Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1898-12-01
WAYS OF GRAvEDIGGERs.
They Are Cheerful ana Given to Pro-
fesstonal Jokins-1zost OF Them
Are Elderly Men.


Notwithstanding their somber call
| ing, which is perpetual reminder Of
the uncertainty of life, gravediggers.
like undertakers, are cheerful lot
of people, much given to profess
sional joking and taking the cares of
the world lightly on their shoulders
The gravediggers are employed by
the superintendent of the various GEM
eteries, and are recruited from the
ranks of laborers who are employed
from day to day.
At Greenwood cemetery regular
force of so gravediggers is constantly
employed, and when there are many
funerals extra men are taken OF. The
gravediggers are paid 16 cents per hour
and sometimes work 10 hours day.
Before the last hot wave there were
only eight interments per day on the
average. and when the hot wave set in
the average jumped up to 80 per day.
When there are no graves to be dug
the gravediggers fill in their spare
time moving the lawns in front of the
vaults. They sometimes sing as they
work. One of the gatekeepers at
Greenwood cemetery is an old grave
digger, who dug graves for 40 years OF
more Then he became incapacitated by
rheumatism, and was pensioned off, his
present occupation being sinecure.
The position Of grave digger is
sought after good deal by the labor
ers as ii means constant work. The
gravediggers crack jokes as they pur-
sue their avocation, just as the grave
diggers in Hamlet" but their jokes
have no venom in them. Most OF
them save their money and invest il in
small houses near the cemetery. Then
they bring their wives and children
out on summer afternoons for stroll
among the graves.
A number of years ago the Green
wood gravediggers founded a loca! as
sembly of the knights of Labor, known
as the Yorick Labor club. Its yearly
picnics were attended by all the choice
spirits in other trades unions. After
awhile the gravediggers in Calvary
NtlutAtl.f iOl itrb a IVA hhtoh~ nv
war Of determination began. Each
union started In to cut rates. and
graves in the language of an indig-
nant member of the Yorick Labor club.
''were going TO the dogs" Finally
both the organizations went TO pieces.
About year ago movement was
started to revive the Yorick Labor
club by recriting members from the
grayediggers in all the metropolitan
cemeteries. The attempt did not sue
coed. as most of the gravediggers are
elderly men. and as one of them said
10 an organizer: "It's hard to teach an
old dog new tricks" A gravedigger IN
Calvary cemetery. who graduated from
the ranks of the day lal,orers. was
asked by the reporter how he happened
TO oe a grayedigger.
ut came about naturally, sir" he
said Sure. you know, if no one ever
became a gravediggcr it would be i'm
possible for man ever to dig his own
grave. if there was nobody else to dig
II for him.
This grave,ligger. as the above will
indicate. is an Irishman. He is very IN
dustrious, and expects soon TO be pen
stoned or. There are probably about
200 gravediggers within the limits OF
the Greater New York who are em.
ployed regularly, besides extra men
whose services are required when there
is what they call "a rush Of business
" Y. Tcrrnal.