The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-12-25
KEPT COOL FOR COOKS.
GOOD THINGS STORED IN THE
GREAT BIG RefRicERAToRS.

How Meat. Game. Butter. Cheese and Eggs
Are Kept In Good Condition All the
Year Round Contents Of the Cold stor-
age Houses in Chicago.
Below the ice bed OF a gorge In the Altai
mountains some Siberian peasants once found
the huge body OF mastodon. The find was
by accident. The peasants were hungry. They
had not the fsintost idea that this immense
carcass had been lying there. buried under
layer on layer OF ice and rock, for many thou
sands OF years-longcr at any rate than the
memory OF man runncth. SO they cut of n
chunk OF this meat and boiled il over fire
And IL tasted good and they all smacked
their lips over IT, Subsequently big slices Of
this same mastodon were eaten by other peas
ants, who came in sleigks 20 get family roasts.
Tho remainder OF the mastodon was finally
shipped by the government 20 ST. Petersburg,
where IL forms today ors Of the chief attrac-
tons In a museum.
GROWTH or THE BUSINESS.
To make "a business Of preserving large
quantities Of food for the market by means
Of cold is thing Of rather recent date in
| Chicago A reporter, who looked the matter
up found the first modest attempt was made
! fifteen years ago on State street by the Chi
cago fruit house. But that was only for
fruit. In 1873 the Western Refrigerating
company started on Michigan street, and
their business increased so rapidly that Others
came in TO share bonors and emolumenti
| with them, aud today there are five large re
frigerating concerns in the city. The com
| bincd money value Of the articles Of food
| they preserve and keep fit for human use
| represents Just now about 81 100000. Thu
comprises eggs, butter, cheese, dry and green
| fruits. and in season many other perishablt
things, like meat, poultry, game and yenison
The processes employed in preserving differ
greatly in different establishments. SO dc
prices charged. As a rule, however, half
cent per pound is exacted for butter OF
cheese. GO cents Der case II eggs thirty DOZEN
| from % 10 30 cents per barrel OF apples anc
| 4 10 x cent per pound Of dried fruit. I'M
is for keeping them from April TO Jan !, II
desired. but generally the season includs'
about six months, the heated term Tor but
ter, eggs, cheese, etc, the cold time fol
1 poultrv. game, apples, etc. as 70 the meth
DDS of preservation, the Western Refrigerat
fng company uses one which II keeps sec
ret. while the Union. at Sixteenth and State
makes use Of the brine circulating system
similar 10 the one in vogue IN breweries
| The Chicago Refrigerating company ha
adopted the direct expansion system, an IN
penious method, by which ammonia expand
right in the pipes while in the cooling rooms
| absorbing in its expansion the heat IN tn
surrounding air and changing into gas at tn
same time The gas again turns into lique
fled or anhydrous ammonia, and is thus mad
10 do continuous duty. AT Keppler's COLI
storage houses in st. Clair, Ills, and in thi
city, the refrgerating is done IN the simpl
and old fashioned way, usually ice.
As 70 the temperature TO be maintained
that is another point Of difference. The COLI
storage men require from 81 to 40 dogs I
keep their goods IN proper trim. To subJec
fruit. eggs, cheese, etc, to freezing would in
lure them 1t is different with game AM
meat. To best preserve that 1t is necessar
20 freeze H. A Dearborn street dealer keep
all the year round about $2O,OO worth
game. venison, etc, in stiff and llfeleSs con
dition in his huge freezing rooms below hl
store. The temperature down there is so lo'
that il is hardly safe for an employe to ven
ture into the rooms without having sheathe
himself in a fur muller. About ten below
zero is the figure, winter and summer, ana
is amusing 20 see in those chambers OF deaf
whole rows Of black bears, stiff as a ramroc
and deer, mountain sheep, antelope ana EN-
which give forth genuine "dull thud,
thnmped ever so slightly. The owner main
,, tains that game and venisOn improves !
flavor and tenderness by this freezing trea'
ment. This, Of course, must remain matte
Of taste for each one TO judge for himself.