Kimball enterprise. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1883, 1883-06-08
LOndOn's Wine Vaults.

lOnuGn Letter IN Boston Herald.
The wine vaults OF London are not to
be seen every day or by every person
The other day was fortunate enough to
secure tasting ORDER" and T, in COM
pany with one or two others, made
tour of the st. Katharine's and London
Dock vaults. I saw over 100000 pack
ages of port and sherry, over ZOO, 900 of
Of claret and 100000 of spirits. They
were in vast tuns, iiogsheads, casks and
barrels and the total amount in Storage
was 260,000,060 gallons. In fact, there
were six and half gallons for every man,
woman and child OF the population of
Great Britain. Some of it had been in
store for years. The owners had forgot
ten about it and the old moldy casks had
rotted away at their chimes and had been
several times replaced. One lot of 600
gallons of sherry had been in the vaults
for nearly 80 years. Itwas brought from
the south Of Spain by its owner, who had
fallen dead in the vaults. The wine,
along with his other property, had
passed into chancery, and the litigation,
which had continued for nearly a CEN
tury, is as far from being ended, appar-
entity, as when it begun. But the wine
has been growing Old and valuable, and,
if sold now, would probably bring five
guineas gallon.
Let me explain that these vaults are
simply great cellars under the dock
houses. In area they aggregate some 50
acres. They extend under the Thames
on one side, and well under Tower hill
on the other. There are about 16 feet
from floor to roof, and are by one means
regular in form. but reach out in strange
passages and alleys in all directions.
They are bonded by the government,
and owners can have their property in
them as long as they like without pay
ing customs duties.
long, narrow flight of we'll stone
eteps that have been in constant use
since 1904, opened before our view, and
at their foot were dim, twirkling lighte
that f1ickered fitfully, as if in a struggle
to overcome the fumes of the wines that
came up the stone channel like breeze
from a distillery. 1t was warm, rich
with the odor of the wines, and musty
and moldy, A sniff of it wasn't half bad,
but you remember the fate of the Per-
sian esthetic who had his choice ofdeath.
ITO die amid sweet perfumes" he said.
So they chucked him into a hogshead OF
ottar Of roses and he expired in great
agony. At the bottom of the flight
of steps the guide met US, a tall,
broad-shouldered ruddy cockney,
who handed each lard
Oil lamp, fastened to straight stick
about ~ inches long. He began by ask
ing US if any one was teetotaller.
None of us were. Because" said he,
"if you don't take drop of something
on your stomach you'll get screwed be-
cause of the SMELL" He drew glass of
sherry for each OF us out of big cask
near the foot fthe stairs. Itwas heavy,
full-bodied vine; with rich nutty flavor
and an aftermath like leather smells.
1t had been hung in leather skins over
one season, having been the last made
and too late for the regular wine harvest,
but it was good for all that and "wery
mellowin' to the horgans.''
Turning then sharply to the left, the
vaults spread out be fore us in vast un-
derground acreage. Lights twinkled
here and there, moldly men were en-
gagged in moving the packages at some
places, and down the long passage under
the Thames the polished steel skids for
riding barrel stretched in narrowing
perspective; till they joined apparently
in one and flashed on under the line Of
lights above them.