Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-05-09
REMARKABLE ADVERTISING.
orske's Greatl misunderstanding Noun
Ararat and the Pyramids .

Drake's Greati misunderstanding Mount
Ararat and the Pyramids.
Perhaps the most remarkable adver-
tlser ever known in this country was
Drake, owner Of brakes Plantation
Bltters," q preparation now almost I'M
known. 1t was during the early days
OF the war, when the tax on whisky was
about two dollars a gallon. that prepara-
lion OF bitters became popular, which
answered the purpose of whisky and
was taxed only as medicine, Drake be-
gan the manufacture of his bitters. He
made a little money from the start, and
concluded to put it into advertising.
Then he inaugurated the epidemic Of
the celebrated inscription IS. 7. 1860.
-A:," which appeared in every newspa-
per in the land. then on every fence,
barn, billboard or rock upon which it
could be painted or pasted. Every
place on the continent it could be found,
on beetling p%recipice and seemingly in
accessible mountain cliff. Thousands
OF dollars were spent in the defraying
OF the expenses of adventurous adver-
Using fakes. Men worked for DAYS to
get a single sign in position. Painters
were hung by ropes v yawning
c'hasms while they painted IS. T. 1860
~" One day all the exposed rocks
in the Niagara rapids bore the strange
sign. On the line of the Pennsylvania
Railroad trees We're cut in a forest on a
mountain side, so that from the car
windows the letters 400 feet high could
be seen. Then Drake sent his men
abroad and they got themselves dis
liked by painting the mystic inscription
on the relics of by-gone ages.
The pyramids Of Egypt we're searched,
and party actually penetrated the
fortress of Mount Ararat, in Asia, and
painted IS. T. 1s6O-X." on the spot
where the ark was said to have landed.
The enterprising advertiser had the
trademark painted or wagons, railroad
cars, ships and steamers. One of his
advertising parties went around the
world, and a jocular announcement was
made that the letters were to be painted
on the North Pole, which would be dis
covered for the purpose, the equator
having alleaoy been decorated. Drake
was not alone at this era in this sensa-
tional style of advertising. Every one
will remember Hembold and his buchu,
and a half dozen other articles, in the
sale of which millions of dollars were
made. 1t was not until after Drake re.
tired from business, as rich as Cresus
that he gave an explanation Of his trade
mark. IS. T. 1s6O-X." meant
Started trade in 1860 with $40"
Advertising on the landscape is no
as much practiced nov as formerly on
really extensive scale. There is
tendency to the use Of printers ink il
all its forms. We know of one firm
that actually circulates %, 1000, 900 al
manacs every year. So enormous is tn
quantity Of printing of this description
used that the medicine men own thei
own printing establishments. Almanac
and pamphlets are printed from rolls Q
paper, folded, pasted and cut, in tn
same amer as newspapers of the first
class. 1t is said that the patent-med:
cine men of this country pay out Sc,
eral times as much for printing as d
all the shows in the country combined