 A
year later when the plans for the
new enterprise had progressed,
Taggart, Dickason and Fairbanks
made an agreement withe Monon
Railroad. The railroad agreed to
subscribe to $250,000 worth f
first mortgage bonds while
Taggart and his partners would
subscribe to $100,000 worth of
the bonds. The way was paved for
financial support of the proposed
new hotel. Less than a month
later, Taggart approached the
directors of the French Lick
Springs Company and offered to
purchase the stock of their
company at $150 a share. The
knowledge of Taggart's plan for a
new hotel may have prompted the
acceptance of the offer. Taggart
realized that it would be wiser
to purchase and improve the
existing hotel at French lick
rather than attempt to build a
third resort in the valley. On
June 17, a new agreement was made
with the Monon Railroad, wherein
the railroad agreed to continue
their support of the enterprise.
In this new arrangement, $600,00
in 5 per cent gold bonds were to
be issued. Of these, the Monon
agreed to subscribe to half. A
week later, the French Lick
Springs Company was incorporated.
The articles of incorporation
came under the new rules for
corporations which had been
passed by the General Assembly of
Indiana in March of 1901.
Incorporating members of the
company were Thomas Taggart,
Henry Hickman and George W.
Kreutsinger. Seven directors also
were provided for in addition to
he incorporating members: Charles
Murdock, Crawford Fairbanks,
Daniel P. Erwin, Livingston T.
Dickason. The objects and
purposes stated that the company
would make every effort to
capitalize upon and improve the
mineral springs, the hotel and
the grounds in order that a first
class resort could be
established. Immediately, the
directors of the French Lick
Springs Hotel Company met in
Louisville with the directors of
the French Lick Springs Company
and at a long meeting they
replaced of the Springs Company.
For a month, these men served as
directors for both companies.
They then conveyed the property
of the French Lick Springs
Company to the French Lick
Springs Hotel Company with Tom
Taggart as president. The entire
transaction of organizing the new
company and transferring the
title was accomplished with
almost no cash. Taggart estimated
the value of the hotel property
at this time was $1,200,00.
Energy and
imagination characterized Thomas
Taggart. Under his leadership,
the company launched into an
immediate program of improvement
and rebuilding. The old hotel
building facing east was enlarged
and faced with yellow brick. New
furnishings were purchased; a new
power house and equipment were
added. During this first year,
more than $200,000 was spent on
property improvements. French
Lick Springs had gained a wide
reputation in the many years
which it had operated, but now
that Tom Taggart was connected
with the business, the resort was
revitalized. Taggart was one of
the best liked and best known
figures in Indiana at this time.
His popularity with people in all
walks of life and the magnetism
which he possessed drew people to
the hotel in increased number. |
|
which he
possessed drew people to
the hotel in increased number.
The
success of the hotel at West
Baden cannot be overlooked as an
additional factor in the
publicizing of the valley and the
springs. Out of the company which
had been formed in 1884 to manage
the West Baden Hotel emerged two
men, who, by sale and transfer,
had gradually acquired ownership
of the property. E. B. Rhodes and
Lee W. Sinclair owned and
successfully competed with the
French Lick Springs Hotel. Lee
Sinclair finally acquired
ownership in the 90's. In June of
1901, a tremendous fire swept
through the frame hotel in West
Baden. Lee Sinclair came to the
French Lick Springs Hotel Company
and offered to sell the property
absent the buildings for
$700,000. The French Lick Springs
Hotel Company offer $600,00 and
the deal did not go through.
Sinclair then determined to
rebuild the West Baden Hotel and
make it one of the most imposing
structures in the world. At
almost the same time that French
Lick Springs began their initial
permanent improvements, Sinclair
began construction on the new
resort at West Baden. While
traveling in Europe, Sinclair had
been impressed with St. Peter's
Cathedral in Rome. The Cathedral
at that time was know as the
eighth wonder of the world and
had an unsupported dome which
measured 200 feet in diameter.
Sinclair decided to build his new
hotel with a 210 foot dome, which
would surpass St. Peter's. Within
a year, Sinclair had overcome the
many doubters and his hotel with
the dome was ready for active
competition.
Among the aims of the French Lick
Springs Hotel Company, as set
forth in their articles of
incorporation, was the sale and
bottling of the mineral water at
French Lick. A bottling plant
already existed on the property
and small sales of the water had
been going on for more than 40
years. Now, additional energy was
put into the promotion of the
water from French Lick. In
October, 1901, the French Lick
Springs Hotel Company filed with
Union S. Hunt, the secretary of
the State of Indiana, a petition
for the registration of
trade-marks, the certificate
trade-marked: "The words
"PLUTO," "PLUTO
CONCENTRATED," or
"CONCENTRATED PLUTO,"
or "AMERICA PHYSIC," or
"FRENCH LICK SPRINGS."
or "FRENCH LICK," as
applied to mineral springs water,
either used as advertising matter
or on labels. The picture of
Pluto, or the devil, used in any
way in connection with, or as an
advertisement of mineral spring
water." This in effect paved
the way for the full scale
advertising campaign which
followed. In 1903, the bottling
works were improved and the
mineral waters from Pluto Spring
were concentrated and bottled for
sale all over the United States.
In 1903, sales of Pluto water
exceeded $52,000. The sale of
such a product all over the
United States was a tonic for the
hotel, as well as for the users.
Each bottle sold was worth it
weight in "advertising
gold".
Medical claims for the mineral
waters at French Lick were more
conservative under the new
management. |