The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1905-01-09

to lift up their high blank walls. OPP
posite were cramped and ragged tene-
ments. Soon, 1 thought, poor, ragged
men will creep across the road from
the ragged tenements to work in the
orderly and spacious warehouses.
Then 1 came to where the road
passed over a little bridge spanning
canal. The water oozed like grease
through the Shiny gates of a lock.
All around about were great blank
walls, horrible In their baroness.
1t was indeed along a path of ugli-
ness and dissolution and sorrow that
I moved to the tragedy of the docks.
All this while l had not seen
soul, but now the figures of men
fitted out from dark doorways and
black crannies, and moved forwards.
I looked into the crannies, and found
men sleeping fitfully as they leant
against the wall. 1t was not till af-
forwards I learned that these men
were lockers whose beds had long
since been sold. Such is the hunger
at the docks.
The masts of ships were now pen
ciled against the ruddiness of the
eastern sky, and turned up a little
painted strange hieroglyphics in gold.
This was China Town, and at the end
of it l came full upon the docks.
1t was not yet the hour for the TAX
ing on of labor; the men were only
gathering for the long wait which
goes before their hiring. That is a
small matter when they are chosen,
but just now few are hired. They
came up walking slowly from little
streets where little houses with
empty larders stretched in long rows
of misery. And then they waited.
At the corner of a struggling pub
lie house stood a group of men in
cord trousers and blue jackets Sailor
caps were set above faces that had
in them something of the sea. These
men were the stevedores.
Royals" and "scurf"
Upon the further curb were men
who kept anxious eyes eupon the
stevedores. These We're the" roy
ais the favored men from whose
number the stevtdores pick every
morning for their gangs. At the
two other corners OF the cross roads
were hords of men with worn
clothes and worn faces these men
were the "scurf." the decker who
were the "scurf," the decker whose
chance for work Is small
Now and again a stevedore would
go over to the royals and beckon
to a dozen pairs OF watchful eyes
Then the men marched away
through the gates of the docks,
which stood wide open, as though
to mock the "scurf" Hundreds of
men. REGULARS" with their dinner
bundles dangling by red handker-
chiefs from their hands. also passed
by into the docks. Factory girls, late
and therefore running, bumped
against the ''scurfs," and chaffed
them. But the "scurfs" amde no an
swer beyond little restless move
ment born of envy of those whose
work was sure.
At last call time drew near, and
the "scurfs" gathered under the dock
yard wall. Here was long barrier
and n queer little open sentry box
in which the forman would take his
stand when he came to call the men.
Once the barrier was twice as long
and there was six sentry boxes. But
the other sentry boxes have rotted
away from lack Of use and care. All
that remains of them are certain
marks upon the ground. Thus, too.
has the trade of London docks been
rotting for 20 years. Now there is
not much left to rot away. At the
West India docks decay has laid its
hands upon the last foremans sentry
box.
Fighting for Work.
The foreman, a brisk man, with a
keen eye, came running out. and
with his hands thrust his way into
the sentry box. The men surged
round, and then for the first time
noticed that nearly all were old. At
the outset there was no jostling;
the foreman was calling out even
numbers, starting to shout for two.
Then / understood why the men in