THE OTHER CASSIN BOTTLE
By Eric McGuire
It has been nearly 52 years since I first wrote about this bottle in THE
CORKER, the November 1972 issue of the newsletter of the Golden Gate Historical
Bottle Club. Back then the bottle was a curious rarity with
virtually no information available regarding its provenance. The
Cassin brothers were already famous in bottle collecting circles for their
Grape Brandy Bitters, Old Plantation Whiskey in glass and stoneware, and for a
rare variant of the Mills Bitters. The soda water bottle was so rare
and elusive that no one was sure if it was even a product of the San Francisco
Cassins, especially since it had a decided British style, with its typical
round bottom “torpedo” shape.
By a stroke of luck I located an advertisement for the product in the April
1872 issue of the Wine Dealers’ Gazette,
a relatively obscure monthly trade newspaper published in
The first, and last, advertisement found for the Cassin’s English Aerated Waters ( Wine Dealers’ Gazette, San Francisco, Calif., April 1872).
There is one benefit to growing up, and growing old with an interest such as
antique bottles. One can track, over time, the relative numbers of a
particular bottle through digging, bottle sales, auctions and networking with
other collectors. Remarkably, this bottle is nearly as rare now as
it was fifty years ago. I have seen probably a handful in all that
time. The relatively simple advertisement that appeared in the Wine Dealers’ Gazette definitely
documented the origin of the product but little else. In the same
issue of the Gazette the editors
inserted a short article about the introduction of the product that I did not
publish previously. I quote from the Gazette:
English
Aerated Soda Water - What is it?
In our advertising columns will be found a notice of the
introduction into this market, of the above named spring and summer
beverage. Samples are sent to us, which to the taste, are pleasant
and agreeable. We could not give them editorial indorsement, in a
sanitary sense, (being somewhat of a chemist ourself) until we were
assured of the materials from which they were manufactured.
We are a little sensitive on the
subject of “Soda Water”, as we have suffered from its effects. We
inquired of Messrs. Cassin Brothers, the manufacturers, from what material they
made their Sodas. They appeared to be reticent, thinking as we
supposed, we were prying into their secrets. We then reminded them
that as editor of the GAZETTE, we conceived it to be our duty to inform the
public as to the healthfulness of all new beverages, such as they were offering
to the people. From further conversation, we are satisfied they have
imported the machinery for the new English process in manufacturing Sodas,
wherein the base is Carbonate of Potass. The new process consists,
in part of passing carbonic acid gas through a solution of the Sub Carbonate,
and evaporating at a temperature of 212 (degrees) to
crystallization. This new process is indorsed by English and German
chemists and European Pharmacologists, as a “wholesome effervescing
draught”. The base of the old style Soda was Sulphate of Potass or
Salt of Tartar.
We have long known the
deleterious effects of many of our, so called, Soda Waters. Some are
made in the old style, even out of Bisulphate of Potass, which is nothing more
than a high character of Nitric Acid!
This article is written by
the editor of the GAZETTE, not for pay, nor for the two dollar advertisement,
we believe there is in another column of this paper; but for the benefit of
Soda drinkers. We do not say, because we do not know positively,
that Messrs. Cassin & Co. have the machinery and process above alluded to,
for the manufacture of pure Soda Water; but from the reputation they bear, as
Front Street merchants, and the fact positively known to us, of the enlargement
of area of operations, and having sent to England and engaged a man to
manufacture Soda Water, it is fair, at least, to presume they are entitled to
the confidence of the public, and we believe they have the improved process,
and we believe they mean business.
After all these years, I have seen no new information come to light regarding
this product. Production must have been very short-lived, as no
further advertisements were printed in the Gazette
or any other newspapers of general circulation. There were no
directory listings for the Cassins regarding the manufacture of soda
water. It must be assumed that the venture ceased operations shortly
after inception. Most of the bottles were likely returned to the Pacific
Glass Works for sale as frit, thereby making the few “escapees” rare
artifacts. A huge question remains as to why their soda water was
such an immediate failure.
Frances and Patrick J. Cassin were born in
This soda water bottle was not the last time the Cassin name appeared on products
of a decided English style. In 1883, Patrick Cassin imported tan and white
stoneware jugs from
The Cassin English style soda water bottles are found in shades of very dark to light aqua. They are 9.5 inches in length and look very much like their British counterparts, such as Ross’s, Webb’s and Cantrell & Cochrane. It is plainly embossed CASSIN'S / ENGLISH / AERATED / WATERS
