Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-07-15
RISING OUT OF THE ASHES
Features of Life in San Francisco, Where
Everybody Works.
UNK DEALERS AND THE JUNK PILE

WI
UNK DEALERS AND THE JUNK PILE
Twenty Millions of Good Money VIII
BE Realized from the wreckage-
Rebuilding Churches-OutdOor
Living on the wRne,
A survey of the fire swept district Of
San Francisco shows a total of 100000 tons
Of junk, exclusive Of brick. The pile or
piles is estimated to be worth S2OOOo.COO. The
San Francisco Call, which caused the sur
vey to be made, says all the princes Of
junkdom are in the city seeking share Of
the spoil. The junk dealers who purchase
this marketable debris expect to make q
| profit of about 20 per cent or 100000
| Carrying this profit, the ruins of the city,
exclusive of land value, are worth about
/ S24 100000. Dealers in scrap metal have ex-
plored the ruins thoroughly, some OF them
( burrowing like gophers They have made
estimates lot by lot, on all the 400 burned
| blocks of the city, and estimate the weight
| of all the cast iron and steel that is being
| purchased merely as junk at 100000 tons
This includes steel girders and beams, cast
| iron and steel columns, sheet metal, joints,
| spikes, rivets, window sash weights, angle
] irons, gusset plates and all the great tangle
of scrap that may be seen in journey OF
many miles over the burned area. The cast
iron is bringing from IS to $40 ton when
! IT is merely scrap, and can be only used
! for reforging into steel. No matter how 1t
has been broken up and cracked, it is al
ways good for this purpose, and is worth
on the lot, s. a ton. 1t costs 50 ton to
! hat hot a. 9e . ,fNx In,
it's present state of ruin SO ton.
The scrap steel in the shape of bent and
twisted girders, is worth only half as much
as scrap iron, but there are thousands of
| tons of steel that have not been greatly
! damaged by the fire. This is worth more
! than cast metal. The steel that was melted
! or subjected to intense heat, consequently
! losing its temper and fineness can be used
again only for transmitting into inferior
grades of metal. This sort of junk is bring
ing about 81 a ton on the lot and costing
81 and 50 to cart, giving it a present value
| TO the city of about Sc a ton.
The steel that was not badly damaged in
the fire, and the columns and girders that
were not bent and twisted in dynamited
and wrecked buildings, vary In value from
$40 to $50 a ton, so that in the aggregate
all Of the steel is worth about $40 ton.
more valuable Metals,
Other metals of far greater value. though
less bulk, are copper, brass and lead.
About 100000 worth Of these metals is
being gathered together and sold as fast as
the Insurance companies make their adjust
ments on the lots in the burned area. Cop
per has lost very little of it's value from
the fire. 1t is selling on the market in
bars at the present time for IS cents a
pound, and il is being bought in San Fran
cisco as junk for IA cents a pound. The
junk dealer can either melt it into bars
again and sell it at its market value or
turn It over to a smeter The smelters
purchase 1t by the ton and pay 10 and 16
cents pound. Scores Of dealers In scrap
copper and brass came to San Francisco
from the east Immediately after the fire.
A few are still here waiting for the insur-
ance companies TO allow the lots to be
cleared Of junk; but the majority returned
home, Disguised at the delay of the insur-
ance companies in raising their embargo.
Brass is about half as valuable as cop
per, the yellow brass selling for cents as
junk and the red for 10 cents There are a
good many hundred tons OF this brass in
plumbing material, gas fixtures, gas pipes,
door knobs and in some varieties of cleo
trical fixtures.
| A<AAkAN VI II mas bcel recovered from the
ruins except on the few lots In the business
district that have been cleared. Scores OF
temporary buildings have been erected ovel
uncleared lots and will remain there for q
! year at least. Therefore the junk dealer.
will be purchasing scrap copper and brass
for several years to come. They are pur
2 chasing the junk in advance, however
making prices on the uncleared lots. The!
: | estimate the tonnage of this sort Of ma
: ! terial in the ruins by getting data from
a | plumbers and other fixture contractors OF
4 the amount Of brass and copper that wa
put into the building.
: Adding the tonnage Of the copper an
n brass junk (taking Into considera ton tn
n vast amount Of cast iron and steel in III
$ electrical machinery to the tonnage o
L cast iron and steel already figured I'm a
Il junk, a conservative estimate Of the scra
metal contained in the devastated are
is 10000 tons. If this stupendous weigh
OF material were all shipped 70 Hons
& Kong the great junk market, II would ia
II the carrying capacity Of a fleet OF NOR
than 100 tramp steamships II transporte
% In sailing vessels San Francisco's jun
would load a fleet Of 1000 "windtammers.
70 II all this wealth Of junk was sent eas
4 by rail. allowing an average of 500
It pounds TO a car, Il would be carried by
train Of 40,0oO cars, and a train Of 900
= cars would stretch along the rails for abou
e COO miles.
n Rebuilding Churches
II 1t is estimated that the churc,les O
America will give al least $4,000, pos
sibly more. for the relief Of the churche,
congregations and pastors OF San Fran
y cisco. While amounts are now in no shap
;, for totaling inquiry made at the yariou
!, UNCONVENTIONAL headquarters, where fund
I for the needs Of San Francisco churche
n are being received, shows that funds al
: ready in hand or forwarded. together Wit
amounts which are yet coming in. win Ger