The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1888-12-14

- ssFops's orsps Seies md brandy.
Tho total floor area at the vaults !.
tho London docks i . million s,,no.
fetal feet. and in this space sooo
pipes Of vino can easily be stored ana ana
then room found for $4,000 casLs -
brandy. The various vaults are hr;is
IN the form Of crypt The larcest -
thcse-the east vault covers fo,.
acros Of ground, and as We take ~.
light . small oil lamp fixed 70 the s S1l
Of . piece Of wood some eirbtear
inches long. our guide informs Is tbas
there are in this cellar alone twensr nv.
one miles Of scantling wire. or m;n;s
ture railway lines. over which tho La..
rels are rolled -
Tho roof for ynrds and Yards Il 49,
ered with . beautiful species Of funcys
the growth Of which is due ~ ~
fumes Of the wine, peculiarly wh ;ae
= all the more noticeable, as where no
barrels find temporary resting pIacs \
no fungus grows aloft. II is as Iicht
- feathers, and takes the most aIsh.
orate and artistic forms. Small III
locks. gigantic punches Of grapes lon 49,,
ropes, which puff OF the breath nil
snap IN two. while such delicate A. \.
signs are 70 be found here as 70 molsa
tho lover Of lace envy the patterns
In the midst Of oil this mushroms
grow, and IN the season good CROP i
always secured
Tho Driving Room covers nearly
an aero. This Is q private vault scri-
pulously clean, the sawdust Garnet
unspottod- II is rented from the com
pany by . well known firm Of wine
merchants, and as we examine cask
marked The Duke" we learn how
testing Is managed Tho bunR 81 q
barrel Is never removed for testing
purposes, but the attendant has to bore
. small hole in the cask, aud the wine
flows into the dock" glass. The
faster having satisfied himself as 70
strength, tho flow is stopped by the
insertion Of small stick Of wood
Every hole has 70 BE- accounted for.
and tho total must correspond with the
number Of tasting orders" issued
from the owners Office. Sometimes =
whole barrel runs away in tasting.
The brandy cellar covers about seven
acres Of ground and some q, 600 casks
are resting there just now; but during
tho Franco-G German war tho author-
tiles contrived to provide accommoda-
ton for ~, 0O0 casks. All tho brandy
was driven out Of France; its value
was SIS, 0O0, 900. and an official who
helped to receive the barrels at tho
timo has made the interesting calcula-
ton that II they had been placed in
line they would have stretched for
thirty-four miles There are casks Of
brandy here-profusely decorated
with cobwebs-ovcr twenty years old.
One Of the gangways is nearly quar-
ter Of mile long, and in the midst Of
this hugo cellar runs the snow tank,
into which all the sluice, snow and
mud Of winter is poured.
The waiting floor where brandy
IS improved by mixing one quality
with another, contains sOmo of the
largest spirit rcceptacles in the world,
gigantic yellow tubs symmctrically
mGdc, on each Of which Is painted its
holding capabilities. Here IS one which
requires 10, 600 gallons Of liquor to fill
1t, another takes 5000, others 2,440,
l.450. 1900 and $50, something like
thousand gallons Of brandy running
through the taps every day.
The mixing process has ceased at tho
moment Of our visit, but ii Is whls-
pcrcd that in another corner Of the
docks large quantity of gin Is about
to be converted into ''swcetened Tho
''swectcning" barrel, holding the mod
est quantity Of b,070 gallons into
which tho gin In its unswectcned state
Il 10 be pourcd-is on one floor. Above
Il, immediately over its hugo mouth,
Is IN opening some yards In length
and four inches deep by nine inches
wide, and into this . rivulct Of gin is
flowing from the interior Of five largo
caslD which are emptying themselves
into the barrel below. As soon rs these
arc empty others take their place, and
tho wat" filed, the sugar in a liquid
state Is added, the whole mixed to
gcthcr, and shortly afterward il IS
bottled, sent abroad and approved Of
6 the choicest Cream Of the Valley
A word about the bottling depart
ment. As fast as the vino is put into
bottle II goes out for export, tho
average number Of dozens, scaled,
labeled, capsulcd and packed in cases
every day being 400. A good packer
can case hundred dozen bottles be-
tween 8 and II o'clock in the morning.
In the cellar below tho boiling room
where, by-the-bye, COO dozen bottles
can Be placed side BY side Of the floor
the barrels are kept and although the
cellar Is lighted with gas, fifty-four
lamps arc needed for dark days, nine
Of these being ''Davy's." Here in one
corner are the wax pans, the merchants
not only having TO provide their own
bottles and labels, but wax into tho
bargain. II takes 1--WE minutes to melt
! pan Of wax. Il Is placed in . copper
pan, heated over . gas stowe, and when
melted Z placed in Z receptacle con-
tanning . small spirit lamp, which
keeps The wax in . liquid state, and
finally the case b locked. London