The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1897-10-23
VALUE OF COLD STORAGE.
A VISIT TO THE FROZEN WARE.
HOUSES IS INTERESTING.

The Walls Arc of Extraordinary Thick
ness-By Means of Piped Chemicals the
Temperature Is Kept Below Zero
Eatables Kept for Years.
The almost perfect system to which
cold storage has been brought in this
,ity and it's suburbs is known only IN
general way to the average citizen.
It will doubtlessly cause surprise to
persons who are not familiar with the
facts to learn that quail they eat for
breakfast has been dead in some cases
for one or two years, and that quail
and other game birds, fish and meat
are frequently frozen f,c a year OF
more and then sold in as good con-
dition as they were the day they were
put into the great ice-house.
The business has grown to such Ill
mansions that it is estimated roughly
that market men, shippers and others
interested in the trade have SIS, OOo,-
600 invested in the business, exclusive
of the cost of the buildings. Large
structures, usually located adjacent to
the markets or the railroad depots,
are in demand for cold storage ware
houses, and there are several on upper
West street, more near Washington
market, others located near the Fulton
market and under the arches OF the
Brooklyn bridge, that seem particular
ly we'll adapted for the purpose. Ex-
cept in the case Of fruits and such vege-
tables as are destroyed by freezing, it
is said to be seldom that provisions
are sold to the consumer upon arrival
in this city. Prices, Of course, have
much to do with the sales, and when
there is an overstock of chickens,
eggs, beef, fish, meat OF similar COM
modify, it lis packed away in cold
storage warehouse, where it is held
until prices Justify sale.
As regards game, it was only last
winter that emissaries Of the state
game warden came to this city to find
out why certain restaurants were SELL
ing venison, pheasants, quail and
every other sort of game out Of season.
The deputy game wardens had quail
for breakfast in September, when the
law said that they should not be killed
until December; venison for dinner,
when deer can only be hunted in JAN
, nary, and woodcock and snipe. Then
they made list CT the restaurants
where the game had been obtained and
arrested the proprietors. The pro-
prietors gave the names Of the men
from whom they had bought the game,
and these were found to have obtained
it from the warehousemen. It was
learned that some of tile game had
been killed more than year before
during the regular season. There
were expressions Of consciousness and
wonderment on tho faces of the game
wardens when they departed for home.
In their reports they said the law had
not been violated.
"We certainly have developed the
business" said one of the ware
housemen, "to point that is I'M
y equalled in any other part Of the world.
Europe has nothing like the cold
warehouse system Of this city. Even
royal personages have to take theil
vegetables, meat, fruit and game in
season. Here we do not. The colo
warehouse system has been growing
so slowly and yet surely in this city
that it would be considered a hardship
by citizens if they had to do withou
it. We have developed pamperet
taste that requires fruit at Christmas
commodities that in the good OLE
times we could get only when nature
provided them, at tim es, months ate
the time they are grown or killed
Rich men want trout at all seasons O
the year, when it is known that the,
can only be obtained in the spring
Young chickens cannot be obtaine
except at their weight in gold durin
the winter, if they are grown durin
the cold months and killed just befor
being used. By means of the col
storage system they cost little NOR
on New Years day than they do i
May. Spring lamb, that was obtain
able formerly only in May and June
is carefully packed away in the sprin
pnd sold the succeeding winter an
weeks before the earliest spring lam
of the following spring is born. Bee
and mutton are not kept nearly S
long-no need to do so.
''Bluefsh can be obtained only 6
certain seasons, yet they are on sal
ell the time. The same is true regarc
ing bass, mackerel and other fish
Oysters and CLANS are also kept fo
months at time and frequently frol
one season to another"
A visit to one of these warehouses
interesting. The walls are Of extrs
ordinary thickness, sheathed wit
wood and filled with huge ice-boxe<
In some of the more modern ware
houses the same chemicals used t
make artificial ice are circulate
through the rooms by means of pipe
vbioh koaD tho temnaratrra saver,