Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-10-29

To supply this enormous demand
twenty catering companies bake beans.
boil beef and Iaix up salads and all sorts
Of food.
The pioneer IL the business and the
6rra that supplies most OF the free lunch
consumed ia New York has It's hash
foundry and headquarters on Washing
ton street. where once stood small
church, near the Christopher Street ferry.
IL Is four story building tgiyes en-
ploymsnT 10 forty men. ten nen and
twelve horses.
A small sign inside the Office door DO
trays It. Otherwise the passerby would
know not what IL was. From outside
appearance IL might DC a soap factory
or paper box warehouse, instead Of be-
ing the source Of sustenance 10 the $4,000
men who. it Is estimated. live by free
lunch alone. There are, besides 1000
others who sample IL day by day.
The building ia question contains .
neat business office. "a great elevator that
drops wagon, horse and all down IN the
cellar 10 be loaded for delivery, huge
kitchens. ovens, ranges, boilers, leo
houses and ali the other necessary adj
juncts 10 the manufacture Of New
York's free lunch.
A visit was made by reporter TO the
factory the other day when the baking
Of the first batch of beans-500 pounds
was about TO begin.
Pans and dishes were clanking, cai-
drons We're steaining and everything
was going quickly.
Tomorrow is Friday" said the man.
ager. Fish is in great demand and We
have 10 WORK off these beans and get at
the pike. rockfish and salmon. We have
900 pounds OF tish 10 cook and IL means
extra work"
Up stairs machine chopper was at
work on huge mass of corn beef for
hash purposes.
Piled upon table were tubs Of
pickles. pigs feet. olives and other thirst
compellers. The icebox was yielding up
its stores of fish and flesh. The free
lunch factory was III full blast.
Everything went by system and every
thing was clear and clean as a new pin.
Even the stairs were scrubbed 10 a
snowy whiteness and, If IT Is true that
each must eat his peck of dirt, one can
rest assured that he will get but small
percentage in his free lunch.
The manager said that besides beans,
beef and potato salad they also made
and furnished everything that could be
thought of in the way Of dainties and
delicacies for the finest class of trade.
The extent of the free lunch system in
New York can in some degree be esti-
mated from the variety of comestibles
provided by this one catering company.
These comprise clam chowder, clam
broth, beef pie, veal potpie, vegetable
and tomato soup, boiled ham, beans III
eight varieties besides the famous Bos-
ton style, boned turkey, macaroni,
salmon salad. chicken salad, lobster
salad, fried oysters, fried clans, clam
fritters, boiled pigs head, baked ivers,
liver and bacon, roasted pig, soft crabs,
fried cells and so on.
The process of bean baking and salad
making was next seen. A ton of beans
boiled merrily in four large caldrons.
Quantities Of these were scooped with
large ladies into curiously shaped iron
kettles, which were placed in the oven
and parboiled. Then they were trans
ferred TO the familiar little brown jars
and put into another oven. Here they
were to bake twelve hours. 1t takes
twenty-four hours in all to bake them
into Boston beans.
For the potato salad potatoes-barrel-
fuls of potatoes-were being cooked.
They were then peeled, and five or six
bushels of sliced onions were added and
the salad was done. Under the super
vision of an Italian expert ten large pans
of macaroni were being prepared. AS
soon as anything was finished it was
placed on plates and dishes bearing the
name of the firm, and put ready for the
wagon to take out early in the morning.
The free lunch factory works every
day but Saturday. Saturday is the free
lunch makers holiday
Beans and beef must be prepared on
Sunday for Monday delivery, but no
work need be done on Saturday for Sun
day.
New York leads the world in the max
ing of free lunch. New Orleans and San
Francisco are noted, too, and Cincinnati
and Chicago come in for free lunch hon
ors also. But none of these cities can
boast of any shop where free lunch is
made by the ton as it is here in New
York every day of the year except Sat
urday.
Free lunch is distinctive American
institution. 1t was unknown In Europe
until May, 1891, when Miss Z. Joyce.
the proprietress of the Mariners hotel,
in Liverpool, placed in the taproom a
free for all spread between the hours of
II and I. She continues to do so, to the
great JOY of her many patrons, up 10 tine
present time.-New York World.
To Garry Makeup"
A pretty party bag is made Of half a