The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-08-02
Working at Night.
The time for rest;

might is the Time TOT rest,
How sweet where labors close,
20 gather round an aching breast
The curtains of repose.
stretch the tired limbs. and lay the head
Down ON our delightful bed.
SO sang the poet, Robert Montgomery,
but In a great city there are many TO
whom the night IL the time for toll. OF
course. every one knows there must be
some who work at night to provide
things that are necessary for those who
sleep, but few realize how great an army
those night workers compose. Some of
these work till midnight some several
hours later, and many keep up their night
ly toll until daylight doth appear No ac-
count ~ taken OF those who spend the
night In pleasure. for their work is not
OF necessity The list Is large enough
without them.
In Greater New York this army of
workers mounts up into many thousands.
The Brooklyn Eagle estimates the num-
b<r 10 be 2l0oo. TO supply the dweller
in the metropolis with fresh bread and
rolls every morning fully 300 bakers work
all night long They must have their
product ready by 5 O'Clock TO he distrib-
uted to the delivery wagons and selling
agencies Two hundred and fifty butch
ers are also busy dressing meat for the
retail MEAT markets. for the bulk of the
purchases are made In the morning hours.
But these are not the only workers
needed for the breakfast table. Tho
morning paper is delivered at many
homes. morning newspapers OF New
York demand the all-night labor of more
than 5000 men. Editors and reporters,
printers and pressmen, telegraphers and
messengers, stereotypers engineers and
firemen. make up the regiment OF work
ers. the result OF whose labors is seen in
the fresh and damp sheet which gives us
so promptly the important news OF the
world for our information or amusement.
Then 10 protect the sleeping citizens
over 800 policemen are on watch in the
streets. This does not include the hun
dreds Of private watchmen In stores and
houses.
In large cities there is a class OF night
workers who are rarely given any thought
This Is the army of cleaners I'm the great
department stores. AS soon as the doors
are closed for the day. and often before
the clerks and saleswomen have gone, the
cleaners begin. With broom and NOR
and brush. they go over desks. counters
chairs and floors. This work Ia usually
and in the large stores. always under the
direction OF a chief. sometimes "A woman
more generally man, and the work Is
oonc quickly. systematically and thor
oughiy. and when the doors open again
IN the morning everything IL In order
again. In the hotels, the Railways, corri
dors and stairs are cleaned during the
night, the work beginning at midnight
or shortly after as II must be done by
o'clock. before the earliest riser appears
from his room.
Then there are the many railroads en-
pioyes. on the elevated and surface roads
for New York is an up-to-date citw, anC
the managers OF its street railroads rur
the cars all night long. The night traffi,
on thems Is large and profitable. Thre,
thousand will not cover the number, ans
10 these must be added the ferry EN-
ployes, the men at the big railroad ter
minals I'm Jersey City, Hoboken. Lon,
island City and the Grand Central De
pot.
pedders and stand Keepers. all nigh
restaurants. actors and musicians elec
tricians. engineers and firemen I'm shop
where the machinery is constantly run
ming. members OF various trades on hur
ried orders and a host OF others help {,
swell the total.
Necessarily the number varies. for Il
busy seasons the great manufacturinl
firms often employ double forces one 10
fhe day and another for the night an,
recently. when the New York ~urfac
railroads changed their motor power fror
cable 90 electricity, much OF the wor
was done AZ night
In crest city nieht Is certainly not IN
time for rest TO very many.