New-York tribune., 1884-10-26
IN A NEW YORK JUNK. SHOP.
A SINGULAR TRADE IN ODDS AND ENDS.
rnr SOURCES or surrLY ANp rnE WAYS or THE
DEALERS.

THE SOURCES or suPffY ANp THE WAYS OF ihh
DEALERS.
l,pcng tbe odd places in large city like New YORK
fev ARE auerrcr than the jnnk-'hops IN tne
Gte, instance ieccs oi old rope, bits of chnins par
Of cable and other marine odds and ends MAKE up 'n'
stock IN trade On the other side of the Mlan'o tno,
sre sill called marine shops" IN every cry m''' "
tb. I,nk slnps af, situated near the whatves hnh
furnish convenient market for the ropes chains ana
irons Glched by inoneyless sailors or " dock ta'
The police and diGca D detect theft OF IBIS kinu
~, ,r., ,be thief ba. coniedetates among the snbof
dinsfe Officers of the ship
yte,p dealing m nnk ot ropes In the hfN hs'snee
,ta t,,t sb,,t has nov Developed into an impornhi
aud IN situs eases exceedingly oltabe r"nre'n sun
ds,ts ,e ali sotls N steond hand commodities Inc "r
p,ol,ids jhnk deaieis iion hshhhhs heu anh "n"fe"
ps,ebsndiss suns sheis htn t'tlhHi'tlF W f"s'
o,L.s IN oli ,ilse, and OHfa W oh tstsi ut' nps'
All lb,v deal Ia Hii hmia ~ wares 'Hh ~ 'Nh ''V'H
.ni,tlvs inub shnps ~ he nlif ID ~ ftiinH ~ bfs,
Nm Il, n IL ~ 0ld rambling nohhhb a''V"Ws 80"
ihs bf0wD paint haH elmpa' n,ahpl,s,'n 49," ~ w.
b,nL,u auJ 0lbss sNing ninahlnH sn Ihnv 'ust
hinge. on the hIsi Nor laIga "nnh nh shnN
window With dusty cob"ep o",,nn," H,.ss ,o,,""' ,
speoInnna NJ the shops wares 1ln he'' "anns "N'y,
and nm old layer sign takes the place ~ phb' ~
gIass jn ia uppof panel The IRON h0usielh one" ouI
Az old rusty safe rescued nom some nle slanns oe
septinsl On the pavement i"Rg'"-'""s'nB Wv"
opona In the pavement nnd disrlo'.A h'', :" 'nan'
und irons In the dark. mnaty celia DeloW ihe hn"n
oi the doorway ARE pieic9d wh avis n"iis anu MI
sorts of pointed instruments WIN himon'S one "e
cih.rs tie .tap above the door The hfst object thut
attracts thc attention one enters The sh"p mtgo
sword hanging from III. ceiling Ihs " 'he ohy
rinnal sword 81 Bunker iiill ot y" says ,bo sn's.
man Near II arc brace Of daggcrs 0i tbem
Iontod M n II had done bloody work IN iiA tmc
Ito further rests upon shelf military Officers
cap, keeping company win si2noh n"' u" o"" ''"'
and a cericallooking Int on the o'hof ,,,,u,
Justa IA
,,ry hat and wondering what man had worn u. the
salesman drawing from ia hiding place lag" horss-
pistol said Here s one OF the gfcb's htie' III ine
shop This pistol Was used by julius '~nar al the
battle Of rhar.aa." But pistol. were not inverted
From different parts OF the ceiling lamp. oi all sorts
are hanging Here is a dinner bell and there Is
hungry looking meat-aIe trombone IA tne dJrne,
stands In a tpsy, top-heavy altitude On ono SIDE oi
the door group of crOwtars l. huddled togcthei anu
on the otner side family of spades aud shoyeis as
sembled. sign hangs from the ceiling beware OF
Tho Dog No smoking" For good luck horse-shoes III
great numbers fastened over the door ways I'm
inedateiy above the trombone ana DOT lar IRON pe'
of beer bottles an old family Bible lies on shelf A
leaf of the family record is still remaining although the
name, are faded and legble On the same shell near
to some demonns os c,n
many The book is entitled Key to Heaven" In tho
Junk shops missas and prayerbooks are mixed up with
dime novels and yiely illustrated newspapers Ill oh'
The drst door is used as a general wareroom. Here
partial classification is made, the three princpai
DIVISIONS oeiis me % rags are the cher commodity
They are taken large iye-storied wareroom back
of the iupk shop and sorted, the wOOcn rags being
mn IN one pile the cotton rags in another The lining Is
# away from the CLOTH the are ripped and the
rags cut into sma pieces put INTO sacks taken 10
the RAG dealer His business Is 10 buy mp the rags IN
spec them if necessary, and supply them to the manu-
facurer The manufacturer converts the cotton rags
into naper and works oyer" the wOOllen rags into
new fabrics Of course the new fabrics Will under the
working process be inferior to the original isDrc
.1. ar I-t
second hand fabric domestic Tor thls process ~
carried on extensively III Europe than here The
price paid the Junk shops now l"f rags Is rom 10
cents pound, according to- the quality. Since the
quarantine foreign rags the price OF domestic rags
has gone up somewhat
whether there danger of contracting disease
from infected rags the dei.ra smiled and seemed sur
prlfo1 that such question should be asked. lei the
raps invariably como t. the shops extremely hthy
condition and they never washed until they reach
the manufacturer Occasionally hleS break ont IN tho
Junk shop. from the spontaneous cJnbnftion of rngs
The trade In metals l. more profitable than that in |
rag far tine price per pound Il concerned but the
supply is not great enough 10 justify any Jnnker IN
g,ing tins psIt Of lho Trade exclusively. For cast
iron oncquprtcr Of cent pound l. paid. and for |
wrought iron half cent pound. Lead. zinc. brass,
copper and tan command respectively -. b. !. aud
cents a pound Ola newspapers bfiug the same puce
~ cast iron In the junk shops along the river front
oi the curo-e4 ~ the immense pair of shears used
for cutting mp oid ir0n. bar ol one and hall inch
iron Ia clipped into bits ike cloth.
Beside' the regular junk sb0ps near tho water there ia
class of intermediate DhblnR shops paf"hiied mainly
by the " dock tnts' They are generally under gtound.
often undof the wharf AMID the scwale aud hlth of tho
ers Here the dock fats bring tht " stolen aud let
hcn lie until from the dirt aud moi tufe they look old
enough 10 be 4old to The "inkef' lhc keeper ol tbr
nblnng shop IA Young eaiof 0i The dook-iati and
generally R,4 good ptohi on his Investment. lilo
often pays s customers In ciRaa, tobacco aud stale
beer,
license 81 twenty dollars mlHt be paid bg tie Junk
denIaf the fiat iraf and ten dullaa for every year
afrirnid. 1La Wiih tho anal mitp GIN on his poods
doe, allow him 80 tny hia hands more ihnn iinin
90 ~ 40 cents dhS in The smaller shupa, although Ia
"A iew 6i the aI 20 shops the wages much higher