The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-04-11

CtbNAAg viz AlNAhE NOllulllOAG anu
low pay on the barges Of Jim Cullen
were what drove that Tammany poll
tician's employees to strike. Cullen
used his influence at the city hall to
make the docks swarm with blue
coats, and told his workers that if
they did not get right back TO work,
he would pull political wires and have
them all deported to Europe. But
none of his power is used to clean up
his barges.
The reporter has just had opportun-
ity 10 talk with the men who work on
the boats of Burns Bros, Darby,
Monks, Tracy, Cullen, and others.
He can attest to the fact that no
where in any industry do such squalid,
filthy and uncivilized conditions Of
living exist as those on barges and
boats that work for these contractors.
The average barge carries coal or
other cargoes of similar nature The
instructions which the bargemen re-
ceive land especially is this true in
the case of Cullen's) is TO load the
barges and boats to the very height
Of capacity and if possible exceed that.
In view of this fact the cabins on the
boats are made of as small size as
can possibly be compatible with the
overlooking of the barge. The cabins
as rule are single rooms Of rude
plank construction, implanted and in
many cases unwashed.
The size of the cabins is 8 by IL
feet or little larger. AS a rule they
are placed amidships. In the case of
the Cullen boats, they are set little
lower, and hatch combing, which is re-
quired in most cases by law, is miss
ing. This hatch combing serves the
double purpose of protection and
keeping the seas out.
The interiors of these cabins are
horrors to the sight; especially is this
so in the case where entire families
comprised of or children, a mother
and the "barge captain" as he is
called, live in the cabin. In this cabin
consequently they must provide for
the children, they must have washing
facilities, bathing facilities which
should include a toilet and proper
sleeping facilities. To say the least,
there should be the proper cooking
facilities for the family.
What are the actual conditions that
exist in the barges? Each has a
room in whose interior somewhere are
five or seven supported planks hold
ing NANCY and worn mattresses,
blankets and whatever else may be
thrown together that may serve as a
bed. The Times recently dignified
these projections by calling them
shelves in the wall of the cabin They
are the most horrid sleeping contri-
vances imaginable and give no protec-
ton whatsoever when the boat rocks
and rolls. In these sleep the barge
master, his wife and their children.
There is usually a coal stove which
has faulty connections with the roof
and gives out an odor of rancid, fry
ing, smoking grease. Around it are
clustered the little ones, especially at
this time Of the year. A rickety chair,
or two or four boxes Of well adver-
tised canned goods scattered in con-
fusion, an old table or some planks
supported on boxes, just about fill in
the rest of the picture, except that the
odor pervades ALL For a slop pail
serves the purpose of family toilet
and the Board of Health wonders at
the spread Of diptheria and other con-
tagious diseases along the waterfront.
Let me cite an actual case of
barge which is at present outside of
Hoboken and plying between that port
and the New York coal yards. On this
barge the cabin is also of the already
specified size, the interior conforms
with the exception that instead Of
having many hunks there are only
two, one for the captain and his wife |
and the other for the children. The !
name Of the barge is Stranger"
The children's ages range from that |
of youngster of three months to one
Of eight years. None of them has |
ever had any education whatsoever,
due to the poyerty-stricken situation
on the barge.
The mother was Vermont girl who |
came to New York with her husband |
thinking that thru thrift she would be |
able To biiild nm comfortable family /