The sun., 1897-12-05
cHARL EsroN,s CHIMNEY SWEEPS.
Quaint Little Black Figures, Pull or Good
Spirits, IrrcsponsibIiitS, and Mischief

CHARLESTON'S CHIMNEY SWEEPS.
Quaint Little Black Figures. Pull or Good
Spirits, 1rrcsponsibIiitS, and Mischief
They are quaint little figures. the pickaninny
chimney sweeps OF Charleston. Their cyeballs
Glcam whittier, their teeth are more startling for
reason Of their inky faces and soot-clotted
clothes-clothes that hang in rags and stream.
ers. and seem of all-over.one.piece pattern.
They play marbles in the streets between whilcs,
and sun themselves in tho vacant lots, and
sometimes, when the spirit Of mischief possesses
them, they walk close to some well-dresscd
dane or maiden passing along tho pavement.
and alarm her with dread Of their SCOT .smrch-
ing proclivitics.
The Charleston chimney sweeps wcrc a
source Of great interest to me- said woman
who spent most OF last winter in that old world
looking town. 81 saw half dozen OF them one
afternoon dancing like imps OF darkness on q
street corner. They were inky black from head
to heel. the SCOT cinging even to their eyebrows.
From continually showing their way up and
down the narrow chimney flues their clothes
get to be mass of shreds and tattcrs and the
haky SCOT clings to them obstinately. / don't
think they ever try to got it of.
Don't the people in Charleston burn coal
Yes Of course; but great many won't hear of
using anything but wood in their sleeping
rooms. and the big two and three story brick
kitchens belonging to the houses all have open
freplaces, in which.wood. usually light wood or
pitch pine. that makes u great deal OF SCOT, is
burned. Tho great tall kitchens in the yards
back OF tho houses were originally built to ac-
commodate the army Of slaves that formed each
household retinue. The cooking and laundry
work for the owners family were done In rooms
on the ground floor; in the upper stories the
servants slopt- In some Southern cities the
kitchens were In tho Easements of the main
dwelling. but Charleston always had hers out
side, in separate buildings. as far removed as
might be. The kitchens were built better and
stronger than the institution that dictated their
Now that there are no slaves. their old quar-
ters are rented out to more or less irresponsible
negro tenants. who are not over-careful in re-
property. The law requires that each Of tho
chimneys in these kitchens or in any dwelling
shall be swept at least once a month. The city
is divided up into districts, and each district Is
tend to the chimney sweeping. This contractor
hires the little black sweeps. choosing those
d up asns
shimneyi -, DO the sweeps SET shSst ten n
according to their need or the mood OF the CON.
tractor. He sees to it that they are clothed in
enough to eat. They look fat and well in the
face. They don't work all day, and are so full
Of ss ss5 n' ssy
SIe n ACHE P sss little waits
sweeps Is @ostly i s tpow 'sss way neS eSnn.
q black woman told me one day. She had her
head stuck out OF q yard gate, looking after one.
who. she said. had just started in to work and
had trudged OF at the contractors heels. She
thought he would make "A a good sweep II they
seems, play truant and ali sorts Of tricks on the
contractor. and often stop on the way to some
y The
office Of sweep not being IN OveEhgh rspute
Each sweep is furnished with short handled
brush. not unlike hearth brush. only it has
cornered scraper. He bitches his feet on tho
uneven bricks that iut out irregularly inside
portant part Of his. duty IS to sing when he gets
TO the top of the chimney, SO as to let his en-
Rloye5 know , that he has gone up the whole way.
cry or call that they repeat over and over.
e. Rob. r-o-h. roh-r-oh roh-r-o-h; roh-roh. roh-
stand head and % shouders % oat Of the chnnsyy ansy
top, looking out over the roofs. People In tho
TO see the sweep when they hear this cry. al.
though they know well enough what it means.
| leaning out from the shaft. very black goblin,
among the chimney pots. the distur bed and dis
lodged bats and chimney swallows fiuttering
:" Many children are afraid Of tho sweeps.
They think them some kind Of bugeboo., and
! ticoats when they sec roh.roh coming along
the street.
occasionally there is excitement when a
sweep gets stuck fast in tho chimney. and can
| move neither up nor down. This happens very
rarely, the pickaninnies themselves being able
to gauge their own size and the size OF the fiue
before them with 80 much accuracy as to keep
out of scrapes. One morning a sweep got fast
| ened In the chimney of an old residence near the
sent for, and Considerable work done before the
little fellow could get out: He was raw hand
| outcry for help the people in the house thought
he was foolinG. and so paid no attention. Tho
| hours or more before q hole made in the fiue
| about the third floor was sufficiently y large to
| admit of extricatng him. When taken out he
| was an object OF distress. He had been very
| much frightened and the tears had made genu.
| ine channels down the smut on his cheeks.
| "1t Is famous trick OF these little chimney
| imps to brush up against pedestrians In seem
| ingly accidental way and soil their clothing
| Girls dressed in fresh muslin in summer give
| them a wide berth. The sweeps walk along with
| their heads turned round. and then make plente
| GUS apologies after the damage has been DONE u