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LIPS HISTORY
of
mit. JOHN OACcIAT
I was born in the town of Santo,:;tefano di 4uisquina,
Sicily, en May 12th, 1880, and am now 76 years of *gee 47
father was a farm peasant working the soil for a land
owner. 8inchs my early years I tailed at the farm with my
father.
I was merriod at the age of 22 years, and then leased
a tract of land which I worked planting wheat, horse
feed, potatoes and vegetables. .4ter we had been married
a year, my wife gave birth'to a child, baby boy, who
died when he was a year old. In the year 1886 my ,14141
again gars birth to another son who lied soon after.
In this same year I doolded to come to New Orleans
where many Italians wore living at that time. The trip
was long and tellous, lasting 30 days. I WPM afterwards
introducol to Mr. liamaaro who was the owner of the steam.
ship iine in which I had sailsd to merica with my rife.
We goon became fast friends, and he proposed to as that
I work for him at his Produce Company in New Orleans.
He handled bananas chiefly which he brought from
Honduras. There I was employed as foreman, which position
I held for nom two years.
3everal friends described Tampa to ma with such glowe
ing colors that I soon became ontriused, and decided to
coma here and try my fortune, =‘coordingly, in 168T,
26000
leaving my wits in Mew Orleano, 1 took the train to
t Mobile I took the boat that brought as here.
disembarked at the Lafayette invest bridge. A vise
,then 27 years of age.
I had expected to sec t city, but pv
oxpootations were too high, for what I saw before me rA1.0
most brougLt me to tears. There via nothing; what one
m4y truthfully say, nothing, Franklin as long sandy
street. There were very few houses, and these were far
apart vith tall pine trove surrounding thorn, The Iii lie.
borough County Court House was 4 smg11 wooden building.
Some men rere just beginning to work on the foundation
of the Tampa Amy Rotel',
Thor City ,nfts not connected to Tam as it Is today,
There vas a :441dernoss between the two cities, and a dia.,
tattoo of more than one mile between the two places. .11
of Thor city woo nut worth one oant to is. lh different
places of Thor City a tall species of grass grew, proper
of srampy places. This grass grew from 5 to 6 feet high,
1 rme completely disillusioned -1th what 1 saw, There
wst.s a stagnant --E%ter hue where tho society of the Contra
10.spanol (Spanish Club) is today located, small wooden
bridge spanned this pond. I remenbor that 1 was afraid
to cross that bridge, and especially so at night, beoluse
of the alligators that lived timre, ilhey nyuld often
crawl Into the bridge and tHIAlk tktere in the eon all day
long,
The factory of Martinez Thor had some twenty cigen.
makers; Unohes y Haya had some fifteen while endas had
about ten. I worked for a time at the factory of modesto
l'onet as stripper,* and made 34 for my first day's work.
Of course, I was than only teaming the cigar business,
and could not expect to make more. When I bec -me skilled
in my work an stripper, I would make from U.00 to f:t1.25
a d,y.
Zhile still at this work, I gradually began learning
the cigar.makers' trade as I saw that they were making a
much more comfortable income. Vhen I had become somewhat
proficient as a cigarmmaker, I was earning from 314.00 to
*1.5.00 a week.
rhen I had been in Tampa some two or three years I
sent for my wife rho was still living in New Orleans.
?lams she arrived in Tamils she burst out crying at w:lat she
saws wilderness, swamps, alligators, mosquitoes, and open
closets. The only thing she would say rhen she arrived
rnes s'hy have you brought me to such a place?*
Here we had two more sons, and one died. Ye had in
all four children, of whom throe died. Ts only had one
child left whom we were able to rites.
At about this time "r. rartines Thor (the cigar
manufacturer) was offering homes for sale at a very low
stripper in a cigar factory is one who removes the
stem from the tobacco leaf:
I, therefore, went to. him end purchased a none
at the corner of 18th street and 8th Avenue for Lao pries
of '788. still have this house, olthou4A considerably
remodeled. I paid 3100 ce,sh, und the balance I paid off
in monthly torus. I was able to du this with ti4e help of
my if.,%ha worked also at the cigar fnetory. v:e worked
in neWeva factories, sometirae in "'est Tamp., ond slogs.
times in nor City, wherever working condition* were
better.
In all,I woried 28 years at the cigar fnctorios.
the end of this time my eight became somewhat impaired,
therefore, obliged to diecontinue my ,-:ork,
son grow up into n yeing man, married and rd two
children' both boys. One of my grandsons le m Tied, and
the other is still single. My son has now been out of
rork for the i-st three years.
I an tat present from what little rent I can
collect from the various buildings that I own. There are
rnmilles that have been living in my houseo seven weeks
without paying rent, yet anoold I wish to dislodge them I
must go to the Court Hoene mi pay them $5.00, and then
t. it three mare rceks before they sr* finzUly dislodged,
These properties mre mines I have v-orked hard in
order to have them, ;et I cannot do as A deem proper rith
them. If I cannot pay the taxes these houses rill be
tpken from me. If I cannot collect my rents, I an not
able to ay the taxes. I should, therefore, be allowed to
dislodge those tht-A cannot pay their rent, and without
going through so muth trouble, it is not Justice to
expect taxes to be paid when you onnnot collect your rents.
There is not much hope in Tbor City. The cigar
factories are on n continuous declitle. The factory of
Corr,c11 vodiska had 1500 persons wor1ng, todey it hs.e-
only some 150 or 200 person*.
The railroad between Tampa and Jacksonville had over
40 men orkin daily nlow; the trucks, keepin the gross
from aroring over the rile, ssin het the tires slang
the treks 7ere y!el]. 4.ept, etc. Today they do not have a
single man doing this.
The Trust has sleo pgrohased many factories here and
have removed them to the Northern cities.
The people of Thor City are orphans, not only of
father and mother, but or everything in life. They eon..
not find work at the cigar factories because of the
machines, If the government ,7ould place a tax of .)5,000
on ckeh $,.1c1J./u4 the manufpcturers Juld soon :44,VO to
discontinue them, anJ trA)re •coold be irerk for those that
are. still left here.
Under present conditions the people of Tbor City have
no other alternative but to leave for Sew York it,. Aare
they get only 54 n reek for the maintenance of k whole
family, and the sinzle roorson is not given any relief
whatever. In New York City they are given a homes
groceries, coal to warm themselves in -ionter, and
electric lights. Here they are not given anything.
There is not an employee of HavfasaTampa that is
from Thor City. %11 their employees are roman Who come
from little tovils near Tampa. The faotary is situated
here in Thor City, yet very few Latins if any, are
employed. This factory pays their employees whatever
they please.
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