The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1892-01-22
4 BIG cITY's PAY DIRT
soYtTuNEs MADE IN NEW YoRKs
sTREEr swEEPINos.

A PRIVILEGE worth oSS -.~~~ "
Year-An Army OF Kag PioSers
--Garbage Pier Dwellcr..
The sweepings Of tho New York
streets support at least fivc hundred pco-
NE. They are lodged. fed, clothed, cd-
,,catcd and furnished amusemcnts by tho
drift from thc street. The mud OF the
CITY Ia paysdi-t TO them. They make
skglssAsaxslk average gold prospector.
Years ago Now York used 10 hire men
to .strim' the barges OF tho garbage
acet, SO that they wouldn't capsize or
become watcrlo Eyed, or founder when
they dropped out from Sandy Hook TO
til up the Atlantic Ocean. IL costs
the city something 10 get its iittlo navy
ready TO leave port.
BY aud by cane along some men who
said there was valuable brass in tho citys
dust pile, aud tine nuggets ot coal, aud
precious bottles, rich rays, priceless old
shoes, aud bones that wern not ts bs
sncczcd at, They olcrcd To trim the
bSrs,s for nothing and board themselves
if the city would let them pick out all
the odds-snd- which they cons'd-
end valuable, The offer was accepted.
IL was thought strange that they should
work without compensation at what had
hitherto been paid for.
The City's Swccpings was gold mine.
othcr men grew jealous of the privilege
oG wurkiuS for nothing, aud offered u
ray the city if it would pcrmi. them tn
trim tho t,rgcs, and fish for the valuable
dcbris frcn the ash-carts. New York
was ONLY too glad to sell its broken glass,
old iron, WORKOUT rubber shoes, battered
tin cans, etc, and it put this money in
its pocke;, aud let the pcop'c who pail
for the privilege shovel tho swecpinrS.
Two wears ago u contractor paid Sll21
a week, or SIS ,60i wear, for tho right
to fish in the city 5 garbage pile. The ncxl
contractor who bought the privilege paid
Slsos wcsA, OF SIS, l0i y year. Th:
last CONTRACTOR paid Sl131 week, o'
the enormous sun OF Sa0,224 year.
The city'S navy has grown, and It aow
comprises forty-ninc mud-scows OF the
most modern bui.d and the most recent
improvements. None of then eau Z,
twentv-two knots an hour, and none are
armor-p plated, but they are not surpassed
in number and style by the navy of an.
othcrcity.
4 biz fleet of twenty two OF them pu
to sea every morning and return t" pori
ever; evening. They excite the admira
ton Of everybody, '>nl ale known as tn
"black squadron The city own
twenty-onc garbage pieIs, rom wLicI
they sail
oue hundred and i've meu trou: sunny
Italy earned their living hy sorting tn;
garbage for the contractor, who PAID
1000 for the privilege. ~ they ~,
have large families it Was estimate thai
the bric-a- brac on the mad scows sup
ported 500 men, women and children
besides paying S?1,22 year into tn,
city treasury, aud at1ordinS handsome
profit To the contractor. iuasmuch a
the men trimmed tIc scowS, pertormiu. !.
work which would have cost the cit.
5000 week. or So 900 a year, tn,
garage heap poured into the lap Of Nm
York Sli2,22 a year. Few si!vs
mines in the Nest pay such dividends
Ninc:een piers in New York City har'
Aie living IN taem, nooI,a bney wSn are b51 IT, y,
Bped their fingers at tlc tcncme1
gentlemen who trim the garoa.e boats
! Their little homes beneath the piers Al.
furnished wiII bright bits OF carpe
taaen from the garbage heap, aud witt
various odds aud eni, which they hav
found there. Lizzie pictures aiorn tn,
walls; there are chairs ani tables, IN
each little home hA; cheerful stove an,
q singing tea-ket!.c. There are no piano
and portlere: as yet, bat doubtless the,
will come after awhile.
The janitors Of ,hc large olice build
ings OF the city enjoy great rcvclu;
FROM the uncon,iicr:l scrhp- Of ply3l
which are thrown On the Office fioor3
These scraps are gathered up, put int
bass aud sold. SDmc jani:ors receive
500 year each from the sale Of th
waste paper. Oh newspapers brin!
twenty-five cents Il huuircI poIn Is, o.
t2.jJ ?. ton. Ordinary book paper AM
/ fine book ptpei bring one cent pound
Or 80 a ton. Scrap paper sells for on.
. fourth ~ = ccut Il pouni. During tn
. C.yi War i. brought ten cents pound
. Or forty time, its present price.
II Is c,,irnltc ;hlt at lcpst 10,C0(
t.eu, women aud children IN Ne" YORK.
Cit. iraT their daily bread from the a,h
b4r.!s. Thcy start out with bag alJ
hoo at = o'clOc& in the mrrnin ,
win. .cr il the spnt, moonIit nights o
summer, o. the bitter, coil nights o
Wlu'.r
Ey.:y a::D-blrrcI on their route IS cx.
l.lpI,.i nv '.,o.n - , rlp hone nice. DI