Daily camera., 1900-10-25
UsED-0vER BOTTLES.
Those That Have Held Champagne
Are Used Ovse and Over.
Foreign Made Glass Ranks Nigh est
In the Trads-IntsrestinET Facts
About an important Busi-
ness In This Country.


Does all of the American-grown
champaign go into bottles in America,
and is it sold as what it is, or does it
pre- tend to be of French origin?
What in particular suggests this
question, says the Chicago Chronicle.
is the statement recently made by a
visitor to the New York state wine
district that whatever may be said
about the wine itself. the champagne
member of one of the leading New
York bottle manufacturers said. when
asked what he thought OF this state
ment: For ourselves. we don't try
to make champagne bottles; beer bot
ties are more in our line. But don t
believe champagne bottles can be sue
cessfully made anywhere in this coun-
try. A champagne bottle is expected
to ne of certain recognized green
color and certain tapering form.
We can get the form. Of course. and
we can get the color pretty nearly,
but we cannot get that brilliancy in
the glass which you find in French
bottle. combined with sufficient
Strength.'
Another manufacturer took the view
that the question OF ability or in
ability to equal the French bottles
with bottles Of American sand is i'm
material. because the supply of sec
ond-hand champagne bottles 10 fully
equal to the demand.
From these two statements it ap-
pears that the growers of American
champagne in California. New York
and Ohio must be content with bottles
that have already done service in
bringing the wine Of Rheims to this
country. 4 bottle dealer in New York
saws that this is undoubtedly the
case.
This firm" he said. Il. the largest
firm of bottle dealers in the United
States. We ship. even in slack times.
from three to four car load. of sec
Ond-hand champagne bottles week.
\ car load is from $50 to 300 gross" ="
This means. of course. about 100000
bottles week. or 300. .OO0 bottles "A
year.
The destination OF this might V army
of bottles? The dealer begged TO be
excused from giving particulars. Some
of the BOTTLES find their way 10 Cali
fornia. but il was gathered that much
of the bottling is done in New York.
And the much more iniere> ting fact
was ELECTED that n large number Of
bottles which come to America as
champagne bottles degenerate TO the
base uses of beer. This is one result
of the war with Spain and the rescue
OF Cuba Beer is now largely export
ed TO Cuba in ex-champagne bottles.
which seems TO prove the assertion of
the bottlemaker that there is no de-
mand for such bottles at first hand
for American-made champagne.
The enormous numbers quoted by
the bottle dealer suggests strong re-
t'ections. melancholy to the total alb
stainer. on the bibulousness Of this
great city. II must not be assumed.
however. that all the 7.3ON. 900 annual
dead men, shipped by this firm
popped their corks within the limits
of New York city. Many of these
come from other cities. But the
greater number lie at the door of
New York. where the janitors and
bartenders put them. Besides, Kip
ling's description OF Fuzzy Wuzzy-
E's all 'ot sand and ginger when alive,
And e's generally shammin' when sS
dead
applies in both points to a bottle of
champagne 1t becomes dead man"
only tc be washed in a huge whole
sale way by either the dealer or the
bother and filled up again with ''fiAz"
in some mysterious way. So very like
~ the same bottle is sold full. popped.
emptied. sold empty, washed and
filed again as often as half a dozen
times in one year. This is a terrible
record of giddy dissipation for the
bottle. II reconcileS- decent Ameri-
cans 10 the thought that such bottles
cannot be made out Of American min
erals.