The evening world., 1894-02-10
Pitiful Tales of Suffering and Des-
titution Told by the Poor
Applicants.
MOUNTAINS OF VEGETABLES.
Generous Produce Merchants Vie
with Each Other in Build
ing Them.

Never in the annals Of Vegetablevtlle
did any firm transact such a tremen-
dous business as that done this morning
at 90 Murray street. by young Jacob
Hamburger and his able corps of assist
ants. u.
his able corps of assistants.
II Is no figure of speech to say that
Murray street was ~blockaded when the
doors of THE Evening World Free
Food Commission were thrown open at
II o'clock this morning, and before noon
one hundred and seventy-five customers
had been served. while there were more
than that filling the street outside and
In Greenwich, Washington. west n
other ne%ighboring streets. there were
others hurrying with basket or bag to
the emporium where the wherewithal to
hil empty stomachs was being dis
tributed.
A motley crowd they made, of every
race, every creed and every age. from
the girl or boy of twelve to the hoary-
headed and bent oct%ogenarian.
The Free Food Commission knows no
race, nor creed. nor color. nor sex. II
recognizes only poverty and want.
The generous men who helped to make
the heaps on heaps Of potatoes, onions.
Russian turnips, sweet potatoes. ruta-
baga turnips, carrots, parsnips, kaie.
spinach. soup greens and other vegeta-
bles: who's trucks brought the barrels
and barrels OF salt herrings. the boxes
Of redolent oranges 10 cool the parched
throats of sick children n feeble
women, the huge trays of soup meats
look at the list.
Their names betray them as coming
from every race of the sons of man.
They are possessors OF every creed. They
belong to all political parties. They live
n hundred things in a thousand ways.
But they agree in a blessed charity, q
sanctifying love for their fellow-men. and
, nnJsr have j snaeice in o 2 mig. mighty Ey eifSrs;
World" to feed the hungry n to knock
daylight through the grim monster Want
That store, 90 Murray street. had
on its ioor When business" began to-
day. The mountains were built by the
commission merchants of Negetablevflle.
The customers reduced those mountains
towards the level rapidly as the moments
flew by, but the good men who built
them nave the attributes of the ant.
They have the pluck, the perseverance
and they will build more mountains as
fast as The suffering poor OF the metrop-
oils can carry them away,
The spirit of charity ~pervades the
neighborhood, n Max Mergentime. who
has gone into this scheme with his trou-
sers in his boots and his sleeves rolled
VI and volunteered the services of n
OF his big trucks, and Butler, the car
man, have been pulled and hauled all
day to-day by other dealers who insist
on having that truck filled at their doors
right away.
The infection has spread beyond the
limits OF Vegetableville, too, and Phil
Peters, another man Of stature and OF
heart, came down from Gansevoort Mar
ing the enterprise a close corporation.
Presenting the card of his house, FEM
ing K Peters, IS Little Twelfth street.
Mr.. Peters demanded that he and his
neighbors be given a chance to send
their truckloads OF food 10 the Commits
sion.
But to return to 80 Murray street. y
of customers In line to-day. The be-
dragged and haggard creatures were adj
mitted TO the store as rapidly as posi-
BILE, but there was such q crowd that
some OF them had 10 w~ait-sadly EVIL
dencing the extreme want that had
brought them there.
As they entered they handed out their
pay for their purchases, the queerest
script that ever passed current over any
cashiers desk In New York.
Cards were presented from the clergy
man Of the church or synagogue or tenn
PIE mere luC dPPiiSahb WIT hiPptds aha
the pile OF these cards accumulating
showed that there were some people
pinched by poverty In nearly every con-
g~regation OF the city.
Now and then some business man had
given the applicant "A note to the mana
ger. recommending him oil her as a de-
serving person, and In many OF these
cases the note was accepted, although II
has been plainly stated again and again
in these columns that no food would be
given to any one except on the recon-
mendation OF a clergyman.
Here WAS a sadfaced woman with q
note from the neighboring undertakes.
He buried my husband In Noyeni-
ber," was the all convincing remark OF
low eyes.
This is from the doctor that looks
after my little girl, and will never ask
Another poor fellow, u big burly man.