The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1878-01-29
VOL. 10.
"HAVE A ST0GIE? ?'
,s.aUEsTION OFTEN HEARD IN
WHEELING.
.,,r. We will TaI fou Some
thing About Their Origin
1h,ir Manufacture and
rbeirGreat Succ ~.

A few years before the war; there was
demand in this vicinity for "cheap
sm,ke," and in consequence OF this, the
mspufscture of the long, slim roll OF TO
b,cco. shout the same ze at one end as
:. is.t the other, known IS "Wheelin z
S,ogie" began. Ia those days there was
m tax on tobacco in ary form,
and As the men WHO nade
he stogies were only paid
,eyeuty.fve cents thousand, they sold
from sl.75 to $500 for the same num-
ber. So little were they valued in what
we are won't to call the "good old times" :"
tbst it WAS customary for the saloon
keepers TO keep them in glass. or stand,
and sny one who came in for drink
wss st liberty to help himselfto reason
abls number of them. When the tax
WAS placed upon manufactured tobacco,
Of course the price of this rs well as other
kinds of tobaccos weLt up 10 almost their
presen: igares The stogles which are
made here are sold all through the United
Sts:es and Canada, and we would also say
en- plsSdp that more Of them are made
In Wheeling than any other plaza. II is
quite com mon thing TO see notices in
the windows OF the cigar stores IN New
York, Philadelphia and other large East
era cities, advertising Wheeling Sio-
gies." In thsse stores they sell three
OF them for five cents, and tie poorer
classes are beginning to use them in
large hunters.
The tobacco used in the manufacture OF
stogies comes from Kentucky, chiefly
from Mason county. 1t is bought on
the market at Louisville, generally Y by
broker who judges OF the quality Of the
goods by Inc sample which is shown
him. This sample is prepared by the
Tobacco Inspector who takes tozen
"hsnds" or buncLes OF the leaf from the
ho,shesd, and numbers il in correspon.
tcncc with the number OF the package
from which 1t was taken, and who is
personally responsible for any difference
between the quality OF the goods and the
sample. The Leaf Is put up in h)yshesds
holding from 500 to coo p,u IDS aud
when It strives IN Wheeling it i. ready
Tor use. All the sleek used should be ~
less. one year old, in ord.r that the
process OF fermentation may bs
thoroughly over. This IS one
gr-s. reason why the Wheeling manu-
~ . ~
Their stock Is always old and well cared,
while some used elsewhere is not in fit
condition TO be made up. The leaf is
ars. dsmpened, and then well shaken to
open it, and mskeilt as clean as possible.
Tnis is called "cssirg." While the lesf
j. wet il is stripped" or in other words,
the large stems are taken out and the
"wrapper" or smooth leaf In which the
s,ogie is wrapped lie separated from the
"dlcr" or rough fragments of which the
BODY is formed. The wrappers" are
msle up into piles called
"oOoks" and go to the factory. The
OILERS" are spread on the floors OF large,
sry rooms, and allowed 20 dry li.tl,.
This drying is very important part oi
the programme, for II the leaf is TOO wet,
il will roll so tightly that the slogie will
no. draw" and cannot be smoked. 1t
must, however, be slightly damp, in or
der that 1t may be worked without
Crumbhng in fragments. The stogie
maker sits before little table with 8
pile OF "illirg' at his righ. hand and
bis wrappers at bis left. He breaks the
tobacco in strips about tour o. five inches
long, which lie holds in bis left
hand until he has enough for q stogle.
Tnen he rolls it over and over on the
tsble until it bScomes round and ready
for the wrapper" The latter is cut into
strip about two inches wide, and is rolled
disgonslly around the "fller" by a single
motion of the hand. A quick twist Is
given 10 the end intended for the mouth,
and the stogie is sn accomplished fact. A
seed stogie ia made in the same way, but
OHIO, New York or Connecticut tobacco
is used. Some very good workmen will
make 800 stogies day, but sd ordinary
one will average from 800 10 600. The
pay is 81 per thousand, and the market
price for the best quality of goods Is from
$l0.50to 81 90.
A great many "tips" or cigars which
retail st two for five cents are also made
in the city. Most Of them are made Of
Ohio or Connecticut tobacco, an / the pro-
Ceas OF manufacture is nearly similar TO
that Of stogies, except that after the man
has 3 sufficient qusntity Of material, it is
rolled with his hand and then placed in
q cigar shaped mould, where it remains
one hour 1t is then turned over IN or
der - make it perfectly rousd, and after
remaining in the mould sll night it is
tsken ou. and the wrapper put on, the
point being fastened with gum trsgs.
Csnth. About 400 is fair days work,
the pay being SIS thousand.
Pressed tips sre generally made en-.
tirely BY hand, like siogies, without GO
ing IN u mould, and are tied up tightly In
bundles OF twenty-five, while they are
damp which gives them their form.
Some higher grades Of cigars are msde,
but no: In large enough quantities to
warrant special description Of their
manufacture.
1t !s estimated that 100000 of
stogles are made annually in this city,
which give the Government $4,000 |
revenue. About hundred snd fny
men are employed in the business
WHO have steady work. Outside
OF this district aud in the
adjoining portions of Ohio and Penn.
syIvsnis soout 100000 s,oyies are
msde, forming s grand total of 5OOoO,-
OCO in this section Of the country. About
eighteen pounds OF lest are required for
thousand stogies, and taking this as s
basis it would appear tbs. SIC, 600 pounds
0! leaf sre used here annually.