Rocky Ford enterprise., 1914-10-23
COCKROACHES, "CHINK" JUICE, RATS!
MIXTURE CALLED WHISKY
PERSONAL LIBERTY ADVOCATES CAN DRINK IT IF THEY
WANT TO. BUT EXCUSE ME.
Story Wrinkle Your Linen and Make Your In
ards Culver. It Appeared in Eveybodys Magazine for
July, Was Written by overseer of Big Dis
tilery Plantation in the West Indies

kind of saccharine mucilage once in
every twelve hours. The night gangs
washed off before they left at 6 in the
morning; the day gangs did the same
before 6 in the evening. The cane
mill never stops grinding out the
Juice, night or day, nor on Sundays,
while e-cane-cutting is en-. No stop In
any OF the sequence. the mill. boiling
pans, whirling centrifugals, and carry
ing out the sugar. ..
As to that general cleanup. one part
deserves special notice. 1t can easily
be imagined that those Cinnamon who
carry the sugar as mcntioned-ali
naked. of course, save for the scantiest
oin.cloth-working hard as they do In
that hot, moist atmosphere-become
more or less coated all over their yel-
low skins with adhering sugar. This
they are carefully prevented from car
rying home with them. There is big
faucet supplying plenty of warm wa
ter, as condensed from the steam of
the engines. Under this faucet each
sugary Celestial has to stand while
the headman, or driver, lets go on
each copious sousing. Then he is
allowed to leave the buildings.
To rum-drinkers the real and cruel
interest of these baths rpust lie in fol-
owing the waste rinsings: for these
can be traced with deadly certainty
Until they fall into the rum-tank.
There is another sight not easily
'orgotten. There are pumping days,
when the big wash" reservoir has to
be relieved of some of its contents. A
steam-pump is used to lift the stun
% the great watts, two floors above.
The big rose on the end of the hose
owered into the seothing caldron often
clogs up. The engine is stopped and
something is dragged away from the
mbmerged rose with long-handled
rrapples. At first ] wondered what
solid substance could possibly get in
there; for the mother-tank was well
covered by strong wooden lid in sec.
tions, like hatchway.
was soon enlightened. For when
about three feet from the bottom had
been reached and the pump could not
any longer draw. it was once more
stopped. and n couple of big, bare
legged negroes climbed down and be-
gan shoveling out drowned rats.
1t can readily be imagined how such
buildings literally swarm with rats.
despite every effort to keep them out,
and how the sour-sweet stencil of this
sunken tank, with its smooth cement
ed walls, made most effective rat
trap. Pumping proceeded every few
days; but the unspeakable mother
liquor at the bottom was only dis
turbed once month or so. when the
trapped rodents again became trouble
some.
These are a few plain facts, any
thing but exaggerations. There are
plenty more details, some that would
not do to print. as to the manufac-
ture of West Indian rum-an article
with which all our devoted topers are
much better acquainted than they have
any idea. 1t is jealousy guarded
secret
II was peculiar stroke of fate that,
several years later, on coming to New
York, should, quite undesignedly,
walk right into factory which largely
handled West Indian or Demerara
rum. there to learn wonderful par
ticulars, through the authoritative
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