The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-12-10
THE POOR BOYS
OF NEW YORK.

A great deal of interest may be OBJ
served along the water front of great
city like New York. Here the small
boys of the crowded tenement house
districts find many curious ways OF
helping their struggling parents. Early
in the morning great numbers of them
are seen with little wagons made out
of soap boxes waiting where the ice
wagons are being loaded for the pieces
that. break off from the great cakes.
Thousands Of boys keep their homes
supplied at a saving of cents a day,
and often earn a little in this way by
supplying neighbors.
Before school time many Of these
children again start out with coarse
bags to pick up the coal that is dropped
in Loading canal boats. or for wood TO
keep the fires burning at home One
of the faVorite methods of the stronger
boys is to fish out the heavy blocks of
wood that float along lthe bulkhsau,
patiently working with spear and rope.
The pine blocks sawed off by the
bridge builders are waited for anxious
ly, and large quantities of discarded
packing cases are gathered. In the
brewery neighborhoods there are
families whose children keep then sup
piled with the plugs or Corks that are
taken out of the returned kegs. These
are gathered by the basketful. and
when dried burn so fiercely that in
some homes very little coal is needed.
1t is along the river front. too, that
the industrious poor boys collect most
OF the old iron, ropes from the river,
bottles etc to sell to the dealers. A
curious method of grabbing has recent
" been noticed along the docks. The
boys find the crabs clingins to the
spiles, and when the tide is low they
are easily seen and caught in little
bag or net by going about on a raft.
On the lower west side of the city
the boys have good opportunities of
sampling many of the delicacleS
brought to the great markets, Around
the oyster boats for instance, they not
only get all, the oysters and. CLANS they
can eat from those dropped by the
carriers but frequently CROUCH to take
home When unloading the banana
boats the loose bananas that fall as
the blnches are being carried are dis
carded and are patiently waited for by
the children. who are seen going nome
with dozen or more tied up in
bundle. When watermelons are being
unloaded invariably a group of colored
boys, or even men, wait around Tor
he melons that meet with disaster and
are discarded Saturday is really fish
day with many New York lads The
bulkheadS and docks up town are
usually lined all day with schoolboys,
many of whom regularly take home a
long string of tomcods or other fish for
supper.
There are many curious little ways
the poorer children find. of getting
family provisions at reduced prices
around the city For instance. all the
egg dealers who repack crates en-
counter quantities OF cracked eggs,
which they sell at about half price to
poor neighbors. as well as TO bakers.
The large cracker dealers dispose of
broken odds and ends of all kinds of
crackers at greatly reduced prices.
Many a boy takes cans of leftover fat
saved by his mother to the soap fac
tories TO obtain cakes of soap, which
are given in exchange.
While attending school poor but
clever boys always find little trifies To
sell To more prosperous scholars. For
instance, one boy earns little by sell
ing fancy felt covered blocks, which are
really cuttings thrown away at piano
factories. But being handy for clean
ing states. he sells all of them he can
find. and as they become more adj
vanced. those who ere anxious 10 inn
rroVe their circumstances have many
opportunities for working after school
hours. AT the, ferries and railroads
they are ready to carry satchels. and
besides selling newspapers and deliver