New-York tribune., 1902-08-25
STERILIZED MILK PLANT
INTERESTING DEPARTMENT AT WILKES
DISPENSA ARY-SEVEN HUNDRED
BOTTLES DAY.

Seven hundred bottles to wash every day. That
IS one OF the tasks be done in connection with
the ster.lized milk plant at the Wilkes Dspensary
Of ST Mary's Hospital. at Ninth-ave- and Thirty-
fourth-st- a glimpse into this plant would be OF
interest 10 any housewife If only to see what
cleanliness means in the superlative degree 1t is
the apotheosis Of household purity; as far beyond
the ordinary well mana ged kitchen as the latter ex-
ceeds slum interior
First the original flooring was torn up ana
granolith laid. tiles being taoood in sterti-
fzed milk plant because OF the possibility OF drops
Of milk soaking between and under the cracks and
sourtng there. So the two rooms. the wasnroom
and the sterilizing room, both have smooth,
hard floors. shining white walls and Immaculate
shelves and tables. The days Work oeglns IN the
wash-oorn which is coupled by two young men
in white uniforms. 7 seven hundred bottles used
The dav before have been soaking all night in soda
and water. Now they are scrubbed. each one sepa-
rately: the outside. with sapolio: the inside with
soap soda and water. a long slender brush for
this special purpose is used for the INTERIOR ahd
there IS a splendid big sink with foods Of hot and
cold water. Slender faucets standing straight up
in :he air are used for rinsing the inside or the
bottles: the bottle being slipped right over the
faucet Then there is a draining board which is q
large board standing against the wall. covered
with long slender. protTuding pegs. On these slim
pegs the bottles are hung 70 dry
NOW comes the superintendent. who inspects each
one o: these bottles by holding 1t up to the ight
and looking through II for a possible speck that
may have escaped Then they are set in large
round tin pans, popped in big tin ovens and oaAeo
for an l. by tbis time any luckiess germ mas
escaped he must have a thriving constitution. Inc
rorzs are scrubbed. each one separately. ana theh
i-con+Irertlv boiled and baked in turn until they
are fl to match the bottles. Then they are ali
transferred by the painful into the sterzing room
and the young men in the white jumpers cieAh
ID their sinks and take q rest
The milk is both modified and sterilizeo IN TINS
room. For modification they use only cream and
altered water at the Wilkes Dspensary. and they
have only two formulas in addition to the cleaF
milk further notifications being made IN accord
.rce with the needs O. each individual case
Although water has been previously filtered.
the mixture. with its two elements. is filtered
again through absorbent cotton
Once In the bottles there comes a busy hour OF
,o-ting Corks and bottles are numbered. and each
cork must go its bottle so 1t Is not strange
that whole staff is pressed INTO service 10 corA
bottles Then comes the sterilizing- Inc bottles
are -placed erect in receptacle which resembles
large deem round tin pan. with straight sides and
a perforated bottom. These pans are placed one
on top Of another 20 the height OF seVera Ieet ana
the heat IS up TO 20 degrees. ana heo tiieie
fifteen minutes II is tested with long Cehtl8raoe
,tr-oon,a-er run through little hole in the top
oP ,he ton pan. Milk heated to 60 degrees Is
rasre1-tzed. Carried over the boiling point II Is
e,e-;lized But while germs escape with thelf
lives IN oasteurzed milk the boiling OF the MIX
.s,.a, certain changes which in some cases bal
srcs tho other For thing. the milk Is trans
formed from a raw to cooked food' winch Is MOI
a natural food for the infant
Tho nlant was opened just a year ago this month
ba,r, ettaa up al an expense of 1890 by three
80, who were impressed with the value OF ster-
ize6 and modified milk In the tenement region IL
is very useful IN its present location as tof some
rssson the West Side generally Is more barren OF
t.naecen, institutions than the East size during
+ba ere, wear Of its existence the plant has con-
suuned sss quarts of milk. PCS quarts OF cream anu
g;,,en o,, q s23 bottles. at cost o. $1S"i oI
Narv-s Is the only children's hospit2i III lle ell'
thu, supplies this milk for its outdoor MoiN' eA
.,ttrg The Good Samaritan. on the lower East sue
u, would DO incalculable good. SAID meIhOe'
oe the e,ar al the Wilkes Dispensary II TINS Ieat-
,,re could be Incorporated into the "ofA u e'''
children's hospital" . ,,.., mad
They have nice willow basket WIN d ii'ue P@I
sn ,be bottom and in this they put the pdoies "
he weighed every ten days or So some oi lhe poO
lrtIe mites when they first come in iooh ihe ii''
CID men and women-skinny creatures VII" nc
homes all showing through their SKINS iheSe q
tho victims of condensed milk. Ihey may con
,,,re this diet and live but they VIII deFeIop IT, IT,
ets scTJrvy or some other interesting thlils ia
a glance over the record oook SHOWS t1t taI,es
inter yhen IL IL remerfDeTeo lhdt - ,d
bad 70 eef well before they could begin 10 gam Sii
their new diet One tUo-nontns-olo ciII|ei ,
Weighed nine pounds and three ounces on Juile AZ
had atfaired the proud weight OF tWeIHe pouiIo o2
S.rsoner 81 ~ q weight of eleven and one-touIIi
nol,rds on August Y had increased 70 twenty a.
one-fcut IN pounds with an attack OF DrohcIltls,
fhe Interim Another who had neeh Two nioII'i. -
Ia this world Of woe, tipped the hospi'ai scaie" =.