The Durham recorder. [volume] (Durham, N.C.) 1879-19??, 1885-05-06
DURHAM NORTH CAROLINA WEDNESDAY, MAY ss5DoUBE

ing office it is cut into requisite sii
and shape for cigarette wrapping, an
we see nothing more of it or its ust
until we inspect the 2nd floor of TIL
factory.
| UPON THE THIRD FLOOR
are different departments. One .ha
of this floor is used for cutting an,
preparing of cigarette stock and 70
dry houses +; the other half is devote,
to the storing and packing ofgranulat
ed tobacco.
THE SECOND FLOOR,
so far as cigarette making is concern
ed, is the central point of interest
Here is q great apartment-the larg
est single room i'm the United State:
devoted to this purpose. 1t is admira
bly, lighted, is heated by steam, and
an even, pleasant temperature per
vades the great room. 1t is one OF
the busiest spots conceivable. Here
more than 400 young men and J Dung
women are at work rolling and trim
ming cigarettes. 1t is q matter OF
pleasure as of curiosity to note thu
def play of their fingers, and any
one who has ever experienced the
same difficulty in making a cigarette
that the writer has cannot but look on
in wonder and admiration at the in
conceivable rapidity with which the
work is done.
FIVE THOUSAND CIGARETTES PER DAY
is not an extraordinary number for
the more expert workmen. and yet
the most careful inspection or com.
parison will scarcely detect shadow
of difference between any two ciga>
rettes out of the entire number.
Right here we may describe in
brief the system that prevails. Upon
the south side of this, the second floor,
and about midway between east and
west, is partitioned off an apartment
which figures conspicuously in the
conduct of the business. Here the
requisite quantity of tobacco for the
filling of a given number of cigarettes
is weighed out, and this tobacco is &C.
by q number of slips of
cigar cite paper to correspond. This
tobacco and paper is given to the
and with it a ticket which
constitutes the first in a system of
checks. Upon this ticket is the name
Of the operative and the quantity of
raw material issued. When the OPP
srative returns his finished cigarettes
hey are weighed, so as to see that
they correspond with the amount of
given out; IL there is either
shortage" or "over" il is marked
apon the ticket then each cigarette
IS carefully inspected-if faulty in
aianufactsre or roughin appearance
It is rejected, and q corresponding
entry is made upon the ticket while
The cigarette itself is torn up. In
this way not only fnll returns arc
assured but uniformity ofexcellence
IS secured. and it is upon this unifor-
nifty of superior excellence that w.
Duke, Sons & Co., prize themselves,
10 less than upon the quality of the
usei Continuing our down
ward course. we reach
THE FIRST FLOOR.
Here we find the packing, labelling,
sales and shipping depart
nents for both tobacco and cigarettes.
The cigarettes, rolled upon the floor
tbove, are here put up in attractive
packages of ten and twenty each and
hen stamped. This stamping process
5 almost as quick as thought itself,
md the urchin whose dextrous move
nents We watched for a moment or
.wo appeared more like an animated
than anything else. Follow
ng the stamping comes the work of
i'm pasteboard boxes, and
these pasteboard boxes are again
packed i'm neat wooden cases with
every precaution against heat or
they may encounter i'm their
ong journey to any distant part of
;he world" Upon this first floor,
slso, the firm are now fitting up o
Tery handsome and commodious
room and private Offices, and
We anticipate the change from the
I'D offices to the new will be gladly
Welcomed by the firm. and clerical
taft alike.
Thus hastily we have made a tour
If the main building or new factory,
nut this comprises but portion of
he premises used; there are four other
arge frame buildings, used for the
torage, handling and curing of to-
,acoo, but there is nothing novel to
De seen ia these buildings. so we pass
hem by with the briefest possible
mention.
SOME MORE "REMINISCENCES.
Now we find it necessary to again
'efer to the past. Until the spring of
1881 the entire product of the factory
lad been smoking tobacco. During
lis first years business Mr.. w. Duke
made not far from $4,000 lbs. of to-
,acco; by 1878 the annual product
lad reached the total of something in
excess of 100000 lbs. Now the pro.
luct of smoking tobacco is from one
million to one and half million
pounds per year-a ratio of growth
hat speaks for itself. But this in.
'rease in the volume Of trade in the
smoking" department is as nothing
when compared with that in the CT
sarette department. In April, 1881.
our years ago, w. Duke, Sons & Co.
irst engaged in the manufacture of
cigarettes. The firm could "divine
he signs of the times" They saw
he gigantic strides cigarette smok-
ng was making. Pipes were being
abooed ; cigars were falling off in
demand, and the cigarette, whose
birth place was semi-civiiized Russia,
vas coming to the front at a tremend.
,us pace.