The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1894-06-30
A S IN OLD BOTTLES.
Fortunes In Collections From the Famil.
Refuse Boxes.

Fortunes In Collections From the Family
Refuse Boxes.
''The story of the secondhand bottle
industry is interesting" said the POM
pous proprietor of one of these estab-
lishments. THE fact is two Chicago
ans have already made one hundred
thousand dollars apiece in this bust
ness, and there is n man in New York
reputed to have made half n million.
Imagine a man making a fortune in n
few years out OF, discarded old bottles,
yet this is a fact.
Eyes, 1t is a comparatively new BUSH
ness. Ten years ago it did not exist
only as q minor feature of the junk
business But some enterprising in
dividual finally ventured to start an
independent secondhand bottle estab-
lishment Fortune smiled on the ven
ture, and the result is that UGH firms
have sprung up like mushrooms all
over the country. There are ut least
twenty-five such esta blishments in Chi
cago.
.Well, we employ six men," contin-
ued the proprietor in answer to the
question as to how and where his stock
Of bottle valuables was gathered.
These men visit the hotels, saloons,
restaurants and private residents OF
Chicago. and collect into big wagons
bottles Of all kinds In this way from
three hundred to five hundred dozen
old bottles are collected daily. Tho
bottles are examined carefully, 80 that
none are bought that have been used
to hold poison, kerosene or any injuri-
GUS liquid. But we buy old beer bot
ties, whisky bottles, catsup bottles,
ammonia bottles, in fact, bottles Of al
most every description. We pay from
one-hnlf to three cents apiece for them.
| depending on the kind and size. In
turn these bottles are sold to brewers.
| catsup men, druggists and other firms.
| at o price hat makes us from twenty
five to forty per cent. profit"
"What is lone with the bottles at
ter they are brought to headquarters?"
Follow me and I'll show you" And
suiting the action to the word a tiny
begrimmed lamp. with q feeble fame,
was snatched up and the way was led
into the cellar.
"This, for instance" said he, fond
ling q clear, shapely wine bottle, ''is
an imported bottle that brings us q big
profit. You see there is q duty of sev
enty-fve TO eighty-fve per cent on i'm
ported bottles, and makers of fine
wines in this country are only too glad
to pay us o big price for them. 1t is
impossible to get . seamless bottle OF
this beautiful clear color made In this
country. So big firms buy these bot.
ties, have new tables printed precisely
like the old ones, and fill the bottles
with inferior wine. OF course, they
are sold at q high price and the people
imagine they are buying the real ar'
ticle. But you must not say anything
about that-thc wine merchants would
object II this secret were given away.
Sometimes in one wagon load Of old
bottles there are sixty or seventy diff
ferent kinds OF bottles" continued the
proprietor. "These are Immediately
classified 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 unwashed. However, II they
are ordered cleaned they are thorough
ly washed in great watts, the corks and
labels are removed. and the rich man
ufacturer 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 a load to Boston,
New York, San Francisco, to cities in
Canada, in fact. all yer the country,
but mainly in the east. Our goods are
sold regularly to prominent frma"-
Chicago Herald.