Wichita eagle., 1888-05-31
THE DINNER PAIL.
NOT MANY WHO CLING TO 1He
OLD FASHIONED IDEA.

What q New York Tin Merchant Said to
a Observation-Disclosures Of the Dinner
Bucket--Patsnt Devices and Contriv-
ances.
When New York wasn't as big town as
it is today it was much more OF custom
than now for mechanics and apprentices and
other day laborers to carry their midday
meal with them to their work. Men and
boys who toiled in factories and stores could
be seen In the morning trudging along bear
ing bright, shining tin dinner pals. Today
it is pretty hard to find proportionately as
large a number who follow this old habit.
Not more than one man out OF ten in the
business and factory region below Thirty
third street can be found with his pail. If
workman couldn't 60 home at noon from
his shop in the days ten and fifteen years ago,
about the only way to satisfy his II o'clock
hunger was the one which now seems to be
scorned or discarded because of inconveni-
ence. OF course there are some who cling to
the old fashioned idea, and in certain locali-
ties the workmen can't get along without
their kettles But these are rare instances.
The only places where the rule seems TO be
for dinner pals is along the wharves, and
oven there the custom is falling away.
CARRYING PAIL.
A down town tinware merchant said the
other day: II used to do a big business in the
one article of dinner pals, but for eight years
now it seems to have amounted to nothing at
all. The causes Why, l guess it must be
that mechanics and others don't like to have
the trouble Of carrying pail to work in the
yy1Crrinr md hack of riohf Tie ipoopyaniar,t
in the surface and elevated cars, for the cof-
fee is likely to be spilled in the jostling and
crowding of the cars. Then, if man is near
enough to his workshop to be able to walk
there, he isn't likely to carry pail, for, of
course, he had rather go home to dinner
No, the bulk Of workingmen in New York
today seem to do without pals such as we
used to see when we weren't 50 populous and
proud. Still they get hungry when noon
comes around, and they must feed Lots of
them bring meat and bread from home in
paper, and throw the paper wrapper away
when they are done with it.
''Their drink Well, they can work the
GROWER, or go out and buy lager or anything
else. Besides, there are more inexpensive
eating houses now than before, and plenty Of
men who used to carry their dinners with
them find it just about as cheap to go out
and eat This is more convenient, too.
Some workmen ON houses in process of con-
struction in new neighborhoodS must carry
pals, but they wouldn't if they could help it.
Often the free lunch gives a man stay to
his stomach, and he makes his supper a
heavier meal than it used to be- This also
helps do away with the dinner pail Out on
the aqueduct and along railway lines being
built or repaired the Italians don't use the
pail much. The cooperative mess which they
have seems to do pretty well for most of
them, and those who don't have that stuff
their food in paper in their pockets"
A REGULAR EVOLUTION.
In spite of all this falling off in the use of
the dinner pail in New York city, the dinner
pail of this day is better than that of ten |
years ago. 1t has gone through regular
evolution. First it was simply plain ket-
tie with cover. You could put in meat and |
bread and pie and pickles, and whatever
other solids the appetite craved; but there |
wasn't any room for coffee unless you put it |
IN bottle. Then somebody devised pail |
with two compartments, one pail fitting into
another. In this way coffee might be car
led in one of the parts. Then some other
5SuluS SOI up q pail "lIhIoUT VI separate
parts, all fitting into each other and making
t possible to carry four or six articles apart
rom each other.
This was good. but it was discounted by
he fellow who got out patent on device
whereby the coffee could be heated at noon
lime wherever the workman might be. The
levice consists of a wad of asbestos cloth two
inches in diameter and an inch thick This
s covered with tin, and there is ali opening
1t the top exposing the cloth. The whole
hing is just like small round tin box
lacked with asbestos end open at the top.
The workman can carry or have at his shop
ONE alcohol, and a cents worth poured on
he asbestos will do to heat his coffee A
,reat many mechanics have this asbestos
ontrivance and like it. More of the con-
rivances are probably used in other towns
han this. One other scheme has been
,atented. 1t consists of a tin pot, which
nay be filled at noontime with water and
ime. The heat so generated will warm any
hing placed over it, and as the compart-
nent holding the coffee fits over the COM
in which the lime and water are,
he coffee may be heated very quickly This
INVENTION hasn't met with general adoption
here are other complicated dinner pals,
nto the bottom of which lamps may be fitted.
hey are mostly used in smaller cities.-New
[ ork Sun.