The sun., 1885-06-07
RkN0vATxNG sECoND-HAND CORKA
The risneer or the Businsss Tells Hsw u
ls Done.

The rfeneer Of the Business Tells Hew 10
10 Deae.
In q queer little room In queer Odd house
In Forsyth street, ut tho end OF m od-fashioned
brick-paved aleyway. q snowy bearded man.
bubbling over with good nature. sat at Q low
bench yesterday Clipping corks with carving
knife as keen rs razor. A llttlo wooden sign
over the alleyway had the single word Corks"
painted on 1t. "Corks" was scrawled with
chalk on the door OF tho room in which the
busy man sat. and he himself was enthroned
on an old stool among great mounds OF corks
OF all kinds and sizes. They were scattered in
heaps on the bench stored In great paper bags
at his feet. aud piled high in wooden boxes be-
hind him. lie stroppod tho keen blade OF tho
knife against the edge Of tho bench every little
while. and clipped the corks before him with
the regularity of machinery. while he chatted
with visitor about tho odd industry OF mnk-
ing new corks out OF old ones. He was old Pop
Mackin the pioneer OF the trade Of renovatins
second hand corks.
There are more people at the business
now" he said. than anybody would dream or
They go around buying up nll the second hand
corks they can got at S. n barrel. A barrel will
hold from twenty-seyen to twenty nine gross
q corks. They get tho old eorks from retail
to size. Then they're dumped into big tub OF
cold water and soaked till the dirt is all rinsed
hot water and steamed. Tho stenminE is done
BY covering the boiler tightly with n piece Of
and drives It through tho cork. Tho eorks arc
In all sorts OF curious shapes whom thcy arc
put IN the steam bath but, no matter how th9y
have boen crushed In. by tho neck OF the bottlo
or by the wire md twine iastonings-and some
OF thom arc tough looking corks. too-they
After the bath The % corks are SiIowsd to dry and
then we trim them with sharp knife and they
But how" tho visitor asked. can you hide
the damage where VI s corkscrew has been bored
"Ensy enough, the old man responded. with
laugh. as ho picked out 2 perfect little cork; ;
that trick was dons with cutting machine.
u rule. the top and bottom OF cork. The
damaged cork Is sent through cutting ma.
is ali cut away Sometimes it has to 10 through
tho machine two or three times before 1t Is
but after at i is good any cork
called accommodation corks." and are sold In
great quantity to dtstileries where they want
4" 1t depends upon the corks; but an indus
about nifty gross Of corks. they are sold By tho
gross, again. Sometimes. tho profit is only 81 q
barrel. sometimes more"
guess @ % M satisfied E"i Pop Maekin said do.
eidedly. Il used to work in q soda. water fac
the Idea from q fellow who came on from Phil
adelrhia to buy up all the old corks he could
% car ,hf SSan aSSEs sp' ioand
could spend a lot OF time chatting with friends
that I met in the daytime. and could
than when, l worked steadiiy at tho
soda. water business. went, to the war
name when 1 left took hold OF the business
while was away. When got home again
found him living IN q house Of his own In
buying up old corks. and old bottles. too. and
rcnovatng them. He sold them again ut q
a n IA w r in1aa nj
business was booming. I never was as lucky
as that. but thore's many a man at more
ambitious business worse oil. and much less
contentel than am. my boy. and YOU can tell
them 50 from me-"