Rhomberg & Company Distillery 1864

RHOMBERG, CRAN, MORRISON, MAGUIRE, WOLFF, HONECK, RICHARDS, BABCOCK, ROUSE, WILLIAMS, FULTON

Posted By: Cheryl Locher Moonen (email)
Date: 6/13/2016 at 21:18:06

Dubuque Democratic Herald – Dec. 6, 1864

OUR MANUFACTURING
INTEREST
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Rhomberg & Company
Distillery
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The manufacturing interests of Dubuque is by no means the least of its sources of wealth and prosperity. In fact its permanent prosperity depends, in a great measure, upon the extent and character of its manufactures. The day of speculation in Northern Iowa has passed, and a more healthy growth is taking the place of business excitement and unsubstantial increase. Whatever tends to develop the real wealth of the country, and render more valuable, the labor of the people, is a permanent addition to our prosperity. The great Northwest has within itself all the elements of a wealthy and powerful nation, and what it most needs is the development of its resources. The tribute to which the agricultural west plays to the manufacturing east improvises itself so much. The manufacturing facilities here at the west are sufficient to meet all demands, and there is no reason why they should not be improved.

Additions are being made to the manufacturing business of this section, and as we conceive these to be of vast importance to mall within the circle of their influence, we consider the subject to be of sufficient interest to our readers to warrant us in devoting a portion of our space, from time to time, to a notice of them.

We recently paid a visit to the distillery of J. A. Rhomberg & Co., which is now being put into operation in this city. We were surprised of the magnitude of the expense and complication of machinery necessary to the manufacture of spirits.

The building is the large stone structure at the foot of Seventh Street, formerly occupied as a warehouse, but to which additions and improvements have been made increasing its capacity and strengthen its walls. A frame addition has been made to it 80 x 114 from two to four stories high making with the four story stone building, a building 158 x 114. The mason work underneath the whole building, in piers and walls, for the support of the great weight in machinery and material necessary in the business, is of the finest we have ever seen. There is also in progress a construction a building for stabling cattle, and fattening them, which is 450 x 166, covering nearly two acres of ground.

The machinery of the distillery is run by two steam engines of 46 and 25 horse power respectively, and are from the establishment of Rouse & Williams in this city. There are also two steam pumps from the establishment of Cran & Bros., Chicago capable of throwing streams 2 ½ and 4 inches respectively. The well from which the water is drawn is 10 feet in diameter and 32 feet deep. The engines are each set on a solid block of stone, which in turn rests on a foundation wall of solid masonry, so there can be no jar in their action. The boilers, three in number, 24 feet long and 44 inches in diameter, are from the establishment of John Morrison, of this city. Some idea of the extent of the business which will be carried on at this establishment may be gathered from a statement of the character and extent of the machinery used. There are sixteen fermenting tubs of 800 barrels capacity each, a large high wine still, and requiring 20,000 feet of lumber in its construction, three high wine receivers, 200 barrels each, and a copper still of the capacity of 80 barrels, from the establishment of Maquire & Wolff, Chicago. The still is a splendid piece of workmanship, and will produce, when running, 40 barrels of alcohol a day. There are two large mash tubs, lined with copper, holding 250 barrels each, and three yeast mash tubs lined with copper. The “worm” and “goose” pipes used in rectifying the liquor, are ingenious as well as expensive portions of the machinery. The largest worm used in the United States, is used in this establishment, and was manufactured by Honeck & Co., in this city. It is 700 feet long, with a diameter of 2 ½ to 9 inches. It is a fine piece of work that can be seen about the distillery. As the grain must be crushed before it can be used, it is necessary to have connected with the distillery a grist mill. Rhomberg & Co. have two pair of burrs which will do the grinding for their establishment. They also have the largest corn sheller ever put up. It is capable of shelling 3,000 bushels of corn in ten hours. It was manufactured by J. O. Richards, of Chicago. The arrangements for weighting produce are fine, the scales being so placed that the clerk does the weighting in the office though the produce is placed on the scales in another portion of the building where it is received. There are three elevators in the building with the requisite machinery.

The machinery of the building is being put up by H. L. Fulton, millwright, of Chicago, and when everything is put in running order, it will be started under the Superintendence of Benjamin Babcock, distiller of Chicago distillery.

When running the establishment will require 1,000 bushels of grain per day, and the taxes which it will pay will not be far from $5,000 per day. It will be seen from this that a home market for the large amount of grain raised in this section will be created, and as Rhomberg & Co. can afford to pay a considerable larger price for produce than buyers from the eastern market, it will be of great advantage to the farmers.

We do not sympathize with that morbid mortality which see only death as the result of this kind. While we deprecate inordinate of spirituous liquor, and would do all in our power to render men sober and temperant, we do not believe that distillers are responsible for drunkenness, or are in any degree instrumental in causing it. We look upon them as addition to the material wealth of the country, and when conducted by men of enterprise and integrity, as in the case here, they are of vast advantage in two sections of country where they are located.

Messrs. Rhomberg & Co. will commence operation at their distillery in about ten days, and are now prepared to receive grain. Farmers coming to the city, with oats, corn, rye &c. will make a note of this and give them a call.