318 



PARIS. 



nourishing properties were not of the highest 

 order, it was of immense service to the Paris- 

 ians, deprived as they were, in a great meas- 

 ure, of animal food during the latter part of 

 the investment. 



After having utilized the bones, there re- 

 mained the fat. The horse presents in the 

 various parts of its tissue and bones several 

 varieties of fat some liquid, like olive-oil, 

 others resembling butter in consistency, and 

 all free from any disagreeable odor. These 

 substances were used for culinary purposes 

 when the oil and butter were exhausted. The 

 extraction of the fatty matter was conducted 

 as follows : The adipose tissues, separated from 

 the lamina), were bruised between the fluted roll- 

 ers of a crushing mill, which tore the cells in a 

 temperature of about 100 centigrade, when the 

 fluid fat exuded, the contraction of the tissues 

 aiding the expulsion of the grease. The mar- 

 row was either extracted from the bones, or 

 they were crushed and thrown into warm 

 water, and the fat afterward collected; no 

 further process being required to render it fit 

 for use. The bones of sheep and oxen also 

 yielded fat, but it retained a slight odor, sug- 

 gestive of its origin. 



A skilful and active manufacturer, K Dor- 

 dron, partly succeeded in removing this flavor, 

 by steeping the fat in a warm infusion of al- 

 kali. This preparation was sold during the 

 siege under the name of "Parisian butter," 

 which was much improved by mixing it with 

 horse-fat. 



Another experiment to produce a substance 

 for supplying the place of butter was tried, by 

 mixing suet and colza-oil. The disagreeable 

 taste and odor of these materials were partly 

 removed by exposing them to the action of a 

 fine water-spray. The vapor which arose car- 

 ried off in a measure the volatile acid causing 

 the nauseous odor. The Parisians use pig's 

 blood in the manufacture of black puddings, 

 but the blood of oxen was, previous to the 

 siege, only employed in refining sugar; thanks, 

 however, to the exertions of M. Eiche, the 

 blood of both oxen and horses was turned to 

 account, and the result formed a welcome 

 addition to the scanty fare of the besieged. 

 Sheep's blood does not coagulate, and could 

 not be applied to the same purpose, but, mixed 

 with rice and fat, and spices, it was baked in 

 earthen pans. 



The offal, heads, feet, tendons, and entrails 

 were eaten, but, as that is a question pertain- 

 ing to the kitchen rather than to any indus- 

 trial inquiry, we leave the cooking of them 

 and its results to our readers' imagination. 

 An enormous quantity of sugar, both raw and 

 refined, had been stored up in the city; the 

 sugar itself, sweetmeats, candied fruits, gin- 

 gerbread, jellies, were all eagerly sought for. 

 One manufactory alone, usually engaged 

 in export trade, supplied 4,500,000 pounds of 

 sweetmeats. Large quantities of dried albu- 

 men, used in printing calicoes, are fabricated 



in Paris. This is obtained by drying the white 

 of eggs at a temperature of 35 centigrade; 

 it is a dry, transparent substance of a yellow- 

 ish color, and can be long preserved. After 

 the investment a large quantity of albumen 

 was discovered, equal to 8,000,000 eggs, which 

 could not be applied to the accustomed use. 

 M. Barral proposed to dilute the albumen in 

 six times its weight of water, thereby produ- 

 cing a substance analogous to the white of egg, 

 and well suited for culinary purposes. 



The Sanitary Appliances. Taking into con- 

 sideration the presence of 2,000,000 inhabi- 

 tants, and the exceptional number of animals re- 

 served for food, the difficulty of preserving clean- 

 liness and health will at once be seen, which 

 difficulty was further increased by the enemy's 

 occupation of all the suburbs, at a short dis- 

 tance from the enceinte, which rendered the 

 removal of the night-soil, drain-water, offal, 

 and household rubbish, a matter of great diffi- 

 culty. Generally speaking, night-soil is taken 

 away in carts, conveyed to La Villette, and 

 there passed into drain-pipes at the sewer ot 

 Bondy, part being converted into dry manure, 

 while from another part sulphate of ammonia 

 is extracted. The remainder, not utilized, is 

 conveyed by a drain into a sewer, and dis- 

 charged into the Seine at St. Denis. It waa 

 found necessary to cut the conduit leading to 

 the sewer at La Vilette, and establish a direcl 

 communication with the discharging drain- 

 pipe. The quantity was also reduced by re- 

 moving only a portion of the night-soil. In 

 houses provided with the separating apparatus 

 in the closets, the liquid manure flowed into 

 the drains, the solid, collected in sewers, re 

 mained there several days before being con- 

 veyed to La Yillette. Toward the end of the 

 siege, the number of horses and cattle being 

 greatly diminished, the manure was conveyed 

 into the nearest drain. By these means the 

 solid sewage, amounting daily to 1,500 cube 

 metres, was reduced one-half. Foul water was 

 discharged into the Seine by the ordinary 

 drain-pipes. The quantity of drinking-water 

 was diminished by nearly two-thirds, in con- 

 sequence of the cutting of the canal of Ourcq 

 and the aqueduct of Dhuys by the enemy. The 

 daily flushing of the gutters was immediately 

 stopped, both on account of the insufficiency 

 of the water and the departure of the workmen, 

 who were nearly all Prussians. The passage 

 of the night-soil through the sewers occasioned 

 no serious inconvenience. Earthworks were 

 erected at the mouths of the great sewers, and 

 a strict watch maintained to guard against 

 any surprise. 



Householders were forbidden to deposit any 

 rubbish in the public roads; tumbrils passed 

 early in the morning, and either collected it 

 direct from the houses, or from receptacles 

 placed by the inhabitants in the street. Twenty 

 depots were formed on waste lands where this 

 rubbish could be thrown, and any inconven- 

 ience, that might arise from the decomposition 



