The daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Ind. Ter. [Okla.]) 1898-1902, 1899-11-15
SEER KEG DETECTIVES.
The Work of Agents Who Go ON Long
81. Hunts for. Missing Prop
erty.

"Do you see that stout man over
there, next to the ~corner?" said the
philosopher of the elevated to his friend
the broker who had just joined him In
q cross-seat. The broker looked and
saw q stout German whose appearance
indicated that he was at peace with all
the world.
THAT man." continued the philos-
opher, rs a detective who has never
arrested a human being"
"He must be a bird detective" re-
piled the broker, who occasionally
dropped into humor.
"Nci" said the philosopher, "he is a
beer keg detective. He travels around
the country hunting stray beer kegs,
empty ones, of course
pleasant Job, that. He looks as
though the work was not killing him"
at is a profitable occupation, al
though there is some competition, for
there are probably half a dozen men in
the business in every city where sew
eral large breweries are situated. These
men are commissioned by the breweries
to travel up and down the country
hunting for empty beer kegs. 1t is all
most impossible for the brewers to
keep track of all the kegs sent out by
them. Beer is sold Wholesale to agents,
to private persons, to picnic parties, to
boats, and the kegs are likely to be-
come distributed over great areas. You
will often notice piles of kegs standing
by railway stations In the most out-of-
the-way places. 1t is for just such
piles of kegs that the man yonder is on
the lookout. He receives rs cents for
every one he reports to the office of the
different breweries. H will tour the
Jersey summer resorts from Atlantic
Highlands to Cape May looking into
every beer garden, concert hall, private
saloon and club, or he will travel up
the Hudson on one side and down on
the other, nosing around everywhere,
looking for the distinguishing marks Of
the breweries he represents. All kegs
are not alike to him. There may be
a sameDess about thin, so far as the
ordinary person is concerned, but he
sees blue stripes on some, dirty white.
stripes on Others, red, white and blue on
one brand, yellow daubs on still 9th
ers-every brewery marks its kegs in
some amer
"This is for the offhand glance mere
w. The key detective can further
prove his claim by examining the head
Of a keg, for the name of the owner is
always burned into it, deep beyond
chance of obliteration. 1t saves the
breweries many dollars, for beer kegs
are expensive to buy or make.
Sometimes the keg detective will
take up the side line of bottle hunting
for the bottling firms. Beer bottles,
like kegs. are really worth more than
the beer hat is in them. hence there Is
no profit in the sale OF beer If the bot
ties are not returned. / went up the
Hudson on a Sunday excursion boat re-
Gently. Beer in bottles was sold OF
board. A great many empty bottles
soon lay around the deck. Finally M
thoughtless fellow took a bottle by the
neck and hurled it overheard. His ex-
ample was followed by others, who
tried repeatedly TO outthrow one an
onther. The bottles would fly away
from the boat and sink beneath the
waters with a splash, or If stoppered
bounce and then float away like the
current bottles Of the photographic Of
fee. Now each n of those trials OF
strength cost the unknown bother at
least five cents. I wondered how he
would have taken It had he been pres
emit tf 4efsf ff sa@as
Yes, there are detectives for many
other inanimate objects. Any distrib-
pting business corporation whichssnds
Its goods away in r~eceptacles which
must be returned Is compelled to EN-
ploy men to trace It's properly. It Is an
old story, how the railroad companies
frequently lose freight ears sometimes
for years, and are compelled TO keep
men constantly hunting them. Hired
pianos get lost and have to be hunted
up. So do sewing machines. phoro-
graphs and theatrical properties. Books
out Of libraries 60 astray and are
traced. It all goes to show that of
what your neighbor pretends to own.
very little belongs to him anyway