Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1909-12-10

ladder aud disappear.
are if you'd been coddled in luxury.
with everything made easy? tell
you half the big fellows in this coun-
try owe their success 10 being born
poor. tell you. young man. poverty's
about the finest school we've got" He
paused and then added impressively,
Pm one of the graduates"
II know" said Philip. but there are
other graduates, and-speaking of
wrecks He stopped and looked at
his watch. That reminds me | must
telephone" He turned into drug
store and called up the Atlantic
Wrecking company. TOO bad" he
exclaimed after brief communica
ton. There's a grain boat sunk in
the East river off Grand street; I've
got to see about it"
Haggleton accompanied Philip and
got a glimpse of life on the big pom
toons and several thrills of pleasure
as he noted the young mans quick re-
sourcefulneSs and pang of appre-
tension as he watched him swing off
the ladder in his ugly suit and disap-
pear beneath the bubbling river.
AS there was cold rain falling. they
spent the waiting hours in the coy
cabin of the Dunderberg, and the crew
told stories about perils OF the deep.
They had supper with the crew and
| then started back for New York. tax
ing the ferry to Twenty street
where there was something Philip
wanted to show Haggleton.
"We'll look in here first" he said
and stopped before large building on
First avenue. This Is the Municipal
Lodging House. They take in two OF
three hundred homeless men every
night"
How many homeless men are there
in New York;
Twenty thousand or So"
Twenty thousand homeless men"
repeated Haggleton. And what dc
| the others do, those who can't stay
here:''
about 5000 walk the Streets" re
piled Philip.
mot on cold nights like this?"
ION cold nights and on hot nights
! They huddle in alleyways out of thu
wind. They crouch over grating.
above engine rooms and get the warn
air. They stand in the midnight breat
lines and then go back to their holes"
'rhere are 5000 like that in New
York?'
"Yes."
"And the rest?"
1.-THE rest pay 10 or Is cents in cheal
lodging houses. You'll see."
What do they pay here:"
Nothing. but the same man ma.
not come more than three times in
month. If he does he goes to tn
stone pile. So they're careful. Com
in"
The Office attendants nodded pleas
antly to Philip.
Downstairs they saw these me-
stripped of their clothes (some of then
peeled off two or three sets of gar
ments-their whole wardrobe) an
scrubbed under hot shower BATH
One mans legs were blotched wit
sores (from low vitality. the docto
said,, and one had deeply ulcerate'
heel from walking on his uppers.
Philip now led the way into anothe
lodging house. in the opposite block
This place accommodates about 40(
and the men pay from Is to % cent
night. There's no compulsory batl
and as for cleanliness-look!'
Philip pointed out that each cot ha
small, dirty locker for the men
clothes. where abundant cracks er
cOuraged the free circulation of vel
min.
"They get no nightgowns," continue
Philip. land the sheets are change
only once or twice week Many c
the men have loathsome diseases
many have consumption. and there
no doubt consumption and other di.
eases can be transmitted from man t
man by the contamination of Sheets"
How many of these lodging house
are there"
"About 40, and you've seen the bes
The others are so filthy that-well
asked an attendant once how ofte
hey washed the towels. and he sale
with grin: Wash EN-? We neve
wash 'en. We use 'em until the
hreak.''
They went 10 Grand street and visit
"a more of these sinister asylums o.
he Rowery where hunks are offere
To human wrecks at 20 or 10 or /
rn's Il night or less In one hideou
resort on Mulberry street. where til