New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-11-11
PACKING BOX BROKERAGE.
THE REMARKABLE TRAVELS OF SECOND
HAND WOODEN CASES.

poTCauon labels and "StickerS" of three four
continents and as many oceans. but it can have
occurred to few that among the battered pack
ing cases which heaped up in many down
town vacant lots wooden travellers of ex-
per1ences as diverse and of mileage as great as
these or their leathern fellows of stateroom and
holeL Yet such is the rather curious truth
There are PenObscot pine boxes now in New
York that have been junketins around the world
1or the last five or ten years. They have spent a
summer in Paris, wintered in Berlin, stayed
while collecting china in Yokohama, silks in
Hong Kong. curiOs in kurachee they have
come zigzaggng homeward by way of Cape
Town. Rio and London, and have laid here
sumed with Wanderlust till the fate in the inner
once OF some big exporting house has lifted a
finger and hidden them once more begone
round the world and back again"
The owner of one of the largest packing case
factories and repairing yards in West Houston
st went into the matter some length. 1t was
evident that certain phases of his business had
by no means ceased to be Interesting to him.
lie walked through his sheds, where a pair of
TIP saws were screening through the broken
ends of line of battered drygoods boxes. and
out into the receiving yard behind There a
canyOnlike alley led between the half ordered
ruins Of two huge pyramids of boxes
Yes" he said. here and there tapping one at
fectiOnately I've got them here from all over
the world. l manufacture mend, cut down, buy
and sell. bat for the most part my business is
one of pure exchange This is a sort of box
brokerage. or even better. box clearing house.
And there are more of them in every big ship
ping port earth. Boxes aren't destroyed
wantonly; they are all gradually racked. to
pieces but they're used long as tinkering will
hold them together. Broken up they're worth
maybe from cents to % cents as kindling
"ood but it would cost from 80 cents to 81 to
replace them with new. You've got to remem- |
Der that umber's going up all the time, and the !
little leaks in business being much more
closely looked after than they used to be. /
There lots Of big wholesale houses here |
that never think any more of throwing in /
the box with a city order. OF course they |
have 20 with ut-of-town shipments. but they |
look it one-third one-haf PEI cent
gratuty, and don't give it if they help it.
If :hey part with their cases they simply have
to buy ones.
"A box doesn't lie here long They're one
eternal swing and pendulum around the world. .
You see. brokers know just what each size
and sort is best suited for. If it's a hat case
from Paris it's more than likely To be the sort .
of case wanted by the hatters here, and the same
with every other style and shape. whether
they've held fine china, drygoods or cook stoves
Besides there very great differences in /
boxes The transportation companies see to II
that they're all built of pretty much equa
strength-theyye got to be able to stand the
smash without breaking their backs you know /
and for shape you cant ring in many varia-
tons the four square. Size is about the only ,
thing bother US; but that's generally matter |
OF only having to alter dimension. The |
saw is pit through half a third way down. !
and the cleats nailed round the top again. But |
we find it wisest to try to keep such supply |
On hand that give a man just what he |
wants without having to make any alterations.
We follow the plan of the express companies in
having our trucks make regular rounds down.
.Yn- They pick up the extras and take or
.ers at the same time Sometimes they can fill
a rush order without coming back to the yard. |
Most Of our business is taken by running |
contract though. Just shaping up
ten thousand inches for big Japanese export
and import house on Broadway. Ten |
thousand inches? Oh, no; you wouldn't under
stand that come to think of it. You see, one of
the things peculiar to our business is our method
of measuring We take the size of box |
what the sum of its dimensions, in inches,
amounts to- Say for example, that it runs 4S
by SO by 40-it's a 124.' And with us-no mat |
ter what the customers point of view may be |
all 'I24s are equal to the same ia plate |
glass frame and a safe crate might be the same |
size in our trade lingo. ! don't Know no" the
system originated; it's as old as the business
nrobaby for il seems to have been chosen e1-
,,-.sc,1 for our purDose OF course, with gem |