The evening world., 1894-01-08
BREAD FOR the mccoy
- a----
" The Worlds " Distribution at
2l0 East Houston Street.
5000 Loaves Given 10 the Starving
Poor To-Day.
Pathetic Stories Told by the Hum
CRY People.

1.-The World began this morning its
sefimpo Ied task of distributing free
bread to the poor, at 2lO East Houston
street. That there was need OF It, and
great need too. was evidenced by the
steady and growing stream of destitute
humanity which filed through the depot
this afternoon.
A great majority of the people were
scantily clad. and it required no very
keen observation to tell that with a
good many hunger was the rule rather
| than the exception. The eagerness with
which they clutched the loaves handed
them was convincing evidence that even
bread is a scarce article in many house
holds.
| The room where the distribution takes
| place Is admirably adapted TO the pur-
pose. 1t extends through from Houston
| TO First street. and there was just room
in front of the counters. behind which
the bread was heaped in great piles. FOL
one row of persons to pass.
! Five young men waited on the appli.
cants 90 none was kept waiting, anG
| there was no confusion. At each en-
trance "a man was stationed to direct the
applicants.
The doors were opened at o'clock thi:
! morning. An hour before this one oi
! I'leischmanns wagons had emptied its
load Of 5000 loaves of good, fresh bread
! All of this will be distributed to-day
and the work will be resumed to-morro"
morning.
1t must have been the .sharpened in
stinct that hunger provides that In,
| formed a majority of those who were or
hand this mornng that the distribution
would take place, for most OF them are
But the the news soon spread. Those whc
| received bread remembered their needy
neighbors, and hastened to tell them OF
1t. The distribution had not been goint
I hA,, haf no
| Ing from portions Of the city at CON
siderable distance from the depot. whicf
was all the more remarkaDle as ln1i'
only means of getting there, was TO walk
The applicants were of all descriptions
but not Of all conditions. There was ont
condtion-pqverty-tn prevailed %, am amont
them encoed a II 9ay aess needed ssd thny ciohe,
bodies to tell that. Ill, o,,o., 4,
Among the men who called overcoae
We're a rarity. and with the women
did service both as cloak and coVerlni
for the head. Some didn't even hav'
this, and cold wind which swept up TIT
cross streets caused them to shiver ant
draw themselves closer together Calico
dresses, soiled and frayed. were th'
gowns of most of them, and some wore
shoes through the cracks in which coul'
be seen the bare feet.
Probably three-fourths OF those Wh'
received bread were women and children
the former predominatins. They told
tulpS Oh tIitlf ou
in every case sickness or want of EN-
ployment had to do.
That many, in fact, most or the seekers
after bread were unaccustomed TO suci
scenes was shown by their hesitatini
manner before they entered the room
They were plainly 10th to accept char
ity to which nothing but necessity com
PEELED them. 1t only goes to show th
Unusual amount of distress among tn,
city's poor this Winter.
The women and children, and the mel
who looked as though they had family
were given two loaves, and sometime
more. The young men who passed ou
the bread had to act on their own judg
ment in this matter, as there was M
time to go into detailed questioning.
Many Of the women were disposed t
stop and express their gratitude.-n
doubt sncere--but there were other
waiting behind them and they wer
kindly requested to pass along.
Nearly all the wo-cn had baskets
The men wrapped their loaves In an oil
newspaper, or hid them away from sigh
under their tightly buttoned and thread
away, scurrying up or down the street
evidently anxious to carry the brea'
to their families, who were sadly In nee
Not all of the callers were poorly, clad
One woman was. compared with tn
others. exceedingly well clothed. Sh
showed the same avidity, however, II
taking her loaves as the others did, ant
her eyes seemed to glitter as she stowet
them away In her basket. She said sh
lived in West Thirty-second street. sh
said she preferred to say nothing more
eXcept that she needed the bread.
Another caller was man whose seed
clothing was nevertheless very clean
He lived in TWenty-fourth street. II
hadn't been able to find work for thre
: months. he said His wife made a it'll
money doing odd Jobs at scrubbing Will
he stayed at home and took care OF tn
children.
A little girl who cried as she told he
story, said she stayed eway from schoo
to get some bread Her mother am
three sisters were sick and unable t
come
The story of another was that she ha
had no bread in her house Thanksgiving
Christmas or New Years. She had 81
children. she said. She was given 81
! loaves
, 4 little bit Of n chap with brlgh
: face, but whose small body was wofull
5 thin wanted two loaves. He had
. father and mother but he said the
were mot WORKING"
SO IL continued throughout the daN
p But these 800 loaves brought at leas
temporary relief TO hundreds Of poo
families.
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