The
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...
-based Caille Bros. Manufacturing Company along with Chicago-based
Mills Novelty Company
The Mills Novelty Company, Incorporated of Chicago was once a leading manufacturer of coin-operated machines, including slot machines, vending machines, and jukeboxes, in the United States. Between about 1905 and 1930, the company's products inclu ...
, were one of the most successful companies in the United States
coin-operated machine
A vending machine is an automated machine that provides items such as snacks, beverages, cigarettes, and lottery tickets to consumers after cash, a credit card, or other forms of payment are inserted into the machine or otherwise made. The fi ...
industry during the 19th century and early 20th century.
They became popular releasing not only
slot machine
A slot machine (American English), fruit machine (British English) or poker machine (Australian English and New Zealand English) is a gambling machine that creates a game of chance for its customers. Slot machines are also known pejoratively a ...
s, but grew the company to encompass arcade games, weight scales, strength testers, gum machines and
Bagatelle
Bagatelle (from the Château de Bagatelle) is a billiards-derived indoor table game, the object of which is to get a number of balls (set at nine in the 19th century) past wooden pins (which act as obstacles) into holes that are guarded by wooden ...
-style games.
They also produced a popular line of
outboard motor
An outboard motor is a propulsion system for boats, consisting of a self-contained unit that includes engine, gearbox and propeller or jet drive, designed to be affixed to the outside of the transom. They are the most common motorised method ...
s. Once
penny arcade
''Penny Arcade'' is a webcomic focused on video games and video game culture, written by Jerry Holkins and illustrated by Mike Krahulik. The comic debuted in 1998 on the website ''loonygames.com''. Since then, Holkins and Krahulik have establish ...
s began to decline Caille even built coin-operated "moving picture
'' machines, sometimes called
nickelodeons. Following the death of company President A. Arthur Caille in 1916, the company continued to release mainly trade simulators and gambling machines, but with little variety in their mechanical game output, were overtaken by newer players such as A.B.T, Erie Machine co., Chester Pollard and Exhibit Supply, eventually leading Adolph A. Caille, the surviving brother, to sell the business to Fuller Johnson in 1932.
History
![Caille Brothers Building - Detroit Michigan](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/Caille_Brothers_Building_-_Detroit_Michigan.jpg)
The business had its inception in 1893, when Auguste Arthur Caille, often referred to as A. Arthur, at age 30 founded the Caille Company and began operations in the city of
Saginaw, Michigan
Saginaw () is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw and Saginaw County are both in the area known as Mid-Michigan. Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township and considered part of Greater ...
, where he maintained headquarters until 1896.
The Caille Company was incorporated under the laws of the state of Michigan in 1901,
when A. Arthur partnered with his older brother, Adolph Arthur Caille, and they relocated to Detroit, Michigan and laid the foundation for the Caille Bros. Manufacturing Company.
Their initial operations were based on a capital stock of three hundred thousand dollars,
which when adjusting for
inflation
In economics, inflation is an increase in the general price level of goods and services in an economy. When the general price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services; consequently, inflation corresponds to a reductio ...
, is about $8.5 million today. Both brothers were practical mechanics and skilled artisans, as both demonstrated a distinctive ability for the invention of mechanical devices.
The original factory in Detroit was a modest one and located at the corner of Woodward and Baltimore Avenues,
but later relocated when the Caille brothers took over the former Vanderbilt Match Co. factory on Second Avenue near Amsterdam Street in 1904. Located at 1300-1350 Second Avenue,
they established the
Caille Brothers Building - the fine, modern plant utilized by the company as their world headquarters
until the business was sold in 1932.
The Caille Bros. headquarters was constructed of brick and stone, and the main building, one hundred and twenty by three hundred and fifty feet in dimensions, was three stories tall, not including the basement.
The factory proper, a single story, sat at the rear of the main building.
By 1904, they had become the largest employer in
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...
. The
automobile industry
The automotive industry comprises a wide range of companies and organizations involved in the design, development, manufacturing, marketing, and selling of motor vehicles. It is one of the world's largest industries by revenue (from 16 % such ...
, which started growing a few years later acquired a lot of employees from the Caille Bros. It was their coin-slot devices that ultimately led to the establishment of
penny arcades, places where various coin operated machines could be played. The enormous sales volume of the coin slot machines produced by the Caille Bros. Manufacturing Company testify to their distinctive merit of having produced slot machines of the highest quality and design in their day, earning the Caille Bros. a reputation as the "Rolls-Royce" of floor machines.
They would eventually expand their product line to include other items such as marine motors, scales, and the conveyor belts used in grocery stores.
The Caille Bros. Manufacturing Company maintained branch offices in New York, Chicago and Paris.
The stock of the company was virtually controlled by the Caille brothers, of whom A. Arthur Caille served as president and General Manager, and Adolph A., vice-president and Secretary.
The former had the general supervision of the finance and sales departments of the business, and the latter had charge of the manufacturing and the directing of the general accounting and office affairs.
Patents
*Caille, Auguste Arthur. Vending-machine. US 730232, United States Patent and Trademark Office, 9 June 1903.
*Caille, Auguste Arthur. Printing or Embossing Machine. US 783927, United States Patent and Trademark Office, 28 February 1905.
*Caille, Auguste Arthur. Casing for Coin-Actuated Machines. US 262686, United States Patent and Trademark Office, 11 July 1905.
*Caille, Auguste Arthur. Foldable Rudder. US 1107408, United States Patent and Trademark Office, 18 August 1914.
Notable games
![Cail-O-Scope 01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e3/Cail-O-Scope_01.jpg)
* Detroit Floor Wheel (1898)
*Multi Tester (1900s)
*Forty-Five (1900-1909)
*Apollo Muscle Test (1901-1910)
*Black Cat (1902)
* Little Wonder Skill Mach. (1902)
* Log Cabin (1902)
*Caille-O-Scope (1904)
*Mickey Finn (a.k.a. Tug-Of-War) (1904)
* Tower Lifter (1904)
*Centaur (1907)
*Silver Cup (1909-1915)
* Rubber-Neck Blowing Machine (1913)
*Superior Jackpot (1926-1932)
*Silent Sphinx
(1931-1933)
References
{{Reflist, colwidth=30em
Vending machine manufacturers
Defunct manufacturing companies based in Michigan
Manufacturing companies based in Detroit
Slot machine manufacturers