Waterbury Democrat., 1902-02-12
WORKING IN HE DEBRIS.
Rag Pickers and Junk Men
 Reap Harvest.

Some of Them Have Staked Out
 Claims in the Dump on the Water
 town Road-Big Haul of Tobacco
 Saved from One of the Stores by a
 Picker Many Valuable Trinkets
 Lost in Scoyill House Fire
 The rag pickers and seekers after iron and other things in the ruins of the burned buildings are having lively time keeping track of each oth- CT and it would not surprise some people to hear that the police had to settle disputes among them before all the debris has been sorted over and everything worth carrying away taken out of it. Charles Egan has bought all the stuff in some of the cellars, but the pe9dlers don't seem to be aware of this and pick up things wherever they see them so that it re- quires great vigilance to keep the in tl.uders where they belong. They did things on a pretty decent plan on the Watertown road where the city, carted large amount of Wreckage and dumped it down the embankment. Here they got together and staked out claims and worked them with the same regard for lines IS regular min CTS and by this means succeeded in conducting the business without any serious trouble, though one or two cases that came up had to be settled by arbitration. One fellow found a heavy piece of iron on nls claim and after he had the dirt shoveled off it the man next him saw that about half of it rested upon his property and as the casting was too heavy to break a dispute arose as to which should have it. Finally the matter was ad- Justed by turning the whole piece over 10 the man who discovered 1t on con dltion that he give the other fellow several pieces of small castings. There was one row that baff1ed the efforts Cf the committee on disputed claims. This occurred between two women. Both found some article of wearing apparel. at the same time. Each held on to part of it and refused to let go until they ripped it to pieces and then they struck at each other with vengeance. using the tattered rem nantS of the old garment as weapons. Scraps were common during the first day and the chances are that many would have been killed if some one had not thought of the scheme of stalking out claims and assigning par tleular section to each man and his family. Gangs delved all day in the 1 dirt and when night fell these were relieved by others who acted as watch CTS until daybreak the following morn ing when the miners reappeared and went at it again. Such wreckage as was removed has now undergone 9 thorough search, but they are at if yet and the owners of the land will De lucky if the 'sgold hunters do not turn out to be genuine squatters and locate permanently on their claims. It Is said that a vast amo,1nt of JeWelry and other treasures ara bid- den in the ruins of the Scoyill houSo This, and the doubt as to whether inc remains of William Kahn are thera renders the place Of peculiar interest and many wonder why the debris ,s not cleared away. J. $. Elton start. ed to search the ruins for the body of Kahn, but gave 1t up after he was as- sured that the man got out with ali | the others who were in the nlaca when the fire started, but it seems that there is nothing certain about this
 To-days some fellow caught onto enough tobacco to start him in the business Of making cigars. It was dripping wet and made a rather ugly looking mess in the mans arms as he hurried down Grand street and then headed into Canal street. Ha acted as if he had unearthed a n1g get of gold and felt that he was uuita likely to be held up by footpads at every step. The whole thing is ouita an experience for the local peddlers and by the time it is over some of them will be in possession of relics which the original owners would glad ly pay good money for. A few strangers came into town after the fire and started to delve in the debris but the Waterbury people looked upon them as intruders and drove them out. This job was intrusted to the women and small boys and they did 1t in most unceremonious manner
 A man who boarded at the Scovill house for years told Democrat re- porter to-day that he did not care about the valuables he lost in the fire. It was the loss of the trinkets that worried him. ssThings I inherited ;, he said 'sand that cannot be replaced. For example. a few things mother gave me. No one else would want them, but they were very dear to me. Money couldn't buy them. I can re- place my clothing, furnishings and everything else, but these are gone forever. They were link that con- nected me with the past and the idea of being without them makes me feel as if had been robbed of the most precious articles I had in this world, Many others are in the same box. and while they admit that their case is by no means as bad as that of those who lost their property and were not fully insured. still it is plain from what they say that they feel their loss keenly.
 DTTCT@TT,cycV CITY