New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-09-10
Boss Stillmen Philosophical
AS PeekskiIl Distllery Closes
One After AZ Years of Making and Using Whskey Says
1t Never Hurt Him; the Other, Who Never Drinks,
Says He Believes in Rum-for the Other Fellow

jealousy, after a glance at the clock.
Tommy Ryan was already busy, travel
ling along the rows of stills and shut
ting off the steam that was converting
high wine into raw spirits, raw spirits
into finer. Before another minute had
elapsed George Tietjen was closing tho
valves that control the water flow
through the condensers.
For a few seconds the white fluid
continued TO splash into the brass
bird cages, the streams undiminished.
Gradually the fluid columns lost IN
volume, became trickles, stopped until
at last only one was flowing. The
stillmen and the inspector stood near
as it dwindled into the trickle stage.
There came, for few seconds, squirt.
Then it was drop, drop, drop. final
drop, and on the stroke of IL 1t was
all over. II was the last drop of spirits
for beverage use-or one OF the last
drops, for in other distilleries all over
the country the same thing was hap
penng at the same time-that will be
distilled within the United States until
the war is over. Perhaps it was the
last drop ever TO be distilled on this
continent, for even the most optimistic
Of liquor men concede the possibility
that this great victory of the "drys'
which has forced them out OF bust
ness will prove permanent.
S21,00 Day Lost to L. S.
With the last drop distilled in this
one plant alone the government loses
revenue of S2l 900 n day. That, count
ing out the ffty-two Sundays, over
which by law the stills have been shut
down, means an income OF S6,b73,OOO a
wear. Week in and week out the
Fleischmann Manufacturing Company
has been distlling 10000 gallons OF
beverage spirits every day and paying
on each gallon q tax Of sl.10. Part of
the spirits have been used for the COM
pany's own private brands of rye and
bourbons and gins, and the rest has
gone into the making of Gordon gin, a
war exile from Great Britain, which
for the last year and half has been
made in this country.
Fortunately for most of its 600 en-
ployes, the Fleischmann distil!eries
represent, vast as they are, only a
minor phase of the company's bust
nesses. Yeast is the chief product, and
il was TO make the most profitable use
of the by-product, alcohol. that the
company began to dstill liquors. or
eleven plants scattered through the
country this at Peekskill has been the
only one distilling spirits for whiskeys
and gins since the Fleischmann man
agement, foreseeing the end toward
which the nation was moving, shut
down its Cincinnati stills last summer.
About two hundred Of the men en-
ployed here, stillmen, coopers, ware
house men. coppersmiths, cistern room
men and general laborers, will be look
ing for new jobs tomorrow.
A hundred. perhaps more, will be
transferred to one or another Of the
company's big vinegar plants. Vine
gar and yeast will continue to be made
here, but only 1000 bushels of corn,
rye and malt. instead of 5000 as for
merly, will go into the cookers. The
closing down of the distilling end of
The business began in mid-afternoon.
The law says that no mashes fer
mented after II o'clock last night may
enter into the manufacture of liquors.