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C. Bronson
| Firmenname | C. Bronson |
| Ortssitz | Toledo (Ohio) |
| Straße | Summit Street |
| Art des Unternehmens | Tabakfabrik |
| Anmerkungen | Lage: Summit street, zwischen Madison und Jefferson streets. Seit 1866 zu "Bronson & Messinger" (s.d.). Unklar, ob deren 20-PS-Dampfmaschine auch die von "C. Bronson" ist. |
| Quellenangaben | [Bishop: History of American manufacturers 3 (1868) 519] |
| Zeit |
Ereignis |
| 1836 |
Bronson beginnt sein Geschäft in in Centreville, St. Joseph County, Michigan. |
| 1851 |
Umzug von Bronson nach Toledo, Lucas County, Ohio, wo er ein Unternehmen unter seinem Namen gründet. |
| 01.01.1866 |
Bronson zieht sich aus dem aktiven Geschäft zurück und verkauft sein Unternehmen an seinen Bruder David Bronson und Charles R. Messinger. |
| ZEIT | 1868 |
| THEMA | Firmenbeschreibung |
| TEXT | Who commenced the business in 1836, in Centreville, St. Joseph county, Michigan, and whose establishment, up to 184t, was the only one west of Detroit where this article was made. His capital at the commencement was quite limited, and the machinery of his factory was of the simplest kind, being operated entirely by horse power. In 1851 he removed to Toledo, Lucas county, Ohio, and there founded the Works which bear his name, and which have become quite famous. Mr. Bronson was the originator of bright Fine Cut Tobacco, and to this valuable discovery, it may be assumed, he mainly owes the signal success which has attended his efforts. The Bronson Tobacco Works comprise three handsome and substantial brick buildings, each five stories high, with a frontage of eighty and a depth of one hundred and fifty feet, and are located on the south side of Summit street, between Madison and Jefferson streets. Another large edifice, situated on Lynn street, is devoted to the storage of the Leaf Tobacco used in the manufactory, as are also several extensive sheds located in the vicinity of the corner of Cherry and Summit streets. In the manufactory there are eleven first-class Cutting Machines, capable of cutting eleven thousand pounds of Chewing, or eighteen thousand pounds of Smoking Tobacco per day, all operated by an engine of about twenty horse-power. Ordinarily the number of hands employed averages from one hundred and twenty-five to one hundred and fifty. The revenue tax paid by this establishment is probably larger than that of any other house in the West, amounting in 1865 to 250.322.81. The value of the goods sold the same year was 560.400. The leading product of the establishment is Bright Chewing Tobacco, but it has achieved an enviable reputation in the manufacture of Smoking Tobacco of all kinds. Some of the best brands of Chewing, among which may be mentioned "C. Bronson's Indian Brand", have attained a widespread celebrity, and are found in the hands of the trade in all parts of the country. Mr. Bronson at first disposed of his goods through the instrumentality of travelling agents, who drove about the country in wagons; but as his business increased, and the popularity of his goods became firmly established, he found it necessary to dispense with this inadequate mode of distribution and avail himself of the facilities afforded by modern improvements. Besides being a man of indomitable energy, and excellent business qualifications, Mr. Bronson is possessed of considerable mechanical ability, and to him belongs the credit of inventing some of the most valuable improvements made in cutting and handling Tobacco. To his discernment and example the West owes its high position in this department of trade; for soon after he commenced the manufacture of bright goods, his style was copied, and his system followed by other enterprising men in the various cities of that section; and now, the West not only supplies its own demand, and that in an article peculiarly adapted to its requirements, but also furnishes the greater portion of the same material consumed elsewhere. On January 1st, 1866, Mr. Bronson retired from active business, having sold his establishment and trade to his brother David Bronson and Charles R. Messinger. These gentlemen, having graduated under the supervision of the former proprietor, are well qualified to sustain the exalted prestige of the house, and, judging by their sales during the first year of their occupancy of the premises, they are destined to add materially to its popularity and usefulness. It has been remarked, that the inhabitants of the higher latitudes of the globe demand stronger artificial stimulants than those of the lower; and in respect of no other article that enters into the domestic economy, perhaps, are local, or rather climatic influences more noticeable than in connection with Tobacco. Scotland and Ireland mainly prefer the Tobacco of Western Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee; while England manifests a preference for the milder products of Maryland, Kentucky, Missouri, and other Western States. Germany, like England, demands a lighter variety than the States north of her, but heavier than France, Italy, Spain, or the other countries, bordering on the Mediterranean. In this country, the order of progression is not so regular as it is abroad. Consumption does not appear to correspond so nearly with the different ranges of latitude as in Europe, Asia, or even Africa; but there is, nevertheless, the same diversity of taste and practice here that is observable there. "Just as in Austria and Turkey, totally distinct varieties are used, and deemed essential to the fullest enjoyment from this source, so here, the various sections of our country exhibit a varied preference for divergent species and styles. The Northern, Eastern, and Middle States, manifest a close resemblance to the kindred tier of States in Europe, using, generally, the rich, fatty varieties; while the Southern, in their practice, approximate more nearly the custom and habit of Southern Europe. It is in the custom of our Western States that we perceive the first real departure from that order of adaptation which, from its universality and unde-viatingness, appears to give validity to the assumption that there is a natural law which makes certain parallels of latitude at once the boundaries and the exponents of human appetite; for there, light, or as it is called, Bright Tobacco, is the rule, as in the Middle and Northern States it is the exception. The exception to the principle here presented, is however, after all, more apparent than real. The adaptability of certain portions of Western territory and soil to the production of light manufacturing Leaf, and the accessibility of the whole to the Bright Tobacco producing regions of the South, is probably the actual reason why both manufacturers and consumers are predisposed to this variety. Mr. Bronson's sagacity is shown in the celerity with which he discerned the opportunity presented, by the tendency of his section, for the introduction of an entirely new element into the Tobacco Trade of the country; and the many advantages accruing to the trade everywhere from this addition to its previous resources, entitles him to be ranked among its most honored and deserving members. |
| QUELLE | [Bishop: History of American manufacturers 3 (1868) 519] |
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