The Durant news. (Durant, Miss.) 1882-1985, 1942-01-08
EIN|l!,s5jI I1|s01
RoTHIs,s
NEW YORK
BY NORTH CALLAHAN

where | often like to stroll. Not only
the big financial houses are inter-
esting; behind them toward the wa
ter front are countless commercial
concerns housed in time-worn build
ings whose wooden trimmings are al
most lost to view along dark and
narrow alley-ways. Beyond these
heavy doors are stories which tell
the business growth of this country.
-oOo--
The other day / wandered through
the coffee section of this part of
town, a place where titillating Cd
ors of fresh roasting coffee pung-
emily fill the air with enticing bits
of tasting again this popular bever-
age, even though one may have just
finished some. A casual glance at
one of the ANTICIPATED buildings
and l was wonder-struck into joy
full reverie. / was not standing now
amid the structures of Manhattan;
once again / was boy striding bare
footed along a country road, eagerly
breathing the dewy air of early morn
ing on the farm and casting a pleas
ed glance at nearby cozy farm
house beneath the trees. Not only
was / breathing-but sniffing-- the
unforgettable, delightful fragrance
of boiling coffee waited to me from
humming breakfast stove. For the
name on this New York building be-
fore me was "Arbuckle Brothers"
Most of you readers, certainly
those who bark back number of
years, have drunk Arbuckle's coffee.
Those who have not tasted it pro-
5ably have carried its paper packa-
ges home from the grocery for their
parents. Looking into the history of
this formerly-sold item, / learned
that the Arbuckle Brothers coffee
business was founded at Pittsburgh
in 1859 by Charles Arbuckle and his
partners. A younger brother, John
Arbuckle, joined the firm soon at
forwards and within few years it
grew into one of the largest coffee
houses in the world. Before 1865,
coffee was not sold already ground
and ready for use, but housewives
bought their coffee green and roast
ed it in their kitchen stoves as need
ed. John Arbuckle believed this me-
thod was wasteful and began to
study new way. In 1868, he invent
ed process of glazing coffee to
La hxr
sealing the pores of the coffee bean.
Thirty-five years later, he patented
q huge rooster which launched the
company on the road to success by
making possible the roasting of
large quantities of coffee while the
beans were suspended in super-heat-
ed air.
-oOo----
The brothers introduced the idea
of selling roasted coffee Sin little
paper bags like peanuts Although
their competitors laughed and ridi-
culed, the company packed the roast
ed coffee, still warm, in paper con-
tainers and sold it to retailers-the
idea going over with bang. Then
came the premiums. AS l recall,
most people called them "Arbuckle
signatures, ), those little inscribed pa
per strips on the outside of the
packages, which were cut out and
mailed in for coveted prizes galore.
The only thing l remember getting
by the method was huge box-kite
which ordered with great anticipa-
ton with 20 signatures from my mo-
theirs coffee packages. Upon finally
receiving the kite. ] was so exciated
in opening ard assembling it that
when lighted the gas candle that
was attached underneath to elevate
it, the paper kite caught fire and
burned instantly without ever TAX
ing off-much to my terrible and
fearful disappointment.
--oOo-
This. premium idea was wide
spread and even matrimonial. Fin
ger rings were a perennial favorite
with signature-savers and so great
was the demand for them that Ar
buckle Brothers became the largest
distributors of these rings in the
world. 1t was estimated that if all
the wedding rings the company is
sued served their purpose, they
brought about $4,000 weddings a
year for a long period In a single
year, the premium department re-
ceived over 108,O00,000 signatures
railing for more than C0O mn
premiums. These included 81S,928
handkerchiefs; 261,00O pairs of lace
curtains; 238,738 pairs of scissors and
185,920 Torrey razors. So it can
readily be seen that premiums
brought this popular coffee COM
pany also into the jewelry, dry goods
and hardware business.