Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1903-09-02
CITY'S PIER JEWELLERS.
Queer Abodes for a Part of New:
York's Population.


When an alarm of fire was sounded
last Monday from the foot of East SIX
ty-second street the firemen hustled
out of their quarters with all the speed
they were capable of, as the alarm mad
been sent in from the neighborhood OF
Flower hospital, which is at Sixty
third street and avenue A.
The firemen were greatly relieved to
find that the fire was not in the hos
pital, but they were surprised to find
that 1T was on the pier. As the en-
gines and trucks, the fire patrol WaS:--
ons and the battalion chief raced down
Sixty-second street from First avenue
they saw mass of black smoke rising
apparently from the East river, and
they at first thought that some yes.
sci was on fire. but they soon got near
enough to understand the situation. 8
Another dock on fire and the last
one was only week ago." one fireman
said to another.
Burning piers are Of recent occur
renee, and, in the opinion of firemeni
unless something is done to change the
conditions which are favorable to the
origin of such fires there will yet be a
disastrous blaze on the water front.
There Is Street Cleaning Department
dump at the foot of East Sixty-second
street and it was under the dump that
the fire started Considerable damage
was done to the pier, the dump and
the scow which was tied up there be-
fore the blaze was eXtinguished. Luck
lily, the flames did not extend to any OF
the shipping in the neighborhood.
The firemen made an investigation
as to what started the blaze, and SO
did the inspectors Of the street clean
ing department, and they decided that
is was accidentally started by the ltal-
ians. who have their home under the
pier or dump. 1t is queer placf for,
human beings to have their home, but
such as it is men, women and children
live there The men are engaged In
the work of trimming" the scows
which carry the city's refuse to its AM
al destination The trimming consists
in sorting the paper, rags and other
material which may be turned into
commercial value. The men only are
supposed to do the work, but in real
ity the women and children workas
hard as the men,. The ascow is tlHa2S1
s9aesas;atE 4.
come along and empty their loads fntoI
the sccw. -
Then the men, women and children
scramble about with iron hooks, turn
ing over the refuse. In warm weather
the children have but little clothing on,
but their half naked bodies are coated
thickly with dirt. The women, too, are
scantily clad, for they live in semi
darkness under the dump when not al
work ON the scow, and when so en-
gagged they are not on public view ea-
cept from passing boats.
They live under the dump winter ano
summer. They cook, eat and sleep
there. and not even the close proxlm-
ity of so much water can keep tneln
clean. There are q number of such
dumps along the North and East rivers
where Italian families are domiciled
and whose lives are passed amid the
surroundings Of the city's refuse
Truant officers don't think OF going
there for children of school age.
1t was found that the fire last Mon
day was caused by the family cooking
stove falling to pieces while the WON
an was at work on the scow. The fam
ily midday meal was on the stove. bu
the arrival of several loaded stree
cleaning carts induced the woman L
go out to help her husband, the chill
dren and the boarders in trimming tn
Scow.
A similar fire occurred in one OF tn
dumps further up the East river
short time ago. The tiremen say tn
matter is serious, from the fact tina
such fires are menace to shipping
New York Sun.