“…this new cork screw is likely to become an instrument of dishonesty…”

From the October 1878 issue of New Remedies…

Among the minor novelties which the Paris Exhibition offers, is a new cork drawer that appears to deserve mention.  It consists of a hollow handle and two metallic strips; one of the latter is pushed down between the cork and the neck of the bottle on one side, the other on the opposite side.  The handle is then applied, as shown in the cut, and, owing to the smoothness with which the metallic strips slide on the glass, even the tightest cork may be extracted, without damage, from the bottle.

The chief use of this cork-drawer is to save the loss of a large quantity of corks in case a large number of bottles of wine, as it sometimes happens, is found to have deposited a sediment, and requires refilling.  The corks may be withdrawn uninjured and may be re-inserted afterwards.

On the other hand, this new cork-screw is likely to become an instrument of dishonesty with others, since it will enable them to refill wine-bottles repeatedly, and to re-insert the original branded corks, thus palming off inferior wines for better brands, after the original bottles have been emptied.

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