The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-04-19
EGGS SAFELY HANDLED.
Pragfie q They Are. the Breakage In
Transit u Astouishingiy Small.


MANY eggs broken In handling7 You
would be surprised to know how Few,
said the commission merchant. The egg
IL q fragile thingf II certainly Is, but as
a matter Of fact the breakage OF eggs In
transit and in handling IL extremely small
really next to nothing.
"The commercial egg package almost
universally used throughout the country
at the present time is case containing
thirty dozen. There were received Ia
New York last year 1850, 2oo cases OF eggs;
multiply that by 800, the number OF eggs
TO q case, II you care TO know the total
number Of eggs.
Packed In cases eggs run about 400 cases
TO the car; 30 that the eggs brought to
New York last year made upward OF 1000
carloads, equal to hundred and forty-odd
solid trains Of eggs Of fifty cars each. Arc
there solid egg trains' Not many. but
this for the reason that the eggs are gath
cred originally from many and widely
scattered points; but solid cars OF eggs
and punches Of cars are common. fre-
quent, every day shipments.
And. packed as they are nowadays,
eggs for this market come from every
where. pounding over a thousand, fifteen
hundred, two thousand miles Of railroad
from a. far north and west As North Dakota.
and from a. far south and west as Texas,
with scarcely any broakase worth men,
tioning.
As matter Of fact there were not very
great many eggs broken In shipping and
handling even when eggs were shipped In
barrols. packed In chopped straw. ss eggs
commonly were up 10 fifteen years ago.
You might think that, packed In that man
ner, the eggs would shuck about and SIMS sh
against one another and 30 get broken,
but they didn't; but beir g comparatively
heavy and bulky package the barrel got,
naturally, more heavy jolts and jars In
handling than a lighter package would
and more eggs, were broken In 1t in that
giving not only security In the packa &c itself
but making package that can be eosily
and conveniently and safely handled. the
6reasase In eggs is reduced to very
a thin layer Of excelsior, over whlo h IL laid
sheet q cardboard. upon that being set
rock Of cardboard pockets. each pocket
q holder for one egg. On that first lryer OF
eggs is laid another sheet Of cardboard
90 the U ca se is ed the t TOP % L yer OF eggs
being covered with q final sheet CT card
board, while lsyer Of exec lsor In placed
on that and on that the cover Of the box.
which ia packed just tight enough to keep
the Eggs from moving.
Tho egg case IL made OF wildwood.
OF thin. light stuff. but 1t serves it's purpose
well. and the strengthening strps nailed
across the ends serve ad nirahly as handles.
Thus packed these thin light cases filed
with eggs are stacked up in cans and carried
long distances and hauled about on trucks
and handled In and out OF warehouse,
commonly without the slightest mishap.
II anything does happen TO eggs in transit
Or handling IL is likely to I've In the nature
Of an accident such as might happen to
For instance. q case OF eggs
might work out from under the rope around
4 truck load or case OF eggs might fall
out Of a wagon, or an axle might break
and let q load Of eggs drop.
Ever hear Of q carload Of eggs In a col
ision' Oh. yes: freight trains with egg
,ars in them are. OF course. just az liable 10
collision as any other, and il you should
-un into q carload Of eggs hard enough
here wouldn't be much OF anyihing left
but eggnog But as ! said these are mis-
laps That might happen to any sort OF
fright, and the fact remains that in the
transit and handling Of eggs. fragile as they
are, the loss Ia astonisningly small; we
might handle millions Of eggs in and out
u store and never break one