The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1891-03-04
CENSUS FIGURES CONCERNING ALCOHOL


The census office has issued census bulletin
No. %, which embodies the preliminary re-
port on the quantity of distilled spirits con-
sumed in the arts, manufactures and medi-
cines in the United States during the year
ended December 81, 1889.
The report shows that the total amount Of
all forms of distilled spirits consumed by
wholesale druggists and manufacturers eles-
mosynary institutions and retail apothecaries
our to 1926, $40 proof gallons. This
report is the first ever made which was at all
trustworthy, as previous reports of the same
nature were merely estimates made by
various persons, based upon such miscel-
laneous information on the subject us could
easily be secured.
OF the total number of gallons of distilled
spirits consumed in the United States in 1883,
o,I45, l52 gallons of alcohol, 2,029, 800 gallons
OF whisky. 1,453, 04S gallons of cologne spirits,
266, S14 gallons of brandy, 222, 295 gallons OF
GIN, ls9,5Sl gallons of rum and IS, 1872 gallons
OF highwines, making the total consumption
10, $40, $40 gallons.
Cologne spirit is used for many purposes
for which alcohol, on account of containing
certain impurities, would be unsuitable. This
Is particularly true in relation to the preplra-
ton OF a large number of fine chemicals.
whisky, brandy, rum and gin are likewise
usedin the manufacture of proprietary medi.
clnes and certain pharmaceutical prepara-
lions, tinctures and medicinal wines.
1t appears that alcohol, as uch lin some
cases diluted With water), is used by certaiA
foreign elements. 1t is drunk to a great ex-
teri by Poles, Norwegians, Swedes, Firms,
Hungarlans and Russians. Large dealers in
the Northwest familiar with this particular
trade furnish the information That fully
one-half of the alcohol sold in that section
is drank as a ~favorite beverage by those
foreigners. Competent authorities in New
York City estimate that about fifteen bar
rels of pure alcohol are daily consumed for
drinking purposes alone in that city, and a
considerable amount is used for the same
purposes in the coal regions of Pennsylvania
and other sections, and a very considerable
quantity finds its way to the low grogshops
of the country, where it is compounded into
low-grade whisky and retailed over the bar.
Tit returns sent in from all the various
sources of information sought by the census
cfice have been compiled into various
tables, and show that out of the aggregate
1O,9I6,S4 2 gallons Of distilled spirits con-
sumed during 1889, the wholesale druggists
and manufacturers used Z 1856, $40 gallons, the
eleemosynary institutions used 102, 100 gal
Ions and the retail druggists used Z, 1901, 412
gallons.
In all the interests and spirits combined
New York led the States with !, 760, 343 gal
Ions. closely followed by Illinois, which is
credited with using 1906, 322 gallons; Penn
~sylvania is third on the list with ], 142, 941
gallons; Missouri comes fourth with Lon, 06S
gallons, barely leading Massachusetts,, which
took care of l ,01s. $50, all these figures repre-
sent proof gallons.
The ele~emosynary institutions of the coun-
try consumed 1927 ordinary gallons of
cologne spirits, and of this amount the Dis
trict of Columbia used 1888 gallons.
In view Of the fact that the retail drug
gists are often accused of selling whisky,
brandy, rum and gin as beverages, tine table
devoted to the retail apothecareies is espe-
cially interesting. New York druggists used
and sold lac, $50 gallons of whisky in 1889;
Missouri, 90, l56; Massachusetts,, 90, 95S; Indi-
Iowa, i7,227, and Maine, 1O,047. Massachu-
sets druggists used and sold As, 233 gallons
of rum in 1889, which was forty-ive per
cent. Of all the rum used and sold by the re-
tail druggists Of the country, and her retail
apothecaries also lead in the amount of gin
they consumed-27, 405 gallons, as against
New York's score of 1853 gallons. Chicago
NelUS.