The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-01-19
SOME QUEER TOURISTS.


They Go Abroad ~ Cattle Tenders and
Return as swells.
While hosts of people look over the pas
senger lists of the lucky ones who arc able
to go abroad and envy them way down In
their hearts, there Is class Of men who
make frequent trips across the ocean which
would hardly excite envy, excepting by
reason of their peculiar privileges. This
GLASS Is humorously called 'cattle cham
bermaids," because of the fact that those
who belong to it give their attention to
the live cattle that are exported from this
country to Europe. The men who do this
are the riffraff of the world, and when
here find 1t difficult to earn more than
enough to keep body and soul together.
But when they are lucky enough to get
one of these "chambermaid' jobs they
feel like millionaires, for they get more
money day for the trip than they could
get on shore in a week.
There are number of, Chicago stock
yards men who do large business export
ing cattle, and they always have q gang of
fellows around waiting for the first chance
to go out with cargo. The average time
of these trips from Chicago to London is
about IA days, and the price paid the at
tendants Is $50 in gold. The cbamberniaid
Is at no expense whatever He Is fed, but,
oh, such feed 1t is worse than that Of the
animals he looks after There is always
gang boss, and he it Is who dispenses the
GRUB" Ordinarily this is boiled fat pork
and bread, with only water to drink. The
pork comes from the kitchen in great
pot or tub. The boss stabs chunk Of SOL
Id TAT with the long handled fork, almost
q pitchfork, in fact, and hurls it at one Of
the maids" with some choice specimens
Of billingsgate 1t Is caught much az q dog
catches chunk of meat in his mouth, and
no attention II paid to the liquid grease
which flies In every direction. The fat
pork 10 followed by hunk of stale bread,
and drink of water finishes the repast.
But what care these fellows for the fare
and the labor going overf They know there
will b Joy and pleasure when their desti-
nation is reached Once landed in Liver
pool or Southampton they are given their
$50 in English gold and return ticket
good for 90 days from date.
Then at once begins season of riotous
living. The first thing Is flashy suit of
clothes and walking stick, and then off
for London. The old hands know better
than to elbow in" their money on expen-
sive eating. They have become familiar
with the "coffee places to be found all
over London, where they get an imperial
quart of coffee for penny and bun,
equal in size to an average loaf of bread,
and thus for twopence they buy all they
can possibly eat. On certain days, when
they feel like luxuriating, they may per-
haps spend threepence on some dainty like
dozen shrimp, but even with that extrava-
gance INDUCED in every two or three days
the $50 will last long time and give plen-
ty of time to soak themselves with 'alf
and 'alf.
These chaps always stay until their
money is about gone, and then back they
come to Chicago, where the glory Of their
London clothes soon becomes dimmed as
they loaf around the cattle pens at the
stockyards while waiting for another
chance to act as chambermnds to drove
Of cattle. Chronicle.