The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1921-01-06
PEORIA SURVIVING
PROHI DROUGHT

Many there were who predicted that
the great liquor manufacturing centers
would be in dire straits when days of
prohibition became a reality. Appar-
emily, however, they are about as
prosperous as the grape growers of
California, who are getting four times
as much for their crops as formerly.
Mrs. Mary Neisler, former resident of
Peoria, ILL.,, known for its huge
whiskey distilleries, has just received
the following clipping from home
paper.
1t was freely predicted that the dis
tillers and brewers would be thrown
into bankruptcy. and that financial
ruin was their certain fate on account
of the ratification of the prohibition
amendment. 1t was also predicted
that the farmers, particularly of llli-
nois. living in the vicinity of Peoria,
would find no market for their surplus
corn when the great distillers of that
city stopped manufacturing whiskey
and alcohol.
Yet the great distilleries of Peoria,
the largest in the world, have success
fully passed through the great dry
crisis, and are still hourishing and do
ing business at the old stand. But it is
a very different business from that of 3
or years ago. Lining Illinois river
are six of the largest plants ever con-
structed for the manufacture of lntoxi-
cants. The dry wave has engulfed
them all, but instead of manufacturing
the stuff which Robert G. Ingersoll
says "drives the skeleton from the
feast and paints landscapes on the
brain of man." they are engaged in the
more prosaic work of making syrup
out of the by-productss of corn and
converting the corn and barley and rye
of central Illinois into feed for live
stock
Before the days of prohibition, Illi
nois alone contributed more than $780,
600, 900 annually in paying the expenses
of running the government, through the
mysterious tax known as internal reve-
nue., and two-thirds of this was paid by
the Peoria distillers. The annual out
put of these great enterprises was
$50, 900, 900 gallons of the distilled prod
uct, ''the mingled souls of wheat and
corn"
The Central Illinois or Peoria district
known as the Fifth, paid over to Uncle
Sam in one year-l907-S35 J, ST., 448, in
the shape of internal revenue, which
was tax enough to provide for one
sixteenth of the total expense Of oper-
ating the United States government.
When all the distilleries of the Central
Illinois district were in operation. they
consumed the corn from l,500 acres
each day. Large quantities of rye were
also consumed. From the grain was
produced more than 1000 gallons of
whiskey every day in the year. Three
or four train loads of whiskey and al
cohol were shipped from Peoria every
day. At one time the Great Western
distillery fed Is. 600 cattle with the ref
use mash from corn. The great ware
houses, ten stories high. where whiskey
was "aged," still stand.
In the years that have passed this
structure has held millions upon mill
lions of dollars worth of intoxicants. |
Now it contains barrels of syrup, corn
starch, linseed oil, food for livestock
and various by-products of grain, glu-
cose, etc. 1t was possible to transform
the great distilling plants into those
tor the manufacture of food products |
without heavy expense. Instead of
requiring the corn from 1900 acres |
every day, only the corn from 400
acres averaging 40 bushels to the acre. |
is now used.
The manufacture Of alcohol has not |
wholly ceased. There is still a large |
demand for alcohol as a leading ingred- !
lent in many patent medicines, fiavoring |
EXTRACTS, in the arts, and also in the |
manufacture of smOkeless gun powder. |
In this connection we will publish \
Bob lngersolps famous apostrophe to
whiskey, followed by William J. BryS
as apostrophe to water. Mr.. lnger-
soil sent friend some whiskey accom- /
panied with the following note:
81 send you some of the most won
derful whiskey that ever drove the /
skeleton from a feast or painted land |
scapes on the brain of man. II is the |
mingled souls Of wheat and corn. In it /
YOU will find the sunshine and the shad- /
ow that chased each other over the bill
lowy fields. the breath Of June, the I
carol Of the lark, the dews Of the night, /
the wealth of Summer and Autumn s /
rich content, all golden with impris-
oned light. Drink il and you will hear
the voices Of men and maidens singing
the Harvest Home. mingled with the
laughter Of children. Drink it and you
will feel within your blood the star-lit
dawn the dreamy taWnV dusk Of MANY II