The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-07-08
seyenty-Five Thousand Thirst
Quenchers Dispensed Every
Day to st. Louisans.
CORNER DRUG STORES BUSY.
Ice Cream Trade for the City Has
Increased Fifty Per Cent or
More Over the Record
of Last Year.

Seventy-hve thousand soft drinks, inclnd.
ing ice cream soda water. lemonade ana the
more recently invented summer connections.
are sold every day over the counters OF drug
stores and cafes In st. Louis as a result OF
the extremely hot weather which has pre-
vailed the last three weeks.
The drug stores In st. Louis number about
40. and but few Of these are without
soda fountain. Added to this are perhaps
fifty or seventy-five cafes or ice cream par
lors where the soft drink Is sold. The down.
town cafes and drug stores capture large
part Of the summer drink trade in the day.
but at the drug stores and gardens In the
outlying districts the trade is not only
steady all day. but is rushing at night. Not
included IN this estimate are the summer
gardens outside the city limits. which do q
thriving business In this line.
Striking q general average. each OF these
places resorted to by the summer girl and
the thirsty man supplies $50 soft drinks In
single day. This includes every kind OF
cooling drink known to the trade for years
and many new beverages invented by the
ingenious caterer that he may offer his Gus
toners something new in the way Of relief
from the heat. The average price paid for
these drinks is "a cents. and. figuring from
that standpoint. more than 5000 Is spent
daily in st. Louis for them.
Busy Times At ShOppeFs' Resorts.
At places where this trade is made spe-
cialty the number of drinks sold far exceeds
the general average. A notable instance Is
a favorite downtown resort for shoppers
One side Of a long room IL lined with soda
fountains. Roughly estimated. more than
| 1000 drinks Of many varieties are sold there
| In a single day. The counters are steadily
patronized. and on bargain days many walt
l their turns.
The average drug store hours for business
| are from a. m. until 10 p. m To sell 150
| drinks In a day, therefore. would necessitate
/ the mixing Of a drink every six minutes.
| While in the morning the trade Is light. the
| soda fountain in many outlying drug stores
yields up in the busy hours a drink every
| three or four minutes. In many cases this
average will not hold good. but. on the other
l hand. 1t IS far exceeded at drug stores well
| equipped for the trade. Downtown the
| shortage caused by the few sales in the
poorer districts OF the town Is made UP by
| the facilities Of cafes and drug stores which
employ from two to six men for the soda
trade only. The refreshment counters OF
/ these places are well patronized by clerks
| and those whose duties compel them to be
on the street and by many who never until
the recent strenuous weather consumed
l soft drinks.
The dairy companies are kept busy manu-
/ featuring and delivering ice cream to their
/ retail customers In the stores. and In addt-
i
taken on large proportions recently. A
| rough guess by an official of one Of the
| large dairy companies places the number
| of gallons Of ice cream sold in single day
| at from l. 800 to 200.
l "Whlle this estimate may look small at
first glance" he said. at must be remem-
/ bered that many persons prefer Lemonade.
i phosphate and other plain beverages %
| soda water. The straight ice cream trade,
| however has been increased to consider
able extent by the sales at summer gardens
| and cafes"
An Official of the Union Dairy Company
last night said that the Ice cream sales OF
that company for the last five weeks ex-.
| ceeded the trade for the same time IN Tor
ofiices Of the st. Louis and the Grafeman
Dairy companies. two OF the large whole
sale companies. employees Of the supply de-
The B0O6 drinks represent possibly as
many st. Louisans who tickle their paiates
with the summer drink. A closer estimate
Higher, as those addicted to these beverages
are often served four or i've times in . sin
gle day At this rate one-oeyent1 -, OF In. sae
"Our trade in summer drinks shows q
year" said the manager Of an Olive street
names Of new drinks and then buy. I
Il SnOul0 Judge tnal our SAFES III tul9p1lHo udVo
Increased over 30 per cent in the last Eve
| weeks"
"Many Of our regular patrons have left
Of a Broadway establishment, "but still
there is a noticeable increase in our re.
home these hot days. and consequently
| much Of the trade IL transferred to the cor
| ner drug store. The morning trade Is brick
on account of the number Of shoppers who
come downtown and return homo before the
| heat Of the day."