Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-05-20

ceiling with public documents. These repre-
sen:ed the accumulation through MANY years
OF recently dead Senator. Later the covers
OF nearly all of the volumes were torn off and
the insides were sold as waste paper. few Of
the books were preserved for sale at fancy
prices. The junk dealers say that money some
times turns up in the refuse which they buy
from the departments and elsewhere. One Of
them named Hayden got 81 worth Of silver
COINS In bag on one occasion. He has also
come across several valuable autograph letters
written by famous men.
aooDLY SUPPLY.
The Interior Department produces more
waste paper than all the other departments
put together, on account Of its great size, in
Guiding as it does the pension Office, the census
bureau and other branches. A room in the
main building is set apart for the reception of
oil such rubbish. Formerly the messengers
were accustomed to dump among it the debris
OF lunches, empty inkstands and ali sorts Of
stun that reduced the value of the refuse as a
marketable article. At present a Waterman is
appointed to inspect each basketful deposited
The material fetches 81 cents per 100 pounds.
II ID sold to firm in Pittsburg Taking the
year around 1t averages in quantity nearly
$4,000 pounds a month. An odd story is told
OF young woman in the land Office who
tnrew away an envelope containing her pay for
TWO weeks. She discarded it absentmindedly
thinking that she had taken out the money.
On discovering her mistake che was much
distressed. She did not know where she had
dropped the envelope, but q colored servant
had the gumption to look in the waste paper
room, and there he found it after a search.
Another employee of the Interior Department, a
man this timo. on receiving his pay envelope
walked out to lunch and mailed it in a box on
the corner. He recollected himself at once
ana got the envelope back from the postman
when no came along.
EXCITEMENT IN ALEXANDRIA.
The Post Office Department gets 371S cents
per 100 pounds for its waste paper During
the last administration number of opened let
tiers were found scattered about on the streets
| In Alexandria, few miles from Washington.
1t was at first supposed that there had been
mail robbery, and there was much excitement.
investigation disclosed the fact that Junk
dealer in that town had u contract with the
POSTMASTER General for purchasing scraps.
Among the latter were dead letters, and of these
some fell out Of the bags on their way through
the streets.
DISPOSITION OF DEAD LETTERS.
All dead letters are disposed Of in this man
ner when it is found impossible to deliver them
This rule. however. does not apply to missives
which contain immoral writings or pictures.
All such stuff is burned in the furnace. Only
the other day cluster Of nine big and queer
looking cocoons was captured at the depart
ment and held as unavailable The cocoons
were woven upon a single large twig, which had
evidently been broken from a tree. The clus-
ter was fastened to q lace curtain in the dead
Letter Office, and after few days each cocoon
produced huge moth Of gorgeous colors.
They we're all the same variety apparently. hav-
ing spread Of about four inches. 'Some Of
them made their escape out Of the window
While the others were chloroformed and pre-
| served.
THE CHAMPION WASTE PAPER PRODUCER.
The government printing Office produces by
far moro waste paper than does any Of the de-
partments 1t uses up twenty tons Of new
paper per diem. Every day it packs up about
four tons OF waste for sale to firms in New
York. Pittsburg and Washington. The refuse
is sorted into eight grades. The first and finest
which fetches q cents pound, is ledger
| shayings" from blanks and blank books. Other
grades are white shavings from books, white
shavings mixed with coiored. waste printed
paper, MANILA clippings. brown wrap
pers, sweepinss and cardboard cut
tings. 1t is worth mentioning, by the wav,
that the bureau of engraving and printing is
Obliged to account to the treasury for every
sheet Of paper furnished to 1t for printing
notes and other government securities upon.
All sheets that are torn or otherwise spoiled
must be returned for maceration, together with
dirty money. 10
NEARLY EVERYTHING IS MARKKrARLB.
Few things in this world are good for moth
ing as not to have some market value. The
refuse paper and rags carried to the ash dump
are worth something. Women gather them and
sell them to the junk dealers. The ash dump is
mine OF wealth to ever SO many people who
get their living from it. The broken bricks and
crockery collected on its surface from day to
dav are sold to contractors for 81 tip-cart
load. They are broken very fine and made into
mixture for concrete. Old medicine bottles
are purchased at "a cents dozen by apothe-
carries. Old shoes are sold to the junk men. or
II they are good enough, they are taken to the
cobbler. In the worst case there is sure to be
some part of the leather that Is perfectly good
1t may be only the heel piece or part OF the
upper. but the shoe has a value. though it be
only or cents. Such shoes are ''reno-
vated' by patching together available frag-
ments There is n regular market for footgear
thus restored in New York city.
IN THE DUMP.
Small boys gather unburned Goals on the
dump. All sorts of rags are there, from silk to
calico, and all kinds of paper, from cream-aid
note TO the waste stuff that has been taken
from under carpets Tin cans collected for
rolling into tiles, with which shanties are
rooted. In spring contractors dig into the
heap for ashes. of which they cart away vast
quantities for making into peculiar mixture.
They take three wheelbarrow loads of sand
four wheelbarrow loads of ashes and three
wheelbarrow loads of asphaltum. according to
the recipe. These ingredients they mix to-
gether with water and then the preparation is
ready to use for cementing cellar and bascmen.
floors. coat Of ordinary cement being put on
top Of it. Not long ago in Washington
miser's hoard was conveyed after his death to
such dump. together with the mass Of refuse
in which it had been concealed. For weeks
afterward children were Srubbing in the pile
for silver pieces which now and then camo to
light. RENE BACHE.
THE ASSEMBLY STAR for two weeks, begin
ming May IS. sent by mail to any address for
Is cents.