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ebook History of Watertown,
Wisconsin
Gnatzig Carriage House
05 08 1902
Ed Gnatzig, proprietor of the new carriage
house, 5th street,
says to prospective buyers of carriages and
wagons:
We
have just completed unloading and putting into our repositories the largest and
most complete line of high-grade vehicles.
The new 1902 Break seat runabouts. Stanhopes, driving wagons, heavy and light top buggies
and surries, trimmed and finished up in the latest
patterns, with steel or Goodyear rubber tire, built by the Racine Wagon and
Carriage Co., the largest manufacturers in the world of high-grade vehicles.
This is our first shipment, so that we have no old style or shop-worn goods -
all new and fresh from the factory.
And as
we want to get started in business here, we have made the price on them to meet
the price you have been used to paying for ordinary cheap goods, so that if you
are a prospective buyer of any kind of vehicle it will well pay you to come and
at least give us a chance before buying, as we have twenty different styles of
vehicles to show you, and are sure to satisfy you and save you some money.
Come
while the line is complete and get your first choice. If we cannot sell you a new rig let us repair
your old one, as we have the most complete repair shop in the city. And we are still building the best and
easiest-running milk wagon on wheels.
Also
all kinds of special delivery wagons out of the best timber and bone-dry at Ed.
Gnatzig's, 107 to 115 5th Street, Zautner's
old stand [Reinhold Zautner,
blacksmith, 111 5th, res. 107 5th], where first-class repairing and
horseshoeing is done by practical mechanics. All work warranted.
Edward Gnatzig
1913, 111 Main, grocer
1912 Sealer of Weights and Measures Report
Watertown Gazette,
05 30 1912
That an excellent
selection has been made in the appointment of Edward Gnatzig
for sealer of weights and measures of this city is very evident from the good
work he is doing. He has already earned
his salary ten times over to the people of Watertown. Read his report following:
Up to this day I have
visited 135 places in the city and found 522 liquid measures.
Tested out 431 on my
visit and found 204 that complied with my standards, which I sealed. Of these 204 only 4 were oil measures. I tested and condemned 227. Of these 200 were one gallon and one-half
gallon oil measures, and averaged eight ounces to the gallon short. The balance of ninety-one measures inspected
and confiscated were in bad shape. Rusty, broken, dented and dirty and so much against the law to be
confiscated on sight.
I also found one of the
old pails used by the Standard Oil Company in the city, up to a short time ago,
which should measure 5 gallons, one quart and three ounces short. This pail with others of
the same kind have been used here for a long time to fill the dealers
cans. And Mr. Burke tells me he sells
90,000 gallons a year in Watertown.
One-half pint in each gallon at the rate 90,000 per year ought to
satisfy John D., as they were old measures and in use for many years.
It seems our merchants
never made any attempt to make the right measures. The standard of 231 cubic inches to the
liquid gallon was established in 1836, so they have no excuse. Then the Pennsylvania and minor companies
together put in here another 90,000 gallons, they tell me. The bulk of which was sold to the public with
short measure – one half pint to the gallon.
The loss to the public of Watertown and vicinity on oil alone the past
ten years would capitalize and run a good bank.
Even the saloon keeper,
poor fellow, got his. Some outside
wholesaler sold them whiskey in barrels and made presents of fine copper
one-half gallon measures to measure it out with. I find all of these fine copper measures four
ounces short and have good reason to believe that the whiskey was short
measured in the barrel when sold.
I suspect some trouble
with the scales, as there are a lot of them, old and not accurate on the first
pound as to ounces, which I think the most important, as all high priced
spices, teas, etc, are sold by the ounce.
I will insist that all counter scales shall be absolutely correct before
I seal them.
I have not had the time
to get to the milk bottles, but from what I have seen some of the milk looks
pretty blue to me. Could
tell better if I tested it to find if it all came from the cow. After this rainy weather is over — that may
make a change.
I am having some
trouble to make dealers understand that after my first visit they cannot use a
new measure until I am notified, but on the whole find them willing to comply
with the law . I want them all to cooperate with me, to go after the fellow
higher up, as in most cases they are the ones to blame for shortage, and I want
to protect the dealer as well as the customer, and I am of the opinion that
when I get the right measures and accurate scales in and dealers use them right
the advertising Watertown will get as a full weight and measure town will be an
asset to look up to, and will draw trade and inhabitants as much as any thing we can do for the city.
Edward Gnatzig, Sealer of
Weights and Measures.
History of Watertown,
Wisconsin