The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-11-07
SECONDHAND MATERIALS

4 Business Whose Growth Has Kept PArs
with the Steady Growth of the City.
There never was a time when there
was so much secondhand building
material for sale as now, and there
never was a better market for it. 1t
might seem to one unfamiliar with the
business, strolling through the yards
and buildings of large dealer, that the
stuff looked old, and that it Yves piled
up to stay there a long time; and il
may DO that some of the things are
''shopkeepers-" Secondhand building
material is nevertheless quick moving
stock, as much 30 as the average mer.
chandise stock, and sooner or later
somebody comes and takes the slow
things, too.
There are times when the market for
certain kinds of materials is dull, as il
might be, for instance, for some kinds
of building stone. ard when it would
be more profitable for the dealer TO tako
such stuff out to sea and dump it than
it would be to take up room for IL in his
yard. holding it for customer; but the
general fact reminds that there Is q sale
for every thing that the dealer gets.
Years ago there was only one large
dealer in secondhand building mate
dozen who would buy any building ard
undertake to remove il within n speci.
fed time. The manner in which they
come to buy the buildings is very SIM
pie: The owner of q property desiring
to put up a new building engages au
architect. When the plans have beer
approved the architect invites bid.
from builders for the construction OF
the building. The contract awarded.
the builder wants the cid building
out Of the way, and he calls on the deal
ers in secondhand materials for bids
for its removal. Sometimes the build
er pays the-dealer to take the old build
ing away; sometimes the dealer pays
for the building; that depends. The
owners of a church building, for exam
pie, might have to pay TO have it re-
moved. Though the church is large
structure, there might be in it com-
paratively little material of market
value; while a building no larger, but
cut up into rooms and containing many
fittings, might contain much more
material of value.
The dealers go through the building
that is to be removed and make esti.
mates. Taking the area and the thick.
ness of the walls, they calculate. il IT <
q brick building, the number of bricks
in the building. Taking into account
the number of stories and the sizes of
the rooms, they arrive very closely at
the amount of material in floors and
partitions. They take every thing about
the building into account, and figure
on the value of the material and the
cost of removing ii, and make a bid
Tho work of estimating the value OF
such buildings has been reduced almost
to a science; even on a very large build
ing the bids of big dealers might not
be more than s1co or $500 apart
The great bulk Of the secondhand
building material il sold within foe
miles Of the city; perhaps half 81 a
in the city. The primary object of the
purchaser is. OF course. economy. The
purchasers include very w.sc variety
of persons, including rich and poos.
and the material is bought for . very
great variety of USES. AIncny Tn rcgu-
lar customers are many buassrxs.
The occasional buyers rnay want ,
single window or q fnAntelpScoc or a
door or beam OF \ certain srngfh. They
come for all sorts OF things. bu; varied
"a their wants arc they can ell be sup
Piled, for one could and here material
for a house, and. IL be wanted. stone |
sidewalk 70 put down In front Of IL |
AID lamp post TO staad On the edge /