Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-01-14

Mischiev0us Little Negro Chimney
Sweeps and Their Curious Life.
Era,r fi,a Narv Nlarlr rilrra,

Mischievous Little Negro Chimney
Sweeps and Their Curious Life.
From the New York Tribune.
Speaking Of city-5rei boys who gain a.
livelihood by doing odd iobs here and there.
the little chimney sweeps in Charleston
are interesting" sail woman who spent
last winter in that conservative cid tewn.
From continually showing them way UP
:nd down the narrow 3ues their clothes
become one mass OF Shrcds ANA tattcrs, to
which the SCOT c;ings obstnateiy. I saw
a number of them dancing like imps OF
darkness on a street corner one afternoon
They were inky-black from head to leel
the SCOT ciinging even TO their eyebrows"
/ Don't the people burn coal in Charles
ton?"
'Oh, yes. But a great many won't hear
of using anything but wood in their Sleep
ing rooms, and the big two-story brick
kitchens belonging to the houses. originally
built to accommodate army Of slaves
but now occupied by families of more or less
irresponsible negroes, all have open fire.
places in which wood, usually iightwood. 10
burned. The law requires that elca of these
chimEeys be swept at least once a month.
The city is divided irto districts, each dis
tr-ct leased out to a contractor, who en-
cages TO attend to the sweeping. and he in
turn hires the small black sweeps, who can
easily get up and down the cniInncys to
Clean them. i think ten cents a story is
the charge for sweeping chimney"
And what wages do the-sweeps get?''
Anything. nothing. according to their
reed or the inclination of the con-
tractor. They make a living. cuch as II is,
and that is all they expect. They don't
work all day, and as they are fun OF mis-
chiei. they generally give the contractor
plenty of occupation I'm booking after them.
They play truart, AMI all sorts Of fantastic
tricks, ard frequently Stop more than once
on the way to some appointment 10 have q
/ 1ffp mr. hrn L. lax-r fv, h.
| cant lot The contractor treats them well
because the office of a sweep not being in
high repute. or much sought after, he finds
| TX difficult to secure employees"
How do they cie3n the fiues?''
They have short-hanil I'd brush, not un-
Ike hearth brush, only 1t has bristles on
both sides, and three-cornered iron
! scraper. They rest their feet on the pro-
jscting, uneven bricks on either size of the
chimney and climb up in that way. 1t is
part of Their duty to sing when they get up
1 to the top"
ITO sing?''
YES; in order to show :hlt they have
| gene al the way up. They have a peculiar
! rhythmic cry, which they repeat over and
over: 'Rah-r-a-h, rah-r-a-hr People I'm the
| ne.Shb1rhood go 10 the windows when they
! hear this cry to the sweep. Grotesl ie
CROUCH be looks, with half mis- body PRO-
| truding from the chimney; black goblin
up among the roofs, an army Of iislodged
/ bats and chimney swallows f1utterIng about
| his head.
| Rah-rahs the children call them, and
many ttmid little ones are afraid of them,
| thinking them something uncanny
1t Is a famous trick with these little irnps
| 10 brush up against pedestrians In the most
| unseernly way I'm the world. doing IL pur-
/ pose!y, so as to soil Their clothing They
| walk along carelessly, to all appearance
| with their heads turned around behind
them and then are all apologies when the
collision they ces,gne1 takes place.
| There was quite an excitement enc day
| in d hc1se In our neichborhood A sNeep
| got stuck fast in the chimney and could
| neither move up nor down. The contractor
| thought he was faoling at first, but after
! ward hrfcklayer Was sent for and a hole
made in the chimney, through which the
little prisoner escaped from his irksome po-
| s.ton"