Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-01-23
EAGER TO BREAK STONE.
Ihe opportunity to Earn SOmefhiua
Given to Baltimore'r Poor.

A movement for the relief of BALTIMORE
unemployed was started yesterday morning
III the form of stone yard. The central
reler committee. who have inaugurated the
pan, had the necessary ground for the
YARD loaned to them free for such time
as II should be needed The stone is what
Is called scrap building stone" that ia
such blocks as are too small or too much
broken to be shaped into building block
This stone is beaten up by the men into
small pieces. such is used in macad
amizing country roads or roads in the
suburbs Of the city. Stone thus broken nv
hand is considered much superior to stone
crushed by machine. as the latter is said
to crumble much faster. The relief COM
mittee In their circular to the charitable
societies cooperating with them say:
Certificates Ito be given work. are de-
signed Tor unemployed residents of Balti-
more who have families dependent upon
them for support"
Each one of these certificates given by
the different societies entities the holder
to be allowed to do lone unit of work I"
which amounts to breaking up about three
quarters Of ton of stone, and for which
he receives 80 cents. To the ordinary un-
skilled laborer lone unit of work" REQUIRES
about five hours time No one is given
work except such hold certificates prom
eriy stamped. and no single men are given
dependent upon him he is allowed to do
only one unit Of work a day; II he has four
or more persons dependent upon him he
Is allowed to work double time-do two
understanding therefor 81 day. No
more than one certificate is given at a
time. but until a man can get other work
he is allowed to do his unit or two units
a day. as the case may be, getting his GER
t1hcate renewed each day. In addition to
the wages paid 10 cents is allowed for car
fare to certificate holders who live south of
East Baltimore street and east of Broad
way and on the neck east Of Webster
street
The yard opened for the first time YES
terday morning. and during the first few
hours more than one hundred men had
applied for work. About half of these were
where to go for them. One man said he
had job, but came to see If there was a
better one to be found He was soon salts
fled that he would find no soft snap break
ing rock and took himself off.
A big, burly fellow, who was also looking
for soft job, tried his hand for a while
but quit, saying he was not looking for
hard work like that. though he had a wife
and children suffering for bread He was
the only man who refused to work during
the day. 1t was an interesting and a sad
sight to see these men, nearly all so eager
for chance to work that they would break
appeared to have had better luck and been
well-to-do mechanics before the hard times
In fact, a large majority Of the men who
worked yesterday were acknowledgements
tiers, painters, &c.-men who would be con-
sidered skilled laborers, although there were
some Of that class also.
At least two of the men who worked yes
terday had not known previously what
hard manual labor was, as shown by their
small white, delicate hands. They had
probably been clerks, bookkeepers or some
thing of the sort. 1t was a curious sight
to see this heterogeneous crowd working
to finish their units of work, and to see
the delight with which many received their
80 cents and hurried away to set their GER
tificates for the next day.
Many of the men looked pinched and
worn from hunger and care and DIR. Gould
remarked: THE saddest thing about 1t is
the apparent lack Of nourishment in the
faces of SO many"
The work will go on, rain or shine. as
DR.. Gould has had large covered shed
built for the men to work under in wet
weather Mr.. John McHugh is foreman at
the yard. DR.. Gould has already sold two
hundred tons Of the stone, but this will
soon be finished and he thinks the city
ought to buy the stone, as 1t is constantly
needed and can be used advantageously.
About one hundred men can be put to
work at Dr. Goulds yard and another yard
similar to his will be opened today or to-
morrow, where twenty men can be en-
ployed. This will be situated on the Falls
road, in North Baltimore, at Atkinson
quarry. The new stone yard is in charge of
DR.. c. c. Shippeu, another Of the executive
committees.