The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1882-03-26
WASHINGTON ENTERPRI Sc.
One OF Our Largest Wholesale Grocery,
Wine, and Lfquor Houses Makes a
New Departure I'm business.

The prosperity of Washington has been
evinced OF late in many welcome ways. Of which this
journal, which has been among the Institutions 10
profit by 1t, has always been cheerful chronicer
The burden OF an immense system OF improvements
has been successfully met and brought into bearabe
shape, whole new sections have been added to the city
as II they had sprung out OF the ground by magic,
old have felt revlylfying influence aud greatly
increased In activity and atracveness and popu-
lation has grown, and is growing, both In numbers
and substantially. Thus the spread and soidincaion
OF the outskirts have been reflected In Intense
life at the heart or business centre of The town. near
the market and thereabouts whence the supplies of
s0 600 people, many OF them wealthy and luxurious
must come There Is no more gratifying sign OF all
this than the manner in which Young business men,
OF high Integrity aud unsparing diligence, have been
enabled 10 thrive, making steady progress In the
direction OF Independence and assured position, where
they become an honor and help TO the community In
which they live, and an Indictment 10 exertion by
youth who would follow IN their footsteps AS asser-
ton is OF little force without example, no case could
be more In point than the history OF the house OF
Messrs j. Q. Ergood Co.. into whose busy once
representative OF TIE SUNDAY HERALD happened TO
drop on his rounds. change Is evidently In prospect
there, from the energy shown in despatching certain
lines OF business. closing out accounts rearranging
goods and internal dispositions. The members OF the
firm are courteous even In the midst OF hurry. So to
Dir. Ergood our reporter appealed without fear.
Yes - was the response; 'on the nrst OF next
month tAprii we hope TO get clear Of our whole
rstdH trade which we have hitherto combined, like
many other dealers. with more proper business
OF wholesale and jObbing transactions IN groceries,
we have as much Of that now as we can give our al
tention 10, and, besides, however others may have
found it, il seems scarcely fair to the retail dealers
who buy OF us, and with whom we are thereby
brought I'm competition
Is this the nrst considerable change in your busl-
nessi''
at is, except the chlnge Of nrm which took place
last November when Mr.. Frank Hume, tho previous
Co.. retired, and that was the first since the house
was founded. which was in the dark days following
close on the heels OF the great panie-to DO exact,
August ~, ls3-which brought about the failure,
you viii remember, Of the banking house Of Jay
Cooke & Co. And, by the way, It makes me smile
uoy a ram uigmal wi
which We were greeted when we began preparing
for business. Older merchants. kindly In their In
tentlOns, advised against our even attempting 20
begin business at such depressing period. But our
minds were made up to tho yenturei we thought
slack water might after an be a good time for hard
pulling TO win aud think the event has proved that
We struck food-tlde, which set IN after You,
Of course, renember the lines Of Shakespeare,
which read, There Is tide IN the affairs OF men,
which, taken at the food leads ON TO fortune -
think We struck that tide. -
Here the merchant with pardonable PRIDE let his eye
roam over the wel-1lled warehouse, which, fronting
twenty-fo four feet on Louisiana avenue and running
back 100 feet 10 front OF thrty-nye feet street.
Is tested TO its utmost capacity by the demands Of
storage aud tranlc. this building, II was
learned, the firm has lately bought from the parties
from whom they previously leased II.
"NOuld you have any objection to giving tho
figures Of your business, Mr.. Ergoodl''
1--WE have no reason to DO ashamed Of them, aud
amounted 70 so2, 600. which certainly did not look
like panlc. IhoAeNt year they were el70, 600, and
they have steadily Increased In the same way until we
are now doing business OF between $500, 600 aud
1880 600 per annum.i'
The present members OF the firm, 1t may DO added
as Of interest," are AIr. Jesse q. ErgoOd the senior
partner from the start; Mr.. Julius Huge, formerly
boOkkeeper, and Mr. Charles Homer. The two
former are NashinEtonians and The latter citizen
OF Baltimore. aud huy their present position not
at'le to their faith Ia tue great future lying before
this city which such men viii do much 10 promote
aud make certain. Their example Is a good one for
other earnest and ambitious asplTants, sometimes
prone to think there ~ no chance - f0T them IN the
District OF Columbia aud all viii lOin In wishing Er
good q Co. enhanced success by their new departure
Of dispensing with the retail branch adj unct 10
their Immense and Increasing Wholesale grocery
business.