The only thing I've found so far is this "Orangine" bottle cap. But I don't know the exact date nor if it has Barq Brothers on it. In the ribbon it says ...
"The Gold Metal Drink"
... which is a reference to the award it received at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair.
The earliest 'Crown Finish' bottle I'm aware of is an 1895 "Murdock & Freeman" from Portland, Maine. The finish and closure were invented by William Painter in 1892. Even though "Orangine" was around in 1890 and won an award in 1893, I suspect the "Orangine" bottle cap I posted is later than 1895. I'm not sure how long "Orangine" was bottled but suspect it might have fallen to the wayside when Barq's Root Beer was introduced in 1898.
This snippet is part of an article about the suicide death of Jules Barq, who was the younger brother of Edward and Gaston Barq. It is from a New Orleans newspaper published in 1896. Its the latest reference I can find for "Orangine" in connection with the Barq Brothers. Notice where it says ...
"... which was at one time a popular beverage at the bars of this city."
This leads me to suspect that "Orangine" had lost its popularity by 1896 and might even have been discontinued entirely by that time. ???
There's a glitch in my giddyup because the "Orangine" bottle cap I posted doesn't look turn-of-the-century to me. I think I'm missing something but not sure what it is yet!
1. Orangine Bottle
2. Cascade Bottling Works
3. New Orleans, Louisiana
4. Owens-Illinois Glass Company
I can't make out the date number, but because Owens-Illinois was established in 1929-1930 the bottle has to date sometime after that, probably circa 1930s. I do not know if there is a connection between Barq's Bottling and Cascade Bottling, but I do know that both were in operation at the same time in New Orleans. I have seen references for Cascade Bottling that date as early as the 1920s and as late as the 1940s. I intend to research this further and see what I can find. I can't say for certain at this juncture, but the odds are good that the Orangine bottle cap likely came from one of these bottles.
I found a connection between Barq's Bottling and Cascade Bottling! And that connection is a man named ...
Jesse Robinson
I will be back later with more details but can tell you now that Jesse Robinson was the adopted son of the Barq family who was the manager of the Cascade Bottling Works at one time.
From a 1979 Newspaper -
Jesse Robinson was not 'adopted' by Edward Barq but was raised by him. I don't know all of the details about their 1934 agreement, but based on the previous information, Jesse Robinson was the owner/manager of Cascade Bottling Works at least as early as 1922.
Here's another brand from the Cascade Bottling Works -
"Big V Five" (Date unknown but likely 1920s-1930s)
(They also bottled "Orangine" and "Barq's")
I'm currently trying to fill the gap between 1893 when "Orangine" won a gold medal in Chicago and its appearance with the Cascade Bottling Works in the 1920s-30s. So far its a mystery to me what became of "Orangine" after it was apparently first bottled in 1893.
Even though the Cascade Bottling Works appears to be a separate entity from Barq's Bottling, I believe there is enough of a connection (via Jesse Robinson) to qualify early Cascade Bottling Works bottles as being collectible along with Barq's bottle collections.
A better example (than the one shown here) of an embossed Barq's bottle from the Cascade Bottling Works, New Orleans, Louisiana ...
Note: Barq's bottles marked with Cascade Botting Works could be somewhat rare. This is the only example I have found so far. I'm especially interested in examples with pictures of the base to get some idea of the dates.
I don't know the date of this ad but guessing its circa 1900 because it shows "Biloxi Bottling Works." As we have seen, prior to about 1898 the company name was "Barq Brothers Bottling" which was established in 1890.
By the way, if anybody has a "Barq Brothers" bottle or paper label, please share it with us. I have a feeling they are extremely rare!