Beyond the Pickle
From the 1890s through the 1910s, the complex continued to thrive, growing until the site occupied ten acres. The investment and expansion were not surprising, for the Hicksville operation was more important to the business than one might realize today.
Although the company had dozens of pickle-salting operations around the nation, it had only twelve branch factories, which made more of those "57" products than pickles, including four varieties of vinegar. Heinz was considered the world's largest manufacturer of vinegar, and only six of its factories produced it. Hicksville was one of them. In the photograph below, the building in the rear likely was the one which housed the hydraulic presses and the fermenting / distilling equipment needed for vinegar production.
Postcard of Heinz complex in Hicksville
Note the rows of stacked barrels to the left.
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Occasionally, the plant was in the news. For example, there was a sauerkraut workers' strike in the autumn of 1899. Newspaper accounts do not fully explain the strikers' agenda. Reportedly, they complained about consistently working very long hours (doubtless to be expected during the peak harvest season). Presumably, they were being paid for the time they worked. The striking workers wanted their employer to hire more employees, so that all the employees would each work less. This sounds rather altruistic, but it also sounds unlikely - would factory workers in the 1890s strike to win the right to work less and bring home less money? There must have been more to it than was reported.
The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, October 4, 1899
Now and then, there were minor mishaps, and consequent injuries, as staff installed or maintained machinery. I have found no reports of any fatal accidents, although ironically, while visiting Long Island , Mrs. Heinz - identified somewhat charmingly below as "Wife of Pickle Man" - had a close call.
The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, April 12, 1912
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