All that has been said of the cigar-end finders may, in a great
measure, apply to the wood-gatherers. No one can make a living
exclusively by the gathering of wood, and those who _do_ gather it,
gather as well rags, bones, and bits of metal. They gather it, indeed,
as an adjunct to their other findings, on the principle that “every
little helps.” Those, however, who most frequently look for wood are
the very old and feeble, and the very young, who are both unable to
travel far, or to carry a heavy burden, and they may occasionally be
seen crawling about in the neighbourhood of any new buildings in the
course of construction, or old ones in the course of demolition, and
picking up small odds and ends of wood and chips swept out amongst
dirt and shavings; these they deposit in a bag or basket which they
carry for that purpose. Should there happen to be what they call
“pulling-down work,” that is, taking down old houses, or palings, the
place is immediately beset by a number of wood-gatherers, young and
old, and in general all the poor people of the locality join with them,
to obtain their share of the spoil. What the poor get they take home
and burn, but the wood-gatherers sell all they procure for some small
trifle.
Some short time ago a portion of the wood-pavement in the city was
being removed; a large number of the old blocks, which were much worn
and of no further use, were thrown aside, and became the perquisite
of the wood-gatherers. During the repair of the street, the spot was
constantly besieged by a motley mob of men, women, and children, who,
in many instances, struggled and fought for the wood rejected as
worthless. This wood they either sold for a trifle as they got it, or
took home and split, and made into bundles for sale as firewood.
All the mudlarks (of whom I shall treat specially) pick up wood and
chips on the bank of the river; these they sell to poor people in their
own neighbourhood. They sometimes “find” large pieces of a greater
weight than they can carry; in such cases they get some other mudlark
to help them with the load, and the two “go halves” in the produce. The
only parties among the street-finders who do not pick up wood are the
Pure-collectors and the sewer-hunters, or, as they call themselves,
shore-workers, both of whom pass it by as of no value.
It is impossible to estimate the quantity of wood which is thus
gathered, or what the amount may be which the collector realises in the
course of the year.