The Sidney herald., 1956-05-10

New King Size
Coco-C Cola Bottle
Is Launched
Sidney this week will help
launch a new bo+tle that may
well go round the world event.
ually.
The IL or. king-size Coca
Cola bottle, now going on sale
here, its a 'Sbig brother" to the
present 611 OF. bottle, which is
known from Boston to Bangkok
and back again.
It's fame such as that, during
World War II, a German pris-
oner stepping off the gangplank
at an American port spotted a
familiar red sign and, turning to
an MP, said: 81 see you have
Coca-Cola here, too"
The soft drink is sold in over
70 countries, according to A. M.
Day, president of the LaSalle
Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Gust
about everywhere" he added,
except behind the Iron Curtain"
But, in at least one instance
the Curtain was pierced, MIR. Day
pointed out. That was when Gen.
Eisenhower sent Marshal Zhukov
a case of Coca-Cola after the
Soviet military leader enjoyed a
bottle during the Potsdam Con-
ference.
Mr. Day said definitely the
'Sbig brother" would not replace
the st~andard-size bottle, designed
in 1915 at the recommendation
Of a bottling official who urged:
I'VE need a Coca-Cola bottle
which a person will recognize
even if he feels it in the dark.
(Tt) should be SO shaped that,
even if broken, a person could
tell at a glance what it was"
Although about 80 per cent
of all the Coca-Cola sold is in
bottles, the man who invented
the drink never intended it to
be more than a soda fountain
beverage. In 1886 John S. Penn
berton, a druggist, prepared a
soft drink syrup in his back yard
in Atlanta, using a three-legged
iron pot heated by a wood fire.
He took a jug of the syrup to
Jacobs Pharmacy at the historic
Five Points, where soda water
was added and the new drink
was put on sale.
The rffrr4 xynov Anlxy Ok nol1nnc
were sold, bringing in $4,000. Of
this, Pemberton spent $47.00 on
advertising. Most of it consisted
of oilcloth signs pinned to drug
store awnings.
When Pemberton died two
years later, rights to Coca-Cola
were bought by a 3~7-year-old
wholesale drug salesman, Asa
Gambler. "Back in Gamblers day
the Coca-Cola Company changed
offices several times" Mr.. Day
said. zone time when it moved,
one horse wagon carried all
the firms equipment and furni-
Gambler was a keen merchan-
iiser. He originated the Coca
Cola poster and calendar, using
Russell's picture on one
Of them. He was the first to use
he slogan, Delicious and Re-
freshing," which appeared in
1889. And to get the public ac-
1uainted with the new drink, he
gave away millions of tickets for
rec Cokes.
'fThey tell me in Atlanta" Mr..
Day said, "that even today some
me comes across one of these
tickets in an attic. If they send
t in. they get a free case OF
Toca-Cola."
1t was Is years after Pember-
on invented Coca-Cola before
he drink was bottled. A young
Chattanooga lawyer. Ben Thomas,
who had come across a locally
soft drink in Cuba dur
ng the Spanish-American War,
lit upon the idea. He and anoth-
lawer, Joseph Whitehead, went
Atlanta and asked Chandler
f they could bottle Coca-Cola.
Gambler, busy with his fountain
ales, gave them the bottling
lights to practically the entire
'ountry. This was one of the
most amazing contracts in his
DRY - Thomas and Whitehead
Iidn't pay a cent. And the man
Who had given them a letter of
Introduction to Gambler didn't
hink enough of the product to
SIX for W e a single share for
Limself.
Mr.. Day pointed out the early
equipment was far diff
erent from today's. BOTTLES
we're washed by dropping buck
hot in them and whirling it in
They also used those old
ashioned sewing machines, equip
ed with a brush to scour the
ottles."
Coca-Cola was the first soft
rink company to use coolers.
The early ones were actually
yooden tubs, sawed in half" said
IT. Day. 1.-THE first electric COOL
r came out in 1888"
Mr.. Day thinks the secret of
joca-Cola's success is best sum
led UP in the way the trade
lark is Theoretically translated
-om Chinese. In China, where
oca-Cola is a popular drink, 1t
leans: snake man mouth hap
""
IRARD FARMERS UNION