Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-01-27
VITAL WORTH Of COLO STORAGE
Few Appreciate the Part 1t Plays
in Worlds Economies.
Teller, Its Inventor. Ranks with Bell,
Edison and overwhelmingly n
Tragedy of Grcat Lives TO Conn
pare with His.

A cold storage boom is under way =.
New York. owing to the greatly in
creased demand of Europe for American
foodstuffs and to the shortage of vessels
to transport the "argoes such an immense
amount of pcrshable food has been con-
gregated in and about New York that all
available cold storage space has beer
filled, New structures are being built in
haste to meet the demand. The new
structures will add 100000 cubic feet of
room.
In New York city there are in storage
at present approximately 100000 dozen
of eggs, 2oooO,O00 pounds of butter, $780,
0o pounds of poultry, 100000 pounds of
fresh meat and 50Co,oO0 pounds of sailed
meat In nearby Jersey there are 20,00,,-
coo dozen of eggs, 100000 pounds of but
ter. 3,jo0,0O0 pounds of poultry, more than
100000 pounds of fresh meat and more
. than 100000 pounds Of sailed meat.
Few persons appreciate what a great
part cold storage plays in the worlds
economies to-day But for cold storag,
it practically would he impossible to ship
perishable foodstuffs in large quantities
across the sea. without cold storage
England would consume in less than a
month practically all the fresh foodstu'f
! it has within its confines. There would be
no shipments of beef from the Argentine
or from South Africa or from Australia.
/ The packing industry of the United States
would not be known. Immense quantities
of beef, fowl, fish and vegetables now
saved would rot, spoil or be wasted If
not eaten promptly
The man who gave cold storage to the
world was greater benefactor to human
ity than he who gave to it the telephone,
/ or the electric light or the wireless. mag
nificent as these gifts have proven TO be.
The world honors Bell. Edison and Mar
conf. Their names are known the world
over and their fame is imperishable. but
/ who knows the modest little Frenchman
! who invented cold storage?
! In all the tragedies of great lives there
scarcely IS one to compare with that of
Charles Teller Like many men of genius
he lacked business ability. He was born
in Amicns, He never was able to make
money. He was in debtors prison Mt
various times. Forty wears ago he per-
fectcd a cold storage system for the pre-
( ervation of vegetables, meats and fruits.
: y sailing ship equipped with his appli-
ance took a cargo of meat from Buenos
Ayres to France. The voyage took 100
DAYS and the cargo arrived III port as
fresh as it was the day it was put aboard.
His invention was stolen from him by
some crafty men with whom he was as
ISOLATED. Sensitive and proud he hid his
bitterness and sought solaCe in working
on other great inventions for the good of
mankind
It takes money to prosecute studies an l
to experiment and Teller had little of l.,
one day in 1918 man arose in France
and gave voice to one of those reproacr-
es like that of Zola that aroused the ma
ton. He told Of what Teller had done
for the world and of the honor he ha
shed upon France lie also told that Tel
lier-old, broken, ll--was in dire want.
The government of France responded at
once. Teller was summoned to Paris.
The Cross of the Legion Of Honor wa;
given to him and there was a great ce.c-
bration, at which men of science, Of
wealth, of power and distinction sang his
praise. He was the lion Of France for a
few days, this shabby poor old man. all
of whose furniture and all of whose pos
sessions except the clothes which he wore
We're in pawn at the time. After the Gel
ebration he went back to the poor lodg
ings in which he had been housed foi
wears and there, n few months later h,
died of starvation What mockery
The man who did more to preserve food
stuffs for the world than any other mar
who has walked the earth. TO die Of star
vaton'-Commerce and Finance.