New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-08-26
Il VISIT TO RIKER'S.
Young Street Cleaners Learn about
Garbage Mysteries.

When The government boat that plies between
the foot Of East Twenty-sixth-st. and BlaclrwelTs
and Rikers islands drew out from her slip yester-
day afternoon, she carried mixed cargo Of eight
women prisoners. one Saratoga, the chaplain of a
Roman Catholic hospital. jolly widow and over
hundred youngsters from the boys street clean
ing brigade The boys were in charge of p. II.
Ferris and several assistants. They were going
20 RikeTs Island to what Is done with the rub
bish that New-York is manufacturing increasingly,
and TO take swim in the quiet waters Of the
Sound. Incidentally and apropos of nothing in
particular, there a barrel of apples aboard.
"Goodby. grandma called little chap ioyously,
the topheavy craft began TO dig up the water
with her paddewhees. Don't you worry about
There amt no sharks icebergs UP TO
Riker's Island. grandma"
The boys were hilgriously happy They focked
from side TO the other Of the steamer, pointing
and exclaiming at everything.
"HooRAYi" SAY The BOYS
Presently one Of the street cleaning assistants
took up position in the bow with megaphone.
Boys he called. look TO your left and, way
against the sky. you WI a great arch
That Is the arch OF the Cathedral Of St. John the
Divine little beyond it Is round dome. That
IS the dome Of the library OF Columbia University"
"Hooray"' cheered the young street cleaners.
We passing through Hell Gate. Do
you see how close to the shore the boat keeps2
That is 70 avoid the dangerous currents in the
The Harlem River meeting the ;ides which sweep
along tie Sound and up the East River"
win every revolution Of the SIDE wheels the Jolly
6sT T@s !Psi a t er 3olty and taking taking on
circle OF sympathetic ears about her was to the
1t Rer Island She had taFen T his 6odT homer
end buried it at a cost Of S45 This money she
8. until few days ago, when she had heard that
Island she did not believe the rumor and she
had been in no haste TO hunt IT down but at last
the husband she had buried at cost of S45 was
Yet IN the flesh
THE REFUSE OF CITY.
At Rfker's Island the boys charged UP the little
dock through Group of laborers in striped bed
ticking clothes. and fell upon the heaps Of cinders
like plague Of locusts- They wanted TO spend
the afternoon roofing among the filth. and were
with difficulty rounded Up and coaxed along view
the works
colored lawn OF ashes. The lawn was garnished
with mouse traps. tomato and sardine cans bed
springs, barrel slaves. rubber tubing and cook
stoves. and through il endless belt that
ate rubbish endlessly from that lay by the
Writer'S side ct one end and vomited it into great
hole that yawned at the other end At one ex-
treiy OF the endless belt-running swiftly stealth
fly, infexibly-stood a derrick. and at the end OF
was really four huge Claws. When the BUCKET
dropped into the entrais Of scow. it opened up
ewing up and around til it stood the endless
belt and then, without pausing il swooped down
snd uncinched ts fist and let an the ilfh thar n
had been gripping drop into the hungry trough of
the endless belt that hurried IL off the dumping
ground
BRIDAL GREENERY AND CATS.
The boys saw how men armed with rakes leaned
over and pulled out the bedsteads and ice boxes
and buggies that came down among the rest of the
refuse. and they noted the blizzard Of fine dust
that beat continuously IN their faces. and how a
curse Of hies seemed 10 have fallen on the hdeous
place
AS they stood watching the wtthered greenery
from midsummer brides nuptiaIs sail past
with dead cat on a pyramid OF cinders, the mega
phone spoke again:
The rubbish is dumped to q depth Of twenty
teeI boys When one twenty-foot pile Is com
pleted the end Of the apparatus IS moved a
Jew feet and another pile is made When the
and then sand and soil will be placed on top. II
Is proposed 70 fill 81 that swamp you see. and TO
make what is now an island Of eighty acres an
island OF $50 acres"
Hooray!' shr1ekod the boys.
The stearner had hardly pointed her nose past
North Brother Island the return when the boys
We're lined I'D and deckhand stove in the head
o. tbs apple barrel with budgeon. After that.
the delUge.
The widow was in high spirits. She had looked
ne prisoners over and her Edward was not among
them.
II would have seen his corpse a-working there
among the other prisoners she said between bites
o. an apple Il would a made him cough up part
q lbs burial expenses. ] still owe Sl3 IS him