The Progress., 1894-03-10
JINGLE SANS WINE CELLAR
He Doesn't DRINK, hut lie Has L"'S % '''''O
Wines on Hand.

uo Doesn,t Drink, bnt lie Has LOIS Oh ''''0
Wines on Hand.
A o,,ostly silence pervades the pIa AZ,
r. is like the silence ol the 5oh'"' ~. ~,
outsiIo world seems already c"qtnr1e7
swav The air is cool and So"tA'n9'
and three tlarinS gas jets cast an li'tI'
cate combination Of shadows upon '",
massive masonry of the arches. says d
writer in the Boston Herald, mdc''f''-
ING the wine vaults under the Oo7'0'
custom house. r.,
After hundreds Of years, when Dos
ron ia only a hole in the ground IKE 'l'
ancient cities in the Medl'rfr"'l'''"'
soma archaologiSt will dig down
through the accumulated dH'' G 80,
turtles and find those he"n arches ''''i"-
ing as they stand now,
And vet tire whole substantial strut
ture is like the foolish man houS''
founded upon the sand and mAd OF Dos
TON harbor. Three Thousand tai pine
trees. stripped of their limbs. were
driven down close together III the olach
ooze TO form foundaticn for the bulid-
ing. These piles would last but ic"
short years in the outer AR, pnt SUM
in the harbor mud they are btIle'ea To
he as indestructible as the earth itself.
When it was built. the custom mouse
WAS upon the water front and even no"
the cellar is below high water marx,
vet there is no drirr cellar on Beacon
hin. The builders seemed tD have been
the builders Of pyramids and cata-
combs reincarnalc, aud the work was
done to stand after the builders mem
selves were long forgotten. Upon the
, heads Of the piles, in the form Oh d
Maltese cross, was laid Gaping or
granite in hydraulic cement. Around
it were built the massive walls of solid
granite feet thick, which were to be
a protection against heat and cold, IRE
and water and all the elements. With
in these walls rose tho pHzzling scheme
of sturdy pillars and arches which made
the cellar maze Of low rooted cham
bers, inches, cryptS and passages
When the visitor enters the basement
and storehouse, which is on the street
level. he feels instinCtively conscious or
the huge pile Of granite over his head.
This floor, within the surrounding row
of offices, is used for the storage of
champagne and bottled wines. The
cases, which hold two dozen bottles, are
piled in regular tiers as high as the cell
ing, and under the main entrance they
are packed in solidly. There are usually
between 5000 and 1000 cases, or over
10000 bottles, which if popped all at
once would make the granite dome
tremblc and might drown the attend
ants in foaming food.
When q consignment of rum. which
means anything from champagne to
brandy, is landed from foreign vessel,
the government orders it to be sent to
the custom house cellar. If no owner
appears to claim it, it is kept fora year
and then is sold at auction TO pay tie
duties and warchousinS charges.
If the owner appears, he can pay the
duties and withdraw his liquor for i'm
mediate consumption. or lie can give
bonds for the duties and keep his stock
stored in tho government vaults until
he wishes to Withdraw it. The govern
ment charges him storages according to
the capacity Of packages and allows
him to take it away by degrees as he
needs it, paying duty only on the
amount withdrawn.
Very often an importation Of wine
and spirits may change hands several
times while it lies i'll bond deep under
the granite dome. In such cases it is
sold in bond, and the owner, instead of
the importer, pays the duties and makes
the final entry of tho merchandise.