The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-02-04
COAL CLEANERS OF NEW YORK.
Many People Depend on Their Pickings
For Fuel.
(From the New York Sun. }

(From the New York Sum-
There are not any real coal mines I'M
derneath the ground in New York, that
is, not any that are known, but there are
quarries where miners work early and
late these cold days and derive benefit
therefrom, both in regard to exercise and
substantial proceeds
81 make, or rather save, 20 cents a
day. said a thrifty looking colored
woman, armed with bucket brimful of
coal, which she had picked from tho ash
yards at the terminus of the elevated road
sit pays me to come every morning" II
1 had time to spare I'd pick later, after
the others got tired, but them what's busy
can t do that. You see, the ash-cars carry
up load of stuff every mornin' and
evenin', and dump it down, and some
times you can pick out a whole lot of
pieces what amt never burned at all, and
will make good fire.
Wherever there is coal pocket for sup
plying the engines on the elevated roads
with fuel, scraps and stray Jumps of coal
tumble out and fall into the street below,
and under each of these precious stations
there is an eager scavenger or two gather
ing up these windfalls of circumstance.
Some of the wagonmen who carry the
stuff to certain vacant lots where filling
in is needed give the privilege of coal
picking for small consideration.
Chow many of you children are there?"
was asked of q boy who, wheelbarrow in
hand, was commanding his body of aids
de-camp in a coal-picking expedition.
"Nine,' was the laconic answer.
"And how old are you? You don't look
more than 49,
s'I'm 13 and there's two older. All the
rest is kids. Mother does all her ironing
with the coal we get, and the cooking,
too, most of it. I don't 90 to school no
| more.
"And your whee1barrow?''
1t was battered article that had SEEM
ingly existed for generations.
''I borrows it from the man in the shop
No, we don't live far not more than two
blocks from here; but the whe elbarrow is
good help. Coal is heavy
A certain vacant lot uptown in process
of being filed in wears strangely active
appearance these days 1t ia much below
the surface of the street, and the ground
is covered with cropping figures, big and
little, young and old, searching for pieces
of coal. Some are digging with spades.
II kin git two bags in mornin' easy, p"
said youthful coal digger, changing his
slim spade from one hand to the other,
and glancing conprehensively over the
coal field. PLENTY of folks picks up their
fuel this way, and them what real smart
sells it by the peck and makes good
money, takin' it all in all.
"There is sharp little chap at one OF
the boys lodging houses down TOWN who
pays his IL cents day, regular, for bed
and meals out of the coal pickin's he
sells. He's up here most the very first
one in the mornin's, and he's so spry be
gets ahead of the old stiff -jointed pickers.
He amt got anybody to look to, what's
anything to him, and he gets along by
cleanin' canal boats partly, and selling
the potatoes and stuff they give him for
the job, ,and by this here coal pickin
business If ever l hear of good load
being dumped anywhere, I look out for
him to give the word, and he's always
welcome to ride on my wagon. 1t seems
he gifts his breakfast and bed and his
dinner to the lodging house, but nothing
at midday except what he can pick up.
Kind Of hard on a boy not moro tlnn II
years old.
Everywhere on tho route of the trains
that come into New York these coal pick
ers are seen on the lookout for falling
coal, and it is astonishing the amount
they accumulate bit by bit. The bow who
makes his IS cents day is only enc out
of hundreds.