The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-11-10
TRIP WITH TIE MlLK.NAN.
SCENES IN 4 C7eAT CITY WHEN
PEOPLE APE ASLEEP
At 1 O'Clock In the Morning-ESth banging
Empty Milk Cans Tor Pun Opes-bo"
Cus,o,.crs Are Served -in;eliigence OF
the yiikmnn'n re-Da,iight.

more than Gltce, years, anu Tor very ioiiS
time has supplicd the reporters family with
n regularity that has mover brcA broscn save
Inv mn occasional blockade and by the biz
lard Of last March Murphy invited the re-
oorter 10 20 with him on his rounds some
night ana see for himself how tho work was
done. This invitation was recently &C
ccpted
Alta little after O'Clock in the morning
Murphy was met by appointment; at iit'ie
uptown stable where he was found groom
inc his horse lantern. whose flame sput
tered aud CickcYcd. was suspended from n
nail in a beam Just behind the stall, and fur
mshed all the light that was necessary for
Murpbv's Accustomed eyes, but 10 The
stranger in such surroundings the stable was
flied with deep shadows which changed INTO
fantastic shapes as the lantern swaycI TO
and fro.
'The top o th moruin 10 ye' vas MIR
phy greeting Us his visitor appeared Faith
did't thin!. yo'd como 50 chill a night Ten
minutes later Tom and hi, visitor Wcrc dry
ing toward the Wceaawkcn ferry with
load of cmpty milk cans which were % be
exchanged for fuli ones. On the way 10 was
rossible % examine TIE interior OF tie wagon
closely The roNs a. cans on the bottom OF
The wagon fitted 10 alu-iy between narrow
strips of iroa so placed as To keep them ~ l'o-
sifi0n. and the r.bs # the cover ~ the vchi-
Gle were filed With hooks upon which were
hung half pint, pms, quart and two quart
measures in great numbers. Space was
ec0nomized in every way possible so a. 10
give tho vehicle the greatest carrying capac
3ty Of which it was capable At this hour
the streets Of the city were still occupied 10y
numbers Of people and vehicles Of various
sorts Restaurants were doing thriving
business. especially along Sixth avenue, ami
the bar rooms were m iull blast r0twlth.
standing that IL was beyond the hour when
the law declares that toe sale OF liquor must
cease. Along the streets the night hawks OF
the city, the hackmen, hurried and scurod
hero and there watching for fares. Or
drunken men and women there were many
on tho streets, and these were the natural
prey'Of the cabmcn
Distribution OF MILK
Weehawhea was duly reached and tho work
OF unloading and loading was quickly ac-
complished On tine way back Tom explained
the manner in which the milk was distributed
over the city Ga all roads, he said, milk
trains arc run 70 the city from the suground
ing country. 1hisis consigned 10 contractors
who havcthe milk carte TO their own depots
in the city, whence j: IS distributed 10y their
own men aud teams or, %, IN Tom, case, the
mili.man, owning bis own horse and wagon,
j. supplied at the cars Those who get their
milk ia the latter way purchase 10 more
cneaplV because OF TIE saving 10 the COZ
tractor ID the mat.crof cartaso than DO those
. l....t
cry dcD0ts In a minority Of cases, how
ever, the contractor, own TIE entire outfits 4
the mdAmen, who either get "a salary or
commission There are several, however
who, like Tom havo built u) routes Of their
own, and who m1aea specially OF furnishing
tho best milk attainaO.c u tAe.r customers.
The financial ret@rls are NJ large, and
hardly ray the mcn Tor tho hardships they
endure in pursuing their business Most of
the individual owncrs of routes are engaged
10 deliver SUPPLE 20 restaurants and saloo.s
in the carly morning, end, in fact, up to
noon, after their own voIS is done.
II was after 3o'ciOcA wncn Tom announced
that he was approaching TIE upper c.li of his
route, 40 Eighth ayc.Ic AMI FIity-third
street. That locality was perfectly quiet az
that hour, the only uoiso being the ruable %.
The wagon ard tho rattle OF cans save wkcI
an occasional elevated train, "a street cor OF
cab went by IS tIs mare turned into
Ffty.thlrd street slo pricacl up Der ears,
whisled her tail AID started oil on lively
Ir0t Tom hitchcl the reins to hook ia tho
top OF the front If tAs cover, allowing them
u hans limp over tie animals back. The
lantern Was then hung on another book and
Tom was rc2dy for business As tho raro
approached certain hOu e she swcrtcd to
ward the sidewalk and slackeucd her pace
Tom, with three caus ia either hand,
leapod from tho wagon while it was
still IN motion, and, rushing into al
area under the front steps u a
house, exchanged a full can Tor an empty
one This he repeated in five other houses,
the mare liz the meantime walking lcisuely
along When Tom had returned Win the
. six empty cans, and had placed bis foot o1
tho step to leap into the wagon, the mare
was or again with a rllsL. \ block farther
on she slowed W on the opp'S side Of Tho
street and Tom, with more fun cans leapei
down again This was repeated time alter
time, tho animal Cxhiuiuns Is unoTn5 =
knowledge of the places where the mil. "as
10 be lett rs Tom Gid concerning the guam
tltysleSirCd al each.
SERVING TIE CUSTOMERS.
In every case The man brought back empty
cans corresponding precisely IN dimensions
with the lun ones lie had taken from the
wagon Occasionally ho grulnb!ed 81 tgd
ing notes attached 10 the empty can, request
IN an additional quantity OF nilk Tor that
day only. These demands were SATISFIED oat
Of am extra can carried for that purpose 10
ill tlcm caused some Inconvenience, FOR %
ncccs.tatcd additional trips from wagon 10
house, and The mare rather disl.kcd Icing
dictated TO IN regard to longer stops than
usual IS the wagon went along Tom said
that he began serving new family the day
before on a street where lie had lad 10 other
customers, and be wanted his visitor 10 no
lice how urcrringly the marc would follow
tho now route. Sle G.d II Is correctly IS II
her owner had held the rc.us, which he never
once touched. Corners were turned a. faith
fully by the careful and intelligent animal,
and other vehicles were passed as safely as
lhe mos. cautious driver or pedestrian could
have wished. \, ono point ncara corner the
mare stopped, aud Tom explained that he
had dozeu OF moro customers IN that local
.,.l .l.t ga. si.oLfaN glxxoNs xynifal for