The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-07-11
BRENTWOoD'S MOSQUITOES.
THEY CAUSED A sTRIkE At PECK q
CO.'S FhRTILIZING DUMPS.

The Poles. Whom They Toru.ented when at
Work, Insisted an Increase OF Their
Wages to Compensate for the Ina,ction.
Last Saturday nine stalwart workmen en-
poyed on the fertilizing dumps belonging to
Henry A. Peck & Co. at Brentwood. L.. l.. laid
down their wooden rakes and declared they
wouldn't stand It any longer They said they
could not stand 1t ut the old rate OF wages.
anyhow, and demanded an increase OF
% per cent. Whilo the workmen talked
to the foreman black cloud OF mos
1uitoes hung over their heads and
hummcd merry when the men rolled up sheir
sleeves to impress the foreman with tho OK
tent OF their sufferngs An overwhelming
odOr OF pennyroyal filled tho mir, and every
second some one OF the men brought down his
hand with vigorous whack on his neighbours
body. Each knew TINT the enemy of one was
the enemy OF all. md every mosquito killed
was one less to struggle with.
They were sturdy lot. all OF them Poles and
accustomed to hard labor. But the m mosquitoes
had routed them. No survivors OF lost battle
ever looked moro detected than did those nine
There were scratches and bites md swollen
spots all over their arms and faces.
out Of the nine men there were not ten good
eyes. Those that were not two thirds closed
by aswelling on the CHEEK wero bound up In
red handkerchicfs. And all the while the mon
jabbcrcd and Gestculated to the foreman tho
mosquitoes. lowering in n black cloud above
honpers outside tho walls Of Troy.
The dumps which Henry A. Peck h Co. own
onr onr
field is dotted with small mounds OF burning
the fires and see that they do not spread
Long grass grows thickly about the fires. and
the branches Of the trees are closely inter-
Tho men who struck last Saturday came to
wors u. 'Ge ato sa ben IN e sh b
willing to take ST. . for every load Of fcrtil-
izer they turned out. There was no trouble
until three weeks ago. and the men were con-
Nobody knows when tho IN mosquitoes came
Three weeks ago: when the work@en
were crossing the field, on their way to the
ho ar ot VI S f that td iSu res
grass. AS the men approached they heard u
ncnred the dumps until it sounded like saw
MILL Mono of them has been long in this
insect to them: 40 they still searched for the
fire, hut found none
down. and two minutes later there was scat
terng OF the workmen in every direction.
Most Of them started across the abroad track
toward the fOremans house. and after a while
they were all assembled on his piazza. When
he learned the trouble through an interpreter.
tho men were persuaded to return to work.
So with collars turned up and handkerchiefs
wrapped around their heads. they went back
to tho dumps.
The cloud settled down again. but this timo
the Poles held their own All through the day
they battled and scratched and strugG ed
with their unfamiliar foo. Whom evening
came. and they knocked or work. zach man
discovered that so much time had been lost In
the fight. that less than Il half days work had
been done.
The next morning the black cloud still hung
over the dumps. and it was some time before
v hen they did. the experience of the previous
day was repeated. The mosquitoes swept
down on the gang early in the. morning and
kept at them until night. Weary and OK
hausted with the struggle. the men dragged
themselves back to their boarding house to
gather strength for the next days battle.
Every day they were told that the mosquitoes
would be gone by the next. There were al
WAYS mosquitoes In Farmingdale. which is the
unknown in Brentwood. WAS the story that
everybody told the interpreter. who translated
1t to the men. But the mosquitoes STAYED. and
the cloud grew blacker and thicker every day.
and the men were becoming exhausted in the
Finally. on Saturday. matters reached a cri-
sis 1t was the end Of the third week. and
what with the loss OF time and strength in the
daily battle. there was no money to be made.
cent. over the wages they received in tho non.
mosquito days. Seven Of them consented to
20 back at an advance OF 70 per cent after O
rest of two days. The other two are still out.
The seven men were at work yesterday. and
SO were the mosquitoes.