The Washington herald., 1906-10-17
CRACK CIGAR MAKERS
Only Four Experts Can Make
Those of Highest Grade.
EARN AS HIGH as $40 A DAY
Travel About Like Kings and Do
Much as They PIeaSe-Can Cripple
n Business-Rich Men Use Domestic.
Oscar Hammerstein Learned Trade.
How the Finest Cigars Are Made.

| George Coleman, one OF the largest
cigar manufacturers in the United States.
who comes to Washington frequently from
New York. SAYS that every expensive
cigar made in this country passes
through the def hands Of one Of only
four men, and that these are the only
four IN the United States who know how
10 turn out this grade OF cigars.
One of the four IS a Chinaman, who
lives in California, and who comes East
once year TO ply his trade. The other
three are Cubans. who stay IN the United
States nearly all the time, because they
can make more money here than in their
native country. where they encounter too
much competition.
Mr. Coleman says that these skilled
laborers travel about the country IN style,
as they go from one center OF the cigar
Industry 10 another, and that when they
come 20 his place to work they are AZ
rayed IN the raiment Of the plutocrat.
Their average earning is about $50 a
week. or SO day. They are paid by the
hundred. and will not submit to the
working discipline OF the establishments
that employ them.
Like unto the ''DiIler, the dollar, the ten
o'clock scholar" Of the nursery rhyme,
sometimes they go to work early and
put in ten or twelve hours u day. and az
Other times they set in late in the mora
ing and knock off early in the afternoon.
Those cigar manufacturers who turn out
expensive brands of cigars-brands, for
example, that sell three for a dollar and
up-are wholly at the mercy Of these
four experts who probably viii not come
around next year if they are not treated
just right this year.
Done wholly by Hand
Mr.. Coleman explains that high-pricej
cigars are made wholly by hand. Not a
piece Ct machinery touches any part Of
the delicious weed. They are made en-
tirely of Cuban tobacco. and ike every
other cigar that contains in It's makeup
any portion OF tobacco grown in Cuba.
they are what are known IN the trade
as Havanas. Thus a cigar to be enti-
tied 20 the name Havana" does not
necessarily have to be made in Cuba All
that is required to give it that trad-
distinction is that all, or d part, Of its
constituents shall have been produced in
Cuba. The tobacco that goes into tho
! high-priced cigar is carefully selected
and laid aside for the coming Of one or
more Of the four naughty experts Their
/ hands and fingers do all the work Of
manufacture
After ascortaining from the proprietor
I or foreman Of the shop what shape and
size are desired. the expert does the rest
without deigning to take further sug.
gestion. They first roll the filler into
the desired form and dimensions merely
by manipulating II in their palms Then
they put the wrapper on, twist the smOk-
ing end into shape and toss the creation
Of their deStness in uncompleted form
over to one Of the regular employees of
| the factory. who ships of the other end
with a pair Of shears
According TO Mr.. Coleman. only few
thousand Of the high-priced cigars are
made in the United states annually,
/ though nearly as many are turned out
! OF the factories in the United States
as are made IN Cuba or elsewhere He
says that the average person would be
. surprised 10 learn how few of the ex-
/ pensive grade OF cigars are sold at re-
TAIL compared with the immense volume
Of the lower grade cigars running H.
price from two fer quarter down.
Intended for Presents.
AR. Coleman says that for the most
part high-pTiced cigars are purchased by
the box and are bought almost solely for
the purpose of presents, either in bulk
or singly. Many Of them. of course. are
I sold over retail counters from the box,
I but this business Is so Insignificant as
not 10 count for much in the traffic His
most interesting statement about the c.
/ gar business, however, IS that IL is prac-
/ tically impossible 10 crowd into one cigar
an actual value material, labor. tax, &c,
| included. of more than twenty-five cents.
( By this he means that whenever a smoker
pays any more than that for Il cigar the
! manufacturer and retailer are getting q
/! profit that is enormous, although the
/ consumer gets something that is rare and
delightful. None OF the expensive brands
Of cigars are made Of tobacco grown in
the United States.
! What are known as domestic cigars
are made wholly OF the product of this
country, and no soil has yet been discov-
cred in the United States that imparts
to tobacco that peculiar flavor which
makes the Havana, or Cuban grades, the
/ best cigars in the world. When the in
dustry was in its infancy in this coun-
try the great problem that confronted
the manufacturer was TO get a domestic
| wrapper. 1t has been only q few years
/ since a small area in Wisconsin has dem
| Onstrated the possession Of the qualities
Of soil essential to the production Of n
( leaf out of which wrappers can be made
The primary essential Of the wrapper
/ leaf is a thin vein. The top leaves on
nearly every plant grown IN Cuba have
/ thin veins.
How Hammerstein Started.
Oscar Hammerstein, one of New York 5
J biggest theatrical managers, learned the
1 trade Of cigarmaker when a boy and
worked at it until he was nearly thirty
years old. He never, however. became as
| expert. as any of the four worthless spoken
OF by MI Coleman. But MI Hammer
stein did something for the cigar business
| that brought him an independent fortune
and reduced the cost of manufacture very
/ considerably.
/ He invented a machine that rolls all Of
1 the cigar except the wrapper. For years
/ he has been working on a device that VIII
put the wrapper on and thus reduce the
/ cost of manufacture still further. IL he
/ succeeds in doing this he will have pat
ent worth more than any gold miEe in the
United States. He tells Mr.. Coleman that
/ he at last has the idea worked out, and
/ that he expects soon 70 be able to ind a
machinst who can make the machine.
/ If he accomplisEes this he viii COM
pletely revolutionize the cigar-manufac-
turing industry OF the world. and 81 the
same time pct crimp in the pride Of the
/ four experts who domineer 50 haughtily
over the cigar manufacturers of the
/ United States.
Morgan smokes DOIneStics.
/ One Of the most interesting facts de-
( veloped by this little iacursion into the
mysteries of the cigarmaking industry is