The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-12-10


clover seed, 1900 sides leather, 100 bbls.
dried apples, 100 tons sundries.
A chapter In Regard to wheeling stosies.
PittsbarEh Leader Correspondence.
If Wheeling hadn't arranged to so down
to history as the "Nail City" she certain
~ would be known to postetity OF "stogie-
town," or perhaps, "Tobytown," or posi-
bly, ''riptown"-who knows? Forto-day,
it is safe to assume, Wheeling stogies"
are pulled in nearly every State in the
Union. These cigars are a necessity to
every well regulated smoker from st.
Louis on the west, where they may be
seen advertised as "Regalia de Wheeling"
to Philadelphia in the east, where broad.
brimmed Quakers asks for "stogies,"
And this reflection on the part OF the
writer led him to make inquiry as to why
this was all thus? Why should Wheel
ing have absorbed the cheap trade, any
more than other cities, whose location
entitled them to greater facilities for the
handling Of tobacco and its products As
il is, the cigars-if not the praise-ot
Wheeling sis in everybody's mouth, and
the Leuder man last week evolved the fol.
lowing points in relation to 'stogies,"
"tips,n Il id OmRGs geIIS, for the benefit OF
intelligent smokers in general and smok-
ing readers OF the LeudST in particular. 1t
should be promised that the information
was derived through the courtesy OF gen.
tleman identified with the Wheeling cigar
trade for many years and thoroughly
posted in all its details.
BETH OF THE "sroGIE"
Twenty-Five years ago the popular"
that is to say, the cheaper, cigars were i'm
ported to this country from Germany.
They were known to the trade as the
"Pfaltzer" cigar, from the title OF the Ger
man district from whence they came. Our
informant characterized the "Pfaltzer" rs
"a cigar in name only" and not to COM
pare with the "stogie" OF to-day. They
cost from $3.50 to s. 90 per thousand in
those palmy days OF no tax. And it was
quarter OF century ago that people here
about first yearned for q cheapgood cigar.
In Wheeling at that time, as ut present,
the working element was great proper
ton OF the population, and then, as now,
the mill man passed his evenings aboutthe
tobacco and cigar stores. These toilers by
the muck rolls and glass pots wanted
cheap cigar, and their friends, the tobaC-
consists wanted TO supply the article. This
demand welded to this desire, brought
forth the ''stogie," that to the number OF
10000 per day issue from Wheeling fac
tories 10 cheer the millions who find So
= T.. - SVNs inc
This term in Yankeedom applies to the
cheaper make OF boots, and in cigars has
been adopted as the title OF the popular
cheaper make OF cigar. To the trade they
are known and billed as "stogas," and in
the vornacular "stogie" is the accepted
title. In Pittsburgh and vicinity only i
is customary to know stogie as "toby."
As to ''tips," the title Is more popular with
consumer than manufacturer, inasmuch
as a clipped" cigar contains the suspicion
OF a fraud and an imposition. 1t is
clipped" toward the outer end with q
higher.priced tobacco, and the last state OF
that cigar is altogether worse than its first.
Well, when the stogie business made it.
self felt in Wheeling and vicinity, Mr..
VIM. Lindsey, Of Louisville, evidently a
Iong.sighted tobacco broker, forseeing the
possibilities OF the newborn cigar, gave
his attention to the selection and supply
ing of the best tobacco for the making OF
"stogies." He, II not the father, is Mt least
the godfather OF the '.stogie" OF 1878.
When the latter first made its appearance,
the cheapest American cigar was the "Bos-
ton cheroot," at 8 soto s. per 1000. They
were made OF Shorts" or scraps" and
not OF "long stock, "as the "stogie, 'and poor
affairs, indeed, were the Boston cheroots."
The newly-arrived stOgie was not much OF
an improvement, but then It's price-Sl 81
to = 90 per l,000-made it spring into ia
vor, and the days OF "Pfaltzers" and Dos
ton cheroots" were gone forever. The
"stogie" business grew with Wheelings
growth and cigar factories, drawing their
supplies from the rich plantations OF Ken.
lucky and Ohio, multiplied rapidly, until
the mail City" to-day makes ", OPS 600
cigars per year, and gives happiness lat
three for five cents to countless thou
sands.
Pittsburgh takes the largest quantity OF
''stogies," and then follow the cities oil
Chicago, Cincinnati, st. Louis, New Or
leans, Philadelphia, &c. As a general
thing, the East takes "stogies" gingerly.
They are composed OF tobacco too strong
for the Eastern smoker. But from the
Allegheny to the Rocky Mountains the cry
is still for "stogies." As time rolled on
and popular taste grew more critical even
in the matter OF cheap cigars, stogies un-
derwent reformation. Our informant
said on the point: 1.-THE stoeie of to-day
contains much better stock than the low
priced cigar OF Pennsylvania and other
States. Within tho past eightyears better
stock has been demanded in stogies.
found that out by personal canvass OF the
Western markets. During the past eight
years the general quality OF the stogie
advanced, and the men in my employ in a
like manner have gradually learned to
make cigar fully up to the present rigid
requirements Of the trade"
sroGIE.GRowISG DISTRICTS.
The big green leaves, destined to soothc
the "stogie" smoker, first sees the sun.