The evening world., 1901-07-23
ARegimentot the Sight
less Divide $32,25O,
e a c h r ceiving
$49.47...In the Line.
Up We're 672, All
Happy in Their Good
Fortune.

This is the annual pay day Of the
, Blind pensioners o! IN" city. AMI e.:
| sighti"ss psopl" responded to the In.
vitntlon from Sup;. Blair, OF the Out.
door Poor. to visit the Charities De-
pnr,mcnt a, Twen,v-six,h stree, and
Fast River and receive &t?.t1 each. a
gift from the city treasury.
The deputies from City Paymasier
Timmerman's Office were not due to
appear and open the great bags o. gol,!
two score early birds were a, the office
OF supt. Blair by o'clock.
All on Hand EARLY.
From that hour on all streets and
avenues on the east side were cropping
place. OF tho siEhtlcss. all OF whom
turned down Twenty.Sixth street TO the
Charity pier at the Eas, River.
There were over 70o applicants for the
annual pension. but F. J. Be,,mar. who
has been the Official visitor for seven
teen years investigating every case.
and knows. and is known by every
bind person In the boroughs OF Man
haitian and the Bronx. rejected seven.
,y.nve OF them. leaving g: on the roln
OF those deserving pensions.
To be entitled 10 tho c!,y's alimony
one mus, not only be blind but a ci,l-
zen. or the wife or child OF "A citizen.
must have lived TWO years In the boT-
ouHh. not as an inmotc OF an institution
and must be In .ndlScn, circumstances.
some Were Rejected.
dozen applicants were rejected be.
cause they owned tenement -hous'e' more
because they were no, citizens or had
no, lived long enough in the borough.
Bu, the G72. as they Sroped their way.
or were led by knowing dogs. or es'
corted by friends with eyes. were n
laughing. joyous and happy crowd.
though motley In Harb and often STue-
-omcly srotcesluc In appearance.
Roundsman Martin \. Smith, OF the
Eas, Th.r;y-nnh street station. and a
wcic on hand to line up the pensioners
on the pier. where benches from Belle
vuc Hospita! had been placed for their
accommodation.
When the signal came for the start OF
this strange procession through the pay
office. the line reached clear back TO
the outside Of the pier TO the threshold
o! MIR. iiair's office.
Commissioner Keller asked 70. 81 90
Cor his blind chatses. but the Board ot
Estimate allowed only 1850. or cS-
act,y .i'.E TOR each oi tn. ~: .,cnsipn-
rrx
Oldest PrnsiOnrr.
The Oldest pcnsioncr on the pier was
Sarah Mullisan. OF No. J scammell
street. u white-hlire6, eO.t-voiced ,lttle
old woman who frsi claimed IN. pen
-io!I FOR the blind thirty years ago
Among the rejected applications. this
year vas that Of Mary. the widow ~
Blind Tom DonoShue the Park avrnu.
ncwsman. who hanged himself when he
came home one bitter cold day 70 iind
that a kind neiShbor had built "A nre In
away all his savings, about SIS.
Mr. Bcttmnn found that sac had been
able n purchase a little property In the
country, so she was scratched on the
lis, for the iirs; time In fifteen years
There are -'.vsnty-t"o new pensioners
this year. The most interesting one /.
James II. Eaton. Df No. 9'3 Washington
avenue. N the Bsonx. lie Is thir;y-n!nc
year. old and has been deaf. dumb and
blini since bi,h.
This Is the forty-sixth pay.'iay FOR the
blind. and In these forty-nve years the
city has paid from 80 To 30 TO each
pensloner. Into the hand Of each Of to-
days pens Oncrs was paid two golden
double eagles. n IS gold piece. four silver
dollars and u cents In change. all money
that even a olInd person can count,