New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-11-11
THE NIGHT WATCHMAN.

5000 men employed in New-York and Brooklyn -
night watchmen.
Middle-aged men they are. the most OF them.
Watchmen do not start In as boys. and make
trade OF IT, they lapse into 1t after some years. gen.
orally when they have tried other means OF liveii-
hood and failed. Laborers Or porters in factories
whom accidents sickness have rendered unnt Tor
the harder duties. engineers who have maze
mistake once too often and won't be trusted In their
former positions; these and great many otneE
"have-beens" are among night watchmen
The pay is small but the work Is comparatively
light and the position is secure as long as you are
attentive 10 duty and don't go to sleep. Along IN
the morning hours, IL you are going In car not
toward. but away from business centres, you VIII
perhaps have for fellow passenger a Waterman
returning from his nights work. The signs OF his
vigil are In his eyes and bearing; he dozes of every
few minutes, drops his parcel with its empty coffee
bottle. rides past his corner perhaps unless
he is known to the conductor, and by easily as
tnguishabe signs shows that he has been watch
ing while you slept man who now has COM
.petence, but some years ago took position OF TINS
sort until he could get something better. speaks a.
follows Of the night watchman's life;
THE buildings which patroled during this inter-
estng experience were a combination OF factory,
warehouse and dock front down in the, to me. un-
known region known Atlantic Docks, or Red
Hook Point, In Brooklyn. did my duty falfnfuuy.
and well. and perhaps short story OF what life ID
like in the long hours Of the night would be inter-
estng.
my predecessor was an elderly man who from
what l heard took scrupuous care that the ONCE
where he spent the time put in excellent con-
diton swept and busted, the lamps cleaned and
fire replenished. but did not consider that a man
who could hardly drag leg after the other
should be expected 10 go the rounds Of the works
through the night. His dog he thought, would
him II anything went wrong, and that was
enough for any to expect. Besides that, he
wanted to sleep. and he did.
well. eventually. the old gentleman got too in
firm to do even the little which required. and I
came the field Unfortunately for me- about this
time enterprislng Yankee had. with devilish ma
Lightly, invented watchman's clock Perhaps You
don't know what watchmans clock Is like. 1t
is little device which numerically compels a man
to go to certain points In the works at certain hours
insert a key In the clock and give It turn. He
can't open the clock. and is not supposed to know
anything about the mechanism, but he Is morally
certain that II he fails TO do his work the deadly
record will show against him when 1t Is examined
by the manager the next day.
We'll my employer up-to-date man. and
he bought the machine, and thenceforward. In fair
weather in foul duly went around TO the half
dozen stations some under shelter and some on the
pier. every hour. These clocks are now In use In
all places where night watchmen are employed, but
the men nave not yet grown fond OF them.
The first impression received abou, the business
the place How the hours did drag, and how slowly
the hands OF the clock went round. After little
| perceived q distinct change between the evening
and morning hours. From TO II 1t was uphill
work. dreary and dismal After / M could see
the end ahead of me. and the clock danced merriiy
around TIL 60 when was relieved
I'm the residence portion of town there are noises
even in the dead waste and middle OF the night. but
here after or g. perfect silence re!gned. The river
was vocal with whistles and the olllng OF the bell on
the buoy But on the land not wagon or truck
went by not a football was heard on the sidewalk.
not even a stray drunken man ever sirolled as lar
from the saloons my quarters The street was
supposed 10 be patroed by the guardians or the
neace but as a matter Of fact in the time / was
there I saw only three officers. One OF these was
an overworked patrolman, who FOUND my ONCE
nice quiet place for doza until 1t was time TOT
h,, 10 ring up the telephone and testify TO his sleep
less vigilance.
"Of course fire and thieves are supposed to be ai-
WAYS foremost in a watchman's thoughts put
nsver had a sign OF either during my experience.
I had almost said would have welcomed one or
both as a diversion. Fortunately am an omniVor-
ous render and here leisure and opportunity
galore / never knew how much solid papuium there
was in newspaper until was forced by ideness
n read II page by page 10 pass away the weary
hours II Is n blessing was not called upon TO re-
,oenber Il all After trying the papers for week
~ two and getting deadly sick Of SUCH gorge or
news I made the acquaintance or dealer IN second
hand magazines. had not bought magazine for
six or eight years. Here was mine OF wealth. ana
T delved in II reckessly Every night finished one.
All this time OF course that beautiful clock was
attended, TO religiously. Round and round. rain.
snow slush chilling winds or clouds OF dust, stihins
heat swarms OF mosquitoes On the watchmahs
merry life, II seemed TO me as II there was more
wind 20 the square inch down there than hau ever
hesors heard or felt 1t literally never stopped. IL
N
Ian, b,ow,np and the windows forever ratified and
the shutters forever slammed.
.pr,hsbIv a person OF a more phlegmatc tempera-
mont than could have kept stolidiy on, anu
eventually not only endured but actually en|oyeo
tho life. hi, after few menths Wy reading matter
grew tasteless the terrible Isolation and loneliness
CONFESSED me more and more Even the vagrant
cats with an occasional rat, failed to be company
or =, reconcile me to the position ana was over
loved when the opportunity came 10 take up some-
thing more congenal. ! am by nature sregarious
sor, Of an animal and the occupa''o" was A~''
turning me into a msanthrope'
besides the watchmen In warehouses anu an
large nS nun Sg T 0 eh ana
bky resh; around the harbo in this manner ana
whSrev sb ,he valuable freight light there n
Waterman sent TO care lor mem, ana lines bresk
possibility rsa OF damage being done-and the thieves
have always wlts aF rude bunk IS ted up
is u., s.hmsn a lamp s there to give him light
and a stove for heat in cold weather. ,,u., .,s
s,a, wonder IL ne goes ashore and fills the growl-
err occasionally. He prays especially mat the DarSs
nSpins her is added his miseries The moon Is
the wachmans best frnd colo ana vneen Hs, e.
sue nnes - which comes down. the docks when the
heavens are overcast But the outlines q the ouMS
the lesser put out Their torches, the csnrSn
eenaumtess whistles screech forth that o'clock has
arrived ard the Waterman II relieved and seeks ns
home his family and his we.l-earhca oreaHias@