The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-04-15

LUCK IN CIGARETTES.
Some Brands Go and Others Don't, and
Nobody Knows Why, Says Dealer.
Tn old cigar dealer was speaking about
past and present cigarette brands
"1hey talk about the power of
trust I" ne said. "but can convinoe you
that tr ust has NO more power than an
individual 10 making brand Of cigar
cites go or failure"
"What do you msan?" asked his caller.
~ mean that just about ono brand out
Of fifty lives, no matter what the quality,
the financial backing or the advertising
that may be done on IL. Quality has
very little to do with 10. Before the pres.
emit big cigarette company was formed.
you could have taken one sample Of each
Of their finest brands and not told them
apart, and yet one or two brands were
phenomenal sucoessts, and the others
were not Why 1t is more ti.nn or
any one else can tell. Twelve years ago
there was q great fuss made about Ger.
tain brand, aud visitors to Sheepshead
last year could still see she fenoe rails
with the old advertisement on them In
white paint Who remembers the brand
today? Where can IL be bought ut storsf
Another brand was placed with the trade
by q magnificent person who drove up to
the door of the shop In fine carriage,
wore sealskin overcoat, had silver boxes
lined with gold to show the goods and
employed o little darkey to open the door
of his carriage and carry In his samples.
The mag pificenoe aud the ciqsrsttes have
alike vanished. A third brand was IA
nous in the trade because 1t was 80 suc-
cessful. Tho Chinese In Mott street and
around there smoked IL to q man. Then
q new firm arrived from the South with
a schooner load Ct cigarettes and raft of
folding chairA One Of the firm took q
wagon and In about . week PLACED q
stock OF the cigarettes and chair in the
store Of pretty nearly every cigar dealer
from the Battery to the Harlem, and the
other brand wss a back numter as far as
this city was concerned.
st was . curious thing about this
mans success. Before he came on the
scene all the cigarettes wers placed fifty
in box, and he struck tho idea of ths
present slide box containing ten. He
was long time raising the money to
give the initial order, which, i think.
was for 20. 900 coxes for 200, 0c0 cigarettes.
As soon as the box makers began work
on them he increased the order to so. 600.
and, by steps, before the first shipment
~ o.
200, 900 boxes, having made sales to prac-
tioally that extent len years asn. In
eight months. In New York alone,
$40. 600 Ia said to have been spent In ad-
vertisina certain brand, and two
months later the brand was desd. just
about that time a manufacturer intro
duced brAno with q boom. he gave it
full pagss OF advertising In the New York
evening papers. al Unprecedented de-
parture which Is said to have teen one
cause that brought about the formation
Of the present cigarette company. lie
brought cut two or three other brands at
the same time, each with its own charac-
teristics. All are gone todny. Then came
trand whiob at one time had more
square toet OF poster advertising In tnls
city than the highest record OF Barn um's
circus; mint Of money was poured out
OH ii in all kinds OF advert Using. and yet
where are Its les today ou tsido of the
Pacific coast statess Why, the entire in
ternai revenue district In which its fac
tory IL lorateu will nut make moro than
j1"V0, 600 eiearsttss for the current year,
an. about 1000. 600, 0C0 cigarettes are
.. anuiactuTed yearly In this cou ntry.
NOW, the point wish to make Is, II
these leading firms with all their trade
connections. experience aud capital,
could. as indivic uals at first or as q cor
Ioration next make only these few
actually lasting sue ccessss what chancs
on % rth has any one else to bring out u
brand and oatch onf There APPEARS to be
no reason for 1t. but out Of ninety brands
Of cigarettes 10 troduCei In the past fifteen
ysnrs there are not more than live or six
toiay which have any sale to sp,ak Of"
-~he Sun.