Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1909-08-25
\ Fight
at
Zero
by ALBERT W. ToLMAN.

j.e.o.o.o.e.e.o.o.u.e.e.os
The junior clerk in Ford & Hans
CONS wholesale meat house, Charley
Corey, was arguing with the book
keeper at Pollard Brothers refrigerat-
ing-plant on Commercial Wharf.
"Mr. Reny"-Remy was Ford &
Honscom's manager-"says the eX-
press left those five boxes of chickens
here Saturday"
well, I'm sure it 'dn't!" snapped
the bookkeeper He was tired with
adding figures through the long, hot
August day.
"No objection to my looking round
a bit?"
Go ahead if you think your Mr..
f:emy knows our business better than
we do. But you'll find it shivery
Job. Better get into this overcoat."
mo, thank you. My blood's pretty
good, and I'll keep moving
IAN right. Only remember we
close at six sharp. and it's past five
now"
Charley went out to the wharf
through the ammonia-scented engine.
room, with its red-let.ered danger
placards and frosty wall pipes. Barely
noticing the little steamer from which
nets of silver herring were being
hoisted to the loft over the freezing
floor, he unhasped the double-thick
door and entered the refrigerator.
Br-r-r! 1t was chilly! His teeth
chartered as, with a familiarity born
Of previous trips, he threaded the
narrow, electric-lighted alleys be.
tween boxes piled ceiling-high, and
soon was climbing the first stairway,
slippery with frost and grease. An
other flight took him to floor thrae.
Remy had told him to rummage the
plant from top 10 bottom for that
poultry.
"Hcw cold today?" he asked a
man in thick REFER and mittens.
spreading fish on boards between
fuzzy white layers of ammonia pipes.
Just zero
"Only eighty degrees lower than
1t is outside" commented Corey, as
he began exploring for The chickens.
A careful search discovered moth
ing with Ford & Hanscom's mark.
The story below yielded no better re-
suits. Returning to the ground floor,
he found the street door open, and
several men hustling in boxes and
barrels from newly arrived car, and
stacking them everywhere for the
night, even in the passages. BY the
time he had convinced himself that
the missing birds were not there, it
was fourteen minutes to six, and he
was nearly frozen.
"Iill look over a little of the cellar
and finish tomorrow morning" he
decided.
Lifting a trap-door, and pushing it's
edge under notched stick fastened
30 the wall, he descended short
flight of steps. A.. the dimly illumined
end of the firstsalley he came upon 6
case stencled Ford G. Hanscom.
Close by he found the four others.
Corey waited for nothing more. Hi
watch said five minutes to six.
tremendous banging and thumpin,
overhead told that the men were
making haste. He hurried toward thu
scuttle.
Springing up the stairs, he slipped
and caught at the edge of the door
Down it crashed on his straw what
and he knew nothing further.
1t was absolutely black and still
and cold when the clerk came to him
self. He ran his hand along the ce
ment hard and smooth as ice, ant
touched the stairs. Gradually hi
realized where he was. big luml
on his head under his crushed straw
nat told tina. the falling door mus
have struck him senseless.
Charley stood up the stairs, HI
pushed against the door. To his alarm
1t did not yield. A step higher HI
braced his shoulders under it, ant
lifted with all his strength; but i
would not give mil!imetsr.
Why was 1t SO deathly still? Wher'
were those men unloading the car
With tingling fists he hammered thu
frozen wood; he shouted. he scream
ed, but not even an echo came back
Hazed and shaking, Corey Leaned
agains. the ice-cold wal. He under
stood it all now. The m had beer
piling their cases temporarily OF
every available inch of floor. Amit
80 much noise they h9d paid no at
tention to the slamm'ng of the Trap
door, and finding it closed. had GOV
cred it with goods until the mex
morning. But what would be his owl
condition then. Twelve hours il
that atmosphere would freeze him.
Could he not make the night en-
gineer hear? Again he pounded ant
shouted: but after several minutes o
racket, he stopped from sheer weari
ness. The cellar floor lay severn
feet below high tide, and no soun'
could penetrate its waterproofed ce
mont wall. Upstairs 1t was no bet
ter. The walls we're fourteen inche!
thick, including ten inches of grount