During the 1820s, another attempt was made
to bottle mineral waters in Philadelphia by Elias Magloire Durand.
He was born in Mayenne, France in 1794 and was educated at the
Collegiate School where he was attracted to the study of chemistry.
He became a pharmacist during a three year apprenticeship starting
in 1808. After completion of this apprenticeship, he served as
pharmacist in Napoleon's army. After the 100 Days War and due to
his affiliation with Napoleon, he was placed under surveillance,
which interfered with his employment. Disgusted at his treatment,
he decided to leave his country and seek the freedom being denied
him.
Durand left France for the United States in 1816 and on
arrival went to Boston to visit a distant relative and obtain
employment there. He soon left and went to Philadelphia and
worked in a chemical factory. When he became ill due to
working mercurial salts, he abandoned chemistry and returned to
pharmacy and proceeded to Baltimore. He ended up working for Edme Ducatel,
a prominent pharmacist, and was in charge of the pharmaceutical part of his
business.
He worked in Baltimore until the summer of 1824, when he
proceeded to France to procure his supplies for a new business he
planned in Philadelphia. His spent his time in France selecting
stock, apparatus, bottles, and everything needful for a first-class
French Pharmacy. In the spring of 1825, he returned to Philadelphia
and obtained a lease on a store on the Southeast corner of Sixth and
Chestnut, which is right next to Independence Hall. Durand moved
quickly to have the necessary alterations completed and with the
reception of his goods, he fitted up his store at considerable
expense, using French glassware, porcelain jars, mahogany drawers
and marble counters. But the most important part was his stock of
French drugs and chemicals and an apparatus for making and vending
soda water.
Durand's great skill as a pharmacist, untiring
industry, and close attention to business, social and scientific
qualities, attracted the most eminent and principal physicians to
his store. His devotion also made "Durand's Drugstore" well known
to the general public giving a great boost to his prescription
business. Durand's business flourished and ultimately became one of
the most distinguished pharmacies in the United States. His
interest in business was not merely that of a trader as he carried
it into the same love of science. His store became an important
center of pharmaceutical information, which directly and indirectly
had much to do with the introduction of scientific pharmacy to
Philadelphia and the United States. His store became a resort of
the most intelligent and influential of the time and was a haven for
scientists, botanist in particular, and his soda water fountain
became a gathering point. Durand is known as the father of the
American Soda Fountain as a result.
I believe that the Durand
bottle of this period was manufactured in France and were shipped
with the mold to Philadelphia in 1825. The bottle does not have the
appearance of American manufacture and Durand purchased bottles in
France during his buying trip to supply his new business.
This bottling of mineral water at this time was not a success for
Durand, but he was to pay more attention to it later on.
The above information is a synopsis from a more detailed article
I wrote on Elias Durand. There
are more details on Durand and his later bottle in the next chapter.
In New York and Beyond
Another attempt to bottle mineral waters during this decade was
made in New York City by Marsden Haddock and Sons;
Edward and Marsden.
The main moneymaker for the the Haddocks was their android show and
it may be possible that bottling of mineral waters was a foray that
they entered when the popularity of the androids waned or
alternatively they felt that the bottled mineral water business was
about to explode as it had in England. Another
possibility is that the mineral waters were a sideline business to
the android shows. What ever the case, the Haddocks had some
of the most primitive American mineral water bottles.
Marsden Haddock was born about 1759 in Ireland. As early as
1787, he was an umbrella maker in Cork and later built organs.
During the early 1790s, he advertised he was cutting Waterford and
Cork glass and offering it to the public. By 1795, Marsden had
entered into the automaton or android show business. The earliest
advertisement I found was in the London Times on December 22, 1795
and lists the androids and what they did:
AT the MECHANIC THEATER, No. 98. NORFOLK-STREET, STRAND.
will be exhibited the
ANDROIDES (sic),
Doors open every Day at half past 12, and begin at 1, and every
Evening doors open at half past 7, and begins at 8
These much admired Pieces of Mechanism, which not only
imitate human actions, but appear to possess rational powers,
consist of first,
The WRITING AUTOMATON; a Figure, about the size of a
Boy of four years old, which will be brought to a table, and set
to write any word, words, or figures required, in a round legible
hand.--Second.
The FRUITERY; the model of a neat rural mansion, and
contains the following figures; first, the Porter, which stands at
the gate, and on being addressed, rings a bell, when the door
opens, the Fruiterers come out, and any Lady or Gentleman may call
for whatever fruit they please, and the figures will return and
bring the kind required, which may be repeated, and the fruit
varied as often as the company pleases; it will likewise receive
flowers, or any small articles, carry them in, and produce them
again, as called for. As the Fruits are brought out they
will be given on charge to a Watch Dog, which sits in front of the
house, and on any person taking away or touching them will begin
to bark, and continue to do so until they are returned. The
next figure belonging to this Piece is, the LITTLE CHIMNEY
SWEEPER, which will be seen coming from behind the house, will
enter the door, appear at the top of the chimney, and give the
usual cry of "Sweep!" several times, descend the
chimney, and come out with its bag full of soot.--Third,
The LIQUOR MERCHANT and WATER SERVER.
These are on a platform of about two feet square, which (as the
former Pieces), will be placed on a table. The Liquor
Merchant stands at a small cask, from which it will draw every
kind of spirits, wine, &c. required. The Water Server
stands at a pump, and will fill a tumbler with water as often as
called for.--Fourth,
The HIGHLAND ORACLE; a Figure in the Highland
Dress, stands on a time piece, and gives the Hour and Minutes
whenever asked, by striking its Sword on a Target; it gives a
rational Answer (by Motion) to any Question proposed; it
calculates Sums in Arithmetic, and gives the amount instantly of
any number of pounds, yards, &c. at any given price, beats
Time to Music, &c.
The Table the different Pieces will be placed on
contains an organ, on which the Proprietor introduces a few Notes;
also,
THE MACHINE, or (SELF-PLAYING) ORGAN, will play
occasionally several Pieces of Music, Airs, Country Dances,
&c.
Mr. HADCOCK (sic) flatters himself the Androides
(sic) will be found more curious than any thing of the kind ever
before offered to the Public, as the Principles of Action are
entirely new. The Theatre is neatly fitted up, and every
thing calculated to give satisfaction to a polite and discerning
Audience.
Boxes 4s--Gallery 2s -Exhibition lasts Two Hours
Although Haddock stated that the show was "closing in two or three
weeks" with his intent of "leaving town" in an April
21, 1796 London Times ad, a later advertisement in the same paper
dated December
4, 1797 shows he was still operating the show a year and a half later and
added new androids to it:
TELEGRAPH,
Exhibited upon Mechanical Principles by an Automaton Figure, at
the ANDROIDS, No. 38, Norfolk-street, Strand.
THIS PIECE of MECHANISM represents the Model of that on the
Admiralty, with the Cabin underneath where the officer sits to
work it, which by the combination of six Swivel Boards, can spell
any word, or enumerate any number of figures, exclusive of several
occasional Signals adapted for the purpose. The Hand-bills
give a description of the number of signals, and how they are
combined to make a sentence.
The other much-admired pieces are as follow:
The ORTOGRAPHER, quite a new Piece.
The WRITING FIGURE, much improved.
The FRUITERY
The LIQUOR MERCHANT, which draws twelve kinds
of Liquors from the same Cask
The WATER PUMPER
The RUNNING ATTENDANTS, quite new
And the HIGHLAND ORACLE.
HADDOCK'S new-invented TABLE ORGAN will be
introduced in the Exhibition. Tickets and Places in the Boxes
taken at the Mechanic Theatre, which is neatly fitted up, and
every thing calculated to give satisfaction to a polite and
discerning Audience. Begins at 1 o'clock in the Day, and 8
in the Evening. Boxes 2s Gallery 1s.
An ad in the May 4, 1798 London Times states that Haddock was
"closing (finally)" down the androids' show in "three
weeks" to dedicate his attention to his
"Manufactory," which was likely back in
Cork. Haddock shows up in the Cork directories in 1805
as an organ builder and umbrella maker and was building and
installing organs in Ireland in the early part of this century. It seems likely that
he took his android show on the road to other cities in Great Britain
during the ensuing years.
The next record we find is the arrival of Marsden Haddock and his
son Edward in New York aboard the ship Ann Marie on March
9, 1820. Almost immediately, Haddock was introducing his
android show to a whole new continent. Haddock first
advertised his android show in the May 22, 1820 Mercantile
Advertiser;
Opens to-morrow evening, Tuesday, 23d May, inst and
every evening after, and a morning exhibition on Mondays and
Thursdays, the
ANDROIDS or Animated Mechanism.
M. HADDOCK, Organ Builder, from Cork, intends himself the
honor of exhibiting his Androids in New York, for a short time, at
the Park Hall Auction Room, 253 Broadway. The repute this
exhibition has obtained in the capitals of Great Britain, will he
hopes, insure it equal attention in this city. Doors open at
half past 7 o'clock and exhibition begins at 8. The morning exhibition,
on Monday and Thursday, opens at half past 12 and begins at
1. Tickets at Messrs Haly & Thomas, booksellers, 142
Broadway. Particulars in the handbills. It is
requested that the company be in the room before the time of
beginning, or they lose an interesting part of the entertainment.
The show opened to rave reviews and year later Haddock sent for
his family to join him in New York. His wife Martha, son
Marsden, and daughter Jane, arrived in New York aboard the ship
Boston, on August 28, 1821. Haddock then took the show on the road
and over the next four years exhibited in New York (3 months
initially), Philadelphia (5 months) Boston (9 months), Baltimore (5
months), Albany and possibly in other cities. The
price to enter the show was 50 cents for boxes and 25 cents for the
gallery. Children were half price, but were not permitted in
the gallery. In May of 1821, Haddock donated the receipts,
$92, from his last two Boston shows to the Boston Asylum for Indigent
Boys. If $92 were the receipts for just two shows, Haddock
must have amassed a small fortune of the ten years of his
exhibitions. Haddock returned to New York and closed his show
down in April of 1824. With five years of exhibiting the
androids, the show must have gone stale in the public's eye.
Haddock and his sons then entered the mineral water
business. They were listed in the 1824 New York Directory as
manufacturing mineral water at 62 Spring Street. Perhaps
Haddock was looking for a new venture. He had seen the
explosion of bottled mineral waters in Brittan and perhaps thought
the United States was ripe for a similar product, but it does not
appear that this venture shared the success experienced by his android shows.
A year later, the android show was on the road again, but now in
smaller markets including Portland, Providence, Salem, Saint John and Halifax.
In June of
1826, Haddock moved the mineral water factory to Boston as
advertised in the Boston Commercial Gazette on June 12, 1826:
HADDOCK'S SODA & ARTIFICIAL MINERAL WATER ESTABLISHMENT. REMOVED
from New-York to Boston, No. 120, Washington-street, 3d door from
Water-street.
M. Haddock has at a very great expense
completed his new invented apparatus for the manufacture of the
above waters, so constructed that the carbonic acid gas from the
time it is generated, until received in the water does not come in
contact with any deleterious metal whatsoever, as it passes into
the machine through silver appertures (sic) and silver Cocks.
The Ladies and Gentleman of Boston are
respectivelly (sic) informed, that his room is fitted up for the
exclusive sale of Artificial Mineral Waters, and as no Spirituous
Liquors of any kind are sold, he hopes that Ladies will honor the
establishment with their patronage.
The waters he manufactures are Soda, Pyrmont,
Seltzer, Rochelle, Cheltenham, Epsom and plain acidulous. The
above can be supplied in Bottles also. Persons who drink the
Saline waters such as Rochells, &c. will find his the most
pleasing and efficacious -as they are impregnated immediately
from the Machine.
Congress water fresh from the springs.
At the end of July in the same year, 1826, Haddock's wife Martha
died. and he appears to have left Boston. In 1827, Haddock was
back in New York City and working on technique for making paper,
which was patented on July 28, 1828. This venture did not
prove successful and the Androids show was back on the road again
this time in Baltimore, New Haven, and by the fall of 1828 in
Hartford. Haddock stayed there improving his paper
manufacturing patent and running the Androids show thru May of
1829. At this point we lose track of his movements, but it is interesting
that Haddock bottles have been found in the Hartford vicinity.
I believe Haddock died soon after as he is not listed in the 1830
Census and no further records can be found on him after this
date.
The Haddock bottles were likely manufacture in 1824 and used in
New York City, Boston and possibly Harford. The manufacturer
was likely the Coventry Glass Works in New Hampshire.
In Lancaster
During the early 1820s, an attempt was made
to bottle mineral waters in Lancaster, Pennsylvania by John F. Heinitsh. John Frederick Heinitsh was born May
30, 1792 to Carl Heinrich Heinitzsch (Charles Heinitsh) and Sophia
(nee: Hartapfel) Heinitsh.
Charles Heinitsh was in partnership with George Musser in Lancaster
until the last week of April, 1784. He then went it alone and was
selling European patent medicines as early as 1786 on East King
Street in Lancaster. His wife, Sophia died on November 13th, 1802,
leaving Charles a widower with six children. Charles Frederick, now
recognized as a druggist, in turn died on September 6, the following
year, 1803, leaving six orphans. In 1804 the estate was settling and
the dry goods portion of the business were sold at sale. His son
August Heinitsh took
charge of the patent medicine side of the
business. August continued to operate the business, and in 1808, he
identified himself as a druggist. John F. Heinitsh was apprenticed
to his older brother August when he was of age.
On May, 19th, 1815, Heinitsh & Company opened an apothecary on West
King Street. On November 13, 1815, a G. F. Heinitsh & Company was
advertised on West King street across from the State House. On April
1st, 1816 the firm of F. Heinitsh & Company, made up of F. Heinitsh
and Samuel Humes, was dissolved. Oral history, that was documented
nearly 90 years later in the Biographical Annals of Lancaster
County, Pennsylvania, published in 1903, states that after his
apprenticeship, John Frederick "entered into partnership with Dr.
Samuel Humes, in 1815, opening a store on West King street, at the
site now known as No. 4. This partnership lasted for six months,
when it was dissolved." The story was mostly correct, but the
partnership lasted about a year. John Frederick appears to have gone
by Frederick at this time and the "G. F." appears to be a printers
error.
About a month after John's partnership with Dr. Humes ended, on May
11, 1816, A. & F. Heinitsh were advertising as wholesale and retail
druggists at the old location on East King Street. The brothers were
working together again. On November 2, 1818, the firm of A. & F.
Heinitsh, consisting of August and John F. Heinitsh, was announced
as dissolved1. August continued to occupy the old stand of his
father and brother John F. moved to store previously occupied by
Conrad Schwarts and directly opposite of Adam Reigart's wine store2.
John F. advertised the normal products of druggists of the day
including, drugs, patent medicines, dye-stuffs, paints, glass, oils,
spices, cordials, and surgical instruments.
John F. married Susan Hager and had 3 sons named Charles Augustus
(July 31, 1822-December 29,1898), William Edward (August 10,
1827-November 24, 1867), John Frederick Jr. (December 21,
1829-December 31, 1863).
In 1820 Samuel Fahnestock was advertising was selling Seltzer, Soda
and Magnesia & Soda, made in his patent stoneware apparatus. His
advertisement was directly under Heinitsh's in the July 21st, 1820
Lancaster Intelligencer. Fahnestock also offered his soda in half
pint bottles. On May 10th, 1822, Heinitsh entered the mineral water
fray. He advertised the "he has erected a complete apparatus for
preparing pure Mineral Waters, at his Apothecary, in East King
street." He offered the mineral waters in "their pure state, or with
syrup, which will give them a delicious flavor." These included
"syrups of Lemon, Pine Apple, Strawberry, Raspberry, Ginger and
acidulous Lemon syrup." At the end of the ad he states that "Persons
in the country can be supplied with the Mineral Waters put up in
pint and half pint bottles3." Similar advertisements continued thru
18244. There were no related ads for 1825, but in 1826 he was
advertising the sale of J. L. Schiefflin's Patented Carbonated
Sarsaparilla Mead. This advertisement states that the mead was
available at his fountain5. There is no mention of it being in
bottles, which seems to indicate that his bottling side line had
ceased. The manufacture of sarsaparilla mead and mineral waters
continued thru 18306. It would seem that the soda fountain remained a
fixture of the Heinitsh's drug store well into the 20th Century.
Son Charles A. joined his father's business as a clerk in 1838 and
became a partner in J. F. Heinitsh & Son in 1843. Charles took over
the business on the retirement of John F. in 1849. Charles
relinquished to firm to a nephew, Sigmund W. Heinitsh. Sigmund died
in 1911, then for a number of years it was operated by his widow. It
was recognized as one of the oldest family drug stores in the United
States.
John Frederick Heinitsh died December 24, 1858 and is buried in
Woodward Hill Cemetery in Lancaster.
The Heinitsh bottle is embossed "ARTIFICIAL MINERAL WATER BY J. F.
HEINITSH LANCASTER." It is the first American soda water bottle
embossed with a product and dates to the period 1822 to 1825 also
making it one of the earliest bottles. The form of the bottle mimics
the the seltzer bottles shown on the pervious decade. The known
bottle has a label for Heinitsh & Sons Extract of Sage. They must
have had scores of these bottles in storage that they were using to
package medicines during the 1840s
and due to
his affiliation with Napoleon, he was placed under surveillance,
which interfered with his employment. Disgusted at his treatment,
he decided to leave his country and seek the freedom being denied
him.
4, 1797 shows he was still operating the show a year and a half later and
added new androids to it: 
charge of the patent medicine side of the
business. August continued to operate the business, and in 1808, he
identified himself as a druggist. John F. Heinitsh was apprenticed
to his older brother August when he was of age.
e "he has erected a complete apparatus for
preparing pure Mineral Waters, at his Apothecary, in East King
street." He offered the mineral waters in "their pure state, or with
syrup, which will give them a delicious flavor." These included
"syrups of Lemon, Pine Apple, Strawberry, Raspberry, Ginger and
acidulous Lemon syrup." At the end of the ad he states that "Persons
in the country can be supplied with the Mineral Waters put up in
pint and half pint bottles