Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1901-10-18
HE BUYS SPOILED EGGS
A NEW JERSEY MANS PECULIAR
BUSINESS.

New York Egg Dealers Can't Find Out
What He Does with Them, But They
Are Glad to Get Rid of the Bad Eggs
known as the Rotten Egg King.
"Do you know what becomes OF
spoiled eggs?" asked Il Harrison street
dealer in butter and eggs, of New
York Commercial Advertiser reporter.
~ don't mean the slightly stale eggs,
but those that are gone beyond re-
demption, the kind that could not be
sold for n cent a hundred"
The person addressed said he didn't
suppose anything was done with them,
save to consign them to the garbage
heap, but the dealer smiled in q
superior way and continued:
"Owlng to the recent hot spell all
through the great reproducing sec
tions of the Middle West thousands
and thousands of dozens Of eggs have
been lost. Out of an average daily
receipt in this city of about 5000
cases, each containing thirty dozen
Of eggs, at least two dozen in every
case, OF nearly quarter Of million
eggs, have arrived spoiled. Many Of
the eggs are pretty far gone at the
time of shipment, probably, but u
great deal Of the deterioration un-
doubtedly takes place while they are
en- route. The heat has been SO in
tense and SO general that 1t has de-
fed all ordinary efforts of the rail-
roads and the shippers to keep the
stock cool and fresh until arrival.
This large percentage of bad eggs
means a considerable financial loss to
the Western shippers, and formerly 1t
would have entailed some expense on
the New York dealer, for at one time
we had to pay to have them thrown
away. There is very little waste about
tie egg industry as it is conducted to-
day, however. Now all the 'rots,' or,
In plain English, the rotten eggs that
turn up in the New York market are
sold to q man who has factory in
Secaucus, N. j., where they are con-
verted, through some secret process,
into products said to be valuable in
several lines of manufacture. Just
what use his peculiar output are put
to in manufacturing, few persons
know except himself and those who
buy the stuff, but it is popularity sup
posed that one of the principal uses is
in the treatment of certain kinds OF
leather or the manufacture of shoe
polish.
Another outlet for the Secaucus
product, l have been told, Is in the
glazing of some of the very cheap
brands of coffee. There are half
dozen uses to which the stuff is put,
according to the gossip Of the produce
markets, but practically no one has
any first-hand knowledge of the mat
ter and most of these reports are mere
guess work. The important fact Is
that even the. rotten egg is adding It's
modest share to the sum total OF
American wealth and prosperity. this
being only another Illustration OF the
principle Of utilization of waste that
has played SO important n part In
making this country pre-eminent
among the manufacturing nations OF
the world.
"The Secaucus man has yearly con-
tracts with the big commission and
wholesale egg dealers in the west
side district and in the other large
markets in Manhattan and Brooklyn
for all the 'rots' they find in their
stocks in course of the twelve months,
and in years like the present, when
the heat hangs on for long periods in
all the large producing sections of the
country, he must get many millions OF
eggs. A big green tight-covered
wagon goes through the district every
day and makes the collections. His
plant over in Jersey avenue employs
a considerable force, l understand,
and none of the workmcn has ever
been known to give away any of the
manufacturers secrets.
II have never visited the establish
ment myself, and never expect to, but
several produce men who went to see
things and find out what was going
on, came back and reported nothing
doing They said that wild horses
wouldn't drag them there again. Bar
rem Island, they said, isn't a 'circum-
stance to the Secaucus plant. In
addition to this factory, its owner is
said to have similar establishments
in several other large cities, both in
the East and West, and he has every
appearance Of a man who is making
money. He enjoys q complete
monopoly, and 1 don't believe any one
would be likely to disturb him, even
If the secrets of his processes and his
commercial outlet We're known. If his
business We're a very large one, l
suppose he would be known as the
Rotten Egg King and would be an
athematized regularly by the yellow
journals"
Shocking the Fireman.