"Eagle Run Brewery" article from the Shamokin Dispatch, late 1890s

"Early in the 1850's, when brewing of beer was as yet an untried industry in the region; in fact, before it had attained to the dignity of a national institution, as it must now be considered, a small establishment, with a limited output of ale & porter exclusively, was operated in primitive fashion at Eagle Run by Gottlieb Fritz. This was the modest foundation of the recent finely-equipped plant now conducted by Fuhrmann & Schmidt Brewing Company, which has become widely known for the superiority of its product, a beer which connoisseurs are unanimous in according a distinction of flavor & zest such as is seldom found, a beer endorsed by physicians as especially rich in tonic properties. These results are obtained by absolutely hygienic methods of manufacture, by the exceptional purity of mountain water, by the experience which permits the use only of such ingredients as are guaranteed to be the best procurable and a very important factor-by ample facilities for properly maturing the products.

The result is a pure, clear, sparkling, wholesum product, the quality of which cannot be excelled by any brewery in the country; a fact which almost invariably occasions comment among travelers, and those in a position to judge. This applies like-wise to the Porter & Ale brewed by this firm, which gained an enviable reputation way beyond the boundaries of Northumberland County, and class among the finest made on account of their absolute purity and wholesomeness.

As to machinery, this brewery has the best equipped apparatus and appliances, not only in the anthracite coal region, but probably in the state. This machinery was installed at an enotmous expense for the purpose of producing the famous "Eagle Run" Beer, Porter, and Ale in an absolute sanitary and hygienic manner. At no stage of the process of brewing or fermentation, in fact, not until the beverages are brought to the lips of the consumer, do they come in contact with either human hands nor the atmosphere, and as all vessels and vats in the brewery are sterilized before getting re-used, every chance for contamination is positively excluded.

The storage facilities of Eagle Run Brewery are in keeping with the machinery, and at present allow an output of fully matured beer of 50,000 barrels per annum. There is such a great demand, however, for their products, that the proprietors are compelled to provide additional storage rooms, which now are in course of erection, and after their completion the plant will be large enough to turn out double that amount.

In connection with the brewery there is an ice plant of twenty-five tons daily capacity. Following their policy of looking out for the greatest possible purity, the Company installed a system of re-distilling the water used for ice; that is, after generating steam from Eagle Run water, it is condensed and then again generated and condensed, therby killing all possible germs and bacterias, which are removed by a system of charcoal and gravel filtering apparatus.

In order to accommodate private families and hotel tables, a large and likewise sanitary bottling establishment has been erected at the corner of Washington and Commerce Streets, and from there the products of Eagle Run Brewery, in nicely put up bottles, find their way into the homes of poor and rich, and on account of their small percentage of alcohol and large amount of nutrition, are welcomed as the ideal combination of temperance drink and stimulant; as the celebrated Professor Liebig truly stated, they are "liquid food."

Probably only a few people have a true conception of the enormous amount of capital invested in and the amount of labor employed by a modern establishment of the extent of the Eagle Run Brewery. The brewery property covers several acres of ground and the buildings are from three to four stories high and erected in brick and iron construction. Besides this there are eleven houses for the workmen, and the Company can justly boast of having solved the problem of suitable dwellings for the working class, as every one of their's is light and airy and has all modern conveniences, such as hot and cold water, bathrooms, water closets, and lofty verandas.

There are not less than sixty hands directly employed by Eagle Run Brewery, the lowest wages for men being $15.00 a week. This number is at least doubled by indirect employment through their agents, and augmented by a great number of all kinds of mechanics, such as carpenters, painters, saddlers, wheelwrights, blacksmiths, ect.,ect., doing their respective work in the different shops in Shamokin and Coal Township. Over sixty head of horses and mules are required to deliver the goods of the brewery."

Shamokin Dispatch article, late 1890s

source: http://web.archive.org/web/20041231192400/www.haywired.com/stahkalien/eagleruntxt.html