The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-03-03
FIFTY SWEATSHOpS RAIDED,
Police FIND CHILDREN WORN
ING IN FILTHY PLACES.
Era OF Terror for Employers Of Girls and
Boys In Brswnsvile-Ten Hours q
Day for Three Cents an Hour the
Rule-Goods Sent Back TO the Owners.


Ruie-Goods Sent Back to the Owners.
Accompanied by twenty Brooklyn police
men and q score Of deputy factory inspec-
tors, Daniel OLeary, Superintendent of
Licenses In the State Bureau Of Labor,
swooped down on the sweatshops in the
Brownsville district OF Brooklyn yester-
day and closed up half hundred Of them.
For several weeks O'Leary had been
collecting evidence against sweatshop
owners In the outlying wards OF Brooklyn
who persisted in violating the Factory
law. In some cases there were violations
of the sanitary provisions OF the law. In
other instances the sweatshop owners
were employing children under the age
Of II. Many OF them did not have their
places equipped with proper plumbing
Others were overlooking their floor spaces
with machinery.
At 10 O'Clock yesterday morning the
raiders assembled In the Brownsville police
station and formed in squads. OJeary
told them to break in where admittance
was denied to them, and in each place
where they discovered a violation OF the
law to take charge Of the goods. place a
State seal on them and put them aside
IL bundles to be returned to the owners Of
the cloth who had sent it out to be made up,
Supt. OIeary led a squad up vesta ave-
nue., where the majority OF the sweatshops
are owned by Italians. The first place he
visited was crowded with children at work
Some Of them not more than 10 years old
were operating sewing machines.
The boss Of the place saw the officers
approach and fed through back door.
after shouting In Italian that the hands
would all be arrested II they did not get out
In q hurry. Some Of them became No
frightened that they attempted to jump
from the second story windows, but were
prevented by the cops from doing 80. All
wept.
they told the inspectors that they were
employed for ten hours day at three cents
an hour The deputy isStory inspectors aIs tors
mitted them to go TO their homes.
The news that this place had been raided
spread quickly through Brownsville and
threw the other sweatshop owners into
panic. Many OF them hurriedly closed
their place after sending their employees
away. On the street several hundred men,
women and children gathered and talked
excitedly in foreign tongues. Tho crowds
followed the raiders through the streets
only to be driven back now and then BY
the police, whom they jeered at: ,u
You clos. my shop EilIa whole damn
police force
When a policeman started after this
man he ran into an alleyway and up TO
housetop TO hurl down q brick, which mar
rowiy missed the head Of q woman In the
crowd on the sidewalk.
About this time several parties OF raiders
had got to work in the Russian Jew sweat
shops in Christopher avenue, hockaway
avenue, Belmont street and Osborn street
They found the shops in . very filthy con-
dition. In some cases girls Of 10 and IL
years were found at work In cellars having
board floors under which the rain water
had gathered. A sergeant Of police found
the owner OF one Of these shops hiding In
coalbin, and when he dragged the man out
the fellow held up two fingers and hysteri-
IN No. su sSI!t5i Not guilty. A. I live Sol
Yours not on tsial yst.. explained NJ
this shop.
sMy brudder he owns der shop.
sWhere In he?' asked the cop.
'He ia dead was the answer. He died
lasdter veek!'
or seventy-five shops visited ffty-three
were found TO he in an unsanitary condition,
unclean. poorly lighted and badly ven
supt. o'Leary and his men will continue
the raiding to-day, but they refused TO say
last night what their plans were. Fearing
that they intend TO pay visit TO the swea
section OF Williamsburg, many sweatshop
owners there shut down last night, telling
their employees not to return until the
trouble had blown over.