The New Orleans Democrat. (New Orleans, La.) 1875-1876, 1876-03-04

New York Commercial Advertiserl

Now York Commercial Advertiser
One Of the mysteries OF New York, Of
which we have never seen In type an
attempted explanation is, "What under
the sun becomes Of the enormous guam
tity Of this coarse, brown wrapping
paper which we everywhere sec piled
up to the ceiling In warehouses, or shy
ing across the sidewalk from truck to
store, like Parthian arrows, darkening
the Sun, or. perchance, coming to the
city from mills In the surrounding
country, loading whole trains OF freight
cars 2" This surely is profound puz-
zleg which few even among old residents
can unravel But here Is the answer
c'Tell 1t not in Gath: publish it not In
the streets OF Askelon.c In brief, we
have at this port an enormous export
trade In strawpaper between New York
and Havana. where 1t enters into manu-
facture Of tobacco. The trade can be
reckoned by thousands Of tons. Not u
steamer leaves port that does not take
out from 1000 to 5000 reams, or In occa.
sional instances as high rs 10000 reams-
But very few days have elapsed since q
steamer sailed with the quantity last
named. It WAS long since evident that
this heavy export Of paper, that, too, all
of single description, the coarsest and
cheapest, could not be for ordinary con
sumption. No market could possibly
demand such quantities, unless people
were inordinate shoppers, and did moth
ing except run to the grocery for small
packages. The paper referred to sells at
26 cents per rearn OF = and 9pounds. and
when packed for export is usually
pressed into bales Of 100 reams each.
It Is said that the exports are so large
that our entire domestic consumption
Is scarcely equal to one-sixtoenth OF the
total shipped to Cuba alone, while addi-
tional quantities are In demand for Bra
I'll, Bermuda, etc, very much OF 1t,
doubtless, going into the manufacture
of cheroots and cigarettes. For this
purpose, we are told, it serves. admir-
ably, the paper, under combustion,
leaving no residuum other than q pure
white ash. There Is but one conclu-
sion as remarked by leading
dealer in the trade. that the bulk
Of this paper Is converted into
cigars of the lower grade. and when
returned under customhouse brand,
neatly boxed and fragrant with Elusive
odors, readily commands u sale. The
peculiar manipulation which straw
paper undergoes in process Of CONVEX
sion is OF course known only to the in
itiated. But it is we'll understood that
when saturated in the juice Of tobacco
stems, and, perhaps, almost dissolved,
the once de pissed yellow realms make a
filling" almost equal, IL not superior,
to the genuine leaf. In fact 1t Is
sometimes possible to detect, we
are informed, the delicate film of
paper interlapped with leaves In
the finished cigar, or neatly folding
the exterior. TO such refinement Of
art has this business been carried, that
by the use OF machines rolled over the
sheet Of paper, an almost perfect i'm
press Of tobacco leaf Is obtained. the
peculiar spots" being. printed as on
calico. The waste and refuse OF fac
tories in like manner Is carefully
gathered, and, by intermingling with
paper, once more acquires body and
consistency, 80 that in subsequent use
the votary OF tobacco inhales It In his
pipe, securing comfort and solace, or
takes It pulv6rized into snuff. through
the nostrils, imagining himself trans
ported in dreamy lassitude beyond the
cares and worriments' OF this lower
life on u wisp OF paper.