The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1901-07-25
Collins Lobster Refrigerators.

Brief mention was made last week of
the recent invention of F. w. Collins of
Rockland, long known as the Maine
Lobster King, for shipping live Holsters,
and of his first shipment. The Rockland
Star says further of this inventions:
This is also the first time in the his
tory of the lobster in New England, or
anywhere else on the earth for that
matter, that an attempt has been made
to ship live Holsters to great distance
in anything but specially fitted cars.
These, on the whole, have proven
failures, it is said. They are failures
because the Holsters in transit lose that
sea flavor which is the crustacean's
strongest point with the critical public.
Mr. Collins is certain that by his re-
Gently patented individual lobster refrig-
orator, he has solved the problem which
has for years puzzled the eastern ship
pers of Holsters.
The great inland market in the West
has been clamoring for Holsters such as
they get when they come to Maine in
summer, but have been compelled to
put up with a brand that comes to
them from refrigerator cars where the
dripping ice water has robbed the lob
sters Of their original sea flavor.
The experiment of shipping Holsters
in barrels, packed with ice and moss,
from PASSPORT to points farther west
than Boston have proven Improbable
and unsuccessful even by rail.
HOLSTERS are now shipped alive in
specially fitted steamers from Maine
to Boston where they are in practically
their native element, but it has been
impossible to send shipments much far
Their.
1t is within comparatively recent
period that live Holsters have been sent
half way across the continent in refrig-
orator cars but the business has proved
neither profitable nor pleasant for ship
been that they are crushed and flavor
destination.
The simplicity Of the Collins refrig-
orator is its most striking feature. com
bining as it does all the essential feat
ures that have tended to prove the
latter at least undesirable.
The refrigerator is AL elongated tub
Of barrel proportions, capable of hold
ing 80 rs, 100, 40 lbs. of Holsters, be
side the ice. In the top part of the re
frlgerator is the ice chamber beneath
which are placed the Holsters
The Ice in melting does not touch the
Holsters, but flows around them giving
uniform GOODNESS and passes out through
the bottom. In the head of the tub or
refrigerator is circular air hole.
The refrigerators are so made as to
be capable Of piling one on top of an
other without injury to the pack
The individual refrigerators are so
simply constructed, and also cheaply,
that the consgnee is not required to re-
ship them to the shipper
Mr.. Collins has proven by recent ex
pertinent with his refrigerators that he
can ship to any point.
Some of the Holsters sent from Rock
land yesterday were consigned to Chica-
go, Milwaukee, st. Louis, Ontario,
Canada, and other far distant points.
1t would seem that Mr.. Collins has at
last solved the puzzle that has been
confronting the Maine lobster packers
for half a century, and that by his
patent refrigerators he can satisfy the
sybaritic taste of the western gour
mands i'll the lobster line.