No More Grassy Taste

By Suzanne Norquist

What do soda straws and cigarette holders have in common?

First of all, they are both long tubes that bring a substance to someone’s mouth. Soda straws offer tasty beverages while cigarette holders carry nicotine.

Secondly, Marvin Stone, who brought us paper straws, first invented paper cigarette holders along with the equipment to manufacture them. Apparently, he recognized the commonality between the two and capitalized on it. Tweak the design, and presto, it’s a straw.

He lived in the late 1800s (1842-1899), when many common household products were introduced, and steam engines enabled mass production. As the son of an inventor, he had a leg up on all the others. His father invented things like a washing machine and a cheese press.

However, Marvin didn’t jump right into industry. He studied theology in college until he left to fight in the Civil War. After an injury, he stayed in the military until the war ended. Back at college, he tried his hand at music before earning a degree in theology. Afterward, he worked as a journalist for a while.

Eventually, he followed in his father’s footsteps. In addition to straws and cigarette holders, he invented a fountain pen, an umbrella, and a system to add color to fine china.

As an entrepreneur, he operated a successful business manufacturing paper cigarette holders. The product allowed smokers to keep their fingers clean and ashes away from their clothing. He contracted with W. Duke Sons & Co., a prominent cigarette manufacturer.

At that time, straws made from organic grasses left a grassy taste in drinks. Apparently, annoyed with this, he decided to make a better straw out of paper.

He wrapped strips of paper around a pencil and glued them. This diameter kept lemon seeds from getting stuck inside. To prevent sogginess, he coated the paper in paraffin. He patented the straw and the equipment used to make it.

He started manufacturing and marketing. Instead of selling straws to individuals, he offered them to restaurants and soda fountains, touting their cleanliness. They soon became his best-selling product, more popular than his cigarette holders.

Marvin Stone passed away before receiving the final patent for his manufacturing design, but his legacy lived on. His brothers-in-law took over the company. The spiral winding process is still used in electronics.

The product remained relatively unchanged until the 1930s, when Otto W. Dieffenbach invented the plastic straw, and Joseph B. Friedman turned it into a bendy straw.

Recently, the paper straw has made a comeback as an environmentally friendly alternative to plastic. Marvin Stone could never have imagined the longevity of his invention. Personally, I’m grateful for the cigarette holder manufacturer who wanted something better. I wouldn’t like drinking from a straw that tastes like grass. 

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Love In Bloom 4-in-one collection

“A Song for Rose” by Suzanne Norquist

Can a disillusioned tenor convince an aspiring soprano that there is more to music than fame?

“Holly & Ivy” by Mary Davis

At Christmastime, a young woman accompanies her impetuous younger sister on her trip across the country to be a mail-order bride and loses her heart to a gallant stranger.

“Periwinkle in the Park” by Kathleen E. Kovach

A female hiking guide, who is helping to commission a national park, runs into conflict with a mountain man determined to keep the government off his land.

“A Beauty in a Tansy”

Two adjacent store owners are drawn to each other, but their older relatives provide obstacles to their ever becoming close.

Republished from Bouquet of Brides

Buy links: https://books2read.com/u/bOOx8K

https://www.amazon.com/Love-Bloom-Mary-Davis/dp/B0FPLFYCXR/

 

Suzanne Norquist is the author of two novellas. Everything fascinates her. She has worked as a chemist, professor, financial analyst, and even earned a doctorate in economics. Research feeds her curiosity, and she shares the adventure with her readers. She lives in New Mexico with her mining engineer husband and has two grown children. When not writing, she explores the mountains, hikes, and attends kickboxing class.