The evening world., 1894-05-15
CASH IN OLD
Fortunes In Collections from the
EnmiI Refuse boxes.

THE story of the secondhand bottle
industry Is interesting said the pom
pous proprietor OF one OF these establish
ments to a Chicago Herald reporter.
The fact is, two ChicaEoans have
already made $l00,OC apiece in this bust
ness. and there Is "A man IN New YORK
reputed to have made halt a mililoh.
Imagine "A man making "A fortune IN IL
few years out of discarded old bottles
yet this Is "A fact.
Yes, IL Is a comparatively new busi-
ness. Ton years ago 1t did not exist only
as q minor feature of the junk bust
ness. But some cnterprising i~ndiviIual
finally vantured to start an independent
second hand bottle establishment. FOR
tune smiled on the venture. and the re-
suit is that such firms have run up
like mushrooms all over the country
Thcrr are at least twenty-five such eS-
ta~tlishmcnts in Chicago. .
"Well, We employ six men, continued
the proprietor In answer to the question
as to how and where his stock or bottle
valuables was gathered. These men
visit the hotels. saloons, restaurants, ana
private residents of Chicago and collect
into big wagons bottles of all kinds, In
are collected daily. The bottles are eX-
amlncd carefully, so that none, IS
bought that has been used to hold
poison. kerosene or any injurious liquid.
But we buy old beer bottles, whiskey
bottles. catsup bottles. ammonia bot
tles-in fact. bottles of almost every de-
scription. We pay from one-halt 10
three certs apiece for them. depending
on the kind and size. In turn these bot
ties are sold to brewers. catsup men,
druggists, and other firms at a price
that makes us from % to 40 per cent.
What is done with the bottles after
they are brought to headquarters. 4,
Follow me and I'll show you" And
sulting the action to the word a tiny
begrimed lamp with n feeble flame was
snatChed up and the way was led into
the cellar. In this damp subterranean
passage could be distinguished, by the
dim light from a row Of oil lamps, Dot
ties of every conceivable kind carefully
classified and arranged with precision in
rude board apartments on either SIDE.
This, for instance" said he, fondlinE
a clear, shapely wine hottie, sis an i'm
ported hottie that brings us a big proft,
You see there is "A duty of % to ~ per
cent. on imported bottles, and makers or
fine wines in this country are only 100
glad to pay us n big price for them. II
is Impossible to get a seamless bottle or
this beautiful clear color made in TINS
have new labels printed, precisely Ike
the old ones, and fill the bottles with IN.
ferior wine. OF course they are sold at
a high price and the people. imagine
you must not say anything about that
the wine merchants would object II this
secret We're given away. -.
Sometimes in one wagon load Of old
bottles there are sixty or seventy diner
ent kinds of bottles" continued the pro-
prietor. These are Immediately classi-
fed and stored away either here In the
cellar or on one of the floors above.
Then we are quite ready for customers.
as most of the firms buy the bottles un.
washed. However. If they are ordered
cleaned they are thoroughly washed in
great watts, the corks and labels are re
moved. and the rick manufacturer has
placed at his disposal these recent
friends of the garbage box.
Then you have no idea how extern
sive our trade is. These old bottles are
shipped by the carload to Boston, New
York, San Francisco. to cities in Can
adam fact, all over the country. but
mainly in the East. Our goods are sold
regularly to prominent firms