The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-10-30
THE STOGIE

The stogie has invaded Manhattan ISL
and. The sign "Pittspurg stogies for sale
here' has within the last two months
been posted on dozens OF cigar stores. A
year ago there were but two cigar dealers
in the city that handled them. One
downtown firm is now selling 10000 a
week.
The name "Pittsburg stogie" is rather
a case of mistaken identity. That city
can claim neither the birth nor the
principal manufactures of the stogie.
While there are numerous factories To-
Gated there, Wheeling, W. Va, has better
claims to the name. In that small town
theirs are forty factories, employing hum
dreds of men. Here all the better grades
of stogies are made. These are all hand
made. The machinemade article, or
"mouid'' stogie. is product of recent
date, designed to use up the scrap Tobacco o
OF cigar factories.
The origin OF the name ''stogie," or
toby" as it is also called in Western
Pennsylvania, has been a matter of con.
siderable dispute. The most probable
derivation is that given by Wheeling
manufacturer, who has been engaged in
stogie making for sixty years. He says:
The name 'stogie' and toby are
both abbreviations. About eighty years
ago, before the days OF railroads and
after the completion of the national pike,
connecting the cities Of Washington and
st. Louis, there was used for conveying
goods vehicle called co estoga wagon,
or simply conestoga. The drivers of these
Mere called conestoga drivers. In those
days the pi ,,e was used by those unable
to afford cigars. Some inventive genius
L have forgotten his name-conceived
the idea OF making u cheap smoke for
the driver. He cot some tobacco and
lad tyxIc fQd in rt16o
that smoke would 60 through it. and sold
to these drivers, whence they came to be
called conestogas.' The tobacco used
was of good Kentucky stock, which was,
in those days, very cheap. Besides,
there vas at that time no internal rev.
enue on them. When | began business in
1910 there was ons other man engaged in
it, and both factories employed from four
to seven men,
The character of the stogie has changed
but little in the seventy-tive years of its
manufacture. The stogle OF the early days
and made by hand of long filler Kentucky
tobacco. The stogie of today is six and
one-half inches long, but the materials
and process OF manufacture remain the
same. The choicest brands OF stogies in
all manufactures are made from Ken
lucky tobacco, although Ohio, Pennsyl-
vania, Wisconsin, New York and Con-
neoticut furnish what is known as a seed
tobacco, which is largely used in the
manufacture OF stogies.
Tie use of stogies has been largely con-
fined within radius of 200 mills of
Wheeling. In this district everyone
smokes them. The Pittsburg millionaire
and the street urchin, the coal kings
along the Ohio and t1e roustabunt ON
the coal barges. meet on the same level
when it comes to stogies. Within the
last few years the stogie has been bum
ing it's way into smokers hearts all over
the country. In 1892 box of Wheeling
stosies, which found its way into the
cigar-making town of Key West, Fla,
was exhibited as curiosity in the office
of one of the manufactures there. The
business OF stogie.makIng, like that of
electricity. is yet in its infancy. A tasre
for stogies has to be acquired but, once
acc uired, the stogie smoker will pass over
a quarter Havana and select one of those
long. slender, black-looking, puagent
smokes that cost cent apiece.-New
York Herald.