Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-09-24
OLD BOTTLES.
What Becomes of Them After They Have
Been Dumped Into the Alley.

Been dumped Into the Alley.
In the cupboards of every house,
piled up in out-of-the-way corners, and
thrown about in dark and dusty hooks,
where the housewife only goes once a
year. when cleaning house. may be
seen empty bottles of all sizes, shapes
and colors. Some have curious-smeli-
ing liquids in them that have been par
tally used, and others are discolored
by the drying up of their contents. A
great majority of these bottles, it is
very plain to see, were the receptacles
for medicine at one time. The size and
shape, denote their use, EVENT. the chem
ical odor that hangs about them did
not betray the family medicine bottle.
Once year. or perhaps not more than
once in three years, the cupboards,
dark closets and corners OF the house
are raided and the collection of old
bottles are dumped into the alley, the
housekeeper wondering how it hap
pened that she overlooked the trash so
long. What becomes of the old bottles
is question that here presents itself,
and. after little investigation. a re-
porter is able to answer it. Taking
the bottle that is thrown away as a
sample, for it's chances for further USE
fulness seem the most forlorn, itwould.
if not broken by passing wheels, soon
be seized upon by the rag-picker.
and special inquiry is made for them
by the ragman who has a wagon.
They all eventually find their way to
the same place. the warehouse or sort
ing-room of the Wholesale dealer in
rags, waste paper and other refuse
matter. The old rag picker brings in
his assortment of Bottles to head1uar-
tiers, and they are consigned to a spe-
cial room, where they are treated to
the first bath received since originally
purchased. The washing is thorough
enough to remove all discoloration in
side, and to take off any labels that
may be attached The various bottles
are then carefully sorted, each size is
put together, and when sufficient
number of one kinds collected they are
packed in boxes holding one gross if
small and from one to six dozen if of
larger sizes, and put away for sale.
The amount of homeopathic medi.
clue bottles that thus reach the rag
receptacles. of the sugar pellets and
white powder distinctive of homeop-
athy find a ready sale to homeopathic
doctors. The bottles are assorted and
delivered ready for use again at much
lower figure than the wholesale drug
gist can supply them. and so there is a
continual ebb and flow of the little
bottles from the house to the alley,
thence to the rag-house, and then back
once more to the doctors office. Ordi-
nary druggists walls are assorted in
like manner, and find ready sale
among the smaller drug stores. Bottles
of mixed grades. such as patent medi
cines are put up in, are more difficult
to dispose of by the dealer. He finds a
majority of them have the name of the
medicine and the manufacturers name
blown into the glass, and the bottles
can not be used very well for any other
purpose than they were originally in
tended for without possibility of suit
for damages being begun by the manu-
facturer. About a year ago a large
quantity of bottles that had contained
a certain patent medicine were sold by
a rag merchant to person who
was engaged in counterfeiting the
preparation. The fraud was for
long time undetected, and
the name blown in the glass deceived
many into purchasing the bogus med
icine So many similar cases occurred
that manufacturers took occasion to
stop the reusing of their bottles by a
standing offer to buy back all that
were returned to them in good order.
This opened up a new field for the old
bottle man, and therefore all bottles
that have patent-medicine manufact-
urers' names blown in them are the
most sought after, for there is a Gus
toner ready to buy them who is only
too anxious to do so.
Another class of bottle is the slight
ly damaged ones. old whisky bottles
and numerous assortment of I'M
marketable kinds. These are broken
up and sold to bottle factories to be
put in the furnaces and remixed
with new material to be made
over for the trade. Pop bottles and
others used in kindred connections for
consumption in saloons, ETC., are rarely
thrown away unless broken. The pop
manufacturer allows a per centage Off
the selling price where the bottles are
returned to him intact. A saloon
keeper who sells bottle of pop to be
taken away from his premises invari-
ably requests the return of the bottle.
and will pay cent for it rather than
not get it Chicago NeUs.