Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1897-02-04
TRIALS OF A MlLKMAN.

TRIALS OF A MlLkMAN.
Some Of the H%ardships He Has to Endure
In His Nightly Rounds.
The trials and hardships of the
milkman are many. Apart from
breaking away from the usual hab-
its of the rest Of the world, and &C
cordingly with those Of the family,
sleeping in the daytime is not 80
festful as sleep during the hours of
darkness. Although the milkmen of
the city are, a a rule, as healthy a
set of men as a like number in any
other trade or occupation, yet until
they become settled in the trade
they feel severely the effects of turn
ing night into day.
A milkman's work begins Mt the
time when the rest of the world is
going to bed, or in the neighborhood
Of midnight. The greater quantity
of the milk used in this city comes
from the outlying districts of Long
Island and is brought here in the
familiar milk train. This arrives
at Q o'clock, when it is met by the
milkmen, who have spent the pre-
vious hours in preparing the horses
and wagons for the days work and
washing out the empty cans prepar-
atory to having them sent back to
the diaries for a fresh supply. In
order to do this the milkmen gener-
ally do their sleeping just before 60
ing to work, although some of the
men get their rest after they finish
their routes in the morning.
Every milkman has several hun
bred households to serve on his
route, and, now that the bottle sys-
tenn has been almost universally
adopted, the work is much easier
than formerly. In previous years
the milk was served to the waiting
vessels with clippers, but at the pres
ent time there is hardly a milkman
who has a route who does not use
the quart and pint bottles. All the
wagons are supplied, however, with
milk in bulk for the few transient
customers that are met with.
Under the old system a dishonest
milkman had many opportunities to
gather in a small harvest for his
personal use by the sale of milk,
but with the bottle system, and
every bottle having to be accounted
for either in cash or by ticket, he
has very little chance to add to his
salary. Milk as a daily article
of consumption is used in nearly
every household in the city, and
with the exception of the poorer dis
tricts, whore all purchases are made
directly from the shops, the family
is supplied by the milkman in his
nightly rounds.
The general custom is to put the
empty bottles outside and have the
milkman take them away and leave
full bottles behind. Although the
value of the milk is small, it is this
habit that causes the greatest trou-
BILE to the milkman. The bottles are
usually left entirely unguarded, and
the milk is continually being stolen.
Tramps in search of morning meals
are generally the milk stealers, and
there is hardly a household which
has not experienced the loss of the
days supply. Some of the tramps
do not bother to take away the bot
ties, but satisfy themselves with
drinking the milk. When there are
a number of bottles, the thief gen
orally quenches his thirst by drink
ing the cream from the top Of each
bottle and leaves the skimmilk
for the family use. Hardly a day
passes but some poor unfortunate is
not hauled up in the police court for
this offense, as the police are on the
lookout.
Milkmen, as a rule, are a philo-
sophical lot of men. Their travels
by night, although comparatively
lonely, frequently bring them in
contact with both the dark and
bright side of human nature, thus
developing their natural powers OF
observation. How many romantic
couples have been interrupted in
their fond farewells in the vestibule
by the visit of the milkmanl To the
invalids confined to their beds and
passing the night in tossing restless
ly to and fro as well as to the anx-
tous watcher at some loved ones
bedside comes the CHEEKY rattle OF
the milkman's wagon with the jan,
Cling of the cans, taking the thoughts
of both to the busy world, of which
the milkman is the first herald
Brooklyn Eagle.
Hired Homes.
The pace at which we are becom.