Looking at some of the Bitters Bottles on the steamboat Bertrand – Part 2

Posted on 14 September 2012 by Ferdinand Meyer V

Objects from the riverboat Bertrand are kept in a temperature- and humidity-controlled enviorment behind plexiglass. – DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge

Looking at some of the Bitters Bottles on the steamboat Bertrand Part 2

14 September 2012

T H E

B E R T R A N D  B I T T E R S  B O T T L E S

In part 2 of the Steamboat Bertrand series we will look at the bitters bottles such at the Hostetter‘s Stomach Bitters, Drake’s Plantation Bitters, Kelly’s Old Cabin Bitters and Schroeder’s Stomach Bitters found in the recovery and excavation efforts. (Read First: Looking at some of the Bitters Bottles on the steamboat Bertrand – Part 1)

The steamboat Bertrand, carrying cargo up the Missouri River to Virginia City, Montana Territory, sank on April 1, 1865, after hitting a snag in the river north of Omaha, Nebraska.

J.C. Penny said that salesmanship is an art. Aside from P.T. Barnum, one would be hard pressed to find a more aggressive marketer than Patrick Henry Drake. In 1861, he formed a partnership with Demas S. Barnes, of New York City. Barnes was the largest wholesale drug dealer in New York City, and his list of occupations include, banker, newspaper publisher, real estate developer and in 1867, he was elected to the 67th congressional district from Brooklyn. After the war, Barnes built an empire by buying the rights to other patent medicines.

One can only picture these three gentlemen enjoying their bottle of Drake’s Plantation Bitters that was carried up on the steamship Bertrand to Virginia City, Montana Territory.

Drake obtained a patent for his bottle design in 1862, using the log cabin theme of his bottle design to characterize the Plantation Bitters he produced. Calling himself Colonel Drake, he was an aggressive self promoter, and included advertising signs,  in every crate shipped to retailers. The crates salvaged from the riverboat Bertrand contained gilded glass signs promoting his bitters. He had his slogan S.T. 1860 X, painted on rocks, fences and sides of barns. He advertised in about any newspaper that sold space, and had even unsuccessfully tried to have his S.T. 1860 X slogan painted on Niagara Falls, Mount Ararat and even the pyramids in Egypt. The cryptic slogan really locked the product into the mind of the public, bringing speculation as to its meaning.

Drake had his slogan S.T. 1860 X, painted on rocks, fences and sides of barns. He advertised in about any newspaper that sold space, and had even unsuccessfully tried to have his S.T. 1860 X slogan painted on Niagara Falls, Mount Ararat and even the pyramids in Egypt.

It was widely held that it meant Started Trade in 1860 with $10, but he later explained it in his post war almanacs Morning Noon and Night. “It represents St. Croix—S.T. being the conventional equivalent of Saint, and 1-8-6-0 standing for the letters C-R-O-I, and so forming, with the concluding X, the word CROIX. Nothing can be more simple, or, it may be, more appropriate. St. Croix Rum is a stimulating basis of the Plantation Bitters, and it is, therefore in accordance with the fitness of things, that St. Croix should be the basis of their business shibboleth.” [N.J. Sekela]

Read More: Information on the Drake’s Plantation Bitters Variants

Read More: What is an Arabesque Drakes Plantation Bitters

Read More: Drakes Plantation Bitters – Encased Postage

The Bertrand Bottles

A Study of 19th-Century Glass and Ceramic Containers 

by Ronald R. Switzer

This book pictured below, published by the National Park Service (Department of Interior) in 1974 is one of the classic works in the field of historic archaeology as it pertains to bottles. I thoroughly enjoyed it and have pulled and highlighted some areas of interest relating to bitters bottles.

Some of the bitters bottles and related material recovered and inventoried at the DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge include:

Hostetter‘s Stomach Bitters

Dr. Jacob & David Hostetter. Of greater fame in the mid-19th century was Dr. Jacob Hostetter and his son David. Dr. Hostetter was a prominent Pennsylvania physician who, for a number of years, had prescribed a tonic of his own formulation for his patients. In 1853 David Hostetter adopted his father’s prized prescription to concoct the famous “Hostetter Stomachic Bitters.” The tonic was sold successfully under the trademark “Hostetter & Smith,” registered under numbers 3, 135, 223 and 8,970 in the United States Patent Office between July 4, 1859, and December, 1884, when the trademark was changed to “Hostetter & Co.” This same trademark, which incorporated the use of specific labels, was declared again on August 9, 1888 and was registered as Number 15,873 by the United States Patent Office on September 18, 1888. Between 1889 and 1920, the Hostetter Company was selling bitters all over the world, backed by an advertising campaign that cost $4,425,000 in the 30-year period. Most of the advertising took the form of regularly published almanacs.

The product contained 25 percent alcohol by volume, but this presumably was used only to extract the medicinal virtues of the plant materials it contained. The alcohol was also regarded as a solvent and preservative. The other active natural and synthetic ingredients the “Hostetter” formulation contained, and the volume in which they were present per fluid ounce, appear in an undated advertisement from the Hostetter Corporation (personal communication, A. B. Adams, Vice-president of the Hostetter Company). Cited in the Adams statement are listed below:

Cinchona bark (Cinchona succirubra) 15.00 grains

Centuary plant (Erythraeacentarium) 0.65 grains

Anise fruit (Pimpinellaanisum) 0.65 grains

Serpentaria Roots (Artistolocha serpentaria) 3.00 grains

Yerba Santa Leaves (Eriodictyoncalifornicum) 2.00 grains

Calamus rhizomes (Acorus calamus) 2.00 grains

Culver’s Roots (Veronica virginica) 0.42 grains

Ginger rhizomes (Zingiber officinale) 1.00 grains

Nux Vomica seed (Strychmos Nux vomica) 8.00 m.

Glycerine 5 %

Sugar not to exceed 20.00 grains

Saccharin 1/15 grain

Oil of Orange 0.5 m.

Nux vomica or strychnine is readily identifiable as a poisonous, colorless, crystalline alkaloid which is used in small doses as a stimulant to the nervous system. Cinchona bark is a bitter alkaloid with various medicinal properties; from it quinine is extracted. Anise is a small white or yellow flowered plant of the carrot family whose seed is used primarily as a flavoring, while calamus, sometimes called “sweet flag” is a palm-like plant. The purpose of the latter in the formula is not known. Ginger, of course, is a tropical herb whose rootstalk is used as a flavoring and in medicines. The other ingredients need no explanation.

Regardless of the ingredients, even teetotalers found stimulation in the cure-all, and it became exceedingly popular both in the North and the South prior to the Civil War. The South Carolina Banner of May 6, 1858, printed in Abbeville, contained the following Hostetter‘s advertisement:

A wine-glass full of these Bitters taken three times a day, will be a sure cure for Dyspepsia, will remove all flatulency; assist digestion; give a good appetite, and impart a healthy tone to the whole system, and is a certain preventive of fever and ague. Children, delicate ladies, or persons in a debilitated state should try a bottle.

The U.S. Army abolished the liquor ration for troops in 1832. When the Civil War began, Hostetter and other makers of patent medicines urged their products on the Federal government for use by the military. Hostetter deplored the use of common whiskey by officers in the field, believing that his concoction of bitters was better for their health and morals (Carson, 1961, p. 49; Lord, 1969, p. 52). His advice on the subject of bitters was doubtless followed with enthusiasm by northern soldiers, a condition which more than made up for the loss of most of his southern market.

When alcohol was allocated during World War I, Hostetter and Company suffered severe financial difficulties from which it never fully recovered. However, in 1902 Hostetter was listed as one of 3,045 certified millionaires in the United States, and is said to have made something in excess of $18 million from his celebrated tonic (Carson, 1961, pp. 42, 73).

In 1959 the State Pharmacal Company of Newark, New Jersey, a wholly owned division of Hazel Bishop Incorporated, Union, New Jersey, purchased the trademark and business of Dr. Hostetter‘s Stomachic Bitters. The trademark is still owned by that firm and is listed by the United States Patent Office under Serial Number 76,604, filed June 26, 1959 and registered May 24, I960 (No. 698,028); the product is no longer made.

The Bertrand Hostetter’s – Class III, Type 6, Subtypes 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, 6e, 6f:

The dark amber and dark green Hostetter‘s bitters bottles represent the largest single category of bottles with alcoholic contents. One hundred and ninety-one, 12-bottle cases of Hostetter‘s bitters in two sizes of bottles have been counted in the collection. The average alcohol content is 27 percent by volume, which is somewhat greater than the original Hostetter formula.

The small, amber, 22-ounce bottles in Type 6 were blown in two-piece molds and have slanting collar neck finishes (fig. 40). Bottle bases are flat and exhibit shallow dish-shaped depressions at the centers. Some of the bases have relief marks. Apparently, the “L&W” mark should be attributed to the Lorenz and Wightman firm who operated the Pittsburgh Glass Works.

Type 6 bottles are embossed on one side with the inscription:

“DR. J. HOSTETTER’S / STOMACH BITTERS,” and were stoppered with corks. The bottles also display fragments of paper labels on two sides. These are described below with Subtype 6a. Dimensions, Type 6: height, 8 7/8 inches; base, 2 5/8 by 2 5/8 inches; diameter of neck (outside), 1 1/8 inches, (inside), 3/4 in.

Bitters bottles in the Subtype 6a category are dark green or amber in color and are similar morphologically to Type 6 except that they have a greater capacity of about 28 ounces.

The bottles contain cork stoppers, covered with thick foil seals. Over the tops of the seals. A dark blue paper label with gold (now gray) print was affixed to one side of a bottle and the opposing side displayed a label with black print on a white background. The upper half of the black and white label depicts St. George slaying the dragon. Dimensions, Subtype 6a: height, 9 5/16 inches; base, 2 3/16 by 2 3/16 inches; diameter of neck (outside), 1 1/16 inch, (inside), 3/4 inch.

One of the gold-lettered blue paper labels, reconstructed from several fragments, reads as follows: HOSTETTER’S CELEBRATED STOMACH BITTERS

One wine-glassful taken three times a day before meals, will be a swift and certain cure for Dyspepsia, Liver Complaint, and every species of indigestion – an unfailing remedy for Intermittent Fever, Fever and Ague, and all kinds of periodical flux, Colics, and Choleric maladies – a cure for costiveness – a mild and safe invigorant and corroborant for delicate females – a good, anti-bilious, alternative and tonic preparation for ordinary family purposes – a powerful recuperant after the frame has been reduced and altered by sickness – an excellent appetizer as well as a strengthener of the blood and other fluids desirable as a corrective and mild cathartic and an agreeable and wholesome stimulant. Persons in a debilitated state should commence by taking small doses and increase with their strength.

One group of eight large plain Hostetter‘s bottles were recovered with four embossed specimens in a crate marked:

“HOSTETTERS / STOMACH / BITTERS / BARSTORES / BERTRAND.” The dark green and amber bottles, designated as Subtype 6b have no raised letters on their sides, but otherwise they are like the bottles in Subtype 6a. Dimensions, Subtype 6b: height, 9 3/4 inches; base, 2 7/8 by 2 7/8 inches; diameter of neck (outside), 1 1/16 inch, (inside), sealed.

Larger Hostetter‘s bottles are definitely in the minority, and, at this writing, no more than two cases have been found. Perhaps others will come to our attention as work progresses in opening the crates.

Wooden Hostetter’s cases bear metal straps at the corners, and the boxes are marked in black stenciling in the following manner:

“HOSTETTER & SMITH / SOLE / MANUFACTURERS / &/ PROPRIETORS / PITTSBURGH, P. A.”; consignee: “VIVIAN & SIMPSON / VIRGINIA CITY, M.T..” Inside many of the cases were eight almanacs packed in sets of two, or twelve almanacs packed in four sets of three. Over the almanacs large folded Hostetter broadsides had been placed, one per box. The broadsides are lettered in bold reddish-brown print, and at the center of each is a woodcut in black of St. George slaying the dragon. Unfortunately, not one complete broadside has been recovered. Fragments pieced together in the Bertrand Conservation Laboratory indicate that they measured 18 by 24 1/2 inches.

Four of my HOSTETTER’S STOMACH BITTERS, each different color and mold – Meyer Collection

Drake’s Plantation Bitters

Another famous name in proprietary medicines of the 1860’s and represented in the Bertrand cargo is that of Colonel P. H. Drake. If Colonel Drake’s Plantation Bitters looked and tasted like whiskey, it was because it was just that, or, more specifically, St. Croix rum (Carson, 1961, p. 45). This “nutritious” essence, which was derived from sugar cane and bittered with barks and herbs, made its appearance during the Civil War when there was a high excise tax on whiskey.

Colonel Drake is said to have spent a great deal of money on advertising and went to great lengths to promote his product. His mysterious advertising jargon containing the letters and figures “S. T. 1860 X” appeared on fences, barns, billboards and rocks around the world. Drake, as some historians have it, even tried to paint his slogan on Mount Ararat, Niagara Falls, and on the famous Egyptian pyramids, but he was unsuccessful in all three ventures (Carson, 1961, pp. 42, 92).

The Bertrand Plantation Bottles – Class III, Type 7:

To Type 7 have been assigned 109 nearly square, amber-colored, cabin-shaped bottles containing Drake’s Plantation Bitters and an additional number of fragments. The 24 bottles tested contain nearly 17 percent alcohol. The front and reverse sides of the bottles have six relief logs above plain panels which accomondated paper labels. The tiered roof shoulder on the front side is embossed with letters on all three tiers as follows: top:

“S T / DRAKES”; middle: “1860 / PLANTATION”; bottom: “X / BITTERS.” The middle tier of the reverse side is embossed: “PATENTED / 1862.” The two remaining sides are molded to represent logs, which cross at the corners of the bottles, and the tiered roof above is corrugated. The necks are cylindrical and terminate in slanting collar finishes. On each bottle the edge of the base is flat and the center of the base bears a plain dished depression. All of these speci-mens were stoppered with corks.

In many instances fragments of black-on-white paper labels were found adhering to the front and back panels. Some bottles show evidence of having been wrapped in a black and-white printed paper wrapper bearing testimony of the effectiveness of the tonic.

Wooden shipping cases for Drake’s Plantation Bitters are unusual in that the lids of several exhibit single strength glass display panels or advertisements attached to the inner side. Each sign is composed with a black border surrounding a large white oval trimmed with gold. The central oval is lettered in three different letter styles; the top
line of letters are in gold outlined in black, the middle line of letters in red outlined in gold and black, and the bottom line in gold letters outlined in black. The cases bear the following stenciled marks on the exteriors:

“DRAKE’S PLANTATION BITTERS / DEPOT NEW YORK,” or “S T 1860 X / G / G T & S / WITH CARE VIA SARNIA”; consignees: “WORDEN & CO / HELL GATE, M.T.,” or “VIVIAN & SIMPSON / VIRGINIA CITY, M.T.” Dimensions, Type 7: height, 9 7/8 inches; base, 2 3/4 by 2 3/4 inches; diameter of neck (outside), 1 1/16 inches, (inside), 13/16 inch.

6-log DRAKE’S PLANTATION BITTERS – Meyer Collection

Kelly’s Old Cabin Bitters

The Bertrand Kelly’s Bottles – Class III, Type 8:

All bottles in this type contain 25 ounces of 23 proof Kelly’s Old Cabin Bitters and are molded to represent log cabins. The front and back sides bear three mold-impressed windows and a door. Corrugated roof panels which form the shoulders on the front
and back are embossed:

“KELLYS / OLD CABIN / BITTERS.” The remaining two
sides bear plain panels for labels, topped with five relief logs and a triangular-shaped space under the pitch of the roof embossed: “PATENTED / 1863.” The bottle necks are cylindrical.

Kelly’s bitters crates show some variation in stenciling; two consignees and one retailer are represented. The stencils appear as follows:

“KELLEY’S / OLD CABIN BITTERS / DEPOTS NEW YORK & ST. LOUIS”, sides: (red) eight point sunburst with a letter at the base of each ray, lettered: “O L D / C A B I N.” At the center of the sunburst appears the date “1863”. Some cases have no marks on their sides. Tops: “GLASS WEIGHT / THIS SIDE UP WITH CARE / G. P. DORRIS / VIRGINIA CITY / MONTANA, TY.”; or,

“WORDEN AND CO. / HELL GATE”; or, “FROM / H. A. RICHARDS / WASHINGTON / 57, / BOSTON / GIN COCKTAIL / WORDEN AND CO. / HELL GATE.; Dimensions, Type 8: height, 9 1/8 inches; base, 2 3/4 by 3 7/16 inches; diameter of neck (outside), 1 inch, (inside), 3/4 inch.

KELLY’S OLD CABIN BITTERS – Meyer Collection

Schroeder’s Stomach Bitters

Not a great deal is known about J. H. Schroeder, other than the fact that he produced bitters, probably made with catawba wine. He was a dealer in wines, liquors and general bar stores. The Louisville Business Mirror for 1858-1859 (p. 281) includes an advertisement for the Schroeder business. Louisville printed no directories during the Civil War, but by 1864 the firm was again listed on Wall Street as “J. H. Schroeder and Son.” In 1865 the business moved to Main Street, Louisville (Martin F. Schmidt., Louisville Free Public Library, personal communication, 1971).

Neither the Schroeder’s Spice Bitters nor the Schroeder’s Stomach Bitters bottles in the Bertrand cargo were embossed on the bases with letters, but presumably they were products of the Kentucky Glass Works Company of Louisville. The firm was established in 1849 by Taylor, Stanger, Ramsey and Company and was sold the following year to George L. Douglass and James Taylor (McKearin and McKearin, 1971, p. 606; Toulouse, 1971, p. 323). The factory produced vials, demijohns and bottles of other kinds, including some made in private molds. By 1855 the factory had been purchased by Douglas, Rutherford & Company, and the name had been changed to Louisville Glass Works. Ownership of the Louisville Works changed again in 1856 and 1865 and thereafter about every two years until it closed in 1873. However, according to Toulouse (1971, p. 324) the shop was purchased and reopened that same year by Captain J. B. Ford, who operated it as the Louisville Kentucky Glass Works until about 1886.

There is no way to determine exactly when the Schroeder’s bottles on the Bertrand were made. Between 1849 and 1855 the company used the marks “K Y G W,” but it may have used others, including “KY G W Co,” about which we have no information. By 1870, if not eariler, their bottles were marked “L G W” to reflect the change in the company name in 1855. Inasmuch as the firm did considerable business in bottles made in private molds it is not unreasonable to assume the Schroeder’s Spice Bitters bottles and the “French square” Schroeder’s Stomach Bitters bottles are two such products.

Apparently the Bertrand specimens differ from the usual run of Schroeder’s bottles in some other respects. Sold in quarts and pints, the “leg” shaped bottles are most commonly lettered on one side:

“SCHROEDER’S / BITTERS / LOUISVILLE, KY.” The Bertrand examples are lettered “SCHROEDER’S SPICE /BITTERS.”

At this time there are 69 so-called “leg bottles” containing Schroeder’s Spice Bitters catalogued in the collection. The contents include 44 percent alcohol. These 28-ounce dark amber bottles appear to have been blown in two-piece molds and are finished with a single ring wine finish. The basal edges are rounded, but the bases themselves consist of fairly shallow, dish-shaped depressions with tiny nubs at their centers. Relief molded lettering on the bodies of the bottles reads:

“SCHROEDER’S / SPICE / BITTERS”. Apparently, judging from recorded fragments, a 3 by 5 inch black-on-white paper label was affixed to each bottle below the raised letters on the side.

The bottles are packed 12 to a case and the case lumber bears one of three stencils as follows:

“/ CARE / J.J. ROE & CO / ST. LOUIS MO. / 2 & 2”; “J. H. SCHROEDER’S / COCKTAIL / BITTERS / LOUISVILLE, KY.”; “SCHROEDER’S COCKTAIL / BITTERS.” Dimensions, Type 9: height, 11 15/16 inches; diameter of base, 3 3/8 inches; diameter of neck (outside), 1 1/16 inches, (inside), 3/4 inch.

Only one bottle of Subtype 9a was found in the cargo. Morphologically it is like the bottles in Type 9 except that it exhibits no raised lettering, it has mold marks from a three-piece mold, and shows considerable evidence of work at the collar with a lipping tool. It is deep amber in color. Dimensions, Subtype 9a: height, 11 3/4 inches; diameter of base, 3 1/2 inches; diameter of neck (outside), 1 1/8 inches, (inside), 3/4 inch.

Eleven pewter dispenser caps for Schroeder’s bitters bottles have been identified in the Bertrand collection, only one of which was found in direct association with Schroeder’s bottles.

There are eight 32-ounce bottles of J. H. Schroeder’s Bitters in the Bertrand cargo and a number of fragments assigned to Subtype 6c. The contents of the whole bottles averaged 25 percent alcohol by volume. These olive green bottles were blown in two-piece molds and the slanted collar neck finish was applied with a lipping tool. The “French Square” bottles have beveled corners and are stoppered with corks, capped with red sealing wax or a tan colored putty-like substance. The edge of the base of each bottle is flat and the center bears a plain, shallow, circular dish-shaped depression. Three sides of the body are plain; the fourth bears the relief molded words

“J. H. SCHROEDER / 28 WALL STREET / LOUISVILLE, KY.” Dimensions, Subtype 6c: height, 9 15/16 inches; base, 3 1/16 by 3 1/16 inches; diameter of neck (outside), 1 inch, (inside), 3/4 inch.

One of my many different SCHROEDER’S BITTERS. This is a ladies leg figural. If you Have a SCHROEDER’S SPICE BITTERS call me! (not Jeff Burkhardt or Bill Taylor)

Posted in Bitters, Digging and Finding, Figural Bottles, History, Museums, Publications, Treasure | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Looking at some of the Bitters Bottles on the steamboat Bertrand – Part 1

Posted on 13 September 2012 by Ferdinand Meyer V

James Campiglia, in a series of recent emails, embedded the following statement within one portion of his commentary which inspired this post:

“Also found a picture of a shard you may want to post. “Kintzing” early, beautiful green square is a rare one, might of contained bitters. I heard eleven are left in the case in the Bertrand Riverboat Museum. Rarities like this have kept us going.”

C.S. KINTZING ST. LOUIS MO. shard – OuthousePatrol.com

This got me researching the famous steamboat Bertrand and some of its cargo. I was also specifically looking for any reference to the KINTZING name and and bitters bottles that were in the cargo hold. Most bitters collectors are aware of the Hostetters Celebrated Stomach Bitters, Drakes Plantation Bitters, Kelly’s Old Cabin Bitters and Schroeder’s Stomach Bitters that were found. Here is the KINTZING booty list write-up from the Bertrand:

One case of 12 dark green, square bitters bottles of two kinds were recovered from the hold of the Bertrand. Eleven, 26-ounce bottles assigned to Subtype 6d are morphologically like the others in Type 6 except that one side is lettered vertically in raised letters to read: “C. S.KINTZING / ST LOUIS M°” Both Subtype 6d bottles and the single specimen assigned to Subtype 6e are so dark in reflected light that they look black in color. The 6e bottle is slightly taller than the bottles in Subtype 6d, and all four sides are plain; there are no marks whatsoever on this specimen. Dimensions, Subtype 6d: height, 8 7/8 inches; base, 2 13/16 by 2 13/16 inches; diameter of neck (outside), 1 inch, (inside), 11/16 inch. Dimensions, Subtype 6e: height, 9 3/4 inches; diameter of base, 2 7/8 inches; diameter of neck (outside), 1 inch, (inside), 3/4 inch.

Inasmuch as the contents of these bottles average 25 percent alcohol by volume, they are assumed to be bitters. The case in which they were shipped is marked in black stencil as follows: “1 DOZ”; consignee: “STUART & C°/DEER LODGE.“

Let’s look at what Wikipedia and others says about the Bertrand.

Excavation of the Steamboat Bertrand. The wreck of the steamboat Bertrand, located with supplies for the Montana gold fields, was excavated at DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge in 1968-69. This unique collection of artifacts is now on exhibit in the refuge’s visitor center near Missouri Valley, Iowa. – photo Sergeant Floyd River Museum in Sioux City

“Of the many shovels, shoes, and other items that include even a child’s chalkboard, perhaps the glass bottles capture the most attention. Collectors gasp at the elaborate designs on these once commonplace containers. The variety of sizes and shapes awe many who long to possess such antiques.”

Model of the Steamboat Bertrand – DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge

The Steamboat Bertrand

The steamboat Bertrand, carrying cargo up the Missouri River to Virginia City, Montana Territory, sank on April 1, 1865, after hitting a snag in the river north of Omaha, Nebraska. Half of its cargo was recovered 100 years later. Today, the artifacts are displayed in a museum at the DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge near Missouri Valley, Iowa. The display makes up the largest intact collection of Civil War-era artifacts in the United States.

History

The Bertrand was launched in Wheeling, West Virginia in 1864. It measured 161 feet long, with a beam of 32 feet; its total burden was reported as 251 tons. A shallow-draft vessel, it drew only 18 inches when light, and perhaps no more than twice that when loaded.

Sources differ on the ownership of the Bertrand, but it probably belonged to the Montana and Idaho Transportation Line, based in St. Louis, Missouri. The firm was owned in part by John J. Roe of St. Louis.

On April 1, 1865, under the command of Captain James Yore, the steamboat struck a submerged log in the Desoto Bend of the Missouri River, about 25 miles upstream from Omaha, Nebraska. In less than ten minutes, it sank in 12 feet of water. No people died, but almost the entire cargo was lost; the estimated value of vessel and cargo combined was $100,000.

All cargo has been removed from the Bertrand in this aerial view. Photo: National Park Service – DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge

Over 100 years later in 1968, private salvagers Sam Corbino and Jesse Pursell discovered the wreck in the DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge, managed by the Department of Interior. Since the boat was found on government property, the men had to comply with the Antiquities Act of 1906. They had to give all of the artifacts to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for permanent preservation. The boat and over 500,000 artifacts excavated from the hold can be found at the museum of the DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge in the Missouri Valley, Iowa.

Transportation Systems and the Montana Territory

The Bertrand was part of a large water-based regional trading system that developed during the mid to late 19th-century. Only since 1859 had steamboats been traveling up the Missouri River to Fort Benton, Montana Territory. When gold was found in the Alder Gulch Claim in Montana in 1863, streams of hopefuls migrated to the area from other states; they created one of the most prosperous frontier cities: Virginia City, Montana Territory. Within a year of the find, more than 35,000 people would be living within a 10-mile radius of the discovery point.

J.J. Roe and his partners entered the shipping business in 1864, creating a line to ship goods up the Missouri River to the frontiers of the Montana Territory. J.J. Roe & Co. also invested in the Diamond R Transportation Co., which established a system of ox trains to bring goods to more remote locations some hundreds of miles from the river.

Prospectors and settlers created the demand for the goods that the steamboats were able to bring up the Missouri. By 1867, there were 113 different businesses registered in Virginia City to provide goods and services. Soon, the Alder Gulch Gold Camp grew into one of the largest frontier gold towns. It would prove one of the largest gold payoffs from the Rocky Mountains. The Missouri River was a major transportation route that sustained these Montana gold mines and the budding cities.

The Fur Trade

The river route was integral to the continuing fur trade between St. Louis and the Indian Country that provided American furs, which had been going on since the early nineteenth century. J.J. Roe & Co. consistently took goods upriver, and brought furs and other extractive materials back down the river. On one trip in 1865, the ship unloaded in St. Louis with 260 packs of furs.

The trip from St. Louis to this new Montana Territory took about two months and was often dangerous, due to encounters with the local Sioux Indians, but the profits were well worth the hardships. J.J. Roe entered the market with other merchants, businessmen and salesmen in this period, all earning their profits from supplying the demands of the settlers for consumable goods. This was an incredibly profitable economic niche on the frontier.

Look at thos Drakes Plantation Bitters! – DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge

Excavated Artifacts

The cargo found on the excavated Bertrand provides a unique glimpse into the material life of Virginia City, Montana Territory. The steamboat was full of clothing, tools, food and various consumer items on their way upriver. The ship’s cargo amounted to roughly 283 cubic meters, about half of which was recovered. The collection includes: dried and salted beef, mutton and pork; oysters; pepper sauce; strawberries, peaches and peanuts; mustard from France; 5,000 barrels of whiskey including bourbon; brandy and brandied cherries; and medicine bottles. There were over 3,000 textiles and clothing items, including gloves, hats, trousers and 137 men’s coats in seven different styles. Household goods included mirrors, clocks and silverware; and there were various building supplies for the growing town. The largest consignment of the goods was bound for the Vivian and Simpson retailer in Virginia City. They would have also been sold from log cabin stores in the surrounding towns, including that of Frank Worden, the founder of Missoula.

Objects from the riverboat Bertrand are kept in a temperature and humidity-controlled environment behind plexiglass. – DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge

Many of the goods were beyond the expectations for a primitive mining town. The ship also carried everything necessary to mine the Montana claim, including blasting powder, pickaxes and shovels. All the goods were fully insured, and the insurance company ultimately reimbursed the merchants for their losses. The men and women on the frontier were not totally isolated from the rest of the country and its consumption and fashion habits, but appear to have been relatively integrated and informed. The artifacts from the Bertrand represent the evidence of what kinds of goods flowed from St. Louis to the Montana territory during this important period of American state formation. More generally, water travel and the development of the steamboat played a major role in the settlement and development of America.

Read More: Legacy Magazine

Read More: Bottles on Montana’a Mining Frontier Ray Thompson

Read More: The Bertrand Bottles by Ronald R. Switzer

In Part 2 of this series we will look at the Hostetters Celebrated Stomach Bitters, Drakes Plantation Bitters, Kelly’s Old Cabin Bitters and Schroeder’s Stomach Bitters that were found.

Posted in Article Publications, Bitters, Civil War, Digging and Finding, Diving, Early American Glass, Figural Bottles, History, Museums, Publications, Spirits, Treasure, Utility Bottles, Wine & Champagne | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Painted Bottles – Old & New

Posted on 12 September 2012 by Ferdinand Meyer V

Painted Naval scenes on Dutch Onions – Jeff Noordsy

“We’re still painting on bottles as an art form of expression”

David Walker Barker posted some neat pictures yesterday on Bottle Diggers and Collectors on facebook that I though were pretty cool and wanted to be nested in a post.

Of course we have all probably seen many great Renaissance masterpieces consisting of still life’s of fruit, flowers, a wine glass and a bottle but as you will see from some of these pictures below, we are still painting on bottles as an art form of expression. I am sure some of us have even painted bottles and many others have created sculptures and lamps with bottles.

Read More: The Beer Can House – A Houston Landmark

Read More: Oro Grande California Bottle Tree Farm

Read More: Thailand’s Million Beer Bottle Temple

Post Revision:

Ferd

Please know that your blog Peachridge Glass, is must read for me every week regardless of the demands of work or family. As a point of reference, our paths have crossed at the Baltimore Show as I am a collector and digger living in the DC area but originally from New York’s Hudson River Valley.

New York Artifact Art – Scott Jordan

The reason for my email stems from your recent post on painted bottles; I would be remiss not to share with you the art of of Scott Jordan of New York City. Scott is a bottle digger and amateur historian who makes his living repurposing past objects and recovered artifacts into remarkable art. To this end, I invite you to look at his painted bottles and collages on his website New York Artifact Art and New York Artifact Art – Scott Jordan. He and his business partner also make spectacular jewelery from the artifacts recoverd — my wife, daughter, sisters, mother, aunts and grandmothers have all been the beneficiaries for many a Christmas. I believe you have been to Scott’s website because of the image you posted of the digging crew, including Chris Rowell, drinking a few beers after a Manhattan privy dig. You will see on the page links provided, wonderful painted bottles, other paintings, and a variety of interpreative collages. At the same time, I invite you to take a look at his stunning book Past Objects or, as noted in the New York Times. Scott has been selling his book at the Baltimore Show for couple of years; on occasion he has sold artwork at bottle shows but primarily sells his art and wearable art at NY markets (TheMarket, NYC, 159 Bleecker Street and, in December, at the Columbus Circle Holiday Market at 59th Street & Central Park West).

Thanks for the good reads,

Andy

Posted in Art & Architecture, Black Glass, Facebook, History, Wine & Champagne | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Keeping in touch with James Campiglia

Posted on 11 September 2012 by Ferdinand Meyer V

Campiglia Email #1

Hello Ferd,

Thanks much for posting the pics and my story about our Montana Bottle Club meeting. Looks great up on your site and thanks for posting the other stuff about flyers in Virginia City and making corrections for me. (Read: Montana Bottle Collectors Assoc. meets in Virginia City at the Bale of Hay Saloon) (Read: Post Office against Diggers? Hmmmm*

We didn’t get a chance to attend the firemans fund raiser but wanted to show a picture of what my friend Gabe and I made to dontate for the silent auction. We made two of these pieces of “ghost town artwork” which consisted of items dug in Virginia City. We also put a small group of bottles with information together and they were set out with infomation mentioning OuthousePatrol.com.

“Ghost Town Artwork” – OuthousePatrol.com

We did find other signs around town such as at the bank too about not letting people dig outhouses. Took the one sign down at the post office and the next day it was back up again. Didn’t find out who put up the signs for sure but the actions of the state workers cause them to get the blame. Really an odd deal how these people are acting up there like we are some sort of criminals in the night. Oh well, it’s just a small group and later maybe we can still dig some of the local houses when we contact the owners again if not to busy at other towns we are going to look into this week.

We might make more of these display pieces and hope it gets someone interested in bottles or relics. We have hundreds of horseshoes as we keep finding blacksmith shops. Most of the relics are circa 1870’s to 80’s such as the old miners shovels of which we found about 6 so far. I am expanding my antique booth and need to fill it with interesting stuff as such and more bottles too. I have done real well on common and some decent (mostly under $100) bottles lately in my booth at the Antique Market here in Bozeman.

Keep up the great work on the site!

Enjoyed the ghost town link and the pics on the site. Wow. Neat stuff. I will have to send in more pics of places I have been.

James

Campiglia Email #2

Ferd,

More RV info. I had bottle images from my collection enlarged on vinyl and they are plastered all over the RV that Reggie and his big great dane Duke live in and travel searching for collections and dig sites. The RV just might show up in your town… he’s hitting the road soon as the weather gets to cold here. We actually are looking to head down South and if the right collection or dig shows up I will be on my way.

Bottle digging RV in Virginia City

Will send better pics soon too. This monster adv. gets attention. Another thing they told us in Virginia City we are coming in with all this adv. on vehicles, all this talk of digging, people dont like that. Well bull yes they do they love the treasure hunt aspect of this, at least most that we have talked to do and younger folks are showing much more interest too. Speaking of younger collectors I have an email from two teenage girls that found a dump on their farm and want to join our bottle club to learn more. I have invited them to dig if their parents bring them and to meet up to educate them more on the bottles but it seems they are learning well on their own. I started when I was 10 years old and have not stopped with this passion since!

KINTZING, ST, LOUIS, MO shard

Also found a picture of a shard you may want to post. “Kintzing” early, beautiful green square is a rare one, might of contained bitters. I heard eveven are left in the case in the Bertrand Riverboat Museum (DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge). Rarities like this have kept us going. Also have another bitters to show you when I find the picture. Found parts of an OK Plantation, the big triangular bottle in a deep green too but just pieces and was able to ID due to your color run pics! (See Meyer OK Plantation color run)

Thanks,
James

www.jameschips.com
www.outhousepatrol.com/

Posted in Art & Architecture, Bitters, Collectors & Collections, Digging and Finding, Folk Art, News, Peachridge Glass | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Medicines from Lynn, Massachusetts

Posted on 10 September 2012 by Ferdinand Meyer V

Labeled Mrs. Leonard’s Dock and Dandelion Bitters from Lynn, Mass. – Rapoza Collection

I must say, it is always nice to receive a complimentary email from someone I have not met before. Especially if someone is so close to me geographically. In this case the email is from Andy Rapoza in The Woodlands, Texas which is a master-planned community and town center north of Houston. Andy also included two spectacular photographs of some of his specialized collection which he has allowed me to share.

Good morning Ferdinand,

Through the surfing process I came across (and have now bookmarked) your excellent website. Wonderful information and I look forward to reading much of it in depth over the days and weeks ahead. I am a Massachusetts native living in The Woodlands, TX area for the past 17 years. I have a wonderful collection of medicines from one town – Lynn, Massachusetts – that range from 1830-1930, mostly labeled. I have been collecting and researching for about 25 years. I’ve written several articles and have nine chapters written of a twelve-chapter book on the subject. Read: An Old and Bitter Storyteller.

My biggest frustration has been finding kindred spirits in this area. While I focus on Lynn, I am fascinated about patent/proprietary medicines in general and learn all I can. If you have any interest in shaking hands some day, please let me know; I would be delighted. If you are making a trip towards The Woodlands area sometime, please consider this my open invitation to come over to my house and see my collection. My wife and I would be happy to meet you.

I will attach a couple of images of a few bottles in my collection in a separate email (didn’t want to do so in my first email, just in case you or your spam filter would be uncomfortable opening an email with attachments from an unfamiliar email address).

I am also attaching my phone number. Hoping to hear back from you in some form.

Best wishes,

Andy Rapoza

Mrs. Dinsmore’s Balsam – all versions – Rapoza Collection

I was curious about Lynn, Mass. as I have never been there.

1623 – The first tannery in the American colonies is founded in Lynn, Mass.

17th century

The area known as Lynn was first settled in 1629 by Edmund Ingalls (d. 1647), followed by John Tarbox of Lancashire in 1631, whose descendants still reside in New England. The city was incorporated in 1631 as Saugus, the Nipmuck name for the area. The name Lynn was given to the area after King’s Lynn, Norfolk, England, in honor of Samuel Whiting. After Lynn’s resettlement, many of its areas gradually separated into independent towns. Reading was created in 1644, Lynnfield in 1782, Saugus in 1815, Swampscott in 1852, and Nahant in 1853. Lynn was incorporated as a city in 1850.

Colonial Lynn was a major part of the regional tannery and shoe-making industries that began in 1635. The boots worn by Continental Army soldiers during the Revolutionary War were made in Lynn. The shoe-making industry drove urban growth in Lynn into the early nineteenth century. This historic theme is reflected in the city seal, which features a colonial boot.

19th century Lynn, Mass postcard collage

19th century

In 1816, a mail stage coach was operating through Lynn. By 1836, 23 stage coaches left the Lynn Hotel for Boston each day. The Eastern Railroad Line between Salem and East Boston opened on August 28, 1838. This was later merged with the Boston and Maine Railroad and called the Eastern Division. In 1847 telegraph wires passed through Lynn, but no telegraph service station was built till 1858.

Lynn Shoe manufacturers, led by Charles A. Coffin and Silas Abbott Barton, invested in the early electric industry, specifically in 1883 with Elihu Thomson and his Thomson-Houston Electric Company. That company merged with Edison Electric Company of Schenectady, New York, forming General Electric in 1892, with the two original GE plants being in Lynn and Schenectady. Charles A. Coffin served as the first president of General Electric. Elihu Thomson later served as acting president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1920 to 1923.

Initially the General Electric plant specialized in arc lights, electric motors, and meters. Later it specialized in aircraft electrical systems and components, and aircraft engines were built in Lynn during WWII. That engine plant evolved into the current jet engine plant during WWII because of research contacts at MIT in Cambridge. Gerhard Neumann was a key player in jet engine group at GE in Lynn. The continuous interaction of material science research at MIT and the resulting improvements in jet engine efficiency and power have kept the jet engine plant in Lynn ever since. [From Wikipedia]

Bottoming room in factory of B. F. Spinney & Co., Lynn, Mass. (1872) – New York Public Library

Posted in Collectors & Collections, History, Medicines & Cures, Peachridge Glass, Technology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bibliography of Glass – Willy Van den Bossche

Posted on 9 September 2012 by Ferdinand Meyer V

Incoming email about a new book from the legendary Willy Van den Bossche:

To Mr. Ferdinand Meyer V, President of the “Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors” (FOHBC)

Willy Van den Bossche holding his new Bibliography of Glass and Antique Glass Bottles books.

Dear Sir,

Please could you be so kind to announce the mail hereunder with some attachments in the next Magazine of the FOHBC?

I would appreciate this very much because the book is very specialized for bottle and glass collectors and as the author, I paid for myself, the complete printing of the book because of the passion and love for antique bottles and glass.

Thank you very much for your answer, for spending your time, and for your help.

Best wishes.

Willy Van den Bossche (Member of the FOHBC and author of the major reference work “Antique Glass Bottles”)

To all the members of the Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors

After publication of my book “Antique Glass Bottles: Their History and Evolution 1500-1850)” in 2001 I am pleased to announce the publication of my new reference work “Bibliography of Glass: From the Earliest Times to the Present (2011)” (In four languages: English, French, German, and Dutch / Sales price $95.00)

I believe that many of our members and their friends might be interested in this reference work with the most extended list of bottle-books worldwide ever published in the World.

I have also added in attachment a Review written by the well known Mr. Johan Soetens, author and formerly director of the United Glassworks in The Netherlands.

The book has been published early September by Antique Collectors’ Club, Woodbridge, Suffolk, England.

To order a copy please visit at:

SACC Distribution – Distributors of High Quality Books

or

Amazon.com

Best wishes.

Willy Van den Bossche (Member of the FOHBC)

Domein De List-Residentie Conti
Listdreef 20 Bus 8
B-2900 SCHOTEN-BELGIUM

Tel: +32 (0)3 644 50 44 (Home)
Tel: +32 (0)473 37 24 94 (Mobile)
E-Mail: wvdbossche@telenet.be

Willy Van den Bossche is also the author of the major reference work “Antique Glass Bottles”)

Posted in Advice, Ancient Glass, Article Publications, Collectors & Collections, Early American Glass, FOHBC News, History, News, Publications | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

“there’s a customer born every minute” – William Henry Harrison Flask Scam

Posted on 8 September 2012 by Ferdinand Meyer V

UPDATED 10 September 2012

photo of P T Barnum by Charles Eisenmann

“there’s a customer born every minute”

PT Barnum

The bait

“Theres a sucker born every minute”

I wanted to start off with a quote ‘Theres a sucker born every minute” that is often associated (incorrectly) to PT Barnum. When Barnum’s biographer tried to track down when Barnum had uttered this phrase, all of Barnum’s friends and acquaintances told him it was out of character. Barnum’s credo was more along the lines of “there’s a customer born every minute” – he wanted to find ways to draw new customers in all the time because competition was fierce and people could become bored easily.

Well this certainly happened today on eBay!

Actually, the phrase “there’s a customer born every minute” is more appropriate here because the SAME flask sold four times to willing “Customers” on eBay. Seems like Jeff Noordsy picked up on the scam first (as usual). I received a couple of, “hey look at this emails” but went out to cut the lawn . When I came back, I was flabbergasted to see what had happened. I put together a few screen shots, comparison photographs and links for you to peruse. I’m thinking of Shoeless Joe Jackson and “say it ain’t so Joe” now.

eBay Flask Listing


Antique William Henry Harrison A Extremely Rare Cobalt Blue Flask From 1800’s!!! eBay listing

SCAM ALERT posted on eBay on Sunday

Original Heritage Auctions Flask (in Aqua)

WH Harrison Exceedingly Rare Blown Glass Flask – Heritage Auctions Listing (as represented on Icollector.com)

facebook discussion

Facebook discussion today

Comparison images

WH Harrison Historical Flask. Same flask. Left is the real Aqua example that sold on Heritage Auctions. Right is the fraudulent blue example on eBay.

WH Harrison Historical Flask. Same flask. Left is the real Aqua example that sold on Heritage Auctions. Right is the fraudulent blue example on eBay.

WH Harrison Historical Flask. Same flask. Top is the real Aqua example that sold on Heritage Auctions. Right is the fraudulent blue example on eBay.

Posted in Advice, Auction News, eBay, Facebook, Flasks, Historical Flasks, News, Scams & Frauds | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Ice Cold Collectibles Illinois – Scott Terrell

Posted on 8 September 2012 by Ferdinand Meyer V

I noticed a new facebook page called Ice Cold Collectibles Illinois last month developed by Scott Terrell. The graphics in particular on this cool Coca-Cola card pictured above caught my attention as Scott uses it as the primary art header on his page.

I really like Scott’s presentation of material. He has managed to include a nice assortment of historical photos, illustrations, advertising and pictures of himself and his Coca-Cola collection. Well done Scott. You obviously have the passion. I added a few of my favorite images from his page below. You really need to visit his FB page and LIKE as there is so much more. I see Marianne has already been there.

Photo of Scott Terrell, founder, Ice Cold Collectibles –  Aug 31 2012 – photo Ice Cold Collectibles Illinois

My Coca-Cola bottles. All Before 1923 – photo Ice Cold Collectibles Illinois

1940s Coca-Cola Ad – photo Ice Cold Collectibles Illinois

Utica Coca-Cola Plant – photo Ice Cold Collectibles Illinois

1920s Coca-Cola festoon – photo Ice Cold Collectibles Illinois

A young boy selling Coca-Cola from a roadside stand. Photograph by Alfred Eisenstaedt. Atlanta, Georgia, 1936. – photo Ice Cold Collectibles Illinois

1930s Coca-Cola delivery men – photo Ice Cold Collectibles Illinois

1910s Coca-Cola Plant Fayetteville, North Carolina – photo Ice Cold Collectibles Illinois

Coca-Cola Plant Tampa, Florida, 1910s – photo Ice Cold Collectibles Illinois

1920 Coca-Cola babes – photo Ice Cold Collectibles Illinois

Posted in Advertising, Advice, Bottling Works, Cola, Collectors & Collections, Ephemera, Facebook, History, Photography, Soda Bottles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Colorado Area Saloons – Color & Grit

Posted on 7 September 2012 by Ferdinand Meyer V

“Giving up drinking is the easiest thing in the world. I know because I’ve done it thousands of times.”  Mark Twain

I want to continue the series of follow-up posts to the recent Minnesota, Wyoming and Utah galleries on saloons and drinking. See my partial list at the bottom of this post. Here today, we look at some interesting historical saloon pictures, related bottles and ephemera from Colorado.

Western whiskeys. Color and texture make these unembossed bottles great sun catchers. – Utah Antique Bottle Cliche

Miners drinking in a Colorado saloon, 19th Century.- Courtesy of Colorado Historical Society

An incredible selection of rare, high-end western whiskey bottles and historical flasks sold previously by American Bottle Auctions. Some of the whiskeys are the most desirable specimens known.

1881 Bird’s Eye View of the City of Denver, Colorado. Drawn by J.H. Flett. – From the Library of Congress Map Collection.

GUN WA’S CHINESE REMEDY FOR FEMALE WEAKNESS–WARRANTED ENTIRELY VEGETABLE AND HARMLESS from Denver, Colorado. The bottle dates from 1888-to the early 1890s. William Hale immigrated from Ireland in 1888 to Denver, Colorado and opened the GUN WA HERB AND REMEDY CO. at 1629 Larimer St. Hale expanded his business and relocated to the Croff and Collins building at 1646-1650 Larimer. Later he was indicted on mail fraud charges and mailing pornographic materials. He fled to England to avoid prosecution.

Trade Card: One side advertises FRONTIER HOUSE, West Las Animas, Colorado. Capt A.L. Gilbert Propr. “A First Class Bar in Connection with the House.” The opposite side lists Capt. A.L.Gilbert’s Ten Commandments A sampliing follows: 1. When thirsty, thou shalt come to our house and drink.VI. No singing. Thou shalt not raise thy voice in song or feet in gayety. VII. Thou shalt not dare to pay thy bills in bad money nor ever say “Slate or Chalk”…. A fine bit of cowboy ephemera. – Cowan’s Auctions

Look no doors. Always open. The Holy Moses Saloon in Creede, Colorado in 1890.

Color label for qt. bottle. “Old National Whiskey”, a Bald Eagle grasping a shield. A Louisville, KY whiskey sold by “Henry Coby, Colo. City, Colo.” Pre-1920,

Arcade Saloon, Eldora, Colorado 1898, courtesy Denver Public Library

Set of 8 Al S. Lamb druggist bottles, Aspen, Colorado. Hand-blown bottles ranging in size from the 1 ounce to the 32 ounce size. Figural of lamb on each bottle. Overall condition: very good to near fine. W.T. Co. glass company. Patent date 1894. Al Lamb came to Aspen, Colorado in 1886-1887 and started the Lamb Drug Store. It soon became a focal point for friendly meetings and town politics. Lamb’s business was so successful — in the good years — he remained in business until his death in 1940. His drugstore was located on Hyman Avenue; residence at 2nd and Lake Avenue, Aspen. – Mt. Gothic Tomes

Meeker, Colorado Saloon, 1899.

FOR PIKE’S PEAK flasks with walking man/prospector above flattened oval –  This is McKearin & Wilson classification #GXI-30. Celebrating the gold rush to Colorado in 1859, these popular flasks were made throughout the 1860s and possibly into the early 1870s. This a very nice, clean, blue aqua example with the typical applied “champagne” style banded finish common on flasks made at various Pittsburgh, PA. glasshouses – where the majority of Pike’s Peak flasks were made.

Pike’s Peak Railroad (vs Mule) – Late nineteenth century boudoir sized cabinet card photograph showing a locomotive and passenger car of the Manitou & Pike’s Peak Railway and also a donkey or mule loaded up with gear on its back. The mule symbolizes the earlier means of traveling up Pike’s Peak which would have been a long and arduous journey by mule as experienced by Zalmon Simmons, inventor and founder of the Simmons Beautyrest Mattress Company. On his first trip to Pike’s Peak in the late 1880’s Simmons traveled there by mule, an experience which was the inspiration for his providing funding for the development of the Manitou & Pike’s Peak Railway Company and the construction of the cog railway. In the cabinet photo the words “The old way” are printed in the negative under the mule and the words “And the new” are printed under the locomotive. Printed in smaller letters in the negative also just above the load on the back of the mule are “I helped to build Pike’s Peak Railroad.” Printed in the negative at the lower right are: “Summit Pike’s Peak, 14,147 Feet” and at the lower left “Hook Photo”. Imprinted in the margin to the left of the image is, “The W. E. Hook Wholesale View Co., Colorado, Springs, Colo” which refers to the photographer William Edward Hook (1833 to 1908) who photographed Native Americans, views at Yellowstone, railroads, mining, Colorado Springs, and Colorado scenery.

1890 Trinidad. Las Animas County, Colorado Saloon

Blake Street, Denver – 1866 (looking toward 16th (G) Street – Denver Public Library. Charles Eyser Boarding House and Saloon (1526 Blake Street) shown with the 2nd floor balcony and covered wagon in front.

Historic Saloon, Blair Street between 12th and 13th, Silverton, Colorado

The Silver Dollar Saloon (far left) is Denver one of the many buildings rebuilt in 1899 following a fire that destroyed most of downtown. Starting out as a haberdashery, its upper floors housed medical offices. At the height of the Art Deco era, the first floor was transformed into a saloon. The owners spared no expense in order to attract patrons, as evidenced by the surviving Can Can stage, dining booths, bar stools, counter and mural. One of only two stone buildings in the mostly brick downtown National Register district, the saloon retains an incredibly high level of integrity, with architectural features such as a boxed cornice, molded frieze and a battlement parapet.

Aspen, Colorado Saloon, 1890, The B.T. Pearce & Co. Saloon is photographed. Note the Denver Brewing Company wagon in foreground.

Black Jack’s Saloon, Steakhouse & Inn, Trinidad, Colorado – The building that is now Black Jack’s is located at the left of the picture, where is has a sign that reads Atlantic Saloon, one of many in our buidling thru out the history of historic doentown Trinidad. The second floor was added in 1901 and it is told to us by those still in the know that it was indeed a brothel…Come to Trinidad and look at all the historic builidng in our downtown and let your imagination wander to what it must of been like in the “old days”

Men play Faro in Leadville, Colorado in the 1800’s – Leadville, Colorado, often called “The Two Mile High City” and “Cloud City,” is the highest incorporated city in the world at 10,430 feet. Located at the foot of two of Colorado’s highest peaks – Mt. Elbert and Mt. Massive, Leadville is one of America’s last remaining authentic mining towns.

Saloon Block Main Avenue Durango, Colorado, Cyanotype of First National Bank on northwest corner of 9th Street and Main Avenue. Colorado State Bank on right edge. Electric trolley; horse and buggy; dirt street. Saloon Block – West side 900 Block. “This is Main Avenue…” in ink on back. – The Animas Museum or the LaPlata County Historical Society

Saloon at 1197 West Alameda Avenue in Denver, Colorado, 1910.

Read More: Historic photos of saloons and breweries around Utah in the Wild West days

Read More: Photographs of People Drinking

Read More: Photographs and Images of People Drinking – Part II

Read More: Photographs and Images of People Drinking – Part III

Read More: Photographs and Images of People Drinking – Part IV (Brewing)

Read More: Saloons and Establishments from Yesteryear

Posted in History, Photography, Publications, Remedy, Spirits, Whiskey | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

If you wanna hang out you’ve got to take her out – Cocaine

Posted on 6 September 2012 by Ferdinand Meyer V

C  O  C  A  I  N  E

“Nobody saves America by sniffing cocaine. Jiggling your knees blankeyed in the rain, when it snows in your nose you catch cold in your brain.” – Allen Ginsberg

The Lure

Not sure why I ended up here today. I may have thought of my BURDETTE’S COCOAINE (yes I spelled that correctly) bottle my brother Charles gave me years ago, before I started bottle collecting and losing my hair, or looking at some of the turn of the century celebrity photography by Napoleon Sarony earlier today (Read: The great work of Sarony, Major & Knapp Lithographer – New York). Anyway the winds changed and prompted a search for vintage cocaine advertising and related material. Nothing about cocaine could start without these lyrics which sound in my mind now.

The Song

If you wanna hang out you’ve got to take her out; cocaine.
If you wanna get down, down on the ground; cocaine.
She don’t lie, she don’t lie, she don’t lie; cocaine.
If you got bad news, you wanna kick them blues; cocaine.

When your day is done and you wanna run; cocaine.
She don’t lie, she don’t lie, she don’t lie; cocaine.
If your thing is gone and you wanna ride on; cocaine.
Don’t forget this fact, you can’t get it back; cocaine.

She don’t lie, she don’t lie, she don’t lie; cocaine.

Eric Clapton Cocaine Lyrics

BURNETTE’S COCOAINE, Two different sizes of the Burnett’s hair bottle. Both in aqua. Utah Antique Bottle Cliche

Hand Made Cuff Links fro Berlin for Burdette’s Cocoaine

The Promise

This sweating, anxious fellow, fidgeting with his hands, can’t wait for a dose of Pepto Cocaina to help that food go down

Cocaine is a highly addictive central nervous system stimulant extracted from the leaves of the coca plant, Erythroxylon coca. Coca leaves, the source of cocaine, were used by the Incas and other inhabitants of the Andean region of South America for thousands of years, both as a stimulant and to depress appetite and combat apoxia (altitude sickness).

Metcalf’s Coca Wine, Coca wine combined wine with cocaine, producing a compound now known as cocaethylene, which, when ingested, is nearly as powerful a stimulant as cocaine.

Despite the long history of coca leaf use, it was not until the latter part of the nineteenth century that chemist Friedrich Gaedcke first extracted the active ingredient cocaine hydrochloride from the leaves. The new drug soon became a common ingredient in patent medicines and other popular products and was soon sold over the counter in many forms at pharmacies until 1916. Sigmund Freud even described it as a “magical drug”.

Pemberton testimonial to the nerve stimulant properties of the coca plant

Coca Cola – “It satisfies the Thirsty and Helps the Weary” advertising

Crazed? Everyone wants a Coca-Cola in this vintage photograph

In the late 1800’s, and Early 1900’s, cocaine also was given to dock worker to help them work longer hours. During early attempts of the prohibition of alcohol, many encouraged people to drink cocaine, as a medicine or in the form of the fountain drink Coca-Cola. Some might try to downplay this now by saying it was in small amounts though cocaine was pretty much the main ingredient. This widespread use quickly raised concerns about the drug’s negative effects. In the early 1900s, several legislative steps were taken to address those concerns including the Harrison Act of 1914 which banned the use of cocaine and other substances in non-prescription products. In the wake of those actions, cocaine use declined substantially.

On this promotional paperweight, a German company boasts of being the “largest makers in the world of quinine and cocaine”

WineOfCocaAd

Wine of Coca advertisement – The Medical Directory of the City of New York – 1886

The Harrison Narcotics Tax Act

The Harrison Narcotics Tax Act (Ch. 1, 38 Stat. 785) was a United States federal law that regulated and taxed the production, importation, and distribution of opiates. The act was proposed by Representative Francis Burton Harrison of New York and was approved on December 14, 1914.

“An Act To provide for the registration of, with collectors of internal revenue, and to impose a special tax on all persons who produce, import, manufacture, compound, deal in, dispense, sell, distribute, or give away opium or coca leaves, their salts, derivatives, or preparations, and for other purposes.” The courts interpreted this to mean that physicians could prescribe narcotics to patients in the course of normal treatment, but not for the treatment of addiction.

Although technically illegal for purposes of distribution and use, the distribution, sale and use of cocaine was still legal for registered companies and individuals.

Vintage print ad for Vin Mariani. Image from cocaine.org. – Launched in Europe in 1863, the wine was launched by Corsican chemist and entrepreneur Angelo Mariani. After gathering information about the Inca and its love of coca, Mariani took up horticulture and began to grow the sacred Andean leaf in his backyard. Ingeniously, he sent samples of his new wine to famous people world wide in search of endorsements.Mariani’s outreach paid off: the businessman received glowing testimonials from the likes of Emile Zola, Thomas Edison, Buffalo Bill Cody, and even U.S. President William McKinley, Queen Victoria and three Popes. In 1885, when Ulysses Grant was in his final death throes and suffering from throat cancer, he drank coca wine. Reportedly, the treatment helped soothe his pain.

Pope Leo XIII purportedly carried a hipflask of the coca-treated Vin Mariani with him, and awarded a Vatican gold medal to Angelo Mariani. – Wikipedia

The Demise?

Cocaine seemed to be fazed out of the main stream by the 1930’s with the first drug laws and racial stereotypes of the drug. The drug culture of the 1960’s sparked renewed interest in cocaine. Eventually the drug made a comeback in the late 60’s and 70’s as a drug for the upper class. Cocaine seemed socially acceptable.

With the advent of crack in the 1980s, use of the drug had once again become a national problem. Cocaine use declined significantly during the early 1990s, but it remains a significant problem and is on the increase in certain geographic areas and among certain age groups. A mid-1990s government report said that Americans spend more money on cocaine than on all other illegal drugs combined.

The Children

Lloyd Cocaine Toothache Drops – In the US, cocaine was sold over the counter until 1914 and was commonly found in products like toothache drops, dandruff remedies and medicinal tonics.

Cocaine was legal, even as late as this ad above (1885), and was not considered harmful in moderate doses. Many other drugs, now restricted by law, were also legal then, including opium, which was sold under city permit on the streets of Victoria.

In the nineteenth century many substances were used as medicines, some of which are now known to be harmful over the long term, such as mercury and lead. “Patent medicines”, like these Cocaine Toothache Drops, were very popular and required no prescription; they were indeed “For sale by all druggists.”

By the 1860s, the practice of medicine was going through many changes. The germ theory of disease was a controversial idea and not yet widely accepted. The first of the general anesthetics , chloroform and ether, had recently become available, making surgery potentially life saving rather than life threatening, though the routine use of antiseptics was still some years in the future.

Many medical practitioners still subscribed (at least in some form) to the ancient theory of the “four humors” developed by the Roman physician Galen (131-199 AD). According to this theory, the body is made up of four humors – blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile. The relative amounts of each humor in the body determined state of health and temperament (a person with more blood was “sanguine”; with more phlegm “phlegmatic”; with black bile “melancholic”; and if yellow bile predominated, “choleric” or “bilious”). Too much or too little of any humor was said to cause illness, which could be cured by restoring the balance. Many nineteenth century medicines and practices were intended to do this. [source University of Victoria]

AYER’S CHERRY PECTORAL’S “magic” was in fact, due to its narcotic component, an opium derivative which at the time was a legal ingredient frequently used in medicines and available without restrictions. Ayer’s popular remedy received global acclaim, and was even shipped in special “ornate boxes” to foreign dignitaries. When James Cook Ayer retired in the early 1870s, he had acquired a vast fortune from his patent medicine industry and was considered the wealthiest manufacturer of patent medicines in the country.

Images: The Culture

1895 Ad: Burnett’s Cocoaine For The Hair – Burnett’s Cocaine for the hair. Cures dandruff, soothes all irritation of the scalp, makes the hair grow and gives a beautiful lustre. Price 50c and $1.00 per bottle. Send your address for our pamphlet on the hair. Its care and management. Joseph Burnett Co., Boston.

New Cure for Drunks – TAWNY COCAINE PORT wine, Dr. Harold Boggs, Founder

Early Coca-Cola advertising. No hiding of the primary ingredient in the name.

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