Answer:
German American lives were hard and uncomfortable. they worked in the undesirable jobs and worked for minimum wage. most lived in the tenements or overcrowded apartments with poor ventilation and almost no plumbing.
Factories/textile mills, were usually located by rivers, which in a literal sense, would be powered by a water turbine/wheel in the river. The Factory workers consisted mostly of children and women, especially in textile mills. The women ran the factory, and factories were powered by water turbines. I didn't know which type of answer you wanted, so you can pick from either one or take both.
Spices (a luxury good) among other things, but spices is the most important
