Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1886-09-02
ON A MILK ROUTE.
A REPORTER TAKES A RIDE ON 4
CITY MILK WAGON.

Scene q: the Railroad MIX De pot
Neither Hydrant nor Pump Resorted to
Waiting the Houses Of Customcrs-The
Daily supply.
At 1 O'Clock one morning a reporter
mounted milk wagon for the first time
In his life, as milk route tourist
After hitching up at the stable there was
much rafting Of cans, which were finally
well packed in ice In the wagon. and the
proprietor, whom we shall call David, an
honest and amiable man. drove rapidly
of with his drowsy passenger to the Har'
lemrailroad milk depot.
II was rather early for the average
milkman 10 be abroad, still, there was a
respectable caravan Of wagons awaiting
their supplies. Two long trains of cars,
each laden with about POS cans of milk,
lay upon the tracks In the well lighted
building and there was sea of cans up
aud down the lengthy platforms. spec
ulators" walked about, negotiating sales
to those who were short of milk for the
day, or bargaining to buy Of those who
had surplus.
NOT DROP OF WATER
Having paid his freight charges David
soon found his six cans'of milk, which
are daily shipped direct to him from the
farmer, each one carefully locked. The
contents were speedily transferred to the
larger cans In the wagon, and TIE empties
returned to the CAT forgot to mention,
that when starting from stable large
chunks Of ice were placed in each eau in
order to cool it for the reception of milk.
But before the milk was poured into them
this ice and every drop Of water was care
fully thrown out, and / can solemnly
avow that there was a @tnick, yellow
scum" of cream at the top OF each eau,
and that we hit neither pump nor hydralt
on our route. II was good, pure milk, as
one who drank about a gallon Of il during
the morning, can testify.
In fact. the milk of the wagon route
men may be more generally relied upon,
than that for sale in many of the grocery
stores, or even In ne milk stores A
wagon milkman Is BILE to encounter an
official milk inspector at any corner. who
may whip out his lactometer, and if the
milk Is found below the standard, II Is
summarily poured into the gutter. 1t is
whispered about that many Of the milk
stores and retail grocers have arranged
pretty little methods Of avoid ing such
calamities. The wholesale milk dealers
put forty or fifty cans into large wagon
and start them of to supply grocers and
others through the city, and from some
little monkey tricks We saw during our
ride, it would appear that some Of the
milk dealers know the art OF watering
stock as we'll as the Wall street men.
SUPPLYING THE CUSTOMERS
Hung upon the front Of David's wagon
were half dozen punches of keys, some
fifty or sixty in all, which would admit
him into the houses OF his customers.
There Is less of the milkman's "barbaric
yawp" than In former days, he is generally
intrusted with key, with which he opens
his way into the basement or hallway,
where he leaves his little pail or bottle
This Is in the early hours; after @ o'clock
Bridget usually meets him at the base
ment door with winning smile and q
pitcher.
An average milk route supplies ABOUT
300 quarts daily, and customers average
to take about three pints. Some take but
pint which costs cents, and Others sew
eral quarts at z cents per quart. Medium
routes should pay their owner, il he drives
himself, about IS per day clear of expen-
penses. When milk routes are bought or
sold it is usually on basis of 81 for each
quart customer over the cost of the horse,
wagon, etc.
Our route, which extended over a
radius Of several miles, took In also. some
more than doubtful localities. In such
places, gangs of thieves skulked about
the corners, ready to pounce upon some
drunken man and rob him of his valu.
ables Street walkers piled their calling
Loathsome human shapes shambled out
from the shadows of huge buildings-hor-
rid, obscene phantoms Of the night. Fetid,
noisome creatures lay asleep in carts, In
dark alleyways and under stoops-outcast
vagabonds who shun the blessed light of
day.
But presently there is dim and dusky
sense that night is waning. Belated rev.
ellers stop us for draught of cool and re-
freshing milk, drink It feverishly and
skurry on; individual noises gradually
mingle and are lost In the hum and roar
Of the great city. With the dawn, host
lers come out to feed their horses; market
wagons rumble by; express and cartmsn
start with their teams; servant girh ap-
pear with buckets and brooms to wash
their stoops and sidewalks, and soon the
big red sun rises In the east to announce
the birth Of q new day.-New York Mar
ket Journal