Until my folks replaced their old furnace–an ‘octopus’ style (because it had many, large, circular ducts–though maybe not eight such), gravity operated (because the hot air rose up through the ducts, rather than being blown) model–the furnace ‘front’ had the multiple doors that allowed shoveling in coal and adjusting the airflow so as to keep the coal burning at the proper rate.

But a drawback to these delivery ‘chutes’–a neighbor family’s home was burgled (may years ago) by means of reaching or crawling in through a milk chute. The saddest aspect of that story: it was likely a neighborhood kid/youths who did the deed, as the chute was known to kids who visited/played at the home, but hidden from street view. Covering over such items makes sense for more than just insulating against cold weather.

As one who once served sheriff’s departments in body recovery efforts and whose father “brought up” a dead body that had been sunk in cold water for a couple of weeks, I can assure that such corpses are nightmarish in appearance. I have the nightmares to prove it. So – either Harrington made this up so as not to upset relatives of those lost or the writer of the newspaper article did it for that or similar reasons.

I never saw such a pre-made “extra items” device as depicted. Instead: if my stepfather’s customers wanted something extra: they just stuck a rolled up hand written note in the neck of a milk bottle. I remember those notes: taking them back to the truck and having my stepfather put the additional items in the “milk carrier” basket which I then had lug back to the house and leave with the original order.

Oddly the house we lived in at the time lacked a milk chute. But the house we moved to (about 1 mile away in the “city”) did have one. The inside door of the chute never seemed cold in winter: maybe it was because the warm inside air was flowing outward (?).

It certainly seems odd now: people wanting to see this quaint contraption. If only we could predict the future: some items like this could be preserved (at least in photos). Possibly, it might be a good idea for everyone to take pictures of things we now take for granted as “permanent.” Like for instance: the family car.

Along Miller Ave, and several blocks north, there were small groceries like Knight’s that existed up until the late 60′s. I remember one at Miller and Brooks, one at Miller and Chapin, a block north of Miller on Fountain, and one way up Spring Street. There was even a shack in the vineyard where the city park is now at Sunset and Vesper where an old lady sold magazines, gum and cigarettes from time to time. If you didn’t have a milk box, it wasn’t a long walk to get milk and eggs if you needed them. I think a lot of neighborhoods around town had little stores like that for staples.