One of my advetnures

ruby.ma4 ruby.ma4

Ruby

Interview of Rose Halgumhimer

Ruby: Hi Rose. So can you tell me about your life?

Rose: Sure.

Ruby: Yes. How were the factories? Or were they sweatshops?

Rose: Well I didn’t work in a factory, but my brothers did! So I know a little about them! I know that they were very dirty and the conditions were very bad.

Ruby: What did you do?

Rose: I worked as a peddler. I pushed a cart and so did two of my younger sisters. Jerry one of my brothers, he was about 14, helped me carry my pushcart down the stairs each morning. I couldn’t keep it in the hall because the landlady would get angry.

Ruby: What did you sell?

Rose: I sold buns, roses and apples. Two buns for a nickel, two cents for a rose, and nickle for an apple.

Ruby: Did you have any friends?

Rose: Yes, I had a friend named Cloe, and we had great adventures!

Ruby: Was life hard?

Rose: Sometimes it  was fun, scary, hard, but never perfect.

Ruby: Tell me about that.

Rose: It was hard to sell goods sometimes. Sometimes other people were selling the same things, and it was tough to get customers to buy MY goods. After many hours on my feet working, I came home to a crowded and loud house. I have eleven siblings! I shared a bed with  three sisters!

Ruby: Can you tell me more about the tenements?

Rose: We lived in tenement on Division Street. It had three small rooms. The biggest was split by a curtain for privacy. All us kids shared a room. Boys on one side, girls on the other. But the youngest two, are both girls and they slept with Mom and Dad. So that left 4 boys and 6 girls. All the boys are all older than me, and I’m the oldest girl. It was very squished. And the whole tenement was very dirty and worn-out. There was a hole in the wall and there were rodents crawling around. The halls were collecting dust. The floors were covered with dirt from people trekking in and out each day.

Ruby: Can you tell me about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory?

Rose: Well I didn’t work there myself, but I had a friend that worked there.

Ruby : Tell me  about that.

Rose: She said that the doors were locked, and the conditions were terrible. If you were  in the bathroom for longer than two minutes they docked your pay! Also, when the inspectors came, they would push the children who were twelve and under into box of shirtwaists so they wouldn’t be seen by the inspectors. She also said that the factory owners insulted them, and if you got one blood stain on a shirtwaist, they would dock your pay. Some workers lost fingers in the dangerous machines!

Ruby: Rose, how did you meet your friend that worked at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory?

Rose: I met her after the fire. I had just finished reading the newspaper to find out more about the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. Breathing heavily, I had crossed the street where a girl had just fainted. Everyone was ignoring her. I wiped tears from my face, and I shook her awake.That’s how we met!

Ruby: Wow, that sounds scary!

Tenement Inspector Job Created

by Ruby

Recently the job of tenement inspector has been created. It has been assigned to many New Yorkers. The tenement inspectors go from tenement to tenement to inspect the buildings. Their job is to insure that the tenements have followed the law. For example all tenements are forbidden to have animals, all stairs must have a railing, there must be a housekeeper or a landlord or landlady living in the tenement.

The tenement inspectors’ job was created just now, five long years after the 1901 law was enacted. Until now there was nobody whose job was to make sure that the tenement laws were enforced. So, the tenements have been filthy, overpopulated, and broken, with and chickens and other animals running around in them.

By creating the inspectors’ job the city hopes that the tenements will be cleaned up and well cared for.

This is me

These the other people who live in the tenement.

This is my work

This is my tenement.

JOURNAL OF ROSE HALGUMHIMER

Immigrant Story

by Ruby

Hi I’m Rose, Rose HalGumhimer. Also I’m a Dutch immigrant , Me and my family immigrated here to America. Now we’re living in tenement on Division Street. It has four   small rooms,  the biggest is split by a curtain for privacy.  All us kids share a room boys on one side girls on the other. But the youngest two, are both girls and they sleep  Mom and Dad. So that leaves 4 boys and 6 girls. All the boys are all older than me, And I’m the oldest girl!  I have my own bed, the twins and share the others girls they share to.  Winter and Fall are perfect because it’s so warm because it’s so squished.  But in Summer I sleep on the roof to cool off.  The other rooms are the kitchen and the living room.

A year after we got to America…

I woke up with a book next to me on the bed. I had fallen asleep reading again. It was still early so I got out of bed got dressed. Then I went to the kitchen, I got the tin of oatmeal and lit the stove, put water in a pot and put the pot on the stove. I sat down to wait.  Then I remembered to set the table so I did.  Then I prepared a lunch bag for myself and my brothers, for work. Then I put  the five bags on the windowsill. Then I waited for the oatmeal to  be ready. I got up to stir the oatmeal. I said to myself it seemed like a normal day just like every day. I sat down then hopped up again there was a pin cushion on my chair, from last night. I pick it up and cared it to the it in the sewing bin. Then I went to the couch and sat  down next to my dog. I lifted up my dog and put him in my lap.  He snuggled up to me. His name is Snoopy he is black and white and very fluffy.  Snoopy also loves to snuggle. And he is my best friend in the world.

Chapter 2:  Cloe

After Breakfast Mama got my cart ready. Jerry one of my brothers,he about 14, helped me bring my cart down stairs. My brothers and parents all work in factories but I am a pushcarter (as I call it) and so are two of my younger sisters. I sell buns, roses and apples. Two for a buns for a nickel. , two cents for a rose and nickle for an apple. Then I walk all the way uptown a rich lady buys 10 buns, four apples and ten roses! Think of all that money!! I didn’t have time to count , so I ran to the docks to get more roses. Then I see a ten year old girl getting off the boat.

I didn’t really mind even though she might be a good playmate. So I kept  walking then we bumped into each other “Sorry”we said at the same time.  “Hi what’s your name?”I said.

“ Cloe, Gamber, and yours?”

Rose,Rose  Halgumhamer.”” Hey were your parents?” I asked

“Don’t know “  Cloe said cheerfully “didn’t come on the boat with me” she continued.

“Hey you  want to stay with me for a little while?”

“Sure but do you think that your parents will mind?”

“No”.

We walked for a  while…”hey do you think your parents will mind?” Cloe asked.

“ No I told… wait you already asked that!!”

“He he I got you!”

The next day… yay Cloe staying with me!!!!!!! She said that she wanted to sleep on the floor!! Mama got me some new fabric to sew Cloe a new dress. I sewed it in my free time and  it was brown. She said that she only wanted to only have the dress to go to her knees. So I made it that way. Also I to keep her warm  I gave her a pair of my old stockings that didn’t fit any of the other girls in the family  but her. Papa say that I’m  fit to sew for the mayor, shes so good he would say to mama. But I don’t believe him, ok a I can sew well but I’m not that good!

Chapter 3

Megan

The next day when I woke up all my brothers were gone and there was a note on the door. In my moms fancy handwriting it said:

dear rose me , your father and your brothers have left early for work , no need to go to work today. And the very kind  landlady Megan is taking care of you and your sisters today. Oh and I heard that a storm is coming so stay safe. -Mom(O:>*

She even did her special smiley face! I woke up the other girls and me and Cloe started  to make a breakfast of eggs and biscuits. Then there was a knock on the door it was Megan she was a very nice woman. “Hi” she said.

2 hours later …

Megan and the younger girls were playing. I’m looking out the window there is a girl standing there she looked dirty like she was just in a fire.  Maybe she was one of the people that escaped the fire.  But what was she doing here? I looked at Cloe she was reading one of the books that Megan had brought I looked at the the tilde w was it was  “Robin Hood”, I had read that before.  If she was getting idase I wanted to know.  Then a flashing of lightning, then thunder.  Later that day Cloe came up to me holding the book she opened her mouth to speak but quickly I said “yes but we have to keep it away from my parents”.  “Ok”.  She squealed with joy! I rolled my eyes at her but she didn’t care.  We were going to be real “Robin Hoods”.

After a lot of robin hoods like kapers

Chapter 4 Gangs

You see, girls are all ways the damsels in distress.  Or the one they’re fighting for.  I guess what I’m trying to says is that girls never go on adventures, they never save the boy.  Well not us we’re the ones “sneaking around.” We’re the ones that get to have fun and go on adventures.  We’re the ones saving the boys!!

The next day, Saturday fun day, no work day! Cloe is still asleep, so I grab a bun, say by to my Mom and run outside the warm air meets my skin and  I breathe it in. I look around everything looks different, better, prettier, happy.  I smiled to myself. Well that’s what Spring brings.  Without thinking I walk into Snoopy’s favorite alleyway.  He plays there all day then comes home again!  There is a ton of garbage everywhere.

I walked up to Snoopy who is laying in a kind of throne type of thing and sit down next to him. Snoopy leaps into my lap for a snuggle, the he gets up to get a toy then there at the beginning of the alleyway a gang.  The Italian boys and their leader John…

I look around me nothing to fight with nowhere to hide.  They get closer and closer until John is close enough he throws a punch. I run finally I lose them and I am on my block.

Chapter 5

The Fire

Two Months later…

After finishing reading the newspaper to find out more about the triangle shirtwaist fire. Breathing heavily I crossed the street where a girl had just fainted. Everyone was ignoring her. I wiped tears from my face a shook her awake.

We talked for awhile I told her about all the Robin hood adventures I had and the funniest one of those Jacob Riis tea parties.  I felt so meek and it was so cold that even when we were inside our faces were ruddy.  And when I got attacked by the gang!

And she told me about the terrible conditions in the factory.  So dark musty and dank! And she told me about the protest, the product of the conditions.  And how thing were finally changing.  All from that fire.  And I told her that the conditions were bad in the tements but now that there were no outhouses everything smelled better and no chamber pots.  And all because the tenant inspectors.  And since most of us all work in our big family we can afford our rent.

“Anyway” I said “Where are you staying?”

“Nowhere at the moment.” she replied.

“Well maybe you could stay with me?”

“Sure.”

And that was that.

Chapter 6

2 months later…

“Ik ben thuis”, I said. (I’m home in Dutch) as I open the door no one’s there but Mai she  hides when others then my two of my younger sisters and I are here.  Mai and Chloe doesn’t even know about each other! She’s reading a book called How the other half lives.

Later she tells me about the tea parties that Jacob Riis hosted and he said on stifling July night…but she did not finish for she had jumped to hide as the door opened.  It was my brother.

After a dinner of chicken and peas, I sewed a bag, a new one, for Papa.  He needed it. Then I hopped in to bed said goodnight to my family, Cloe, and Mai.  Then fell asleep in the morning it was my turn to feed the pigs.  So I grabbed the bucket and ran down stairs.

When I got to the bottom of the stairs, I went to the courtyard and poured the slop into a trough and the pig ran to eat. I pulled some dried meat out of my pocket and hold it out and Snoopy came running up to me and ate it all.

When I came back upstairs breakfast was ready.  It was toast again from the store across the street my piece was burnt.  But I ate it anyway.

Chapter 7

Now as I look up at the sky I think well things are changing and I hope that things change too much. BUt I hope that the tenements change the conditions are so bad and I hope tenement insectors the new laws work.  I really do. I hope that the out houses change and the light changes.  And that we can still afford the rent with all of us working.

-Rose/Ruby