fragment of a late 1870s or early 1880's dark cobalt blue hutchinson style blob top bottle manufactured for j.a. lomax in chicago. severely caseworn lettering is embossed along the front body of the glass. near the top configured in a diamond shape are an open-lined 4-bottle logo and worn to illegibility, the words "trademark registered". from the center of the bottle to the heel was embossed "j.a. lomax" "14 16 & 18 charles place" and right above the heel, "chicago", the city name and address being barely visible as well. the bottle is broken right at the neck, but would have been finished with an applied blobtop. crudities like surface scratches and bubbles are typical of the age and date of manufacture. the base is smooth with the bottler's initials embossed. dug from a chicago area privy. john a. lomax entered the bottling operations in 1854, distributing soda water located at 38 w. lake street in chicago. in 1859, the plant was destroyed by fire and operations were moved to a two-story frame building located at 16 charles place. as business grew, john and his son george erected a large masonry building in 1871, which was consumed by the great chicago fire the same year. shortly after, lomax rebuilt an even larger four-story facility that was advertised as being the "largest bottling house in the world.” during their peak production years, lomax serviced more than five thousand of the approximately seven thousand saloons across the city of chicago. their bottling works furnished soda-waters, ginger ale, mineral and spring water, ales and other drinks. the company ceased operations in 1885.