The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1888-09-19
DEALERS IN OLD JTNK,
USES TO WHICH ALL VAST MA.
TERIAL IS APPLIED.
How the New York Junk Dealer
Makes n Living-An Aristocracy
I'm a Small Trade.

How the New York Junk Dealer
Makes n Living-An AristoCraCy
in Small Trade.
The waste of large city gives rise to
marvellous industries. How to utilize
every scrap Of paper, every piece Of twine,
rope or old boot and sheet OF mouldy
paper, is the occupation of 10, 900 people
depending on this humble but remuner-
atiyc employment.
There are, according to the latest sta.
tistics. upward of 200 Junk shops in this
city, which give employment TO II 900
persons. The modus operandi OF
each is as varied as the personality OF
the proprietors. In some, carts are en-
ployed to travel from door to door and
collect the refuse, while others employ
the ordinary bag and a stout stick in the
collection Of garbage to be carried to
headquarters. In some of the larger
shops on Tenth avenue as many as eighty
men are employed in collecting and sort
ing out the various articles which find
their way into these places.
In a well regulated junk shop business
methods are as systematic as civil service
rules. Everything within its walls flom
the ceiling to the cellar has its own fixed
price. White paper No. !, which COM
prises the trimmings and clippings of
book paper, sells at three cents per
pound. The No. 2 pattern, which is
composed of circulars and spoiled sheets,
fetches from two to two and one half
cents, and book covers half a cent per
pound.
1t may be asked to what use the junk
ware is converted. Some valuable old
garments which find their way here are
unseamed and ripped open and sold at
the rate of fifteen cents per pound to
manufacturers of shoddy. There are at
present two large iron yards in Leroy
street where scrap iron, which Is pur-
chased at half cent per pound is melted
and made into light sheet iron, after
ward sold to telegraph wire manu-
facturers. Broken stoves, which are ex-
cellent material for telegraph wire, sell
at five cents pound.
Old bottles are washed out and resoid
to the trade as new. Old hats are
stripped off and reopened. The East
Side manufacturer who purchases hats
! originally from the junkman for ten
cents resells them in rejuyenated shape
for S or 50. Old shoes which sell for
a dime are resold to Baxter street shoe
makers, who use them in making up new
ones, to sell at 81 pair. Railroad tick
cts after serving their particular pur.
pose, being mutilated, cannot be used
again. They are sold to the junkmen
for cent a pound. Old corsets sell at
| three cents pound and are used in the
manufacture Of white paper. In short
there is scarcely remnant or fragment
of anything imaginable which they can
not use.
The maiority of iunkmen are of Irish
birth or extraction, though not a few
Germans have lately fallen into the busi-
ness. Italians, who are mostly unlicensed
ragpckers, form a colony by themselves.
They collect the garbage from dumps and
ash barr els, which their more wealthy
and high toned brothers-in arms would
refuse to touch. This dirty stuff must be
washed and on account of this many
respectable Junk dealers refuse to buy it.
They also pick cinders, bones and other
refuse. The cinders are sold for coal to
the not over particular neighborhoods,
and the other stuff to wholesale Italian
Junk dealers, who wash it preparatory to
its shipment to the rendering establish.
mcntS.
The Germans, who reside on Eighth
and Tenth avenues, between SiXtieth
aud Eightieth streets, employ dogcarts.
They collect coal, cabbage leaves, or any
other species of waste, which they use
principally rs food for the ducks and
geese which they keep in large numbers.
Cabbage leaves and lard drippings fatten
them sufficiently for their purpose. The
Irish junkmen, who comprise by far the
largest, as we'll as the wealthiest and
most aristocratic class, reside on Green
wich and Fourteenth street, near Avenue
\. One of these, who may he daily
seen in tattered clothing behind pu
cart, owns two brown stone houses in
Harlem, and yet he lives in a miserable
little hoyel whose floors never knew the
touch of carpet.
Lucky finds are often made in these
collections. Perhaps the most remark
able was the discovery of the secret cor
respondence relating to the marriage OF
Jerome Bonaparte and Miss Patterson.
of Baltimore, aud subse luent negOtia-
tous between the families, in the waste
paper warehouse of the brides father
From the letters found in this strange
manner the entire history of the negotia
tions between the Pattelsons aud
Napoleon, aud Of their failure, was col
lected, and the result published in book
form in 1873. 1t afterward transpired
that the whole mass of volumiuous cor
respondence was obtained in an ash
barrel
Checks, rings, iewelry and knives of
considerable value are often obtained in
this manner. The sorters or women
employed in .''.ecting the various stutfs,
to the foreman. seldom fail 10 deliver