Molasses and Stowaways at Domino Sugar

   Here in Baltimore, one can't help but notice the red, brightly illuminated, iconic Domino Sugar sign atop the sugar refinery building at night, located on the southeast section of the Inner Harbor.  In December, the Baltimore Sun heralded a photo contest sponsored by Domino Sugar to help celebrate its 90th birthday.  Some impressive photos of the sign atop this iconic building were submitted by contestants, judged by a panel of Domino Sugar judges - the winning photo is pictured below.

Photo Courtesy:  Don Vetter

  The Domino Sugar refinery building, one of a few on the east coast was built on a plot of land at the intersection of Beason and Jones Streets on Locust Point in South Baltimore. According to Baltimore Sun reports, the 1/4 mile waterfront location was originally planned for an immigration station but, in January 1920, it was purchased by the American Sugar Refining Company with plans to construct an $8 million plant that would have dock facilities to accommodate a total of four steamships.  

  Carl F. Huttlinger, the refinery's first superintendent who began his career at the Jersey City, NJ refinery facility and was later transferred to Baltimore, witnessed the first shipment which was reported on March 11, 1922 by the Baltimore Sun as carrying 724,936 gallons of crude molasses brought by the tanker Dulcino from Cuba.  On April 3, the refinery was open to begin processing the raw material and, within two days, dealers began receiving the refined sugar.   

Sugar cane harvested from New Orleans, circa 1910

  The raw material used as a foundation for refined sugar traditionally began as sugarcane or sugar beets which was shipped from Cuba, Puerto Rico (and later the Philippines).  During it's early operation, according to plant officials, from the time it was harvested and placed in burlap (as a solid) or liquified within ship containers, it did not touch human hands until it emerged as refined sugar. As reported by the Baltimore Sun, on December 11, 1924, the first shipment of sugar (31,000 bags) from Louisiana plantations arrived into Baltimore on the Domino, a ship in the company's fleet.  Ships would arrive at this dock with raw sugar up to several times monthly and have continued to be shipped to this day.

  Interestingly enough, by the mid-1980s the Domino Sugar sign welcomed immigrants to the America (in the same manner as the Statue of Liberty would in New York Harbor and as this waterfront land was once destined to do) when on August 14, 1986, the Baltimore Sun reported that "nine husky and uncooperative Columbian stowaways" attempted to illegally enter the U.S.  A U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service official was quoted as saying "For spending 10 days at sea on water and sugar, they are extremely fit.  They are big, husky men."

An early Domino Sugar ad, circa 1900

  Nearly a year later, in October 1987, the Domino Sugar refinery docks hosted another ship laden with another crystalline substance - $7 million in nearly pure cocaine. According to the Baltimore Sun, the couriers were arrested only after having wandered around Baltimore with four kilos of cocaine under their jackets (one package of which was accidentally dropped by nervous crewmen along a street in the Mount Vernon Place area. A DEA spokesman stated in the article that it stayed there for several hours).

(Note: Article sources are courtesy of The Baltimore Sun.)