The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-11-15
NEW OCCUPATIONS FOR WOMEN.
Nut Cracking as a Business and Floor
Scrubbing as u Prolific Speciality.

New York Sun.
1t is rare thing nowadays to hear a
woman say: II can't find anything to do
English women contend that American
women are never at loss TO ma eH ,.d.,
tries that give livelihood to women here
this seems more than half true:
Mrs. Barotti, in Chicago makes goOu
income by conducting a nut-cracking estab-
lshment. This is an innovation, and one
that pays well. Nuts are cracked at other
places in Chicago, but Mrs Barottis es-
adjustment is the one best known to con-
fectioners, street vendors and the pest
known society people. AT this season mrs
BarottiS business has boom, ana VIII
continue to increase until after the CHRIST
mas holidays. Her place of business is
long, narrow room opening on the street
Down the center extends long table sur
rounded by men, women and children. In
front of each person is square iron SLAB
with nuts piled high on each side OF II:
Each worker has a hammer and pegs away
from morning till night. Skill is required
to extract the meats without breaking
them good nutcracker can crack out
about sixteen pounds of nice clean nuts in
a day. For that amount the cracker re-
ceives 81 or little more. In the busy sea-
son Mrs. Barotti employs from thirty TO
A Philadelphia woman has hit upon a
novel plan of converting muscle into cash
When her husband, labor1ng man, died,
leaving her with four small children with
healthy appetites, she decided to become
professional cleaner of kitchen floors. She
has worked her speciality to advantage ana
is so efficient that her regular customers
would as soon think of allowing plumber
to tune a grand piano as to permit any one
else to touch their kitchen floors.
Many kitchen floors nowadays are mace
of hard wood or tiles or are covered with
oicloth or linoleum. An expert can clean
them with great rapidity. as this woman
has proved She makes the average floor
as neat as wax in half an hour and charges
only % cents for doing so. She carries her
own tools soaps and cloths for getting the
dirt off and putting the shine on. and leaves
things spick and span behind her. For each
customer she has a certain half hour on
certain day. She is an exact woman, and,
knowing this, her customers have the
kitchen ready for her She earns from So
to 81 a day, and says she likes the work bet
ter than standing behind a counter.
For some time a number or women IN
New York have been doing professional
mending EXPERIENCES with the needle is the
only preparation necessary for this bust
ness The members are missionaries in a
wav for they seek out bachelors at their
boarding houses apartments and hotels and
make contract to keep buttons on coats,
vests and trousers, to darn hosiery and TO
close up rents in clothing. The price charged
for such service varies according TO the size
of mans wardrobe.
This scheme of a peramDulatlng repair
shop appeals to the average man, Tor 1t
means money in his pocket. Tailors charge
good round sums for odd jobs, and woman
fixes up many things that a tailor would not
touch. 1t is easier too, to nave a. woman
drop in while a man rs away at business
and rid him of all the worry about the con-
ditiOn of his clothes. The member visits ner
customers at stated intervals