The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-09-04
SALT WATER TAPFY'S STORY.
ASTOLD BY THE ORIGINAL TAFFY
JONES, INVENTOR.
Nothing Special About the Popular Deli
eacy hut the Salt In N-smaii Boy
Suspected the Name and II Took-If
Jones Had Patented II He'd BE Rich.

eacy ~ut ttc 5atN hs otsses' -N~s
Suspected the Name and II Toek-h
Jones Had Patented IL He'd BE Rich.
A. Jones, -the original salt water tahy
man, as he styles himself on his banner,
has waved that banner up and down the
Atlantic seaboard, following the summer
weather back and forth, from Long Island
Sound to Florida, for eight years.
When at home A. Jones Hives In Memaro-
neck, n. ". where he was born. but he 10
40 constantly on the move that his wagon
and his tapping tent are seen almost any
where but there. just at present the out
At Is at Long Island beach, but next week
or the week after It will be at Baltimore
and later at Old Point Comfort, following
the waning season South Then 1t will
| 20 to Charleston, then to Savannah and to
Jacksonville, finally ending the Southern
tour at Palm Beach, Fla.
And then when spring begins Jones will
once again retrace his footsteps north
! ward, covering the same route he passed
over in the fall and which he has been
passing over for eight years.
Hundreds OF salt water taffy men have
sprung up all along the Atlantic coast, but
Jones says they are all initators, drawn
| iHUO INC udut ny Vic phchOiHVhul OuSSSNS
| he has made Of II.
Jones Is what he terms a -hand-worker"
! OF tafYy, and he denounces the use Of ma
| chimes in the pulling Of the sugary masses
as mechanical contrivances which destroy
the merit OF the product, in taste, brittle
ness and general excellence. While ad-
hitting that the machines make good
show window exhibits for shore and city
resorts, he declares that that section OF the
public which seeks genuine salt water tany
and is experienced In the search for the
same will 60 q long distance to buy OF q
hand worker and will take no other product
II II can be helped.
| The father OF salt water taffy making
looks like a smart Yankee Of some sixty
summers. His tatYy making outfit COM
which to spread the manufactured product,
| a pulling hook. a cooking kettle, machine
to cut the newly made tafy into mouthiuh:
barrel or two Of sugar. and stout pair OF
hands; After one batch Of tany has been
Jones factory Is suspended until the tahy
hunters have brought out the manufactured
stock. Then the kettle Is set boiling again:
| While Jones was harvesting shower OF
nickels from, the tafy seekers the other
day he talked about salt water tahy.
| when first went into salt water tafy
making" said he, no one had ever thought
Of it. Now you will find salt water tahy
makers from one end OF the country to the
ohsr Fht ha have Ce made sGrtS Y oT on.
ula for producing it, but / didn't, and now,
you see, have not only hundreds OF imita
tors to contend with, but a poor quality OF
the manufactured article in competition.
What is salt water tery made of Well
secret, but don't mind doing It,. The great
secret lies in being able to tell just when
the tafYy is cooked enough. After that
perfect hook work by hand is necessary
and you will find only few who are willing
to work hard enough at the latter to make
the tafYy first class success.
loan tell when my tady is cooked enough
by touching It, There Is certain finenesl
and smoothness Of grain to the oookee
product which tells me when to take 1t Of
THE Ingredients are sugar and butte
and honey and water and salt. When thes'
are cooked enough put the mixture OF
enough. Then run 1t through the cuttinl
pns in and lot e Of :sit That helps to keel
the tafYy brittle for q long time, even unde
the softening influence OF salt air. and
y ', sot ase n 81 sn' there n
nothing to salt water taffy over and abov'
any other taify but its nane-that Is t.
say, except the salt put in.
Il will tell you how the name came t.
be used. Eight years ago l was making
taffy at Coney Island; was putting up
having a good trade, That summer l dis
covered that Il I put lot Of SALT into tn
candy the taffy kept hard and brittle for
! long time. One day when / was mixinl
up a batch a bright youngster who had beef
brought down to the shore from one Of tn
New York orphan asylums on an excur
} in large quantity OF salt, he said:
Mister. what do you call that whe
it's cookedH
And I says 'Taffv. my SON.
Then he saws: Why, it's salt waite
taffy. OF course
And had just sense enough to ace tina
there was merit in the name. and so
flashed 1t up on my banner, and my good
sold like wildhre under the new name
They've been selling ever since. Tn
. name caught on all over the country an
, | now YOU ace 1t everywhere, That's tn
story of salt water taffy and that's ell Their
IL to it. To-day you couldn't sell the stu
! at the summer resorts, though, II It WASH
| 1.h, saN wafar "a Nv