The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1885-06-17
THE REWARD OF INDUSTRY.
What Perseverance and Enterprise
Have done for Rock Island Man
ufaeturer.-.Wagner's Immense
Brewery.
A GREAT INSTITUTION i.

and that is in every way deserving OF the
success it has achieved, of the high rank
in the list of manufacturing establish>
ments in this vicinity it has reached, it is
Wagner's Atlantic brewery.
When George Wagner bought the props
erty where he has thrived in the brewing
business so well, it was twenty years ago,
and the establishment was turning out
only 5000 barrels year. but with Mr..
| Wagner's accession into the business on
the property the trade began to grow,
steady improvement was shown in each
years sales. and each years demand. I'M
til now the brewery is capable of turning
out 60, 900 barrels per annum, and this
year Mr.. Wagner has been obliged to take
steps to secure larger quarters to accom-
modate his increasing business. All of
Mr.. Wagners succesn is due to his own
energy, perseverance and enterprise. He
has done very little advertising, for the
reason that his goods have advertised
themselves Wherever barrel of beer
has been sold, it has brought in an order
for two. But it is not the quantity of
his goods that he gets in the market that
Mr.. Wagner cares fort is the quality.
His one aim has been to furnish the purest
article that could be manufactured, re,
! g tro,h1n 70 I'll
has labored TO please, and his every eff
fort in this direction has been crowned
with success.
The Atlantic brewery is three story
brick structure, located opposite the c.,
R. l. & p depot on Moline avenue. 1t
is $50 feet long by IS feet deep. with ice
house in the rear 100 feet square.
THE VAULTS.
The vaults are twelve IN number, all of |
which are provided with cold air from an
ice machine, which will be described far,
ther on. These vaults or cellars contain |
in all lis hogsheads, aud "a tanks which |
are continuously filled with beer, and |
which are supplied as fast as tapped |
Here twenty>four men are employed
THE BoTTLING HOUSE
is in constant operation. On the average |
fifteen barrels of beer is bottled each day. |
The manner of bottling is by the latest
and most improved process, and thirteen
men are kept busy in this department all
the time.
THE ICE MACHINE.
Although this new industry was de-
scribed in these columns at the time of its
introduction by Mr.. Wagner, review of
it and its mode of working will prove of
interest at this time, when there has been
sufficient time to test its merits. The
machine was put up by Theodore Krauch,
of North Evanston, H.. who is the pat
entee and manufacturer.
The main portion of the apparatus is
an immense pump from which amonia gas
! is forced into large tank above, called a
condenser, from which it passes through
a series of pipes, where it forms the frigid
substance and then enters the coils in the
cellars.
Twelve of these cellars are thus sup
piled with cold air process, after which
the gas accumulates and passes back to
the pump, and goes through the same
method again and again and so on.
1t is forty ton machine, and 90, 900
feet of pipe are used in the entire work,
thereby regulating to any degree the TEN
: perature of 500,O00 cubic feet of space.
The outfit cost Mr.. Wagner about SIS, i
600, but it is introduced with view not
only of lessening expense in the future,
but of securing gain in the capacity OF
his building The space formerly used for
storing ice, will increase the extent and
number of the cellars, and Mr.. Wagner
therefore expects to triple his accommo-
dating facilities and business as well.
An annual ice bill of $1,000 is dis,
pensed with, and the cellars are furnished
with pure and easily regulated temper>
allure, which can be made to vary from
four above freezing to four below. The
temperature in the cellar ranges from one
to three below the freezing point Ans
? other advantage is that the cellars are
kept dry, and the same rate of tempera-
ture can be given hop extract the year
around.
With view Of further improving his
works, the enterprising brewer has Just
had two
NEW STEEL BOILERS
put in, the dimensions of which are 5 by
IS feet, thus not only giving greater ia
cilities for running the machinery, but in
: creasing the daily amount brewed.
NEW OFFICE
has also been planned for, and is in the
course of construction, and when COM
! pleted, will be as convenient place to
transact business as can be found
} THE CAPACITY
t of the brewery, with its improved and re
. markable arrangements, is $50 barrels of
e beer each day. better showing than can
be made by any like institution west of
S Milwaukee or north of St. Louis The
trade of the Atlantic brewery reaches out
J. in all directions. Of late great demand
has came from Nebraska, in so much that
Mr.. Wagner has found it necessary to es>
: tablish agencies at Omaha, Norfolk, CO..
lumbus, Wymore and Hastings. For a
e time it seemed as if Mr., Wagner would
: not be able to supply the demand for his
? beer. but now with his increased facilities
| hp ic able n, accommodate oil the ordars