Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 41, Number 18, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 November 1908 — WAYS OF SAVING WASTE. [ARTICLE]

WAYS OF SAVING WASTE.

Skimming River 1 for a Living—’Fishermen Who Net Corks. Skimming a river for a living may be said to be one of the most striking examples of the utilization of waste. This is done ta Paris. There is One individual, at least, in th? French capital who makes it his daily business to skim the Seine. He is out at early morning in an old flat bottomed boat, armed with a skimming pan. With this he skims off the surface of the river the grease which collects there during the night, ana whicn he disposes of to a soap factory. Generally, he make? a quarter or so by his morning’s work, which enables him to Jive. In Paris also there are a number of people who make a living out ot waste corks, which they flsu from the Seine. They collect on the river bank at uaybreak.' each with a short pole, at the end of which is a small improvised net. They set to work to gather in the floating covks, subsequently selling them to the corn merchants In the neighborhood. There are about a score or so of these cork fishermen, who have formed themselves into a sort of craft and who guerd their Interests jealously. If they catch sight of a stranger netting corks they fall On him in a body Only recently the police rescued one of these novices barely in time to save his life. The sweepings of a floor might well be considered as so mucn waste; yet, through a fire in London the oth--3r day, which consumed a quantity of sweepings stored in the basement, a certain firm lost several thousand dollars. The heap of dust and rut b-sh contained silver fillings, whicii it was Intended to extract later on. This is done regularly at all works where silver or gold is used. In gold refiners’ premises even the soot in the ' chimneys is not allowed to be trail'd as waste. It is found to conlaia j minute particles of the precious i.v-r - i al, which are far too valuable t<- be lost. i In places where sheep are bred exi tensively one frequently sees little I waste. From such wool rubbish whether coming from sheep or goats, valuable oil is now extracted.