Of The "Pure"-Finders.
Dogs'-dung is call "Pure," from its cleansing
and purifying properties.
The name of "Pure-finders," however, has been
applied to the men engaged in collecting dog's-
dung from the public streets only, within the last
20 or 30 years. Previous to this period there ap-
pears to have been no men engaged in the busi-
ness, old women alone gathered the substance,
and they were known by the name of "bunters,"
which signifies properly gatherers of rags; and thus
plainly intimates that the rag-gatherers originally
added the collecting of "Pure" to their original
and proper vocation. Hence it appears that the
bone-grubbers, rag-gatherers, and pure-finders,
constituted formerly but one class of people, and
even now they have, as I have stated, kindred
characteristics.
The pure-finders meet with a ready market for all
the dog's-dung they are able to collect, at the nume-
rous stableyards in Bermondsey, where they sell it by
the stable-bucket full, and get from 8d. to 10d.
per bucket, and sometimes 1s. and 1s.2d. for it,
according to its quality. The "dry limy-looking
sort" fetches the highest price at some yards, as it
is found to possess more of the alkaline, or purify-
ing properties; but others are found to prefer the
dark moist quality. Strange as it may appear,
the preference for a particular kind has suggested
to the finders of the Pure the idea of adulterating it
to a very considerable extent; this is effected by
means of mortar broken away from old walls, and
mixed up with the whole mass, which it clearly
resembles; and in some cases, however, the mortar is
rolled into small balls similar to those found.
Hence it would appear, that there is no business
or trade, however insignificant or contemptible,
without its own peculiar and appropriate tricks.
The pure-finders are in their habits and mode
of proceding nearly similar to the bone-grubbers.
Many of the pure-finders are, however, better in
circumstances, the men especially, as they earn
more money. They are also, to some extent,
a better educated class. Some of the regular col-
lectors of this substance have been mechanics, and
others small tradesmen, who have been reduced.
Those pure-fingers who have "a good connection"
and have been granted permission to cleanse some
kennels, obtain a very fair living at the business,
earning from 10s. to 15. a week. These, how-
ever, are very few; the majority have to seek the
article in the streets, and by such means they
can obtain only from 6s. to 10s. a week. The
average weekly earnings of this class are thought
to be about 7s. 6d.
From all the inquiries I have made on this sub-
ject, I have found that there cannot be less than
from 200 to 300 persons constantly engaged solely
in this business. There are about 30 tanyards
large and small in Bermondsey, and these all have
their regular Pure collectors from whom they
obtain the article. Leomont and Roberts's, Baving-
tons', Beech's, Murrell's, Cheeseman's, Powell's,
Jones's, Jourdan's, Kent's, Moorcroft's, and David's
are among the largest establishments, and some
idea of the amount of business done in some of
these yards may be formed from the fact, that the
proprietors severally employ from 300 to 500 tan-
ners. At Leomont and Roberts's there are 23 re-
gular street-finders, who supply them with pure,
nut this is a large establishment, and the number
supplying them is considered far beyond the
average quantity; moreover, Messrs. Leomont and
Roberts do more business in the particular branch
of tanning in which the article is principally used,
viz., in dressing the leather for book-covers, kid-
gloves, and a variety of other articles. Some of
the other tanyards, especially the smaller ones,
take the substance only as they happen to want it,
and others again employ but a limited number of
hands. If, therefore, we strike an average, and
reduce the number supplying each of the several
yards to eight, we shall have 240 persons re-
gularly engaged in the business: besides these, it
may be said that numbers of the starving and
destitute Irish have taken to picking up the ma-
terial, but not knowing where to sell it, or how to
dispose of it, they part with it for 2d. or 3d. the
pail-full to the regular purveyors of it to the tan-
yards, who of course make a considerable profit
by the transaction. The children of the poor
Irish are usually employed in this manner, but
they also pick up rags and bones, and anything
else which may fall their way.
I have stated that some of the pure-finders,
especially the men, earn a considerable sum of
money perk week; their gains are sometimes as
much as 15s.; indeed I am assured that seven years
ago, when they got from 3s. to 4s. per pail for the
pure, that many of them would not exchange their
position with that of the best paid mechanic in
London. Now, however, the case is altered, for
there are twenty now at the business for every
one who followed it then; hence each collects
so much less the quantity, and, moreover,
from the competition gets so much less for the
article. Some of the collectors at present do
not earn 3s. per week, but these are mostly old
women who are feeble and unable to get over the
ground quickly; others make 5s. and 6s. in the
course of the week, while the most active and
those who clean out the kennels of the dog fanciers
may occassionally make 9s. and 10s. and even 15s.
a week still, but this is of very rare occurrence.
Allowing the finders, one with the other, to earn
on an average 5s. per week, it would give the
annual earnings of each to be 13l., while the
income of the whole 200 would amount to 50l. a
week, or 2600l. per annum. The kennel "pure"
is not much valued, indeed many of the tanners
will not even buy it, the reason is that the
dogs of the "fanciers" are fed on almost any-
thing, to save expense; the kennel cleaners con-
sequently take the precaution of mixing it with
what is found in the street, previous to offering it
for sale.
The pure-finder may at once be distinguished
from the bone-grubber and rag-gatherer; the
latter, as I have before mentioned, carries a bag,
and usually a stick armed with a spike, while he
is most frequently to be met in the back streets,
narrow lanes, yards and other places, where dust
and rubbish are likely to be throw out from the
adjacent houses. The pure-finder, on the contrary,
is often found in the open streets, as dogs wander
where they like. The pure-finders always carry
a handle basket, generally with a cover, to hide
the contents, and have their right hand covered
with a black leather glove; many of them, how-
ever, dispense with the glove, as they it is
much easier to wash their hands than to keep the
glove fit for use. The women generally have a
large pocket for the reception of such rags as they
may chance to fall in with, but they pick up those
only of the very best quality, and will not go out
of their way to search even for them. Thus
equipped they may be seen pursuing their avoca-
tion in almost every street in and about London,
excepting such streets as are now cleansed by
the "street orderlies," of whom the pure-finders
grievously complain, as being an unwarrantable
interference with the privileges of their class.
Do you want to continue pure-finding or would you like to switch to
mud-larking?