General Eisenhower and Coca-Cola plants
A key part of
And they did pay only a nickel – wherever they were – even though that meant sending portable
Did you know that General Dwight D. Eisenhower actually requisitioned 10
The telegram with that requisition was sent on June 29, 1943. It asked for the following:
- 3 million (filled) bottles of
Coca-Cola - Complete equipment for bottling, washing and capping 3 million bottles twice a month
- Sufficient syrup and caps for 6 million refills
Just one note: We were to ship the Coke and equipment without displacing other military cargo!
My name is Phil Mooney, and I've served as the historian/archivist for 
What was a portable bottling plant composed of?
Posted by: Mike | June 28, 2008 at 02:23 PM
Mike - Good question. The portable bottling plants actually were complete bottling plants! They had everything necessary to produce the Coca-Cola, clean and fill the bottles, and even put the caps on! In addition to the portable bottling lines, we also had special dispensers for the areas in which we could not get the lines. These "jungle dispensers" (as they were called) were used in the more remote areas and dispensed Coke in cups -- just as the servicepeople would have gotten at home at the soda fountain. -- Phil
Posted by: Phil Mooney | June 30, 2008 at 06:10 PM
I found an old check dated 10/05/1935 from the CocaCola Bottling Company in Ottumwa, Iowa. The check was made out for $12.46 to Oskaloosa Warehouse and signed by Robb L. Taylor. It is check number 9833 and was cashed out on 10/14 or 15th of 1935. Can anyone provide any details to this check? Was it a payroll check? a week's wages? a check for supplies? Who was Mr. Taylor? Thanks for any info.
Sheri
Austin, Texas
Posted by: sszapata | July 23, 2008 at 03:54 PM
Sheri - The first bottling company in Ottumwa opened in 1911. I do have a record of a R.L. Taylor (Robert), owner of the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Ottumwa; he went to Ottumwa in 1927 and established his bottling company there. (He was born in 1889 in Tennessee.) I'm afraid I wouldn't have a way to tell what the check was used for, as each bottling company had different accounting practices and paid different amounts for supplies, salaries and everyday costs. Thanks -- Phil
Posted by: Phil Mooney | July 23, 2008 at 05:58 PM