Mickey Starling
reporter3@greenepublishing.com
Many Madison County residents of the early 1900s could attest to the fact that the glass bottles of their day held all types of things, some of which were surprising or deadly. It was not uncommon for bottles to mysteriously explode in one's hand back in the day. It seems that many bottles were manufactured with a flaw that could cause them to explode if too much air became trapped under the lid. Trips to the doctor to have glass shards removed from unsuspecting victims of these explosions were routine events.
Glass bottles caused other problems as well. Coca Cola President Robert Woodruff came up with a brilliant idea that almost never got off the ground. His company had attempted to sell cokes in glass bottles in Europe, but so many customers got sick from drinking from contaminated bottles that the plan was scrapped and several million dollars went down the proverbial drain. Woodruff persisted with these efforts in America, but he had the wisdom to have samples of the bottled product sent to him before they were released for public consumption.
Woodruff's samples came to him much as they did in Europe; they were filthy and unfit for his product. In these days, companies sent their products to glass companies, who then filled them and returned them for distribution. Glass companies were notorious for their oversights in the cleanliness department. Woodruff used the almighty dollar to his advantage, giving incentives and discounts to bottlers who followed his requirements for safe and clean containers and bottled cokes became an overnight sensation, causing Woodruff's profit margin to explode.