Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-09-08
OLD TOBACCO.
a New Article of Trade In Which
Thousands are Engaged.
How the "OEd Soldiers" are Rescued and
Doctored to Reappcar in New
Smoking Material.
From the Nsw York World.

SlOEe, anu DSLCd II tLS SoAu 10 I'll e@AASsJ
of pasteboard boxes, each supposed to
contain one pound OF tobacco duly
stamped with an eight cent stamp in
accordance with the new regulations of
the Revenue Department.
The tobacco in several open boxes
appeared to be of the very best quality
bright, fine cut and quite long in
fibre. Thequantity in all the stores in
the vicinity disposed of the possibility
of it merely being job lot, and gave
rise to the questions, how do they dOit?
AMI who are the manufacturers?
4 leaf tobacco dealer supplied the
answers to the questions later in the
day when Intercepted on the subject.
He said:
why, bless my heart, my dear fell
low, there is a rOusing profit in that to-
bacrO at that price. More, IN fact, than
| can ever expect to realize on leaf to-
baccO in any quantities. That is sec
ond hand tobacco. Come with me.
We will take u little walk and L will
show you more than could tell you in
a week"
"SpeaFing the Butt"
A few minutes later at the corner of
Chambers and Centre streets halt was
called and the leaf dealer said: "O0-
serve that little group of Italian chill
dren, not one of them older than ten.
Those boys baskets and tin kettles are
rapidly being filled with cigar stumps,
and there you find the first operation in
the production Of your cheap smoking
tobacco. The first move is to spear the
butt, and the number of hands employ
ed at that a vocation is far up among
the thousands. Now for the disposal of
the accumulatiOns Of the gutter and
sidewalk. Come up in Mulberry street
and | will show you big room full OF
the loaIhsOme refuse, gathered from
saloon ash-bOxes, cOurt-rOOms, depots
and streets of the city.
"NCu think it impossible to convert
the smoke-saturated and blacSened
fragments into the yellow tobacco you
saw to-day. Well, | assure you that Is
not in the least difficult with the knOwl-
edge gained in the past yesr. In fact,
have been told that three large concerns
exist somewhere in this city where
cigar-stumps are converted into cigar
cite tobacco and bright golden to-
baCCO.'
AS the process has been explained to
me it consists of first cutting OIL the
charred end and then soaking the
remainder in a solution containing am
monia and something else which eX-
tracts considerable of the distilled
nicotine and very trace of smoke or Gre
OsOte formed by the smoking.
"After this process is completed the
soft and distended stumpS are pressed
into cake and sliced by regular to-
bacco cutting machine. 1t is then
treated to 8 bath in solution which
bleeches out the color and removes
nearly all the properties existing in to-
baceO as it comes from the plantation.
| The wet mass is dow removed to the
roof of the building and exposed with
out stirring to the rays of the sun.
When it is thoroughly dry it is so brit
| tie that handling would reduce 1T to
powder, aud to avoid this it is liftel on
| the drying trays and passed under an
atOmiler, which dampens it with a IL
quid containing large percentage OF
| the uever-drying glycerine and sma /
quantity of flavOring extract.
A New Business.
1T is now ready for delivery and
much of it will go in bulk to the manu-
facturers of cheap and perfectly innocu-
Gus cigarettes, unless there is really dam
ger in the paper in which the tobacco Is
wrapped.
1.-The remainder is packed in boxes
and sold for smoking, but assure you
that you would not recognize it as to-
baccO if YOU smoked pipeful of it. 1t
| is like so much straw, with possibly less
| flavor than the straw would give.
at is of great advantage to the Gov
eminent, because it pays two taxes
one as cigars and another in its new
| form.
"a strange feature Of the business is
that little of the tobacco has heretofore
been sold in this city. The retail bust-
ness has just begun to grow since the
! reduction of the tax. Formerly 1t was
| chiefly sent abroad, where it brought
| thrice what it does here. 1t is possible
! that the export demand has not grown
to the extent that the production has,
! and consequently the makers are seek
/ ing an outlet here and the small stores
are eagerly grasping the opportunity to
sell an apparently fine tobacco for nom
20 to "A cents per pound.
What does it cost? Well, let US go
into figures. The boys gel , cents 8
pound for gathering the stumps, the
keeper of the hoard sells it for 3 cents.
The manufacturer sacrifices about 70
per cent. in the cleansing process and
still his material costs less than 81 cents
per pound. Boxing, stamping, label
ling, rent and incidental expenses may
bring it up to 70 cents per pound. He
gets at least l6 cents md makes clean
One-third profit on his investment.
Pretty fair profit, amt it,"
APraeEIeal Test.
"Here We are at the Tombs, and now
l want you to see an experiment that
will probably show you that the little
Italian boys are not the only people
who stoOp for "sojers.n Observe, cast
this half burned cigar away, throw
yours down there and watch the result,
while we each smoke fresh one.
"HuhOi my bait Is taken. Did you
notice that the Gold. gentleman in "a
white high nat suddenly discovered
that the strings" of his congress CATERS
were loose and stopped to go through
the motions of tying them. Well, when
he straiChtened up the bait was gone,
All! look quick, q freshly.landed emf
grant Is stopping for yours without the
slightest attempt at concealmenr, and
1t Is now in the bsggy pocket of hi:
jacket. In his country it is no disgrace
to pick up 8 butt, and gentlemen
frequently hand their half-smoked