The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-08-24
TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE
OF Man Who Was Prisoner in Great
Refrigerator.

From the New York Herald.
Alexander Beck, bar proprietor of the
Marlborough hotel, spent all his spare
time yesterday wherever he could find
the most sunshine, and in the meantime
as he went about his duties his joints
creaked and rasped like the rusty hinge
of a door.
All that was because Beck is not yet
thawed out. 1t will be several days, he
thinks. before his arteries and veins are
running unclogged by floating Ice and the
dampness gets out OF his bones and SOCK
cts. He was almost frozen to death the
day before. and had. 1t not been for a
trapped presence of mind that came to
him in the last extremity he might have
been entirely frozen
His duties are many and marvellous
1t is he who must keep the barkeepers
supplied with everything they need in
the compromising of the drinking called
for by the patrons. He must never al
dow the ice bins to become empty, the
mint to become exhausted or the cherries
and other fruit to be wanting, while the
lemon juice bottle is a particular charge
of his. He usually works below stairs
and appears and disappears at inter-
walls.
He does his principal work shifting
the beer kegs, watching the mineral
waters, stirring up the fruits and man
aging the straws and other things in
the refrigerator. 1t is there also he Keeps
his lemons, and to save time 1t is there
he squeeze them. The Marlborough cold
room is out under the sidewalk, and a
narrow passage from the layatory leads
10 its heavy wood and iron door two feet
think. 1t is a massive room all around,
stored with casks and crates, with the
pipes coated with about six inches of
snow running in all objections. The tenn
perature Is kept around freezing all the
time, and about 10 minutes is enough
of 1t for Beck ordinarily. Then he goes
out and exercises.
Beck went in there on Wednesday to
squeeze the lemons, and was peacefully
engaged in the process when a watch
man came along through the underground
labyrinth. Beck had left the massive
door just on the crack, but the rays of
the electric light he used did not come
through. The Waterman saw only that
the door was not shut, and muttering
something about carelessness, slammed
At and threw the lock over.
Beck was a prisoner. Unless somebody
came to open the door he would remain
one, for kicks. shouts, screams and every
thing else would avail nothing through
bered that he had given the barkeepers
nm extra supply, and they would not be
down to look for him for hours. He looked
at an ice-coated pole in the corner and
sHhought what he would be them. He
felt his body chilling gradually, and when
d nervous perspiration came out on his
forehead the drops fell on the floor like
marbles. He tried to dance, but there
was not room, so he practiced on juggling
lemons. His hands got so cold he could
mot tell when they touched him. He
rolled beer key backward and forward,
sand that only made him colder He saw
some mint and when he thought OF
summer drinks his teeth began to chat
ter. He felt his feet growing numb, and
after he had tried beating on the wall
with his firsts for minute he stopped
for fear he would break off hand or a
finger.
1t seemed that about all In sight for him
fwas q cold. cherless exit, with a beer
keg and a bag of lemons for his funeral