Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-03-04


| TO run it-as Mrs Spencer runs the woman de-
partment-so as just to defray expenses. giving
the men who work adequate pay for their Ser.
| vices When the reporter left arrangements
| were being made to relieve the immediate
necessities Of the two Virginia ladies: and Mrs
Spencer was still busy dealing out parcels Of
work to needy seamstresses.
THE JUNK BUSINESS
Some Surprising Figures Concerning
the Trade.
! HOW THE RAG MEN MAKE A IIvING-wHAr BE
CONES OF THE SCRAPS THEY GArHER-SHoDpr
CLOTHES AND CARrErs-A TALK WITH A
| DEALER.
Since the war what is popularity known as the
junk business has continued to grow until at this
time there are at least fifteen houses here, each
with full complement of clerks, weighers
and sorters, doing paying business
Through them numbers of gatherers Of I'D Junk
obtain their living. Prior to the war the bust
| ness was carried on in a small way. there being
perhaps three or four places where refuse i'm the
shape of old rags, paper and bones could be
| sold and those engaged in it were then their own
gatherers, sorters, packers and shippers. Occa-
sIonally itinerant gatherers would, in passing
around the streets, sing out at the mouths OF
the alleys 'R-r-a a-a- gs." and filling their bags
would ship them Off and seek some other field
| to harvest
| WHAT CONSTITUTES MERCHANTABLE JUNK.
| Under the name of junk, as understood by
dealers and gatherers. is included rags,
(woolen and cotton) old books and
paper, bones, old iron, wrought and cast
old copper, brass, pewter, zinc and lead which
are used for various purposes With the in
fiux of the colOred population here during the
war, quite a number for the want of other en-
ployment went into the business commencing
generally with an outfit consisting of an old
coffee bag to hold the stock and spring
balance to weigh the goods. Some of these
finding it more convenient for their growing
business, provided themselves with push carts.
ana others branching out still further finally
| secured horse and wagon. The latter how
| ever, do not cOnfne themselves to canvassing
| the city, but have pushed out into the surround
| ing counties of Maryland and Virginia and
| uurlng the summer season make regular cir
| cults calling at farm houses and buyin@ up
many things which would otherwise he thrown
away.
| THE BUSINESS IN THE DISTRICT
1t is exceedingly difficult to estimate the
amount of junk business done within the Dis
trct owing to the fact that it is not all confined
to the regular dealers for it isapparent that the
waste material Of some of the departments finds
its way out Of the city without passing through
the junk stores.
few days ago. STAR reporter passing into
one Of the junk rooms, found number of men
and BOYS at work carefully sorting over a pile
| OF cotton rags. for before being baled and
shipped they are divided into three grades In
reply to questions. the gentleman i'm charge said
Yes there is a living in this business not only
for the dealer. but the gatherer The number
OF gatherers vary, probably more being engaged
| IN the winter than during the summer although
| when the weather is bad not much can be
| done"
about what number do you think are gath
| ering now"
Five hundred" answered the dealer. twill
not cover those now canyassing About three
hundred may be called regulars that is they
follow the business through the year and most
of them sell to Us dealers about SIS worth per
week. and out Of this they get living. Some
VINO have country circuits sell us S75 per week"
WHAT BECOMES OF THE JUNK.
"What do you do with Innsbruck? 1t don't all
go to one place. and there must be a number of
uses for it,"
We'll, it is the old story" said the dealer
What is worn once is worn again. Much of it
comes back to the departments and to Congress
| in the shape of paper. 1t is not unlikely that
some of the clothing worn on Pennsylvania ave-
nue. once passed through this house in the shape
OF wooden rags. Do you know what shOddy is?
WOODEN rags ground up with q little new wool.
and worked into cloth. There's plenty Of it in
town. if you only knew it. Then some of these
rags (woOlen) go into carpets. not in the best,
out In 1air carpet. and likely some are now on
parlOrs made partly Of the clothing worn in the
same parlOrs The ordinary wooden rags were
before the war not worth anything but now are
bought by the gatherers at from one to one and
a-naif cents per pound. Then there are the
tailors clippings tor which they nav ten cents
per pound. This is used for filling i'm cloth
goods Most Of the wooden stock is sent to Bes-
ton and Philadelphia. the latter having within
the past few years become a very important
market. The amount brought i'm annually and
hundred and fifty TONS"
The cotton rags" quoth the scribe s:co the
old rOad-to the paper miIl3'
Eyes" said the dealer. with the waste paper.
The cotton rag is the principal article in the
Junk business, except, perhaps, the old paper
books, newspapers, &c. The old paper is
greatly in excess. considering the population of
the District of that collected in any city of the
Union-more old newspapers than any where
else. For cotton rags the gatherers payfrom to
IL cents per pound and about ,0O0. 900 pounds
are sent away to the paper mills. The paper
stock too, is sent to the paper mills and is again
made over and probably through the gatherers
million pounds are collected annually for
"h'eh eucs pay "a W q CciiIS per pOunQ-
MILLION AND HALF POUNDS OF BONES.
''Then there are the bones and metals" said
the reporter.
Yes" said the dealer. ''bones may be thrown
away, but they count. million and half
pounds, at 50 to IS cents per 100. foots up con-
siderable-frOm $500 to over SIC. 0OO-and at
the lowest calculation the dealers handle such
quantity. OF course you know that they are
used for fertilzing purposes. and nearly all are
sold within radius of twenty miles of the city,
of the metals wrought and cast iron make up
the bulk. Seven hundred tons of the former.
for which the gatherers pay from u to "a cent
per pound, being fair estimate, and most of
this is sent to Pennsylvania, large share of it
going to Pittsburg. Probably LOCO tons is not
too high an estimate for cast iron, bought at \
to = cent per pound. Then there are the other
metals-cOpper, for which to 10 cents is paid
brass, cents; pewter, 6 to cents; and zinc
and lead, cents; but an estimate can hardly
be given"
''1hen the business" remarked The STAR, sis
growing. is it not 2"
'Yes. SIR" said the dealer, ssand It will con-
tinue to grow. Sometimes there is in one de-
partment perfect boom, and then it falls of,
but it is becoming more of steady business
every day."
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