New-York tribune., 1911-11-19
BOROUGH GOSSIP
Street Cleaning Strike Breakers
Happy at Meal Time.


long line Of strike breakers. There we're a
couple OF hundred OF them hungry ana
tired and gray with ashes They had
come i'm from long days work under po-
lice rua~d. some of them had had mar
TOW escapes from angry white wings
As they gathered FOR their evening meal al
Stable e.. reaction had set IN aud discipline
was scarcely maiutsuablc among them.
..Thcv arc the best natured bunch ! have
over seen" remarked an Official, as the
laughter ceased.
\ man with a cane and a loud voice was
tho centre OF disturbance for moment
Got back there i'm line along the wall
fcucrs"' me shouted.
4 uccro refused to obey
Get back i'm line" the man with the
stick YELLED. and tried vainly TO shove nm
into his place.
"Ef YOU doan leave me alone I'm s"lhe
home" declared the negro.
Get back iu linc' ordered the crowd
and laughed and hootcd. while the black
man subSidcd.
They've got so much FUN i'm them that
they'd never get any sleep If we didn make
them keep quiet" said some one. noddlnS
his head toward tho temporary dornhiory
upstairs.
The limo of strike breakers formed a
study. There was scarcely a so-called poor
devil" among them. Almost to man they
we're Of the lower laboring class-negroes'
Italians. nondescript-an ignorant under
sized. underfed gang, all half hystericai
from the odors of coffee and corned beet
and cabbage which came down 10 them
from the dining room above
What do you give thcmo' asked the re-
porter
Their food, sleeping accommodations and
s, a day" answered the Deputy Commis-
sioner. 'I guess that is better than most
II them have ever done before i'm their
lives"
With much difficulty the foreman made
p pathway through the crowd and led the
way upstairs. The dining room was fitted
ND with long. rough tables, set with great
piles Of bread. tin cups. knives. forks and
spoons. At the far side men were working
over gas stoves.
"I don't know what that food tastes like"
said a visitor but it smells right
The food is the best we can get replied
the foreman.
way was forced through another strus-
sling mass Of hungry humanity in pas
sagewav leading TO the sleeping apart
ment The room was filed with cots
The men have all the blankets and pill
lows they want. and are as comfortable
as they can be-" the Deputy Commissioner
said. The place is kept warm and is pro-
tected from fire by a couple Of lines Of
hose We have 80 men here and there
are fifteen hundred lodged in the stables Of
the borough. II took us just two days to
prepare TO accommodate the men. OF
course, we didn't get all the men at once
hut we were ready for them as they came -
A few moments later the strike breakers
we're rushing 10 their places like hungry
wolves Walters passed between the tables
with steaming pals Of coffee, and others
followed with corned beef cabbage and
potatoes
IF they don't get enough the first help
ing they can ask FOR more" said the De
putty Commissioner.
Like Oliver Twist" suggested the re-
porter
''Yes-only they can get it,
The Brooklyn Chapter Of the American
Red Cross has appointed a committee with
Mrs. Thomas r. French as chairman 10
take charge of the sale Of Red Cross
Christmas seals in the borough. The COM
mittee hopes 10 dispose Of one million this
wear. The sale has been held annually for
the last three years and has increased each