracks"
In a living room below half a dozen
persons had suddenly left work. a large
table stood near the window, and little
piles Of buttons and the familiar knee
trousers we're lying about. On the centre
Of the table might be seen a heavy loaf
Of bread, which had evidently been we'll
cawed. There was nothing else to eat
in the room. 1t was plain the workers
old not stop for meals, but when any one
felt faint or hungry he tore out hunk of
bread with his fingers and ate it with raw
enOus mouth The bread itself had seen
more than one baking. 1t was gotten,
my irformants told me, from the back
doors Of restaurants and the stale leav-
ings Of bakeries and when it had been
sailed and wetted il was baked a second
time In an Italian oven and came out as
good as new. There were similar scenes
in the rear tenement.
The bottle mans shop occupied the
ground floor Of No. 303 Upstairs there
were the same confined living rooms, low
rents and Iersons of every age and sex
crowded in unpleasant proximity. We
entered the eight-by-eight attic of an adj
IN Its1 xha i've ?,
beings slept and ate and paid IS a month
for the privilege. An old man, with a
white stubble of beard, was sewing in
the waning light with dimmed eyes. Two
little girls we're busy at this work, too
as were also the ancient beldame who
was mistress of the house. The pale
faced little girls looked up curiOusly or
our appearance. Upon this the old man
commenced a querulous chatter like moth
ing so much as the jabbering of a father
ape iE the presence of a company OF
youthful monkeys, cutting the small crea-
lures with his trembling hands to give
force TO the reproof. 1t struck me al
first that he wanted them to stop work
while we were there but. as it came ont
it was only his weak complaint at a mo
meEts Distraction The old woman
laughed aloud at our funny questions
She said that the four of them earned 5.
a week-sOmetimes 50 when they were al
we'll. That would not keep the family
from starvation, but fortunately a son
Flaw lived with them who worked in
the street cleaning department and earned
fair wages. But the old and the very
young in that dim attic room still toileC
on.
After one has made the rounds Of these
crazy, wooden buildings he is almost
ready to drop with faintness from the