The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-16

buzsing OF the boiler and noise Of the ma
ohinery, while l was wet with perspira
ton from head to foot and gssping fol
breath, l was forced to Join Mike in q mao
scramble for kindling wood In order &c
build up the fire which l had nearly put
out. When / had finally finished and the
gauge wa slowly creeping up with its glad
some tidinss that steam was again gener-
ating in the boiler Mike took occasion "a
remark that he had heard that mental
work was much more lsborious than physi-
cal. Gently but firmly 1 upheld the mega
tive.
Right here allow me to remark that Mike
10 q true gentleman. Although he didn't
know he was to be replaced, didn't know
that Mr.. Sinclair had decreed that he was
, quite impossible, nevertheless he had a
strong suspicion Of IL. But this didn't keep
him from showing me every courtesy; nay,
kindness.
I should feel sorry for him II I hadn't
a sort OF sneaking suspicion that he will be
needed on that furnace Job long, long after
1t is generally supposed. The dismissal OF
one who can work that engine, with its COM
phoation OF hot water pump. hot air fan.
steam heating apparatus, automatic traps,
which don't always automat. Is not TO be
lightly considered.
I prophecy that when Mike does leave 10
will be with the sincere regret OF the habi-
the summit Of the Palisades in Englewood.
Nj. Very much SO. / can foresee trouble
II l have to operate that business save under
the able Michael's eye. With the assistance
Of a book OF l~ogarithms, I could find out
many interesting thing about the pressure
It m to keeping 1t hot and the proper
moun of pressure inside it, 1 acknowledge
my extreme inferiority to Mike.
Sunday, November 25.-ThI morning
with great s~uddenness, aud departed, bag
and baggage, for New York. I've been
taking his place.
To scull one puts on an oilcloth apron
that reaches from his chin 10 his toes, and
upon taking it OF wonders how he got
grease spots on his trousers. The actual
sculling is performed with a wire business,
hot water n lots OF soap.
The things to be ~sculled-pots, kettles
and pans, all gummed up will a conglom-
are put into the water, the soap is added,
and then with the assistance of this wire
dingus the scull tries to alter the position
OF the said conglomeration from the sides
Of the kettles and things to the bottom OF
the washing pan. As the refuse aocumu-
shovel n put into a pail. 1t smells most
vile and feels worse, and lemon juice and
salt is about all that will get it of your
hands.
I'd often pitied that intellectual scul, but
never adequately. He used to work from
fourteen to seventeen hours a day n do
rather less than the average woman scull
can do in five.
It was pathetic almost to see him peeling
apples and potatoes in the lulls of sculling.
He had such difficulty in getting the outsides
OF these things, and il took u an awful
lot OF them to supply the thirty or forty
residents of the hall.
The direct cause of his going was a diff
fioulty with the cook regarding something
which got burned. But l guess, as in the
case of the Revolutionary War, there was
a good deal in the indirect causes. They
are going to get a regular scull woman from
the village tomorrow. IL will not be
strictly in accord with the social idea OF
the colony, but I'm not kicking on a little
thing like that.
Tuesday, November 27.-The assistant
housekeeper went this afternoon. She said
she didn't like to make beds and all water
pitchers ana empty Stops. 1t hurt her
wrists.
She held some sort Of business position
in New York before she turned to the de-
lights of Helicon, and regretfully she has
to go back to ton account Of her wrists.
My wrists are a bit on the bum also, l
spent the day digging a ditch for a drain
pipe. II was better than scIling. The
new scull woman certainly beats me hollow.
anyway.
To-day a new system was inaugurated
with me. I'm to work whenever called
~upon-that Is to say, be sort OF continually
on the job. with such leisure as comes
between.
/ don't like this arrangement. Think
of being in the middle of a gentle lyric
and having to go to hitch up Dobbin. h
morning | was called tn build q CRATE fire
in the middle OF an octave on ..Faustus.'
Beastly bore.
Also ] hear rumors that the management,
which consists of the ~housekeeper n the
wealthy wholesaler, who displays abilities
too signal for a plain ~janitor, thinks my
with them as to enumeration
too much my way. They got a boy to-day
who works all day (about twelve hours
usually for his board and SO a month.
As / work only seven hours and am rather
less handy than the boy. it will be readily
seen that l arr a bad investment. The
rumor comes pretty straight, too.
And I've already been informed, by the
new superintendent OF buildings, whilom
~janitor, that they may find, any time. that
they do not need me any longer; that, OF
course, in the unsettled condition of things
they can give me no guarantee that I'll
be on the job longer than a day at a time.
Here is much food for thought.
Wednesday, November 2S.-Cook left to-
day. Laundress, who has been elected
one Of the board of directors, has been
transferred to kitchen, and two regular
washerwomen, one colored, imported to
to take care Of laundry. More knocks
at social idea. Cook took her NJ. A. TO
Newark for a teachers job, ! understand.
/ feel almost like a lone survivor.
Another maid imported to-day, and a
man name O'Grady, to assist in kitchen.
Also another boy TO do about the work
I've been doing, apparently. More in
teresting.
Man imported last night to help with
furnace left very suddenly this morning
before breakfast. He merely asked me to
tell the superintendent of buildings that he
feared he couldn't At into the place.
Mr.. Sinclair took out his long unused
axe to-day and chopped down a tree and a
half while he interviewed a Sun reporter.
THE sun reporter will probably write about
IL in his article.
p. S.-Later-The reporter wrote a lot
about il in his article.
Friday, November 30.-Here's whereI get
through. While l was in the Columbia in
structoE's room this evening, after banking
the furnace fire for the night, telling him
that the extreme manualness Of the labor is
too much for me, there came an uproar
from below. Voices called my name, and
yelled Where's Mixer" a~nHiously.
rushed down and was given the glad
some tidings that the boiler was on the point
Of exploding. One mother ran to snatch
her institutionalized children away TO
safety, another to save her much returned
MSS.
In the basement the furnace room was
flooded with water and hlled with steam,
through which a couple OF lanterns Jared
dimly. The wholesaler rae come down,
discovered II. and given the alarm.
We all k-tIIlaJ uaIrya s,rays o,l IzI..l