W A T E R ( c a r b o n a t e d )

WATER (carbonated). In the late 1890s, Dubuque was Iowa's largest producer of soda and carbonated water drinks. Dubuque manufacturers produced over 600 cases daily with each case containing 24 bottles, each one-half pint in size.

The largest carbonated water factory in Dubuque was the Chris E. Kleis Company on Ninth Street. With a capacity of three hundred cases daily, the company produced soda water in seven flavors for sale primarily throughout the Tri-Stae region within one hundred miles of Dubuque. Of lesser commercial value was its production of "coco cola" (sic) ginger ale, orange cider, lemon sour, and seltzers. The company employed eight workmen and used four wagons for deliveries.

The Wertin Soda Water Factory, located on White Street, manufactured the same products as the Kleis company except that it discontinued the production of coco cola because of limited sales. The Wertin company, with a capacity of one hundred fifty cases daily, employed five men and used three delivery wagons, Wertin products were sold mainly within the Dubuque-East Dubuque area with some going into southern Wisconsin.

The third-largest company was the Williams Soda Water Factory on First Street. Three men employed by the company produced orange ciders, ginger ales, and seltzers for sale in the immediate vicinity of Dubuque. The daily capacity was one hundred cases. There was some wagon delivery with little being shipped by rail.

The fourth largest producer was the North End Carbonating Company located on Sageville Road opposite the fair grounds. A specialty of the company was its "Ironbrew," a tonic with large sales throughout Iowa. The company hired five workmen and produced seventy-five cases per day. Much of the product went to the Diamond Jo Line with almost all of the soda water sold on the packets being produced by the North End company. Very little of the company's product was sold in Dubuque or the immediate area.