I am writing a novel and am looking for some information I am struggling to find online: How much would a dock worker have made per week? Where did most dock work take place in Manhatten? Examples of neighborhoods and streets that were overcrowded, impoverished, and would have had many flophouses and boarding house If anyone has any sources that they think could be relevant to my search, I would really appreciate it! Also, if anyone thinks they can contribute information to answering my questions, I would appreciate anything :)
Hi there - we're happy to approve your question related to your creative project, and we are happy for people to answer. However, we should warn you that many flairs have become reluctant to answer questions for aspiring novelists and the like, based on past experience: some people working on creative projects have a tendency to try to pump historians for trivia while ignoring the bigger points they were making, while others have a tendency to argue with historians when the historical reality does not line up with what's needed for a particular scene or characterization. Please respect the answers of people who have generously given you their time, even if it's not always what you want to hear.
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At the very least, you should make sure to read Jakob Riis's "How the Other Half Lives" about turn of the century NYC as seen by the (largely immigrant) poor. While I am not sure if there's much about dock workers per se, it's considered one of the most important texts to understand NYC's lower classes during this period.