. <^ 'o..* f'T??-? iO' - • o , ' o > •^^o^ t^o^ ■J* '•V f-.. -.-< .T- • • .0- *; •s^ -nt .0" 0* \. .0' ,'• "°o % ^^, ■•}>' .* ,^ J^. «5 '^^. j>\ •J -*- .0. ^^^ ^"•^^^ < o .%'°- > V °f^ n.'V-' -^o. ^^mm- ^^•'v -s- .V O' %. ^'>_ ,% A ,0' .*' "oV^ ^<^. ■\'. ■»\(iVV,N o . » ■ ^\^' V .^'^^4e the pile of stone increased, the money of the partners diminished. The furnaci-s in full blast produced nothing but suffocating vapors, curling over the flames in those beautiful coronets of smoke which still at- tend the attempt to melt the ore. "The shrewd foreigner, in whose promises his asso- ciates seem to have placed that confidence which honest men often repose in the declarations of knaves, became .-satisfied that the crisis was approaching when it would be ascertained that the funds were exhausted and that stone and iron could not be tranbmuted to gold. Some papers which exist indicate that he pre- tended to knowledge in the occult sciences as well as skill in the art of deception ; however this may be, he assured the company that the great enemy of man had been busy in defeating their exertions, making hia presence redolent in the perfume of sulphur and arsenic. He obtained the sum of $100 and made a journey to Philadelphia to consult with a person ei- _)erienced in mines and their demons, for the purpose of exorcising the unsavory spirit of the crucible. He departed with a barrel full of the productions of the mine, but nevtr returned to state the results of his conference. "The proprietors abandoned the work when they were awaked by the reality of the loss from the dream of fortune, and afterwards destroyed the rec- ords of their credulity. "The spot is easily found. Follow the Nashua Railroad north on toot from its crossing on Mill Brook till you pa»s the two-mile post. The deserted shaft is alKiut twenty rods to the northeast of this spot. It is readily found, as a pile of slate and stones still lie where they were thrown out by the miners on a slight eminence in the meadow."' And yet the German superintendent may have been more superstitious than knavish. The mineral which baffled him, whose arsenical fumes almost suffocated his miners and confirmed his belief in the supernatural, w;is cobalt, a name derived from Greek Kobaiot, German Kobold, a little devil. German folk-lore is full of the diabolical pranks of the Ko- bold, and of pity for the unfortunate beings who suf- fered from the tortures which he inflicted to prevent incursions upon his subterranean ilwelling. Potash. — In 17G0 the manufacture of potash ap- pears to have been carried on quite extensively in and about Worcester; indeed, it was a thriving in- dustry throughout the country. Ky reason of its scarcity in Knglaml, Parliament remitted the duties in 1751, and encouraged its importation from the colo- nies, where wooil was plentiful. Numerous pamphlets upon the desirability of this branch of manufacture ■ Tho Kisrt of th* CommoowMlIb," DmiT 1 Huwiaod, ISM. to the colonies, and upon the best methods of making potash, were at this time published. Its manufacture was urged on the ground of af- fording the colonies an article of export with which to pay for the manufactures imported from Great liritain, and the North American plantations were thought to be well adapted to the manufacture of potash by reason of the abundance of wood suitable for the purpose. A writer upon this subject, in 1707, makes the following recommendations: It is Htipftoflcd tlint rach set ot works fitr carr>-lng on the maDiifacturo of jKitaati will have m mugp uf ten niilL>ii rouuil tur its supply, less tbun wliich would not tie lutllctent ; nnd I would beru, by tbe way, oiutton sucb who nuiy undorlako to ervct works for tills purpoM, that tbe place they tix upon lie at least twenty miles distant from any other works of the like kind, lest they only injure their enterprise by thus cutting off the pronlH'Ct of a sullicient supply of ashes. ICacb set of works under sucb advantuges of obtainiDg stock will, I presume, at tbo least, annually produce twenty tons of good potash, which, at the lowest nite it has ever been sold for, namely, £25, would amount to £500 sterling, and if twenty of these works were to be erected within tbo limits of the province of Miissachuimlts (which I think a moderate Dumber), there might be annually ex|>orted out of tbe province atone 41iO tons of |>otiuili, which, at tho liefore-meDtioDed low rate, would amount to £10,OUO sterling.^ The process of manufacture was simple, and con- sisted in treating wood-ashes with water until the potash contained in them was exhausted, and from the lye thus made a salt was obtained by evaporation. The woods chiefly employed in making potash were hickory, oak, beech, birch, elm, walnut, chestnut and maple. Woods like evergreen, or that abound in turpentine, were avoided. Worcester appears to have been well supplied with wood, and works for the manufacture of potash were established in difierent parts of the town. Pleasant Street was at one time known as Potash Hill. Lin- coln, in his history, says : " Works for making potash were first e-itablished in the north part of the town about 1760; buildings for similar purposes were placed on the west side of Lincoln Street, a little above the old Hancock Arms Tavern, by John Nazro, about ten years after; four more were established at • much later jieriods." I Peter Whitney, in his history, published in 1793, ' says: "The first complete ton of potash was sent to market from the neighboring town of Ashburnham, where it was made at the time of the sotllenient in 173.'>." In 1788 there were about two hundred and fifty potash works in Massachusstls. Governor Bow- doin, as a remedy for the distress then prevailing, had recommended in a message to the General Court, 1785, that the farmers in towns where there was an abundance of wood to be cleared away, should devote themselves to the production of politsh and pearl-ash, and the ashes should be ilepositcd with llie State agent, who should sell them and use the money to pay the t-axes '■' <\-" ' " '"• br-.ughl them. • John !«:•-,. I . ■ - . .r... ." ii>s F.irollenry. Ttiomu Pownall, KM) , rapulii-ii> ral and ilovernorlii'iblrf In and ovar Ills M^wty'i proTluca of MasaacbDMtla Hay lu Naw Euclaod, MANUFACTURES. Isaiah Thomas, in 1793, advertised a book on tlie manufacture of pot and pearl-ash. It has seemed worth wliile to dwell at some length upon the manufacture of potash, as itso clearly shows the narrow resources of the provinces at that time, and the lack of any manufacturing iuterests beyond the simplest kinds designed to meet the wants of a scanty population. . Timothy Bigelow. — One of the earliest mechan- ics to attain prominence in Worcester was Timothy Bigelow, who, before the Revolution, had a black- smith's shop where the Court Mills afterwards stood, near the present junction of Union Street with Lin- coln Square. Of him a somewliat romantic story is told. There then stood on the site of the block of brick houses, opposite the court-houses, the residence of the orphan daughter of Samuel Andrews, then the principal heiress in Worcester. To quote from an old newspaper story : ' " In the rear of the Andrews home Tim Bigelow had a blacksmith's shop, where he blew the bellows, heated and hammered the iron, and shod the horses and oxen and mended the plows and chains lor the farmers of the country about him. Now Tim was as briglit as a button, more than six feet high, straight and handsome, and walked upoia the earth with a natural air and grace that was quite captivating. Now Tim saw Anna, and Anna saw Tim, and they were well satisfied with each other; but, as he was then ' nothing but Tim Bigelow, the blacksmith,' the lady's friends, whqse ward she was, would not give their consent to a marriage. So, watching an oppor- tunity, the lovers mounted fleet horses and rode a hundred miles, to Hampton, in New Hampshire, which lies on the coast, between Newburyport and Portsmouth, and was at that time the ' Gretna Green ' for all young men and maidens for whom true love did not run a smooth course in Massachusetts. They came back to Worcester as Mr. and Mrs. Tim- othy Bigelow. " He was a man of decided, talent, and well fitted by nature for a popular leader. All the leading men of the town at that time were Tories. He espoused the cause of the people, and soon had a party strong enough to control the town, and, being known as a patriot, he was recognized by Hancock, Samuel Adams, General Warren, James Otis and others of the patriot party throughout the Province. He was sent as a delegate from Worcester to the Provincial Congress, and, as captain of the minntc-men, he led his company from Worcester to Cambridge on the 19th of April, 1775, at the summons of a messenger, who rode swiftly into town that day on a large white horse, announcing that war had begun. " Blacksmith Bigelow soon rose to the rank of ma- jor, and, afterwards, to that of colonel of the Fif- > " Ciirr«Tour lu Main Street." teenth Massachusetts Regiment, which was composed almost exclusively of Worcester County men. He was at the storming of Quebec, at the taking of Burgoyne, at the terrific scenes of Valley Forge and on almost every other field m.ade memorable by the fierce conflicts of the Revolution. " Wlien tlie war was over he returned home, his constitution shattered l)y hard service for his country, his health ruined, his fortune gone in consequence of the formidable depreciation of the currency, under which ibrty dollars was scarcely sufficient to pay for a pair of shoes." Ci-OTH. — In 1789 a few men formed an association for the purpose of manufacturing cloths, that had theretofore been imported from Great Britain, and in the Spy of April 30, 1789, the following notice is found : On Tuesday last tho first piece of corduroy made at a manufactory in this town was talcen from the loom ; and March 2.5, 1790, tlie proprie- tors of the Worcester Cotton Manufactory gave notice that they woTilil not take any more linen yarn for tlio present, liaving a suflicicut quan- tity on hand. May 27, 1790, Samuel Brazer .idvertises "goods of American manufacture to be sold at wholesale antl retail, corduroys, jeans, fustians, federal rib, and cot- ton, for cash only. The prices are reasonable, the quality of the goods superior to those imported, which will induce all to give preference to the manufactures of their own country." Later, we find : An Overseer wanted at the Cotton Manufactory at Worcester, also three or four liealthy boys aa apprentices ; two or three journeymen weavers at said manufactory. Apply, for further information, to Saml. Brazer or Daniel Waldo, Worcester. August 5, 1790, all persons who had demands against the proprietors of the Worcester Cotton Manu- factory were requested to present them to Samuel Brazer and Daniel Waldo, Jr., from which we con- clude tliat the enterprise had not prospered, and it is probable that upon the declaration of peace, goods could be obtained more cheaply from England than they could be manufactured here. This factory, containing crude machinery, stood upon Mill Brook, and was located in School Street, east of the present location of Union Street. When the manufacture of corduroys and fustians was abandoned, the factory was moved to Main Street, and was thereafter known as the Green store (present site of Parker block). Samuel Brazer was from Charlestown, where he was a baker, and in 1782 engaged in the same business in Worcester; he appears to have been somewhat jealous of his good name, for in 1784 we find him refuting a slander in regard to the size of his bread. In October, 1785, he dealt in crockery and West India goods at the sign of The Old Maid, in the centre of the town. From this time on Mr. Brazer wasengaged in a variety of occupa- tions. Daniel Waldo, Jr., who was associated with Samuel Brazer in the manufacture of corduroys, was a son of Daniel Waldo, who moved to Worcester from Laocas- WORCESTER. 5 ter in 1782, and engaged in the hardware business near the bridge over Mill Brook at Lincoln Square. Papkr-Mills. — The niunuracture of jnipor took an early and prominent place among the industries of the Colonies. May 3, 1775, at a convention of delegates from vuwns in Worcester County, the following vote was passed : Bnolrtd, That the rrcctioii of s Pnpor-mill In thi« counly noiilJ bo or gmt public xlonlagr, and If any iwniuD or persona will iiiiili'nako the erectiud of inch a mill BiiiJ llio niaiiufHC(tin) of iMiper, lliat it be rrcvmiuenUod to tho jteoplo of Ibe county to oncoiirnKe tlie undertuking by gvncruiis contributions and subscriptions. In the /Spy of July 5, 1775, the following notice is found : Any pervott or persons that incline to set up that useful manufacture, the making of paper, may bear of one who will undertake to give dl- rvctlouA for building a mill, and will carry on Ibo buaineM in good shape with assistance. From the pamphlet on "Early Paper Mills in Mas- sachusetts,'' by Mr. E. 13. Crane, and part of the Pro- ceedings of the Worcester Society of Antiquity for 1886, we learn that Mr. Abijah Burbank, of Sutton, was the first to respond to this resolution. Paper was evidently very scarce, for we find that for want of it but one-half of the Spy could be pub- lished October 30, 177G. This was no doubt due to the scarcity of rags, which evidently continued for some time, for on October 30, 1777, the following notice was published : Tlie paper-mills and, of consequence, Ibo printing ofUces in this coun- ty most inevitably stop unless the goom|)any. In 1778 the principal articles, aside from food and the ruder kinds of cloth, were imported, and mostly from England. The resident of Worcester could find steel, bar iron, choice brandy, New England and West Indian rum, coffee, alum, brimstone, powder and shot at the store of Samuel & Stephen Salisbury, on the north side of Lincoln S(iuaro, just cast of the Salisbury mansion, where the depot now stands. Elisha Clark, at this time, followed the business of rojie-making about two miles from the meeting-house, on the road to Sutton. Clock and watch-work was done in a small way, but not of a very fine grade, if we may judge from the following dvHcription of ii watidi supposed to have been stolen : " A large old-fashioned watch with the MANUFACTURES. glass broken in three places and put together with putty." As a rule, shoemakers in the early days went from house to house, but in 1779 Nathan Heard appears to have established a small shoemaker's shop in Wor- cester. Daniel Waldo, to whom reference has been made, opened, in 1782, a store near the bridge over Mill Brook at Lincoln Square, where he ofl'ered for sale best Heart and Club German steel, bar iron, 4dy. and lOdy. nails, window-glass, Dutch looking-glasses, iron shovels, spades, saddlers' ware, and in general, an assortment of hardware and West India goodsi choice Bohea tea, etc. The firm of D. Waldo & Son, dissolved December 31, 1791 ; Diniel Waldo, Jr., continued. In 1783, Abel Stowell manufactured clocks and watches in his shop south of the meeting-house, on the west corner of Park and Salem Streets. He made in 1800 the clock formerly in the Old South Church. The business of watch and clock-making appears to have been a considerable industry at this time. Benjamin Willard, of Grafton, who had an office with Isaiah Thomas, had .sold two hundred and fifty-three eight-day clocks up to 1784. The art of hat-making was early practiced in Wor- cester ; John Smith offered one shilling each for cat- skins in 1782, and in 1789 Nathan Blackburn adver- tises for an apprentice in the hat-making business. In 1789 Palmer & Daniel Goulding owned a tan- yard. -Mmost every town had a tan-yard, and leath- er of sufficiently good quality was made to serve the needs of the shoemakers and saddlers in the immedi- ate vicinity. Improvements in the simple conveniences for liv- ing were made from time to time, and in 1791 the a|)preciation of the necessity for a cheap and satisfac- tory artificial light is found in the construction of a new candle machine, — price, forty-five dollars, — with which it was claimed a boy could make three hun- dred and sixty rods of candles per day. Abraham Lincoln had a trip-hammer and grist- mill a few rods from the court-house, which he of- fered for sale in 1795. It must have been located on Mill Brook. The works are described as contaiiiing two pairs of bellows that go by water, a grindstone and mill all under one roof; "said works and grist-mill are as convenient and as well situated for custom as perhaps any in the Commonwealth." The desire for communication between the sea- board and Worcester appears to have been felt pre- vious to March, 1796, when some persons formedan as- sociation at Providence for making a canal to Wor- cester, and they were at that time invited to a confer- ence in Worcester at the tavern of Ephraim Mower. Later on, no doubt as a result of this meeting, a pros- pectus appeared setting forth the purpose of the Ca- nal Company, which was to issue four thousand shares of stock at one hundred dollars each, which it was estimated would cover the cost of building the canal. Subscriptions were solicited in Worcester ; William Paine (at Dr. Lincoln's store), Joseph Allen (at his office), Isaiah Thomas, Thomas Payson, Daniel Waldo, Jr., and Samuel Chandler were appointed to receive them. In October, 1796, a number of individuals peti- tioned the General Court for an act of incorporation for the purpose of cutting a canal from Great Pond in Worcester to Boston, but nothing was done at this time either with the Blackstone Canal or with the proposed canal to Boston. In 1822 surveys were made for the Blackstone Canal, which was afterwards put into successful operation, as appears later in the narrative. In 1798 Daniel Denny had a card-factory on Me- chanic Street near Main, opposite Mower's tavern (present site of Walker's building); later, he moved to Main Street, opposite present site of Bay State House. He, no doubt, bought his wire of Daniel Waldo, who imported it, and who, at this time, an- nounced " Sixteen casks of Wool and Cotton Card wire will be landed in a few days from the brigantine 'Aidar,'just arrived from Amsterdam.'' Dutch plows, made in Connecticut, were at this time for sale at Denny's store. Cornelius Stowell, the clothier, had, in 1785, a shop on the east corner of Park and Orange Streets. Abel (the clock-maker), Peter and Ebenezer were his sons. The two latter he took into partnership with him about 17.90, when they began to manufacmre woolen good*, print calicoes, carpets, dye and dress woolen goods. They had two fulling-mills, and dyed fine scarlet and deep blue colors in the best manner. In 1804 Peter & Ebenezer Stowell commenced to weave fine carpets, and at one time had six looms of their own invention and construction in operation. They made the first carpets used in the State-house at Boston. July 19, 1809, a patent on wood screws was granted to Abel Stowell, and in January, 1816, he and his son were located on the Common, a few rods southwest of the Baptist meeting-house, where they conducted a miscellaneous business, dealing in stoves of cast and sheet iron, with their funnels, "as cheap as they can be purchased in Boston or any other place." Machinery of all kinds in bras? and iron, particularly such as are used in carding and other factories ; clocks for meeting-houses and printers' materials in iron and brass. Among his effects of- fered for sale by his administrators in May, 1819, was an undivided part of what is called the Black Lead Mine, consisting of two acres. This was, no doubt, what was later known as the Worcester Coal Mine. Black lead was procured here and ground into a paint, which was quite generally used. In January, 1808, Curtis & Goddard were busy I making chaises, and at this time appear to have moved frum opposite the jail to a building south of WORCESTER. the bunk. Samuel Nenhall had taken the noted Bland of John John.sun, where he intended carrying on the soaiiniaking business. Thomas Stevens, cabi- net-maker, states that he has purchased the right to make and sell two kinds of churns for several towns in the county. In May, ISIO, John Earle and Er:ismu3 Jones erected a wool-carding machine to pick, break and card wool at the building known as Lincoln's Trip- bauimer Shop, tifteen rods east of the court-house. At this time the number and variety of manufac- tures in Massachusetts appear to have increased con- siderably. Some idea of these, in 1810, may be had from a notice issued from the marshal's otlice in Boa- ton July 17th, asking for information in regard to the following industries : tanneries, distilleries, sugar re- fineries, breweries, paper-mills, oil-mills, snutl'-mills, chocolate-mills, gunpo>vder-mills, glass-works, fulling- mills, carding-machines (going by water), hemp and flax spiniiing-mills, cotton and wool-spinning mills, rope-walks, furnaces, air furnaces, forges, bloomeries, rolling and slitting-mills, cut-nail factories, trip- hammers and steel-furnaces. The sudden increase in the variety of manufactures may be attributed to the embargo, declared in Decem- ber, 1807, and to the complications then existing be- tween this country and France and England, which led to an almost complete stoppage of importations, and manufactories of cotton goods, woolen goods, iron, glass, pottery and other articles rapidly sprung into e.xisience. Previous to the embargo, according to Ilildreth," there were in the United States but fifteen cotton- mills with a total of eight thousand spindles. By the end of 1809 eighty-seven mills were built, of which si-xty-two were in operation — forty-eight by water and fourteen by horie-power — working thirty-one thousand spindles, and many more were in process of erection. Most of the saws used in Worcester in 1810 doubt- less came from the works of Elijah Waters & Co., at Sutton, who kept on hand steel-plate and saw-mill saws of various sizes. One of the earliest machine-shops in Worcester was that of Earle & Williams, in 1812, opposite the court- house, where they carried on the business of machine- making, and advertised for sale machinery for spin- ning cotton and wool, carding-machines, and brass castings. Their shop was destroyed hy fire January 5, 18ir.. In April, 1813, the attention of shoe and boot- makers is called to a new and useful improvement, secured hy patent, for putting shoes and boots to- gether with copper nails, without any sewing. The patentee announces that he will attend at Captain Mower's tavern in Worcester (the site now occnpicd I Richard Ulldnth't " tlUlorr of tb* Uollwl BUM," Vol. III., p. 211). by Walker's building) from the 12th to the 20lh in- stant, for the purpose of selling patent right, and claims that the invention "has been proved to an- swer every purpose for beauty, ease and conven- ience, and vastly more durable, at a saving of about half the work, and remedies all the evils attending iron nails and wooden pegs.'' In April, 1815, the Worcester Tannery is offered for siile. It is described as situated in the centre of the town, and is one of the most extensive and con- venient establishments in the State, in fierfect repair, and with all the accommodations and necessary tools for carrying on the business. "Through the middle of the yard runs a large brook, confined by a very handsome stone wall. A j few rods from the tan-yard is a building in which ] bark is ground by water, and in which there is a patent bark-mill, strong and well-constructed."' This is the tannery formerly referred to as owned by Samuel Johnson, and was located east of the present site of E.xchange Hotel. Some reason for the sale of the tannery may be found in the heavy ta.xes upon leather. The other tanneries in different parts of the county appear to have suH'ercd, for no less than nine are offered for sale during 1816 and 1817. The discontent of the workers and makers of leather, and others, finds expression in the following notice, which appeared May 31, 1810 : Sho«ninkvri ahoy ! ITare you been at thu Collector's and glvan bonds, with two milTlcient sureties, to pay duty upon your work? If you mnko a Binf;le boot or shoo abovu 96 vutuo wltliout' Rivlnic bonds to secure the duty to Govemnieut, you do it at your peril, and arc Bubject to a penalty of not Icbb than 9600 I What la your iltuatlon better than that of Yirfflnia neftroei? Tou must account for orery pair of boota yoo make to the Collector. You ntuRt tell how much you ask for them, whom you niake tliwni for, and huw muny pair you iniike ; and, to crown the whole, all this must b« d.pne undT oath. No, that does not crown the whole ; one thing more, ! whenever n custonrer breaks, or runsaway, or cheats you. In addition to I tba lom of the article itself, and the lulwr, you niust pay the duty upon I it to the (lovernment I This Is the crowning, the ca|Hibeaf. Silvomndths, cnr[>enter^, jobtieni, hatlon, tailors, tobacconUts, boat- builflcra, tin-men, blacksndlbs, and ye mechanics and manufacturers of I all articles and commodities uf whatever name and nature, bt* ye also I ready. A line of SOOt) awaits yuu unless yuu comply with the provisions , of thess arbltniry, ini(|ulI, Earle & Williams give notice that in ; addition to machinery for carding wool, they will have in operation, about the Ist of July, machinery for the spinning of wool, which can be spun at a rate greatly below the price of hand-spun. They aNo give notice, June 21st, that, in connection with Asa Mann, they have in operation, near Stone's tavern, south I part of Leicester, machinery for carding wool. ' Joshua Hale, at the same time, states that he has , put his machines for carding wool and spinning cotton in most excellent order, and attends them himself; I alst» that he has fur sale cotton yarn made of cotton selected by himself in Savannah, which he warrants to be the be.it. 8 MANUFACTURES. In September, 1815, Thomas & AVilliam Stowell advertise that they have improved the building lately occupied for a wire-factory, one and a half miles south of the meeting-house, where they have put their works in the best order for dressing cloth, and are in readiness to meet any demands in their business. It may be interesting to note, in passing, that at this time the postage to Boston, on single letters, was fifteen cents. John W. Lincoln, in January, 1816, advertises all sizes of nail-plates from the Millbury RoUing-Mill Company. This company was established in the latter part of December, 1815, for the purpose of manufactur- ing nail-plates and rods. William Hovey, June, 1816, advertises a double carding-machine in operation for custom work at his factory, one mile south of the meeting-house in Worcester, where merino wool is carded in the best manner. October 2d he gives notice that he has taken George March into company with him, and that at Hovey's mill they will manufacture wool into cloth ; price for spinning wool, three cents per skein. At this time considerable interest was manifested throughout the country in manufactures, and frequent meetings were held for the purpose of devising means for their encouragement. A committee of the Legis- lature in New York urged that members of Congress be instructed to attempt to have the duties on woolen and cotton increased ; urged the public officers to clothe themselves in American cloth, and that manu- factures be e.xempt from taxation, and manufacturers from serving in the militia, and from other public duties. It appears to have been quite popular at this time for American statesmen to appear in clothes of American manufivcture. It is said that Henry Clay, when once in Millbury, was presented with a roll of blue broadcloth, the product of the mill of Colonel Sheppard, and Mr. Clay remarked that his ne.xt suit of clothes would show Congress what American manu- facturers could do. Daniel Web.ster also had a suit of clothes made for his use in Washington from cloth made by the Goodell Manufacturing Company, at Millbury, woven, very likely, upon looms made by W. H. Howard, of Wor- cester. The following notice appears in the Spy of Octo- ber 22, 1817:— The Ilenilicrs of tho Worcester Honorable Society, being prisoners for debt on iiarole, ami ileiirivod of tho moans of supporting tbeniselvea in prison, or tlieir families at home, or of paying their debts, and unwill- ing their time and talents should bo lost to thomsolves or to the public, h«reby give information to their creditors and tho good jreople of this \icinity tliat there are in tho society those who can perform the bus- iness of farming, shoemaking, masons, clock and watch repairing, card making, mathematical and meteorological instrnmcnt making, painting and glazing, engraving, distilling, rope making, etc., and solicit a sharo of their patronage in tho above-named kinds of business, which they can perform within the limits ; and they engage they will promptly and faithfully attend to all busiuosa entrusted to them. WoKostcr Gaol, Oct. 22, 1817. This is interesting, as indicating the variety of small manufactures carried on in and about Worces- ter at this time, and as illustrating the unfortunate working of the law then in force, which deprived many worthy men of any opportunity of escaping from their misfortunes. In October, 1819, the Worcester Agricultural So- ciety gave its first exhibition. Among the Worcester exhibits of domestic manufactures were two pieces of kerseymere and one calf-skin, tanned and curried in two days by Reuben Wheeler. Nine skeins of tow yarn, from thirty-three to thirty- eight skeins to the pound, spun on a great wheel by a lady in Worcester. The judges noted with regret that no hoes, scythes, plows, wool, cotton and machine-cards were exhibited in a county which had long been distinguished for the manufacture of these articles, and, in their opinion, no cotton cloth sufficiently good wag offered to be entitled to a premium. CHAPTER II. MANUFACTURINO AND MECHANICAL INDUSTRIES. Streamt and Mill PrmiUges— Population of Worcester — Blaclcst^ne Canal — The liuilroada -The Firtt Expressee — The Old Coal Mine — Peat — Stage Linen. The introduction of steam-power, the opening of the Blackstone Canal and the railroads, have made it possible for a large manufacturing city to grow where otherwise no considerable progress could have been made; for had it been necessary to depend altogether upon water-power, few large factories could have been located upon the small streams which constitute the head-waters of the Blackstone. These streams, nevertheless, have played a most important part, affording means for starting manufac- tories which have since so largely developed in size and variety ; while the increased demand for power has been met by the introduction of steam-engines, through whose medium the waters which formerly were directly applied to the water-wheels, and whose capa- city was consequently limited, are now equal to any demands which may be made upon them. For these reasons the water privileges and streams deserve prominent mention in any account of the manufac- turing industries of Worcester. The Ramshorn stream, so called, rises in Ramshorn Pond, which lies two-thirds in Millbury and one-third in Sutton ; it flows in a northerly direction and is joined by Kettle Brook in the northeasterly part of Auburn. Kettle Brook rises in Paxton, is fed by Lynde and Parsons Brooks, flows in a southerly direction and joins the Ramshorn stream, as above stated ; the ' united streams, known as French River, flow in a WORCESTER. northeasterly direction. At New Worcester, Tatnuck and Bcax'er or Turkey Brooks unite with French. River, and the course becomes a little south of cast. At this point the stream is known us Middle River for about a mile; Mill Brook then joins it, and from this point the river is known as the Blackstone. Ram^horn Pond is owned by the manufacturers on the Bhickstone River, who are assessed for all expenses and repairs. The pond and stream have a water-shed of nine thousand two hundred and fifty-live acres. There are five privileges on this .stream, previous to its entering the town of Auburn, the third privilege being that occupied by the old shjp of Thomas Blancbard, where the eccentric lathe was invented by him, and is of considerable historic interest. The sixth privilege, which is in Auburn, is known as' Larned's village or Pondville. There was a saw-mill here as early as 1794; later a mill was built for the manufacture of wuolen goods, which has since been used for worsteds. Pond & Lamed formerly owned this privilege, which is now occupied by Kirk, Hut- chins & Stoddard. The seventh privilege has long been known as Dunn's Mills; here saw, grist and shingle-mills have been located at ditferent times; plow handles, proba- bly for Ruggles, Nourse & Mason, were at one time made here. The old mills were burned some time ago, and the privilege is now used for a shoddy- mill. A mile beyond. Kettle Brook and Ramshorn stream unite, not far from the French meadows, on the left of the Norwich and Worcester Railroad coming from Auburn to Worcester. Kettle Brook Hows from a reservoir in Paxton, which was built and is owned by the mill-owners along the stream. The first privilege is an old saw-mill, but little used and 8fr. P. (r. Kent, of .lamcsville, who first built a saw-mill, then changed it to a ■hoddy-mill, then into a satinet-mill, which is now run by P. G. Kent & Brother. The fourth privilege is Itottomly's brick mill, built by him, and known as his third mill. It in now owned and occujicd by li. I). Thayor, and uiili/.ed for the manufacture of satinets. \ The fifth privilege is the Chapel Mill, built by Mr. Dickinson, now uned for satinets. | The sixth privilege is called the Kli Collier Mill, i This was also built by Mr. nickinxon, and is run on satinets. i The seventh privilege was the Watson Mill, u«cioneers in the broad- cloth business, which he conducted at this mill for many years. It has been remodeled, and is now owned and run by George W, OIney. Mr. Uodges was Mr. Olney's predeces.sor. The ninth privilege is one on which a mill was built by Thomas Bottomly for the manufacture of broadcloth, and was known as his " second mill." Lynde Brook empties into Bottonily's Pond, and a short distance up this stream is the Worcester Res- ervoir. This mill hag passed through several bands, and is now owned and occupied by Albert E. Smith, who makes woolen goods. The tenth privilege was occupied by Robert Young for a saw-mill, which was afterwards changed into a satinet-mill and was washed away in the Lynde Brook disaster ; it was then merged in the Ashworlh & Jones privilege. The eleventh privilege was formerly occupied by a grist-mill, built by a Mr. .Vdanis, who sold it to Wadsworth & Fowler. The grist-mill was torn down and replaced by a satinet-mill, which, after some time, was sold to Ashworth & Jones, who erected there a handsome mill, one hundred and seventy by fifty feet, four stories high, which was run on beaver cloth. In 188G it was purcha.sed by Mr. E. D. Thayer, Jr., who carries on a large business in the manufacture of woolen goods. The twelfth privilege was originally occupied by a shingle-mill, then by a paper-mill, which was changed into a satinet-mill ; it then passed into the possession of Ashworth i*i Jones, who connected it with the privilege next above. The thirteenth privilege is known as Darling's, and was first occupied by Solomon Parsons. It then passed into the hands of Mr. Darling. Satinets have always been made here. The fourteenth mill is known as Hunt's. This was also built by Solomon Parsons, and sold to Bel- lows & Darling. Cotton batting was first made here, and then satinets. It is now run by u Mr. iiutler in the manufacture of satinets. The fifteenth is the Jamesville privilege, which Benjamin James bought of the heirs of the Bnnit'tt estate. It was originally a saw-mill in the woods. Mr. James bought soon after IK.'iii and built the fac- tory, which he ran on hosiery till about 1860; he then changed to army cloth, and after that to fancy cassimeres. It was run up to the time of Lynde Brook disaster, when the dam was destroyed, the water plowing twenty feet beneath the dam. The mill was rebuilt ami ran on cansinieres till about INKO. It ponsod through several hands, and finally came into the possession of P. O. Kent & Co., who enlarged the mill and now make sntincls. There is 10 MANUFACTUEES. quite a village at this point, a chapel and depot. One hundred and ten hands are employed in the mill. The sixteenth privilege is occupied by the Stone- ville Mill. The waters of Kettle Brook come into the Stone- ville Pond at the end nearest New Worcester ; at the other end a stream comes in which has been known as Young's Brook, and by other names. About a mile up this stream was an old paper-mill, erected about 1834 by Nathaniel S. Clark and Daniel Hey- wood. Kettle Brook with this stream carries the Stoneville Mill, now operated by the Stoneville Worsted Company in the manufacture of yarn for the carpet-mill of William J. Hogg. In 1834 Jeremy Stone owned this mill ; it then went into the possession of Edward Denny, next of A. L. Ackley, and later was changed from woolen to cotton goods. John Smith bought the mill about 1858, and it was subsequently run by his sons — C. W. & J. E. Smith — for many years. About a mile from this point Mill Brook joins the Ramshorn stream, and thence proceeds through the French Meadows, and is known as the French River. At the next privilege Mr. Trowbridge, grandfather of William T. Merrifield, built, in 1810, a mill for the manufacture of cotton yarns. There had previously been a saw-mill, and possibly a grist-mill at this point. At this time Joshua Hale was carding wool at the privilege now occupied by Albert Curtis, and the farmers were in the habit of taking their wool to Mr. Hale to have it carded and spun, and bought their yarn at Trowbridgeville, doing the weaving at their own liomes. Tatnuck Brook has a water-shed of eight thousand nine hundred and forty-three acres. Upon an old map, published in 1784, a trip hammer-mill, a corn- mill and a saw-mill are found upon Tatnuck Brook^ within the limits of the town of Worcester. The first mill recollected by those now living is a saw- mill in Holden, owned by a man named Hall; this was prior to 1850. The second privilege was near the outlet of the present reservoir, where there was another saw-mill. The third privilege was at Tatnuck. The fourth privilege was the old mill built in 1834 for David T. Brigham, in Tatnuck, near the bridge on the road to New Worcester ; it is now used for making sat- inets. It was built by AVilliam T. Merrifield in 1834. The fifth privilege was Patch's saw and grist- mills. The sixth privilege was a small mill, and the seventh, the upper privilege now occupied by the Goes Manufacturing Company. This and the lower privilege on Leicester Street are more particularly described in that part of this article which treats of the wrench business. Tatnuck Brook was kaowu at one time as Half- Way River, as the bridge at New Worcester was half- way from Boston to Springfield. On its tributary, Turkey or Beaver Brook, a saw mill was located in 1784. At the junction of Tatnuck Brook and Ramshorn Brook was the old original dam which was removed by Mr. Albert Curtis about 1845. The privilege now occupied by factories of Albert Curtis and Curtis & Marble is described elsewhere. Next to this privilege is the one occupied by the Hopeville Manufacturing Company, manufacturers of satinets. This was occupied by Thomas Sutton in 1831, where he put in the fiist iron water-wheel in the county. Sutton's original mill was burned in 1862. About 1848 there was a cotton-mill here run by S. H. Thayer. This was formerly known as Hornville, so called because, when the first mill was built, there was no bell, and the help were called to work with a horn. The first mill located here was a grist-mill. Bige- low & Barber bought the privilege in 1858. Next come the carpet-mills, once the location of White & Boyden's machine-shop, where Mr. Albert Curtis learned his trade. Hatch & Gunn here com- menced the manufacture of broadcloth in 1827 ; they were the first in Worcester to make woolen goods throughout. Then comes the Wicks Manufacturing Company, who recently commenced the manufacture of worsted suitings. The next privilege is the one now occupied by the Worcester Wire Company, which has been used as a manufacturing site for many years and for many dif- ferent purposes. Upon the map previously referred to published in 1784, North Pond is said to cover thirty acres of ground. John Pierce's map, 1795, gives the area of North Pond forty acres, and says that in that year there were in Worcester five grist-mills, six saw-mills, one paper-mill. Near where Mill Brook leaves North Pond there were situated, in 1784, two fulling-mills; just southeast of the court-house was a trip-hammer shop. Between the two and just north of Lincoln Square the old miU of Captain Wing was located in 1685. Then a grist-mill, probably on the site of the Crompton Loom- Works, and a saw-mill was located at Quinsiga- mond, with the statement that "there is soon to be a paper-mill." Mill Brook has a watershed of .seventy seven hun- dred and fifty acres. The first privilege below North Pond Dam was occupied by a cottou-mill built by George T. Rice and Horace Chenery, about 1830. The second was a factory built by Frederick W. Paine for Washburn & Goddard, and occupied by them until 1834; then by Goddard & Parkhurst until 1838, when it was leased for a short time by Ichabod Washburn, and was later occupied by William Cromp- ton until it was burned in February, 1844. The third privilege was the old tannery privilege, originally built by Dr. William Paine, father of F. W. WOHCKSTER. 11 Paine, for a grist-mill, which was run Ii_v the family Air many years. About lS3t) N. Eaton & Co. had a paper-mill here. The Olivers, stove dealers, next used the privilejie to j,'rind blaek lead. In the fall of 18")4 .Mr. Samuel Warren purchased the property of Mrs. (Oliver, and ran it lus a tannery until 1SS5. Mr. Warren's ances- tors on both sides for three generations were tanners. His main business was to supply the cardniakers with their leather. This water privilege has recently been purcha.-icd by Stephen Salisbury. The fiurth privilege is tirove Mill, wlu-ie the late Mr. Stephen Salisbury built a wire-mill for Ichabod Washburn in 1S34. The (ifth, Court Mills privilege. Abraham Lincoln had a trip-hammer shop here in 17'.K>; Eiirle & Wil- liams a machine shop in 1812, and a bark-mill wa'< probably run in connection with the old tannery lo- cated just back of Exchange Hotel in 1815. Before I'ourt Mill was burned there was an old one-story building located here, used in 1828 by William Hovey for the manulacture of shears and •^traw-cutters. The basement of the new Court Mills wiis built of the stones which came from the old jail, which stood on the sipiare facing the present depot. Howard & Dinsmore took the tirst lease of the Court Mill.*, and were succeeded by Mr. Saiiuiel Da- vis. The si.xth privilege was built by F. W. I'ainc, at the corner of School and Union Streets. It was oc- cupied at first by a small wooden building, thirty by eighteen, two stories high ; the basement was occupied Viy W. H. Howard, lead pipe manufacturer; the sec- ond story by Calvin Darby, who ran a carding-ma- chine. Mr. Howard was bought out by Ichabod Washburn in 1J^22, and January 1, 1S23, .Mr. Wash- liurn and Benjamin Goddard formed a partnership, and at the same time bought out Calvin Darby. They manufactured woolen machinery here until their removal to Northville, in is.Sl. March, Holiarl A Co. succeedeil them. The premises have been occupied by various parties from 1822 till the present lime in the mahufaiture of woolen machinery, N. A. I»mbard & Co. being the present owners. The seventh privilege was called Eliigg Mills, af- terwanl/ known as the Red Mills, ami owned bv William B. Fox. The Red Mills were occui>ied by s.-ish and blind and cutlery manufacturers, while from the same jirivilegc was obtained power which ran the woolen- mill of Fox fi. Rice, on the other side of the iitreet. This privilege was sold, and the site became part of the sewerage system in the mayoralty f»f .lamcw B. Bhike. The eighth privilege was occupied by the U[)per and lower paper-mills at C^uinsigainond, lat<'r and at present by the works of Washburn & Moen Manu- facturing Company. The ninth and last privilege in Worcester was oc- cupied by the I'crry (irist-Mills, which were built in 1S:U. Mill Rrciok Inis played an important part in the development of the manulacturing interests of Wor- cester, and three distinct privileges on this stream have been occupied by wire factories, while the first ex|)eriment8 of Ichabo'l Washburn were conducted at the present location of the Lombard Factory, on School Street. The firot wire-mill was located at Northville, and later was moveil down the stream to the (irove Mill jirivilegc, and later still the (.^uin- sigamond privilege was used for this business. Mill Brook is now condemned to the main sewer shortly after it leaves the works of Washburn & Moen M;inufacturiiig Company, in trrove Street, from which it emerges into the Blackslone, just below the works at (juinsigamou'l. It was not until 1820 that Worcester took first rank among the towns of the county. The census of 1765- 7(3 gave Worcester the fifth place in population, following Sutton, Lancaster, Mendon and Brookfield. In 17!Mi, 1800 and 1810 Worcester stood third in order, Hrooktield and Sutton preceding. In 1820 Worcester look first place, and from that time to the present has shown a constantly-increasing percentage of the population in the county. That percentage amounted to something over eleven per cent, for the decade ending 18:iO, and over fifty per cent, for the decade en, by Mr. .lohn Brown, of I'rovidence, and his associates, but the Legislature of Massachusetts, failing to assent to an act of incorporation, it was not then carried into execution. In May, 1822, "(lentlemen who are friendly to the project of a canal from Woncsler to I'rovidence are re<|ucsted to meet at t'olonel Sikes' Collee-hoiise on Friday evening, at seven o'clock." Another meeting was held on May 24th, and a cimimittee appointed. 12 MANUFACTURES. upon which the following gentlemen served : Levi Lincoln, John Davis, John W. Lincoln, William E. Green, John Milton Earle, Edward D. Bangs. In September, 1822, the surveys of the canal were completed. According to the report of the committee, the length of the canal would be forty-five miles and the descent from Thomas Street to tide-water in Providence 451 i feet. The ground was bored every twelve rods for the whole distance, and upon the route selected no rock was found within the depth of excavation. The en- gineer reported, " 1 have come to the conclusion that a canal 32 feet wide at the to|), 18 feet at the bottom and 3i feet depth of water, would be a projier size to be formed, and that locks of 70 feet between the gates and 10 feet in width would be sufficiently large for the trade intended." The estimated expense of the work, including locks, was $323,319. The excavation in Rhode Island was commenced in 1824, and a meeting of the Blackstone Canal Company was called at the Thomas Coffee-House, Worcester, April 9, 1825, for the purpose of forming a corporation. Great expectations were formed of the amount of business that would be done, and it was claimed that the canal would more than double the value of real estate within six miles of it. The subscription books for $400,000 of the capital stock, were opened in Providence, April 27th ; three times the re(|uired amount was subscribed for, and the stock sold at a premium. In May, 1826, the canal was locateil in the village of Worcester. Fears were entertained in Boston at this time that the canal would divert trade from Boston to Provi- dence ; to counteract this, a plan for a railway be- tween Worcester and Boston was proposed. It is related that a wag, happening to be in town when the account of the sale of canal stock was received, was asked what the Boston folks would do when they heard of that. "Oh," replied he, "they will rail a-way ! " The first canal-boat to arrive in Worcester was the " Lady Carringlon," which arrived from Providence October 7, 1828, and moored in the basin in Central Street, at head of canal at eleven o'clock, and was advertised "To take passengers for Millbury to-mor- row morning, returning in the evening, and she will remain here during the present week for the accom- modation of parties." The arrival of the " Lady Oarrington," according to an account in the National JEgU, October 8, 1828, " was greeted on passing the locks by the cheers of the multitudes assembled. On reaching the Front and Central Streets bridges continued cheers hailed its approach. At eleven o'clock the boat arrived in the basil), and the commissioners and the crowd as- sembled were addressed by Colonel Jlerrick, chairman of the Board of Selectmen, who expressed the senti- ments appropriate to the occasion. On the conclu- sion of his remarks, enthusiastic cheers, the thunders of cannon and the peal of bells welcomed the visitant to the town. The commissioners and other gentlemen of l)oth States were passengers on ihe boat, and with the gentlemen of the town |>artook of a collation at the house of the Governor." The following notice appears in the Spy at this time: Port of Worcester, October 8, 1828, Arrived ycsterilay. Canal-boat '■Lady Carriugtou," Captain Dobson, from Providence, witli slate and grain for Natlian Heard. At the end of October " Lady Carrington " arrived in Providence loaded with domestic goods — butter, cheese, coal and paper. The following extracts, taken from the papers of the day, will give some notion of the amount and character of the goods shipped : Oanal-lioat ** Providence," Captain Dobaon, with lO,UiHJ lbs. lead pipe froniT. it .1. Sutton, machinery from William ilovey, and iron caj»tiiigs front Sumner Smith. Departed, boat '* Massacliufiotts " fur Providence, with 20 caaks of beer and 11 hogsheads from Trnmbnll & Ward. Arrived, canal-boat " Worcester," Captain (Jreen, from Providence, with 3457 lbs. of iron for Washburn & Goddard, 4169 lbs. of lead to ,T. .t T. Sntton, 13 bales of cotton, :{ tons of logwood and one ton of copperas t for William nutfiim, Jr. I i But there were three serious drawbacks to the j prosperity and profits of the canal, which soon made ' it unpopular with most of its stockholders and pa- trons. Unfortunately, a portion of the canal was lo- cated in the Blackstone River, and boats were more [ or less delayed in high, and also in low water, and in some seasons for weeks were detained with goods which were wanted for immediate use or sale. In some years the canal was for four or five months closed with ice. In a season of drought the manufac- turers were jealous of the boatmen drawing so much water, and on several occasions in Rhode Island the owners of the mills and of the water-power ordered large loads of stone tipped into the canal-locks to prevent the boats from passing, which almost excited a riot among the boatmen, and some of the mill- owners were afraid their mills would be fired, as they had been threatened.' April 22, 1S4C, the &]>ii states that the canal com- pany had sold all that portion of the canal in Massa- chusetts, with all the privileges and francKiscs, ex- cept the reservoirs, for the sum of twenty-two thou- sand five hundred dollars to the Providence and Wor- cester Railroad Company, and April 25, 1849, the locks, boats and water-rights were advertised for sale. The last toll was collected November 9, 1848, but meantime more efficient means of communication be- tween the sea-board and Worcester was aflbrded by the railroads. In March, 1831, subscription books were to be found at the banks, where those who wished could ' History of the Blackstone Canal," by Colonel I. Plumnier. WOKCESTKR. 13 subscribe to the stock for a railroad from Boston to Worcester. Tlie Boston ami Worcester Railroad Company wjis chartered June 23, 1831, to build a line Ironi Boston to Worcester, — a distance of forty-four miles. A train wa.s run through to Worcester July 4th; but it was unl until July tj, 183.j. that the road was for- mally ii|niied, allhouuli the cars had, for .some time previous, been running fmni Bo,ston to Wesllioro', and, as early as .\pril 10, IS'M, to Newton. The train of July tith to Worcester consisted of twelve cars ilrawn by two locomotives, and contained the |ire«idenl, directors, stockholders and invited guests to the number of about three hundred. The train, which left Boston at a i|uarter before ten, arrived in Worcester at about one o'clock. It was met by a committee, of which Charles Allen was I hairman ; a procession was formed under the direc- iioQ of General Nathan Heard, and proceeded to the Town Hall, where a collation was served and speeches Miaile. .\t four o'clock the train started on the re- turn trip to Boston. At the Insane .Vsylum, when the first locomotive passeil, one of the inmates remarked : " Well, that beats the very devil; I never before saw a critter RO »ii fast with such short legs!" In .\pril, li^'.ii), the business of the Boston and Worcester Railroad Company was said to have been more than double the amount of that of the corre- sponding time of the year preceding ; piLssenger cars were well patronized, an«•')( ill tUr* roDi|uiw or HU aiittitiinal iluy. And tti«» power ulii<-li piilK ■ill in iiiution, niust woiidri'iis, u few bni'l<«>li< of whIit ! . . . Itid w#» live in tt puPtic ngo, we liitve now roiu-licd tlio n>i;i> hclodd hint a titanic coI«i»imh of iron and of bnuK, inntini-t Willi eleiiienlal life and powor, with a glowing furnace for liia lunge and Blrennm of (Ire mid Hiiioko for Ihe breath of liiB noetrils ! Willi one hand ho collects the fun* of the arctic circle, with the other he Hiiiilee the foreeta of Western I'ennitylvaniii. He planl?* his right fm)t before the Hoiirco of the Miwi'iuri iind Uin left on llio Hhureit of the Ciilf of Mexico, and gatliom in bin boHuiii the overllowing iibuudance of the faireet and richoet ralley on which the circling sun looke down. September 14, 1867, the two IMassacluisetts corpo- rations were consolidated under the name of the Bos- ton and .\lbaiiy Railroad Company, and on DecemVier 28, 1870, a further consolidation was efl'ected with the New York roads, thus forming the present organiza- tion. The Norwich and Worcester Railroad Company was chartered in .March, 1833. The first meeting of the company was held at Webster .luly 1, 1835. The length of the routes surveyed was a little short of sixty miles, and passed through thriving villages, while upon thebanks of the adjacent streams there was said to be water-power sufficient to carry one million , spindles; the number of cotton-mills was seventy-five and of woolen-mills twenty-seven, exclusive of Wor- cester and New London. There were said to be one hundred and forty manufacturing e.stablishments be- tween Norwich and Worcester, within five miles of the road, 'rhuiigh fifteen miles longer than the Bos- ton and Worcester Railroad, it was estimated it would cost five hundred thousand dollars less. Regular trips between Worcester and New London com- menced .March 0, 1840, and the fare to New York by this route was fixed at five dollars. R. W. Whiting, Nov. 21, 1S38, advertises that, hav- ing made arrangements with the Boston and Wurces- tiT Railroad Co. to occupy a part of a car, to be run with the piLssenger train to Boston in the morning and back in the afternoon, commencing on Monday, 20th of November, he will takechargc of all packages, bundles, etc., which may be entrusleil to Ins care, and will see them safely delivered the same day, and that he will also transact with promptness any other busi- ness committed to his care. He had an order-box at the Temperance Kxchange, Railroad Depot and the American Temperance House, where he could be found after seven in the evening and before seven in the morning. I William F. Ilaniden ha." always been credited with I being the lather of the American Kxpress system. His advertisement is found in the ■'resent time there is not only direct communication with all points north and south, but there are five outlets and thirteen different lines, more or less, affording direct communication with the West. Edward Everett's wish, so strongly expres.sed in his speech in Faneuil Hall prior to the opening of the Western Railroad, is most perfectly fulfilled. In 1823 attention is called to the advantages pos- sessed by Worcester which should make it a large manufacturing centre. Encouragement is found in the fact that towns in the interior of England, with no greater local advantages, have contained from 10,000 to 15,000 inhabitants, and since the introduc- tion of steam-power, a population of from 80,000 to 100,000 has been reached. It was stated that Worces- ter would soon be at the head of canal navigation, and in addition, her " inexhaustible store of anthra- cite coal, well calculated for steam-engines," was referred to as being of the greatest value. Considerable attention was given in 1823 to the examination of the anthracite coal deposits, which were located northeast of the city, west of Plantation Street, and near its junction with Lincoln Street, now known as the Old Coal Mine. The coal was said to be of the same variety as the Rhode Island, Schuylkill and Lehigh coal, and was found, according to statements then made, to ignite easier than any of them and to burn longer. Care- ful comparisons were made of the relative value of these different varieties and the result, with a given quantity of each, showed as follows: Worcester coal lasted five hours; Lehigh, four hours twenty-five minutes; Rhode Island, three hours thirty-six minutes. The thermometer was raised by the Worcester coal to one hundred and seventy-nine degrees; by the Lehigh, to one hundred and sixty ; by the Rhode Island, to one hundred and thirty-four. The Worcester coal burned brighter than the oth- ers, and with more Hame. It was confidently asserted that when the Blackstone Canal should be completed Worcester coal would be the cheai>est fuel for Provi- dence ; it was estimated, however, that the Worcester coal was more impure than the Lehigh, containing a considerable portion of earthy matter that remained in the form of ashes after burning; but, in spite of this, it was thought that it would answer a valuable purpose. Tests were made at the Worcester Brewery, which appear to have been satisfactory, for in Febru- ary, 1824, app,lication was made to the General Court for the incorporation of the Massachusetts WORCESTER. 15 Coal Company, to ascertain the quality and quantity of the coal, and expense of mining and conveying it to market. For the next two years it appears to have been used as the principal fuel in tlie brewery of Trumbull & Ward, and was also used in Colonel tiardner Bur- bank's paper-mill. It was found there, that about liaif of the bulk of the coal rcmaitied atler the fire subsided, but upon replciiishiiiL' with new coal it was mostly consumetl in the second burning, and Colonel liurbank found the expense of keeping a fire with this coal to be less than the expense of cutting wood and tending fire, if the wood were delivered at the f deposit, in loads of fifteen hundreil pounds. In February, 1S2'.I, the Worcester Coal Company was incorporated, and in March, 1829, tlie Worcester Railway Company, with a capital of fifty thousand d^dlars, with authority to build a railway from the mine to Lake l^uinsigamond and to the lilackstone Canal, but the enterprise ajipears to have been abaii- iloned "hortly afterwards. The CDal was fuuiid to be too iiir])ure for ecimoniical use. It was sriniewhat humoriiusly said that there waa a d sight more coal after burning than there was before. Peat waa also found in the meadows about Wor- cester. In 18.'>t) it was introducens kinds are made, one smull Cotton factory, a l.ii'l aqueduct factory and other works of minor note." Prior to 1813 there was no stage or mail route be- tween Worcester and Providence ; in that year, or 1814, it was attempted to run a stage, but the business was only sufficient to support a cheap carriage and two or three horses, ami the proprietors abandoned it. Until 1819 the mail was carried once a week in a one-horse wagon ; an attempt was then made to run a two-horse stage twice each week, but this did not pay, and waa abandoned, In 1823 a line of stages was started and well pat- ronized. For a long time the only stages from Worcester were six times each week to Bo.ston, and six times each week to New York. In 1827 there were eighteen ditl'erent lines of stages running from Worcester, and the passengers averaged one hundred daily. ( .' H A P T E R III. MANUF.\CTt:RINC. A.\n MKCHANIC.\I. INl)l'STRIF,.S. Tfxttie Ftibrica and .If.if/iiiitfry /of Mitiinij T/imii— Kor/y Maimfucture of Clotlt — OniiiUiitn of Woolen Mauu/acture — John OfUltlintj — Manu/ao' turf of OMoii oud li',Mff«H Sftwliitiery—Vard Clolliing— f^mn—Otr- yU-JJir,.id. We have already noticed that Samuel Brazer in 1790 advertised to sell "corduroys, jeans, fustians, federal rib and cotton," and that at the same time he and Daniel Waldo were iiroprietors of the Worcester Cotton Manufactory. There wjis tlien scarcely any machinery for the manufacture of cloth in America; it had been introduced into England, but there were severe laws against its exportation to the colonies. The process of making cloth, a.s early conducted, was entirely by hand-power. Hand-cards were used for straightening the fibre of the wool or cotton, which was spun by a single spindle driven by a wheel kept in motion by the hand of the operator. The yarn was woven upon hand-looms, and the cloth thus maije was gent to the fulling-mill, which was the first branch of the business not conducted in the household. Fulling-mills were scattered all over the country for the purpose of finishing the cloth made iti the farm-houses. .lolin Earic and Erasmus .lones in 1810 " erected wool-carding tnachines to pick, break and card wool at the building known as Linctdn's Trip-hammer shop, fifteen roils uiist of the ('ourthousc." In 1X11 William Hovey, an ingenious mechanic, advertised a new shearing-machine, called the "On- tario Machine," anri warned all persons against making or using a machine embodying the principle on which thi* was constructed, " which covers a 16 MANUFACTURES. spiral revolving shear working against a straight blade or cutter." One of the advantages claimed for this machine wiis that it could be carried anywhere in a one-horse wagon, and could be operated either by hand or water-power. It was claimed that tlii.s machine would facilitate that laborious branch of the business ten-fold. Hovey constructed another machine in 1812, in which the shears moved across the cloth on the same principle as hand shears, and he claimed that with this machine he could shear about two hundred yards of broadcloth a day as well as by hand. In 1814 .Jonathan VVinslow engaged in the manu- facture of flyers of a superior quality for s[)inning cotton. Coml)-plate.« for wool-carding machines were of- fered for sale in 1814 by Daniel Waldo at his store and by Earle & Williams at their shop. At the same time Merrifield ik Trowbridge were engaged in making cotton and woolen machinery at the Trow- bridgeville privilege. The prices generally adopted for wool-carding at this time, in Worcester County, were seven cents per pound for common wool, with an addition of three cents when oil was found by the carders ; twelve and a half cents per pound for carding half-blooded merino, with the like addition for oil; twenty-five cents per pound for carding full-blooded merino, with the like addition. An improvement over the ordinary single spindle spinning-wheel is ofl'ered by the proprietor, located at Sikes' Tavern, who offers for sale " The Farmer's Spinner," which carries from eight to twelve spin- dles attached to a single spinning-wheel. As an indication of the improvements being made in the construction of machinery, attentiim is called in 1822 to the fact that William Hovey is construct- ing cylinders for carding-machines entirely of iron, being cast in four parallel pieces. Stephen R. Tenney is engaged in building wool- carding, matting, shearing and brushing-machines, in the building formerly occupied by Tiowbridge & .Merrifield as a cotton factory. In 1822 Ichabod Washburn manufactured ma- chinery for carding and spinning wool at his shop near Sikes' Inn. January 1, 1823, Mr. Washburn took into partner- ship Benjamin Goddard (2d), and continued in the same business, to which they added that of card- ing wool, having purchased the machines lately owned by Mr. Calvin Darby. In .lune, 1824, Brewster & Fox. advertised the best carding-machines and workmen at their eatabli.sh- ment, one mile south of Worcester Village, — the South Worcester privilege^carding, six cents; oil- ing and carding, seven cents. The machine-shops, so called, at this time were almost exclusively engaged in the manufacture of cotton and woolen machinerv. William ]J. Fox, who seems at this time to have separated from his former partner, Mr. Brewster, dresses " Handsome wear " at his cloth-dressing fac- tory, one mile south of Worcester, at twenty cents per yard, " common at sixteen cents." Sarah Hale, widow of Joshua Hale, offered for sale, March 1, 182G, the factory at New Worcester, consisting of the building '' occupied for many years past for the purposes of manufectnring cotton and carding custom wool;" but not finding a customer, she had the machines put in good order and resumed business. Simmons & Wilder carded wool and dressed ch)th about two miles south of Worcester Street. September 13, 1826, William B. Fox moved his wool-carding and cloth-dressing business to the new building erected on the privilege formerly owned by Samuel Flagg, a i'ew rods south of Worcester Village. The woolen business at this time was in a most de- pressed condition, and was said to be done at a loss, even with the most prudent management. It was feared that the probable stf)ppage of the mills would be severely felt in the community. A meeting was held about this time in Boston, and it was decided that it would be advisable to apply to Congress for an increase of duties on imported woolens, or a re- duction of the duty upon wool. The cotton fabrics made in this country at this time were of excellent (luality, and the business was in a much better condition than the woolen business. A meeting was called in Worcester for Friday, De- cember 1, 1826, at ".Stock well's," to consider the de- pressed state of the woolen manufactures. At that meeting a memorial to Congress was prepared, signed by Emory Washburn, James Woolcott and Major .John Brown. One of the most valualde contributions to the woolen machinery of the world was the endless rolling, or American card, invented in 1826, by John Goulding, a native of Massachusetts, .and for many years a me- chanic at Worcester. Previous to the development of this nuuliine the rolls, or rolling issuing from the carding-macliine, were limited to the breadth of the card, and the ends of the separate rolls had to be spliced together by hand process, by a machine called a "billy." Goulding dispensed with the " billy," and, by an ingenious combination of devices, obtained an emlless roll, and so perfected his machinery that he could use it successfully from the moment the rolling left the dull end of the first picker until it was con- verted into yarn fit to be manufactured into cloth. This device has been styled the most important ad- vance in the card-wool industry of that early period.' Some knowledge of the e(|uipment of a woolen- factory at this time may be had from a notice of a sale in .June, 1827, at the woolen-factory then lately occu- pied by A. it 1). .Mdrich, and about one mile south WORCESTER. 17 of New Worcester, at which were to be offered for sale tea satinet-loouui, une double cardiug-iuachiue, one billy, one sheariug-machiue, one ro|iin^-)uachiue, one press, one copper-kettle, one potash-kettle, press- plates. In Februan,', I82•'^, William Hovey .stated that he is about to stop his manufacture of satinet shearing- machines, but n'ill continue to make broad and cn.ssi- mere shearing-machine.-- with vll)rating or revolving- ^hear8, and .nlso metallic grinding-macliines for keep- ing the machines in order. In March, IS.'iO, it was proposed to erect in Wor- cester a patent hemp and Hax-machine, and the Worcester Hemp Company offered to furnish seed to the farmers on the following conditions: The company would furnish seed at the market price for cash, or in payment would lake good notes on interest payable in hemp stem at eighteen dollars jter ton, gross weight, when the crop was harvested and delivered at the machine, or would furnish the seed and soiv on shares. The company otlered to pay eighteen dollars per ton gross weight for good hump stem delivered at the machine cut, or fifteen dollars without. In March, 18:J1, Lewis Thayer and (leorge Willey commenced the manufacture of loom-pickers at New Won-ester. Lewis Thayer "carded wool at three and a half cents per pound and waited one year for his pay." In August, 1831, Washburn & Uoddard sold their business of manufacturing woolen machinery to .March, Hobart & Company, composed of Andrew Marrh, George Hobart, Henry (Joulding and H. F. -mith. This firm was dig.solved in 1882, and was succeeded by Hobart, Goulding it C'nmpany, who dissolved March 'J.'i, I8.'i2. They manufactured pick- er¥, carding-maohines, condensers, jacks, etc., also comb-plates, and were succeeiled by (ioulding A: Smith. February 2^, 1836, < ioulding <& Smith dissolved, 1). T. liri^'ham having retired from the firm in 18-'i4, and Henry Onuldin): idutinued the business alone. A co-partnership was furnicd, April, 1837, under the title of Henry (ioulding & Company, i-onsisting of Henry I ioulding, John (tales, (2d), and Luke With- erby. They were burned out in .Vugust, IWiS; the liiiililing, which was of brlik, was valued at three thousandlars' worth annually (if woidm maihinery. Nov. l.'!, 1.H41, < ioulding & Davis, who had succeeded, dissolved, and Henry (ioulding inntiniieil. .Apiil 1. 1S')1, Willard, WilliamM& Company, bought imt Henry Oouldinft; the firm was composed of Fitxroy Willard, Warren Williams, N. A. I^ombard, Charles A. Whitte- more and H. W. (Jonklin : this firm was sn<'i ceded April 2, 18.V>, by F. Willard A (Company, composed I of Fitzroy Willard, Charles Whittemore, N. A. Lom- bard and H. W. Conklin. This firm was succeeded April 1, IStil, by Bickford & Lombard, who were succeeded by N. A. Lombard, the present proprie- tor, who has been connected with the business since 185L From 1823 until the present time this business has been confined to the manufacture of woolen ma- chinery of dillerent kinds, and at present includes carding and spinning machinery, s|)inning jacks, pickers, dusters, willowers, etc. The firm of Phelps & Bickford was composed of Horatio Phelps and William M. Bickford; W. M. Bickford succeeded William Stowell, August 31,1831, and built woolen machinery, condensing, picking, nap- ping and brushing-macliines, also spinning jaiks, at the Stowell shop in New Worcester ; he was suc- leeded by Abel Kimball, who continued the business at the same place. Horatio Phelps manufactured looms of all kinds in the shop formerly occniiied by William Howard, at .South Worcester, from whom Mr. Phelps had pur- chased the right to make his patent broad looms. Phelps & Bickford continued to manufacture here, after the formation of their copartnership, all kinds of woolen looms. In October, 1834, they removed from South Worcester to Court Mills, then a new building erected by Stephen Salisbury for the accommodation of parties desiring to lease factory room. Phelps & Bickford afterwards occupied part of the wire factory in Grove Street. Later, Mr. Bickford continued the business alone, and in 1859 he employed twenty-three hands in building looms in the west wing of the Grove Street mill. December 2S, 18G0, he moved to Mcrrifield's building, in K.xchatige Street, where he was prepared to build all kinds of Crompton looms and other fancy looms, broad and narrow; also walk- ing, dressing and spooling machinery, with steam cylinilers or pipes for drying ; also all kinds of ma- chinery and tools for making wire. August 17, 1831, .ri)lin Simmons & Co. announced that they had formed connection in business, and will supply at their new shop in New Worcester the fol- lowing machinery : Broad and narrow shearing ma- chifiCH, pressing-machines, napping-machincs. This copartnership was composed of .John .Simmons, Abel Kimball and .Mbert Curtis, and was dis.solved Febru- ary 21, is;i2 Mr. Curtis in 1831 took a lease of Lewis Thayer, the then owner of u part of the water privi- lege which was nrigiimlly owned by .Joshua Hale. Here he erci'ted a machine shop. The tdd Hale building was a wooilen factory, two stories and a basement, and stood where the middle building of the ( 'nrtis it .Marble factories now is. .Mbert Curtis was born in Worcester, 18(17. At the age of seventeen he was apprenticed to White & Boyden, who nninuliictured woolen machinery at South Worcester, near the present location of the , carpet-millM. After learning his trade he workcl 18 MANUFACTURES. here for three years as a journeyman, at one dollar and twenty-five cents per day. In December, 1829, he went to Pittsburgh, but returned in January, 1831, and again entered the employment of White & Boy- den. While learning his trade he became acquainted with his fellow-workmen, Kimball and Simmons, and they conceived the idea of going to New Worcester and starting for themselves. The firm of John Sim- mons & Co. was succeeded by Pimmons & Curtis, who continued to make shearing and other machinery. In 1833 Mr. Curtis purchased Mr. Simmons' interest, and continued alone until 1834, when Mr. William Henshaw became a ])artner and so continued until 1839, the firm-name being Curtis & Henshaw. They had not room enough at New Worcester for their business, and for a time leased room of Fchabod Washburn, in the wire-mill in Grove Street. This copartnership was dissolved .January 8, 1839. In 1835 Capron & Parkhurst occupied the old Hale building, which was owned by Clarendon Wheelock. About 1840 Mr. Curtis purchased of him the Pams- horn water privilege, building and satinet machinery, consisting of two full sets. He had previously bought the Lewis Tliayer water privilege, where the old dam stood on Tatnuck Brook, to run his machine-shop. Mr. Curtis leased the old building to .John Metcalf and William C. Barber, wlio ran it until 1842, when it was burned, together with the machine-shop of Mr. Curtis, which was a wooden building with a base- ment. The original dam on the privilege stood one hundred feet from the bridge toward the location of the present dam. and was aliout sixty feet long and four feet high. After the fire of 1842, Mr. Curtis immediately re- built the machine shop (52 x 30 feet), three stories high. In 1842 he built a factory on the site of the old Hale mill, a portion of which he leased to Sumner Pratt, to make cotton sewing thread. Mr. Curtis afterwards had an e(iual interest with Mr. Pratt, and bought him out in 1844. The basement of the build- ing was rented to Ij. & A. G. Goes, who manufactured wrenches. While Mr. Sumner Pratt was here in the thread business, Mr. I,. .). Knowles and a Mr. Hap- good purchased his |)r()duct and spooled it in another room of the -same building, and put it on the market. After Mr. Curtis bought out Mr. Pratt, he put in looms for making cotton sheetings. The mill was con- tinued as a cotton-mill for several years, when it was converted into a satinet-mill. In 1845 the South Mill was built and used for the manufacture of cotton sheetings and drillings. In 1870 the South Mill w.as chaiigey about four inches in width. Thi^ was ruled by lines into cross sections as a guide fur the workman, who nseil a pricker with two blades, piercing two holes at a time at the point where the lines inter^iected until the whole sheet was pierced. This accomplished, the wire wius taken, each pin or shaft being separately bent into a staple by hand. The prongs of' the .staples formed the card teeth, which were inserted also by hand, one staple at a time, into the perforated leather sheet above described. "The sheet, with its wire teeth, was now nailed upon a board, and called a card. With this appliance, or rather with a pair of them, the operator carded. He placeer7,l>iit it could not be used by others, and tht; cards made by hanil at Leicester were of better quality. In 178/i the manufacture of cards was begun in Leicester, ami to this industry the growth and pros- perity of ihe town is largely indebleil. In I7'^!l Pliny Earle, who had manufactured hard-cards since 1780, made for Alniy & Brown, of Providence, R. I., the first machine card clothing in America, as ap- pears from the following interesting letter: Prom i)r.M.E, lUli M. ^lll, 1789. KkSI'KCTEII FltlK.N[>, l^LiNY Kakl. — We having protty much concludcil toftlt«r ami tucuvtT our CanliugMachin*, unil J(K»e|ih Congdun iiiforiiiiiii; im that ho ox- |ktictO(l ti' gv tu lifioustor 800II, wo thought wo would iucli«e .V: noiiil Uico the Xuiiilwr A ilianU'tiT of *iur CyliniKTBuuil liroiMitM* th> covering thoni with Ciinb. Wo luivo cunferiHl with our Canl .Mukon« in Town ulmiil doing tlio .lolih, who upiH-ui' tloHirouH lu do it, and are willing to tuko their pay, ull oxrepttng tho coMt of tho wii-o in our way, hut, it hoing our object to havo it widl dono, and thiukiug wo cunld roly n|>4in thy iKii-- roniutnco, havo iirvfonsl tliy doing it. Wo have al(M> had it in contonildation to writo tu llooton,but, hoing do- ^iroua of liaving it dono Huon, uihI that l>oing likoly to iirotroct tho titno of having it dono, have waved that also. Wo uro not desirous of boating thoo down in tliy prico, or that thou titiould do it boliiw w*hat thou e4>ulil reustmable aflortl, but wo have thought, cuusiiluring tliou hast thy nutchinory now pivpared, which was thit when thou ilid that Tor the C(>ni|>any at Wurcostor, that if wo gave thee tho fttiiuo for covering ours as tlntn had for thoini, tho' a little larger, it would bo e go and view the ma- chinoat Wuix-e^ter, and if thelo can tie any inipi-overuent made upon tlio uianner of covering, that, should like thou would make it, either in tho Ijongth of tho Teeth, or in any other juirticular. Stowoi. who su- perintends the businitss there, will chearfully give theo any information respecting tho working of theirs, no doubt, njiou thy uwu account ami upon unn also, as we are upon friendly terms v^ith him, having ilivort times been mulualty helpful to each otlier. We are nnicli in want of oun being done, and should bo glad tu have it soon ; propose, therefore, if thou undertak«»4 tho business, that thou would set a lime when thou thinks thou could bring the canls down to put on, and wo v\ ill endeavor tu imve tlio nuichine in readiness to to- ceive them. Inclosed is the dimensiuits of the Cyllinders, that is, their diameters ; tho secontl Cyllindor in circumference, thou knows, has the cards ]duceest duco, cloths in- cluded, for the whole or |H4rt of the amount ; if not, we will (my theo the cash. We think that in four weeks froin this time we shall l>e glad of theCapls. A line fn>m thoo by Joseph nrsi>ectlng what wo nuy dolwnd on will be agreeable, as we moan to Jrroeeciilo tiie acciiuiplishtuent of tlie busim«t as fast lut nniy Ih>. Krnm thy KriemI, AlMV A lli(..WN. P. S. — Tlio dianieleniof our Cylindeniaro hero silltjollied. The great Cylinder 3tl Indies. the next 'M " the next \U% •• 1 ditto 10 '■ 4 " " 3 Olio of which, tho fvoilor, to bo covered with wool Card«. It has lieen often said that the first inachinc card- clothing was made for Samuel Slater in 17'."l. Mr. Slater landed in New York November II, 17H!». De- cember 2, I78'J, ho wrote to Aliny & Urown, and De- cember lOlh received a reply, making an engagement willi liiiii. Dcceiiiber I llli I'lliiv Kiirle set out for MANUFACTURES. Providence lo put cards on Almy & Brown's ma- diine. There is no doubt that Mr. Slater had much to do with perfecting the carding-engine and making it a success after he went into the employ of Almy & Brown. (I am indebted to Mr. Thomas A. Dickinson, of the Worcester Society of Antiquity, for this informa- tion and copy of above letter.) The leather first used in making machine-cards was calfskin, and then cowhide tanned for the pur- pose. Sheepskin was generally used for hand cards. In 1791 Mr. Earle's brothers — Jonah and Silas — be- came a-ssociated in business with Pliny, and in 180(5 Silas commenced to manufacture on his own account. At his death his son, Timothy, sold his father's ma- chinery to his cousin, Timothy K. Harle, and Reuben Randall. Mr. Randall's interest, after some trans- fers, came into the hands of Edward Earle. Timothy Keese Earle, founder of the T. K. Earle Manufacturing Company, was born in Leicester in 182.3. In December, 1843, Timothy K. Earle & Co., consisting of Timothy and his brother, Edward Earle, moved from Leicester to Worcester, and occu- pied room over Pratt it Earle's iron store, in Wash- ington Square, where they continued the manufac- ture of all kinds of machine-cards of the best quality. Their machines were built by William R. Earle, be- tween 1843 and 1849. In 1857 T. K. Earle & (!o. built the factory now occupied liy their succe.ssors for the manufacture of card-clothing cotton, gin-clothing and belting. This has always been the largest card-clothing factory in America. Edward Earle retired from the business in 18G9, and was succeeded by his brother Thomas, who died in 1871. In 187'2 Mr. Edwin Brown became a part- ner, and subsequently, in 1880, the agent and treas- urer of the T. K. pjarle Manufacturing Company, of which Mr. T. K. Earle was the president. The .T. K. Earle Manufacturing Company own a number of patents on their improvements in the method of producing card-clothing. Pliny Earle made one kind of card-clothing, viz. : iron wire teeth set by hand in leather. The T. K. Earle Manufac- turing Company now make all kinds of leather card- clothing, using both hemlock and oak tanned leather, over ten varieties of cloth card-clothing, and use eighteen or more sizes of soft steel wire, eleven or more sizes of hardened and tempered steel wire, be- siiles tinned wire and brass wire of various shapes and sizes. They curry their own leather, manufac- ture card-cloths and rubber-faced card-cloths for themselves and for other card-makers. They have built almost all their card-.setting machines in their own machine-shop, and are constantly making im- provements in the quality and the methods of card- clothing. The T. K. Earle Manufacturing Company of Wor- cester, Mass., have manufactured double and single cover cloth for foundation for card-clothing for the past fifteen years, having special and improved ma- chinery for the purpose, and in 1883 they built a factory on their premises for the manufacture of all kinds of card-cloth, including vulcanized rubber fac- ings. With the very best American and English machinery, and the most improved process of vul- canizing rubber for this purpose, they are now ])re- pared to furni,sh not only their own large card- clothing factory with card-cloths, but have sufficient capacity to make them for all the card-makers in America. In 186G .Joseph B. and Edward Sargent, sons of Joseph B. Sargent, the manufacturer of card-cloth- ing in Leicester, organized the Sargent Card-Cloth- ing Company, and built a factory in Worcester, with Edward Sargent as manager. April 15, 1879, the business was sold to James Smith & Company, of Philadelphia. Howard Bros. Manufacturing Company, Washing- ington Square, manufacture machine card-clothing, machine wire heddle.s, hand stripping cattle and curry cards. Established in 1808, by C. A. Howard, A. H. Howard and John P. Howard, continued as a co-partnership until 1888, when the company was in- corporated as the Howard Bros. Manufacturing Com- pany, with a capital of forty-five thousand dollars. They started with four hands, and now employ twenty-two, and occupy ten thousand square feet of flooring. They have a lumber-mill at Keyes, N. H., where they make the backs of their cards. Their machinery is all of their own construction, and much of -it special machinery of their own design, notably the card-setting machines, employed for setting teeth, in the cards of which there ai'e from forty thousand to eighty thousand in each square foot of card-clothing. One feature of this business is the manufacture of diamond-pointed card-clothing and hand stripping cattle and curry cards of every de- scription in wood and leather for cotton, wool and flax. Their trade extends throughout the United States and Canada. Charles F. Kent started the business of manufac- turing card-clothing in January, 1880. There appears to have been a number of small manufacturers of cards in Worcester at different times. Daniel Denny and Earle & Chase have al- ready been mentioned. In 1.S34, William B. Earle had room in Howard it Diiismore's shop, near the Court-House, for the manufacture of cards. In 1848, William E. Eanies, 43 Front Street, man- ufactured cards ; he wjis succeeded by Earle Warner. In 1849, N. Ainsworth occupied the third story of Goddard & Rice's shop in the manufacture of card- setting machinery. The business wa.s jiurchased by F. G. Iluggles in 18;3I. David McFarland at this lime manufactured card- setting machinery, and made the best machines then made in the country. All the machines now running WOUCKSTKR. 21 ill the Siirgeiit Card-Clothing Com|iaii_v liictorv, ox- oeptiog a few English machines, are the McFarlaiid pattern.' IvOOMS. — " Weaving is the art by which threads or yarns of any substance are interlaced so as to form a continuous web. It is |ierha|js the most ancient of the manufacturing arts, tor clothing was always a first necessity of mankind. "The 8implc;it form of weaving is that employed in making the mats of uncivilized nations ; these consist of single untwisted fibres, usually vegetable, arranged side by side to the width ntiuired, and of the length of the fibres themselves, which are tied at each end to the stick which is so fi.\-ed as to keep the fibres straight and on the sitme plane ; then the weaver lifts up every other of these longitudinal threads, and passes under it a transverse one, which he first attaches by tying or twisting to the outermost fibre of the side he commences with ; and afterward, in the same way, to that on the other side, when it is passed through the whole series. The accession to the art of spinning threads of any length enables more ad- vanceil nations to give great length to the warp, or series of threails which arc first arranged and to pass the weft, or transverse thread, backward and forward by means of a shuttle without the necessity of fi.xing at the sides. That kind of weaving which consists of passing the weft alternately over and under each thread of the warp is called plain weaving; but if the weaver takes up first one and then two threads alternately of the warp series, and passes the weft under them for the first shoot of his shuttle, and raised those which were left down before for the second shoot, he produces a cloth with a very difl'erent ap- pearance, cal1em was devised in J'S.'i by iJr. I')dmutid (Jurtwright, of Uerbyaliire, Kngland, a minister of the Gospel, and ignorant ol' mechanics. . He is said to have had his attention turned to the | subject by the remark that when A rkw right's patents for spinning yarn by power should have expired, so > Much gf tb« outofUl ami In lb* ulleU on canl-cloihlo( b UkrD frulDk tiuok nllad "A Conliiry Old," piibllibnl bj UitT. K. KaiU MTk. (V, •ihI wrIUaD l>jr II. li. Klllrc 11111 A C. Ooulil. * I'eupli't EucyclupudU. many persons would go into the spinning business that no bunds would be found to weave the cotton. He spent thirty thousand pounds in endeavoring to perfect his loom, and in 1808 received a grant from Parliament of ten thousand pounds for his services. Steam-power was appliecl to his looms in 1807. Improvements were rapidly made upon the Cart- wright loom by other inventors, and it was soon brought into general use for both cotton anrl woolen goods. Ichabod Washburn speaks in his .\utobiography of seeiiiir a |iower-loom in the winUrof l.SlJf-l-l, which was so crude that all the cog-wheels wen; made of wood, and expresses the opinion that it was probably the first power-loom in the United States. Whether this be true or not, it is certain the power-loom had not, at that time, been long in operation in this country. In the fall of 1S23, Wm. H. Howard and Wm. Hovey were in business together, and after building various kinds of machinery, commenced building broad power looms, and finally settled on the common Scotch looms as the best, and put them in operation at the factory of the Goodell .Mannufadurini: Com- pany, Millbury, at the I'ameacha factory in Middh-- town, Conn., at theTorrington ami l.itchlield factories, and elsewhere. This partnership wiis dissolved, and early in 1S20 each manufactured these looms on his own account, William H. Howard building broad power cassimere and kerseymere looms, carding and shearing-machines at his shop, one mile south of the Main Street in Worcester, — South Worcester privilege. For .satisfactory proof of the superiority of his looms, he referred to the Goodell .Manufacturing Company in Millbury ; to Wolcottville .Manufacturing Company, in Torrington, (^mn. ; and to /ailiariah Allen, Providence, ft. I. These looms were sold for onehundreil and twenty- five dollars each, delivereil at the shop in Worcester, including the expense of putting them in opera- tion. In 1828 Rice i% Miller advertised for sale satinet power-looms, and in IS.'lo Whcclock it I'reiilice took theshop theretofore occupied by William H. Howard at South Worcester, and purcha.serovi-d plan. In addition t1 to 1S.57, when they brought out a fast-operating, Broad fancy loom, with improvemeriLs in box-motion. Broad looms, uj) to this period, operated at about 4.3 picks; the new 1837 Broad looms, with twenty-four harnesses and three boxes at each end, reached a sjteed of 80 picks per minute. This wan a great stride in production; no advance has been so great since then. The nar- row fancy cassimere loom, with three boxes at one end, up to this lime had not obtained the speeil of 85 picks per minute ; but with important improve- ments in the reveriie motion, the simplification of devices for operating the lays by means of the ordi nary cranks, the use of the ordinary narrow shuttle ami the reduction of the size of the shed made a fast ccimomical Broad power-loom of 8.") picks a possi- bility. One weaver conid attend one Broad loom as readily as one narrow; therefore 'broads' at once came into favor and use, and the comparative exclu- sion of narrow looms was foreseen. " Furbush i<£ ( 'romplon built looms until 18"i!t, when the partnership wsm dissolved. The patents granted to and owned by the firm were in part for improvements in double reverse motion, E. W. Brown's invention, of which they were the sole owners ; said patents were by mutual agreement territorially ilivided — the New F.ngland States ami the .'^liite of .New York to Crompton, and the remainder of the country to Fur- bush. and by said agreement Furbush was debarreil from making looms of any kind whatever in Cromp- ton's territory.'' In December, 18(50, William .M. liiikford mr)ved bin factory to Kxchange Street, in .Merrifield's building, where he was prepared to build all kinds of Crompton looms and other fancy looms, broad and narrow. This led to a lawsuit which resulted in Bickford's being found to be an infringer of the Crompton patents, tjn his death, in isr,3, the business went out of exist- ence, the patterns being sold to the Crompton Loom Works. Various improvements, many of them pat- ented, have been made from time to time, Mr. Crompton having taken out over one hundred patents in (he Uniteil States, besidea a large number in for- eign countries. .V number of patents have also been taken out by Mr. Horace Wynian, superintendent for many years of the C'rompton Loom Works. The Crompton Loom Works have thus grown until it is one of the largest niauufiictnring establishments in \\'orccster. .Mr. CJeorge Crompton died ISSiJ, and the business Wijs incorporated .lanuary, ISSH, with the following officers: M. C. Crompton, president; Horace Wy- man, vice-president and manager; Justin A.Ware secretary and treasurer. Mr. L. ,J. Ivnowle-s wits born in Hardwick, July 2, \x\\\ and was, in I.s;iii, clerk in a store in Shrews- bury. In June, 1842, we liiul the following notice: " We were shown some miniatures ,aken by Mr. Knowles at his room in Brinlcy Row, which we think f(jr beauty, boldness and distinctness, exceed any- thing we have seen." In February, 184.'i, L. .1. Knowles iV I'o., in con- nection with their daguerreotype business, advertise to do electro-gilding and silver-plating. In 1844 Sumner Pratt lease Union and 33 North Foster Streets, Worcester. They employ about fifty hands, using steam-power from a ninety horse-power engine, and are building looms and machinery as follows : Looms for the weaving of tapestry, Brussels and velvet carpets, mohair and cotton plushes, fancy woolen (twenty-tour harness, four drop boxes) for woolen and worsted goods. Fancy cotton looms, gingham looms, coach lace looms, satinet flannel, blanket, jean and cassimere looms, gunny cloth and pine fibre looms, tape and narrow wire looms for No. 20 and finer wine, cam looms for chairs and car-seats, heavy looms for cotton duck and belting, needle looms for wipers and sugar strainers ; and, in addi- tion to looms, they also build yarn-printing drums and belting frames for tapestry and velvet carpets, cop winders for jute, wool, linens and cotton, yarn spoolers, mill shafting, gear cutters and harne.ss frames ; ihey are also designers and builders of looms for new and special purposes. In 1854 Rodney A. N. Johnson & Co., composed of Mr. .lohnson and Daniel Tainter, manufactured spin- ning machinery for wool carding machines, pickers, twisters, spools, bobbins, boring machines, card cloth- ing, etc., at Merrifield's Steam Mill. In 1850 Fox & Rice manufactured fancy cassimercs on the stream at the junction of Green and Water Streets, employing two hundred hands and manufac- turing fifty thousand yards of cloth monthly. Daniel Tainter, at the same time, employed thirty hands in Union Street in the manufacture of wool-carding machines and jacks. The business now conducted by the Cleveland Ma- chine Works Company, the well-known builders of woolen machinery, located at 54 Jackson Street, was established in January, 1860, by Mr. E.C.Cleveland, who commenced the manufacture of woolen machin- ety in Central Street in what was then known as Armsby's building. He manufactured cloth dryers. AVOROKSTKR. 25 hydro-extractors, cloth-brushing uiachiiies, jacks, presses, rulling-iiiills uiui wiushniills, and continued in this business until early in IS*i:{, when, in addition to the abovenaiueil luadiines, lie buil' the tirst set of the well-known Cleveland ranis, which are nseil for converting wool into roving previous to spinning, These cards were sold Id Messrs. Howe & .lefl'erson, of JefTeninnville, and are now running in (he mill id' the Jelferson Manufacturing Company, and doing good work after twenty-.-ix years of service. About this time the late .lohti C. Mason ami Mr. .1. M. Bassett were admitted tci the linn. They, alter several years, withdrew, and Mr. Cleveland continued the business until his death, which occurred .\pril 28, 1871. Since the buihling of the first set of cards hundreds of sets, with improvements from lime to time, have been built, and are now in successful op- eration in lirst-class mills. Since the death of Mr. Cleveland the Mrm has been managed by Mr. S. W. (loddard, who has introduced many new machines and many improvements in the machines made previously. They now manufacture about fit'ty machines for ditfcrent uses in woolen mills, making a specialty of all kinds of cards for wool, worsted, felt and shoddy; also twisting; roving, spooling, picking, drj'ing and cloth finishing machin- ery. The product is sold ihroughoul the United States, Canada and Me.\ico. [n February, ISti3, the late Hon. Isaac Davis sold the lower .liinclion sh"i>, built by E\\ Thayer in IS-">4 for gun work, and used in ISiil for .soldiers' barracks with twelve acres of land, to Jordan, Marsh & Co., of Boston, who intended to convert it into a woolen- mill, with sixteen sets of machinery, making it one of the largest woolen-mills in the State. This shop wa-s tir-'t known :ui the South .Function shop ; later, as the Pistol Shop Barracks and Adriatic Mills. Jordan i% Marsh made extensive improvements. The main building was four hundred feet long, forty feet wide ami two stories high. The second floor was devoted to carding and spinning, and was ar- ranged for twelve sets of cards and twenty packs ol four thousaiKl eight hundred spindles. The first tloor was for finishing and weaving ; the weaving all to be done by looms may water-power, the amount being esti- mated at onehundred horse-power. In 1871 a dye-house was added to the mill (which stood near the site of the old White & Boyden mill, Imrned August, 186.3, and referred to previously). This enterprise was the beginning of the general manufacture of Brussels carpets in this country. Other companies were soon formed, the restrictions were removed from the sale of the English-made looms, and, in consequence, the price of carpets rapidly declined from three dol- lars per yard in 1870 to one dollar per yard in 1879. The company started with one hundred and fifty thousand dollars capital, and, before their operations ceased, had increased the number of their looms from sixteen to thirty-six, and continued until 1879, when the machinery was sold to W. J. Hogg, Sr., of Phila- del[)liia, and later the building containing the carpet machinery was leased to Mr. Hogg. The Packachoag Worsted and Yarn-Mill was built and owned by Mr. George Crompton. This mill was near the Crompton Carpet (.Company, and was managed by Joseph Sargent, Jr. In the yarn-mill they started with twenty-four spinning frames and accompanying machinery ; later, Mr. Crompton built another yarn- mill adjoining the fir.-it. The first Packachoag Mill was burned in 1884; loss, one hundred and eighty-one thousand two hundred and seventy-five dollars. After the fire Mr. Crompton sold the laud and the ruins of the Packachoag Mill in i)art to Jlr. M. .1, Whitlall and in part to William .lames Hogg, .(r. Mr. Whittall, who was superintendent of the C'rompton C!arpet-Mill from the commencement of business, was from Stourport, England, where he was manager of the Severn Valley Carpet Works of Faw cett & Spurway. In 1879 Mr. Whittall returned to England, and while there purchased eight Crossley Carpet Looms. He brought these to this country, and began to operate them in a building leased of the Wicks Manufacturing Company. In 1882 an- other story was added, and Mr. AVhittall added eight more carpet-looms; but business increasing, more room was needed, and he determined to erect a building for himself; and in 1888 bought of Mr. Crompton a piece of land facing Mr. t^rompton's original carpet-mill, and erected a building one hun- dred and seventy-five by sixty feet, two stories in height. This mill was finished during that year, and the machinery from the Wicks building, together with fourteen new carpet-looms, was put into opera- tion. In 1884 ail extension was added, together with twelve looms, making forty-two in all. It will be recollected that Mr. Whittall had pur- chased part of the land and all of the buildings that remained of the Packachoag Mill property, and on , this spot he erected another carpet-mill, and also i repaired the old yarn-mill, engine-house, etc. In ' this new mill he had seventeen new looms, making fifty-nine carpet-looms in use in his business. He manufactures six-frame and five-frame Wilton and body Brussels carpets, and employs about three hun- dred and twenty hands. In 1884 Mr. Hogg built a yarn-mill on part of the land he had purchased of Mr. Crompton, on the site of the first Packachoag Spinning-Mill, and has con- tinued to run it up to the present time. This build- ing was one hundred by sixty feet. The last mill built has seventeen looms, making in both of his mills fifty-three looms, which he runs at the present time, employing about three hundred and twenty hands. Mr. Whittall is the largest individual manufac- turer of Wilton and Brussels carpets in the United States. Mr. W. J. Hogg is the second largest. The manufacture of thread has been conducted in Worcester for over twenty years. This is a most favoralile place for this industry, because of the ex- cellent shipping facilities, and the fact that the Wor- cester Bleach & Dye Works — one of the best dye- houses in the country — is located here. Thread was first manufactured in Worcester in 18().'). The business w-as discontinued from 1879 till 1881, since which time it has been a rapidly-growing industry. The Glasgo Thread Company, so called by reason of the fact that this company controls a spin- ning-mill at (ilasgo, Conn., was incorporated in March, 1883, and for a time the business was con- ducted in Foster Street, in the building of Charles F5aker. In 188-5 the company removed to Beacon .Street, where it is now located. The average daily production, at the present time, is four thousaiul dozen of two hundred yards. The process of manufacture is most interesting, and con.sisls in carding cotton until the fibres lie paral- lel to each other ; the loose rolls are then taken to the drawing-machine, which consists of a series of rolls, each set revolving faster than the preceding, which reduces the strand to the required degree of fineness. The strands are repeatedly united and re- duced. This process is called " doubling," and en- sures a uniform, strong and perfect product. The united threads, which are called " slivers," are then spun into a single thread on a mule. After being dyed the skeins are subjected to the operation of drying, and are then put upon spools for finishing by saturating with sizing, and then passing over rapidly revolving brushes. Important improvements have been made in thread machinery since the introduction of its manufacture in this city ; the most important is the automatic winder, with which the operator can wind from two to foui; times as much, and with less exertion, than he could formerly do by hand. The automatic ma- chine is set to wind any number of yards the opera- tor may desire. The Cilasgo Thread Company was the first to in- WORCESTER. 27 troduce fine Sea Island thread upon iiound spools. Formerly only the small spools were used, but now almost any size may be found, from two hundred to thirty thousand yards, whivh hasled to a considerable saving to the consumer. The greater part of the thread used by the manufacturing trade is put up on large spools holding from si.x thousand to thirty thou- sand yards. The Ruddy Thread Company, manufacturers of all grades of cotton thread — principally for the manufac- turing trade, sewing-machines, corset-works and shoe manul'actorifs, was established in 1887, and is located at 7.5 Central Street, under the management of Mr. Robert Ruddy. C. H. Hutchins & Co., 2 Allen Court, e.stablished in 1870, manufacture elastic and non-elastic webs for suspenders and stocking-supporters, also spool tapes, used by cotton and woolen manufacturers to tie up their goods. The material used is cotton and rubber, the rubber being woven in process of manufacture. The looms are the Knowles fancy loom, one of which will weave twenty-five hundred yards per day. The L. D. Thayer Manufacturing Company, in the building formerly occupied by Ethan Allen. Estab- lishel in 1878, and minufactures tapes, bindings, gal- loons and webbings, and operates sixty-eight looms. A. O. Hildreth, in Stevens' Block, manufactures overalls, pants, shirts, butchers' frocks, etc., employs ("•irty-five hands, using sixteen sewing-machines. In 1887 three hundred and twenty-five thousand yards of cloth were cut up, and in 1888 five hundred thousand yards. The Holland Hosiery Company, established in Hallowell, Me., in 188.3, moved to Worcester in 1886, and manufactures seamless half hose. The Worcester Felting Company, in Foster Street, do a large business in the manufacture of linings, upholstery, saddlery felts, petershams, rubber-boot and shoe linings and trimming felts. George L. Urownell manufactures improved twist- ing machinery of his own invention for laying hard and sf>ft twines, lines and cordage. The Carroll Machine and .Spindle Works manu- facture machinery for twinting yarns. Among the smaller manufactures connected with textile fabricH, but none the less important, may be mentioned the improved loom-reeds, manufactured by M. riace & Co., whose businewt was originally CHlab- lishcd bySila.H Dinsmorc in 1840. William H. Urown, 81 Mechanic Street, manufac- tures a number of ingenious tools for the use of card- ers. This business was established in 18.>5. In 1876, Mr. B. S. Roy, now located at 7.5 Beacon Street, began the manufacture of card-grindent, for ; grinding card-clothing, all his machines being of his own invention. Mr. Roy was formerly superin- tendent in a cotton-mill, and, recognizing the neces- '•ity of a belter method for grinding tlir carrl-clothing, | engaged in his present liimiiw«» Tin- <>lil method i 3 of grinding cards was by spreading emery on a board, which was rubbed back and forth over the ends of the wires, thus sharpening the teeth. This process was called by the English " strapping '" or " strick- ling"' the cards. The next improvement was the construction of a machine, with a cylinder covered with emery, but with no traverse wheel. This method of grinding teeth made them uneven. In Mr. Roy's improve- ment, the traverse wheel runs with an endless chain back and forth on the cylinder over the teeth of the card with a rotary motion. These machines are sold in this country, South America, Mexico, Canada, England and Ireland. J. H. Whittle, established in 1880, manufactures tin spindles for mules, spinning-frames, drawing-cans, filling-boxes, condenser-rolls, slasher-cylinders, dry- ing-cans, etc., rubber-rolls for woolen-cards, and im- mersion-rolls of copper. CHAPTER IV. M.\XUrACTfRING AND MECHANICAL INDUSTRIES. Foundritt — ^fachinUt*^ T"oh — Atfrieultttntl Imptfintntt—Wreiiehei. Foi'simiES. — Mr. William A. Wheeler was one of the oldest iron founders in the State, having begun in 1812; he moved from Hardwick to Brookfield, and from the latter place came to Worcester in 1823 and established a blacksmith's business at the corner of Thomas and Union Streets. Among other pieces of work he made the doors of the Court-IIouse in Wor- cester. This blacksmith's shop wa.s on the site of the foundry. In 182.'i Mr. Wheeler, in company with George T. Rice, H. W. Miller and A. D. Foster, under the name of William A. Wheeler & Co., made all kinds of castings, fire-proof book-cases and doors. To run a fan for his cupola-furnace, Mr. Wheeler had the first steam-engine, or one of the first ever oper- ated in Worcester. In 182(') ilie business passed under the control of the Worcester it Brookfield Iron Foundry, which had furnaces in both places. Daniel Heywood A: Co. furnished at this time all kinds of castings. The demand appears to have been considerable, for in 1827 Washburn & Ooddard re- ceived orders for machine castings made at Stafford, Conn. In 1828 Sumner Smith (Worcester Iron Foundry) put a furnace in blast near the paper-mill of Elijah Iturbank, at Quin^igamond, and had for sale every description of iron castings, cast-iron plows, stoves, cauldron kettles, hollow-ware, oven frames. Darby's patent wheel-boxes. In IK.'t.'l the Worcester Iron Foundry removed from Qiiitisigamnnd to the first mill privilege north of .Main Street, one mile from 28 MANUFACTURES. the Court-House, on the Worcester road leading to West Boylston. In 1831 or 1832 Mr. Wheeler returned to Worcester and reorganized his shop, abandoned the steam-en- gine which he had previously put in, and substituted horse-power, and continued to do a constantly in- creasing business until the foundry was enlarged, about 1840, when another steam-engine was added and a machine shop attached. The castings were made for the iron-workers and tool-makers in the city, and comprised castings for heavy gearing, be- sides a variety of other work, including heavy sheet- iron work, fire-proof safes, mill-iroos, water-wheel irons, cages, coupling-boxes, plow-castings, patent ovens, ash-holes, boiler-doors and pipe-boxes; factory shafting was also turned. About the time his machine-shop was started Mr. Wheeler procured an iron planer, to be run by hand. This was the first iron planer in Worcester, or in the State. It would weigh about one hundred and fifty pounds, and was three and one-half feet high. The bed was four feet long and twenty inches wide. Mr. Wheeler designed the first boring-machine in Worcester, and in 1838 got out patterns for cook- stoves, box-stoves for heating, and manufactured them, and in 1842 invented a furnace for heating buildings with wood or coal. In 1838 he started the manufacture of brass cast- ings for general use. When Mr. Wheeler commenced business he made five hundred or six hundred pounds of castings per day, and increased until his daily production was ten tons. He began with three or four men, and in the height of his prosperity employed two hundred. In 1852 Mr. Wheeler's son (Charles) became inter- ested in the business at Thomas Street, and when William A. Wheeler died, in 1873, it p.issed into the hands of William F. Wlieeler, and finally to the Wheeler Foundry Company, which remained at the old location for a time, and then moved to 138 Mechanic Street, where the business has been located for seventeen years, employing about ninety men, largely in making castings for wire and rolling-mill machinery and for general purposes. In 1843 the Washington Square Iron and Rra.ss Foundry, built by A. A. Trask, was operated by S. Trask & Co. in the manufacture of cauldron-kettles, stoves, oven-doors, ash-pits, etc., and in 1843 a new foundry was built near the Boston and Worcester Railroad by Henry P. Howe, and was occupied by George Goodnow in the manufacture of iron, cojjper, brass and composition castings. In 1847 Oliver K. Earle built a foundry on the corner of Canal and Foundry Streets. He sold out to A. B. Chaffee in 1848, who took Jason Chapin into company the same year. They started in business to supply Howe & Goddard with their brass castings. In 1852 Chapin purchased Chaft'ee's interest, and in 1853 built a shop in Manchester Street, where he con- tinued until 1859, when he built the shop in Summer Street, where he continued until 1887, when he sold out to Mr. L. H. Wells. In 1849 Fitch & Jones made castings in iron and brass, and were succeeded in 1850 by E. & D. H. Fitch & Co. In August, 1850, McFarland & Bisco, of Leicester, started in the malleable iron business, which was continued in 1851 by Wood, McFarland & Co. They occupied the building known as the Arcade, formerly known as "The Old Brewery," near the Western depot. Here, with one air furnace and two small annealing furnaces, they commenced the making of malleable castings for guns, carriages, harness buckles, wrenches and parts of cotton and woolen machinery, previously made of wrought iron. At this time there was but one other malleable iron foundry in the Stale, which was located at Easton. The process of malleable iron founding is different from that of ordinary casting. The purpose to which the product is applied requires a greater de- gree of tensile strength and tenacity in the materials and a closer attention to all the details. Instead of placing the coal and pig-iron in the furnace together, the pig-iron is thrown into what is called the air fur- nace by itself and subjected to an intense heat; it is then drawn out and poured into moulds, in which state the metal is very hard and brittle ; it is then packed in an annealing furnace and subjected to strong heat for about nine days and nights, when the furn.aces are opened and the pots cooled; the iron is then unpacked and cleaned ready for delivery, when it has both fineness of grain and great toughness. The old firm of Wood, McFarland & Co. remained in business but a short time; their interest was taken by Warren McFarland, who continued with a silent partner until 1877, when he became the sole owner. From one air furnace and two annealing furnaces the plant was increased until it had two air furnaces and six annealing furnaces. In 1880 Mr. George B. Buckingham, who had been connected with Mr. McFarland since 1873, took charge of the works, Mr. McFarland remain- ing connected with it till his death, in 1884. In December, 1886, Mr. Buckingham purchased the property of the Worcester Malleable Iron Foundry, that being the second known by this name, which had been run about three years, and has since been run as the Worcester Malleable Iron Works, giving the two plants, now under one management, a capacity of three air furnaces and nine annealing furnaces. The line of goods now made includes different parts of agricultural implements, guns, pistols, sew- ing-machines, cotton and woolen machinery, in fact, all parts of machines or tools where strength and lightness are combined. The use of malleable iron and steel castings, which are now made by the above WOKCESTER. 29 work:), is largely owing to the reasonable price in comparison with furgings, as odd shapes can be more easily produced tban by the forge. The second malleable iron foundry, known as the Worcester Malleable Iron Foundry, was started in Manchester Street, by Waite, Chadsey & Co., in 1852. In 1857 Oliver K. Earle, who had previously been in the lumber business, was admitted into partner- ship with Fitch & Jones, who continued business at the Union Street Foundry (pre.teni site of Rice, Bar- ton & Fales) and also at the Junction Foundry in Southbridgc Street. After Mr. Eiirle's death, Wilhird Jones, Wood & Light, Richardson, Merriani & Co. suc- ceeded ; it was then taken by Mr. Otis Warren, the present proprietor, who has controlled it for the last fourteen years. The first work done at this foundry was the manufacture of the iron-work for the front of Foster's Block, at the corner of Main and Pearl Streets. Caleb & J. A. Colvin commenced the foundry business atDanielsonville, Conn., in 1863, where they manufactured stoves and machinery castings. In l.Si>5 Caleb sold his interest to his brother and moved to Worcester, where he bought and built his plant in Gold Street. The business increasing, J. A. Colvin moved to Worcester, and a new partnership was formed, which continued until 1880, when J. A. Colvin built his present foundry in Jackson Street. His principal work is for the loom companies, and largely for the Knowles Loom Works. He employs about ninety bands. Since 1880 Mr. Caleb Colvin has more than doubled his capacity for doing work. He employs ninety hands, and has a capacity of three hundred tons per month, almost entirely used in the city, and largely by the makers of woolen machinery, machin- ists' tools and wood-working machinery. Heald & Brittan built on Foundry Street about 18G6, and made iron castings. They removed from there to Thomas Street Foundry, when the Wheeler Foundry Company moved to Mechanic Street. This foumlry afterwards came into the possession of the Holyoke Machine Company. L. H. Wells and Herbert M. Rice began business January 1, 1807, in North Foster Street. Mr. Wells learned his trade of Jason Cliapin, and wiui subse- quently foreman of the late George Crompton's foun- dry, in Green Street. Mr. Wells jjurcliaiied Mr. Kicc'd interest in September, 1809, and in 1H77 in- vented his bronze metal, largely and successfully used for bearing*. By the use of chemicals the oxi- dation of the tin, one of the ingredient*, is prevented ; the metal is ten per cent, denser than the ordinary bronze, and of a very firm, tou^'h structure. In 18s7 Mr. Wells purchased the Cliapiii Foundry in .Sum- mer Street, to which he has removed. Mr. Wells has the largest set of furnm-o' i>i >li-city; his castings are cleaned by power in a large water rumble, a hol- low cylinder, which makes ninety revolutions per minute, and emery wheels are used for smoothing the castings. The process of casting is simple, and consists of melting the metal in crucibles, which are made of plumbago, and then turning the molten metal into moulds. When taken out they are cleaned and fin- ished. Prespey Pero, located in Herraon Street, manufac- tures machinery and tool castings, and makes a spe- cialty of liglit castings; was established in 1*>77. His business has grown from employing three or four men until he now employs forty-five. The Star Foundry was established in 1880 by George Crorapton, and started with forty men. Dou- ble that number are now employed on all kinds of work, including sleani-engines, machinists' tools and castings for building purposes, although the prin- cipal product is loom castings for the Crompton Loom Works. Luther Shaw & Son do a business in brass cast- ing, and manufacture Babbitt metal and solder, also all kinds of brass composition, zinc, lead and white metal castings. They also make gong-liells, faucets and copper castings. Their product is sold through- out New England, and some of it in New York State, but the bulk of it is used in this city and county. The metals used are principally copper, tin and antimony. .Vrnold & Pierce, at the Hammond Street Foun- dry, established in 1882, began with «i.\ men, and now employ twenty-two. They manufacture cast- ings for the makers of machinists' tools. The firm of A. Kabley & Co., composed of A. Kab- ley, Alonzo Wbitoomb and F. E. Reed, located at 57 Gold Street, started with fifteen men, and now em- ploy forty. They supply all the castings for the ma- chinists' tools of F. E. Reed and Alonzo Whitcomb & Co., besides some general work. Maciiinmsts' Tools. — The manufacture of ma- chinists' tools has, for many years, had a most promi- nent place among the industries of Worcester. To Samuel Flngg, or, as he wius more familiarly known, "Uncle Sammy Flagg," belongs the distinction of having first engaged in this business in Worcester, whither he came, from West Boylston, in 1839, to se- cure better facilities and to save cartage of castings which he used in his machine-shop in West Boylston, where he built tools and cotton machinery from pat- terns maIr. Blaisdell died in 1S74. His widow sold a part of his interest to Enoch Earle, and all of these partners are in the business at the present time. They have enlarged their shop and increased their business until at the present time they employ about one hundred men. W. F. Bancroft & Co., established in 1870 by Kent & Bancroft, make self-operating spinning machinery, lathes, planers and special machinery. William H. Eddy, manufacturer of machinists' tools, established 1873, manufactures planers, twist- drills, griiiding-niachines, stone, bolt and gear cut- ters; the twist drill-grinders are his own invention; he has also devised a clutch friction pulley that pre- vents noise in the changing of belts. He began with two men, but now employs eighteen. Mr. Eddy was contractor for L. W. Pond for twenty-one years. F. E. Reed, in April, 1875, purchased a half-inter- est in the concern of A. F. Prentice, who then em- ployed six men in French's building, in Hermon Street. In August, 1877, Mr. Reed purchased Mr. Prentice's interest and continued the business alone. At first he occupied but one floor, but soon added another, and later, built a comn)odious shop in Gold Street, which was finished in 1883, two stories and a basement, one hundred and eighty by fifty-five feet. The machinery and tools are all new and of the best patterns. One hundred and twenty-five men find employment in this business, and the power is fur- nisheIr. Hardy's interest in it, they continued the business, with Charles A. Hardy as the superintendent oflheshop, keeping its accounts distinct from those of the wrench business. " In 1805 they built a dam half a mile above their water privilege, to form a reservoir, and the next year they built a shop at tlie reservoir, one hundred t'eet by forty, two stories high, with a basement, de- voting it exclusively to the manufacture of shear- blades, hay-cutter knives and similar articles. " In ISO" they built a new dam one hundred rods below the reservoir." On April 1, 1809, they dissolved their co-partner- ship and divided the business — Loring Coas taking the upper privilege, including the shear-blade busi- ness, and A. G. taking the lower privilege, and pay- ing a bonus for the right of choice. At this time they sold monthly from ten to twelve thousand wrenches.' L. Coes & Company erected the large brick factory at the lower dam, one hundred feet long, fifty feet wide and four stories high, with basement and attic. The building, with the machinery to be used in it, was finished early in 1871. The Coes Wrench Company is a consolidation of the two companies, which was eflected April 1, 1888, with Loring Coes, president ; John H. Coes, treasurer, and Frederick L. Coes, secretary — the two latter, sons of A. G. Coes. They are now manufacturing wrenches under patents of Loring Coes, dated July 0, 1.S80, and July 8, 1884; are producing fifteen hundred wrenches per day and employ one hundred hands. -Vt the outlet of the upper pond Mr. Loring Coes carrie-s on quite an extensive business in the manfac- ture of die stock for cutting sole-leather and other purposes. He also makes shear-blades, knives for meat, cheese-cutters and lawn-mower knives. He nas a trip-hammer in this shop, and the old rolling- mill, used for making [ilane irons, by William Hovey, on the mill dam in lioston many years ago. L. Hardy .t Co., at New Worcester, conducted by Henry .\. Hoyt, manufacture shear-blades, die stock for cutters, <&c., and John Jacques, at New Worces- ter, manufactures patent shears for book-makers, binders, |>rintcr» and paper-boy. makers ; also shears for tin-plate workers. (Jther manufacturers of wrenches, in a small way, have engaged in the business from lime to time. In April, 1852, E. !•'. Dixie advertises to manufacture " Hewet's celebrated screw-wrench." George C. Taft and John Gleiuion manufactured wrenches, in con- nection with copying-prci-Hcs, at Northvillc, in 18.0.3. H. K. Joslyn, who Hoems to have been a most ingeni- ous mechanic, and who made several inventions in firc-anns, made several improvements in wrenches, and on one of (hese, at leaat, procured a patent. ■ VaoSlfck, "N'orted, and soriouB incoiiTciiienco would aucnd tho stopiMigc or tlio supply, ulthougli tlio lunniiructuro might, and would bo hiiniediutely establittlied to supply all demands, if tlio mme duty wero laid ou wire, now free, as on otiier articles of tlio sauie malurial. In the early days the hardware dealers of Worcester imported their wire from England or Germany. Wire was drawn in Walpole, soon after the Revolution, by Eleazar Smith, and card-wire was drawn by hand in Leicester as early as 1809. In ISi:? mention is made of a wire factory, run by Joseph White, in West Boylston ; in April, 1814, of its manufacture in Phillipston, and in the same year a wire factory is advertised for sale at Barre, on the Ware River. Prior to 1815 a building on the present site of the Coes Wrench Factory, Leicester .Street, New Wor- cester, was occupied as a wire factory. Wire was drawn in .'encer between 1815 and 1820. Its manufacture in Worcester was begun in 1831 by Ichabod Washburn and Benjamin (Joddard, In a wooden factory at Northvillc. This wason thesecond privilege south of North I'oml dam. and was built by Frederick W. Paine. The factory now standing on this site is the third one built there, the two preceding having been burned. Ichabod Washburn first engaged in business in Worcester in 1820, with William H. Howard, in the manufacture of woolen machinery and lead pipe. .Mr. Howard shortly aflcrwanls left town, and Mr. Washburn purchaseil his half of tho business, which he continued. Tho demand for woolen machinery increasing, Mr. Washburn, in 1822, took as partner Mr. Benjamin 36 MANUFACTUKES. Goddard, the firm being Washburn & Goddard, and they soon employed thirty men. They made the first condenser and long-roll spinuing-jack ever made in Woicester County, and among the first lathe country. Any one passing in Main Street, by the head of School Street, in the year 1822, might have seen pro- jecting from one of the large sycamore trees standing there, the following sign : — Wool CARDi>iG and Lead AqnEOUCT Manufactory, with a hand point- ing down the street to Washburn & Goddard's shop, on the site now occupied by N. A. Lombard's building, and near the site of the factory for the manufacture of corduroys and fustians, occupied in 1789 by Sam- uel Brazer. During the winter of 1830-31 Mr. Washburn, in a small wooden building, back of what is now the brick part of N. A. Lombard's factory, in School Street, experimented in the manufacture of wood-screws. Some time during the year 1831, Mr. Washburn, Mr. Goddard and General Heard visited North Prov- idence, where three brothers — Clement O., Curtis and Henry Read — were making wood-screws under a patent which they owned. An arrangement was made with the Reads, and they moved the screw machinery to the Northville Factory at Worcester. It was brought from Providence on a canal-boat, the jour- ney occupying three daj's. Meantime, in August, 1831, Washburn & Goddard sold their business in School Street, and moved to Northville, where the manufacture of wire and wood- screws was begun, the wire being manufactured by Wiuihburn & Goddard, the screws under the name of C. Read & Co., with whom Mr. Washburn had an interest. Washburn & Goddard at the same time manufactured card-wire. Some time between April, 183G, and March, 1837, the screw business was removed to Providence, where it continued for a time under the name of C. Read & Co., but ultimately became the nucleus of the " Eagle," now the "American Screw Company," which has since acquired a world-wide reputation. Mr. Washburn states, in his autobiography, that the first wire-machine he ever saw was one of self- acting pincers, drawing out about a foot, then pass- ing back and drawing another foot. With this crude machine a man could draw about fifty pounds of wire per day. For this Mr. Wiishburn substituted the wire-block, which is in use at the present time. The process of wire-drawing consists in taking a coarse wire rod and drawing it through a hole of less diameter than the rod, in an iron or steel plate, and repeating the operation until the rod is reduced to wire of the required size. The reduction is effected by stretching the wire, and not by removing the metal. At the present day a piece of steel four inches square and three feet long is rolled into a two hun- dred pound coil of No. 6 rods, measuring about two thousand and forty-six feet. This rod, by the process of drawing from No. 6 to No. 12, is increased in length to 6,848 feet. The diameter of the No. 12 wire is .105, while the billet from which it is made has a sectional area of sixteen square inches. Mr. Washburn, at this time, happened to be in New York, when Phelps, Dodge & Co., with whom he had business, said to him that they were starting a wire- mill, and expected to make all the wire that would be wanted in the country, and predicted failure for his mill in Worcester. .January 30, 1835, the partnership was dissolved, Mr. Goddard retaining the factory at Northville for the manufacture of woolen machinery, while Mr. Washburn continued the wire business in a factory built for him, by the late Stephen Salisbury, on Mill Brook, which was dammed for the purpose of provid- ing water-power, thus forming what is now known as Salisbury's Pond. The earth removed to make a basin for the pond forms the high ground now found upon the south side and included within the boundaries of Institute Park. The building erected by Mr. Salisbury was eighty feet long and I'orty feet in width, three stories high in the centre, with a sloping roof, two chimneys and surmounted by a cupola containing a bell. In 1835 Charles Washburn came from Harrison, Me., where he was practicing law, and formed a co- partnership with his brother Ichabod, which con- tinued until January 13, 1838. Meantime Benjamin Goddard discontinued the manufacture of woolen machinery, and the Northville mill came into Mr. Washburn's possession. He then made a contract with Mr. Goddard to draw wire for him, and wire machinery was again set up in the Northville factory. About the year 1840 Mr. Washburn bought the water power and property nov/ occupied by the Wor- cester Wire Company at South Worcester. Mr. God- dard took charge of the mill, and retained that posi- tion till his death, in 1867, and all three of his sons worked there, — Delano, who afterwards became the accomplished editor of the Bo/flon Advertiser ; Henry, who is now at the head of an important department at the works of the Washburn & Moen Manufacturing Company ; and Dorrance, who for many years was superintendent of the South Works of the corpo- ration. The South Worcester Mill \\'&'* a one-story building, about fifty feet long and thirty feet wide. Card-wire was here drawn to No. 19 size, and brought to Grove Street to be finished. Coarser wire, for machinery and telegraph purposes, was also drawn at South Wor- cester. At the Worcester County Cattle Show, held in Oc- tober, 1838, Ichabod Washburn exhibits very excel- lent wire Nos. 30, 31, 32 and 33, and also iron wire cards. In 1842 Charles Washburn again became a partner in the business. February 13, 1845, the old wire- mill in Northville, then used as a cotton-factory and WORCESTER. 37 occupied by William Crompton, was totally destroyed by fire. In February, 1847, Prouty & Earle had a wire- factory at Wa.shiii>;iirty-two; Iowa, ninety-nix. Up to 1873 plain No. 9 round wire was largely used in the West as a fencing material and thousands of tons of it were in use, but it was not satisfactory. It stretched in warm and contracted in cold weather, which wiu the cause of constant breakages; further- more, cattle could rub against it with impunity, and this constant pressure loosened the posts and broke the wire. In the fall of 1873 the manufacture of barbed-wire was begun in a small way at DeKalb, III., by Mr. J. F. Glidden, who was a farmer in that town. He first made a few rods of fencing and put it up on his own farm in November, 1873. The process was very crude when compared with the present method of manufac- ture. The barbs were first formed by bending around a mandril and then slipped upon one wire of the fence; the second wire was then intertwisted with the first; this locked the barbs in place and prevented lateral as well as rotary motion. The fencing was iijade in six- teen-foot lengths, and as there was no means for coil- ing it on spools for transportation, it was carried to the point where it was to be put up, and then enough of these sixteen-foot lengths were spliced together to give a fence of the desired length. The first piece actually .sold for use was in the spring of 1874. Three boys and two men were able to make fifty pounds per day. In June, 1874, it was arranged to do the twisting by horse-power, and this increased the product of three boys and two men to one hundred and fifty pounds ])er day. In the latter part of 1874 a rude hand-machine was devised for twisting the barb upon the main wire and spooling the product, which was subsequently un- wound and twisted with a second wire and then spooled again. Ry the use of the latest machinery, one man will now produce two thousand pounds, or over five and a half miles, in ten hours. In the spring of 187t; the attention of the Washburn & .Moen Manufacturing Company having been called to this new article of manufacture and impressed with its value, automatic machinery was constructed and patented, and the control of the underlying barbed- wire patents was acquired. These patents were, — one to L. B. Smith, of Ohio (.lune '2!), 1807), in which the barb consists of four radially projecting points from a hub, which is prevented from moving laterally by a bend in the main wire. I'alent granted to W. D. Hunt, of New York, in which a single fence wire is armed with spur-wheels which can revolve upon the main wire. Talent to Mirhael Kelly, f)f New York, dated February 11, 18(;8; this is the first patent to show two win's twisted together. The barb was made of a lo/.enge-shaped piece of sheet metal and was strung upon the main wire, while for strength, a second wire was intertwisted with the first. This in- ventor showed a mo«t intelligent conception of the subject matter of his Invention, as appears from the lollowing quotation taken from his specifications: 40 MANUFACTURES. I can, by lliis invention, make an eflicient fence from unconnected wires, six incllcs apart, fixing tlie artificial thorns on tlie wires four inches apart. This fence talles only one-fourth as mucli wire as in ordinary wire fences, yet it is more efficient. This fence will weigh about one-eighth as much as ordinary connected wire fence, by which I mean those woven or twisted together. It can be wound on a reel, like telegraph wire, and a farmer can transport as much in a single wagon- load as will serve to build fences for a large farm. The next patent in point of date, and chief in im- portance, is the patent to Glidden, dated November 24, 1874, in which is for the first time found a barb, made of wire wrapped about a fence wire, and locked in place by a fellow wire intertwisted with the first. Meantime, barbed wire was growing in popularity ; at first, strong prejudices had to be overcome. Many hardware dealers would not have it in their stores. The ])ublic, too, had to be educated. A length of barbed wire, with two barbs upon it, was shown to two men in Texas ; one guessed it was a model of a fence, the barbs being the posts, and another thought it was a bit for a hor»e. A skeptical farmer said he didn't believe it amounted to much; that he had a bull (Old Jim) who would go through anything, and he guessed he wouldn't stop for barbed wire. His field was fenced ; " Old Jim " shook his head, elevated his tail, and went for it. The farmer was converted, and so was "Jim." Barbed wire, once introduced, grew rapidly in favor. In fact, it became a necessity ; strong, durable, cheap, easily transported, and an absolute barrier against man and beast, it became at once the best fencing material known, and the demand for it rapidly in- creased. Meantime, infringers began to spring up, and litigation followed. No stronger or more per- sistent efforts were ever made to break down a patent property than were directed against the barbed wire patents. Thousands of pages of testimony were taken upon alleged cases of prior use all over the West and in Texas. The greatest interest was taken in the cases involving, as they did, the control of what even then bade fair to be a most important industry. The defence relied upon establishing the alleged cases of prior use, and also insisted strongly that there was no invention in arming a wire with pricking spurs. The United States Circuit Court for the Northern District of Illinois, in December, 1880, sustained the patents, and this gave the Washburn & Moen Manufacturing Company, and their associate, Isaac L. Ellwood, of DeKalb, 111., the control of this business. Licenses were issued to most of the parties lately infringing, and the business has been conducted upon that basis up to the present time, and will be during the life of the patents, some of which do not expire for several years. To protect themselves and their licensees, the Washburn & Moen Manufacturing Company has purchased upwards of two hundred and fifty patents upon barbed wire and barbed wire machinery. The amount of barbed wire consumed in this country has increased from five tons, in 1874, to a probable output of one hundred and fifty thousand tons, over eight hundred and fifty thousand miles, in 1888. Of this amount, the Washburn & Moen Manufacturing Company makes about eighteen thou sand tons (over one hundred thousand miles), while the capacity of their works is seventy-five tons per day of ten hours, or four hundred and twenty- six miles. The cost to the consumer has during this time been reduced from eighteen cents per pound to less than five cents. This has resulted from the reduced price of wire and the introduction of automatic machinery. Bale Ties. — About the time that barbed wire be- gan to be manufactured the company became the owners of patents upon bale ties, a wire substitute for the wood and rope previously used. There are probably to-day ten thousand tons used annually for binding hay in the United States. Each ton of wire will wind three hundred and thirty tons of hay or straw, and the whole ten thousand tons of wire will bind three million three hundred thousand tons of hay and straw. It formerly cost on an average to press this amount, when bound with rope, two dollars per ton. Wire is applied to the bales with so much greater ease than wood or rope, that a saving of fifty cents per ton, at a low estimate, is effected in pressing hay when wire ties are used. But the greatest saving made to the public by the introduction of wire for binding pur- poses is in the increased security against loss by fire. When hay, straw or tow are bound with rope or wood, each is easily set on fire, the binding materal burns, and thus allows the compressed mass to become loose and add fuel to the flames. This, of course, is not the case when wire is used. For this reason, rope and wood were discarded many years ago in pressing cotton. Altogether, millions of dollars are saved annually to the public by the introduction of wire tie.*, all of which has been effected in the last twelve or fourteen years. Copper Wire. — Since 1884 copper wire has taken a prominent place among the products of this com- pany, as it has been and is being largely substituted for iron, particularly in long-distance telephoning and electric lighting. Copper has always been preferred to iron for elec- tric purposes by reason of its greater conductivity, but previous to the introduction of hard-drawn cop- per wire it did not possess the requisite strength. By present processes a copper wire of sufficient strength can be produced ' much lighter than iron, and of largely increased conductivity, as is apparent when the fact is stated that for a given length of wire an equal degree of conductivity 'will require five times as much weight in a mile of iron as of copper wire. In January 1884, there were probably not more WORCESTEH 41 than one hundred or two hundred miles of hard- drawn copper wire in use in this country. To-day there are, it is estimated, at least fifty thousand miles, representing about four thousand two hundred tons of metal, now ii^ operation by the various telegraph and telephone companies, the average weight per mile being about one hundred and seventy pounds.' The larger sizes of copper wire are used in connec- tion with electric railways. WiitE RorE. — Among the more recent specialties introduced by the company is wire rope, of which is manufactured: galvanized steel wire cable for suspen- sion bridges; phosphor-bronze and copper wire rope; transmission and standing rope; galvanized wire seizing; hoisting rope; tiller rope; switch rope; copper, iron and tinned sash cord wire; clolhes-linea and picture-cords; galvanized iron wire rope forships' rigging; galvanized crucible cast-steel wire rope for yachts' rigging. The rapid introduction of cable railways has created another demand for wire rope. Wire Nails. — The raanufncture of wire nails is another branch of business conducted by the company. The wire nail, as an article of manufacture, was scarcely known in this country ten years»ago. Since that time it has come into general use, and it is esti- mated upon good authority that more wire nails are used to-day than cut nails. The variety is very largei running from three-sixteenths of an inch, made from No. 22 iron, to a length of fourteen inches, made froni No. 000 wire. It is a little remarkable that the introduction of two articles of manufacture — barbed wire and wire nails — should within the last fifteen years have created a new demand for wire, amounting to at least two hundred and seventy-five thousand tons per annum, which has been made possible by the use of Bessemer steel. While the proce-ts of drawing wire is, in principle, the ^ame as practiced fifty years age, many improve- ments have been made leading to a largely increased relative product. Great advances have been made in certain of the mechanical processes, particularly in the rolling of wire rods. In 184»»the first rolling-mill at t^uinsigamond produced about five tons of No. 4 rods in ten hours; at the present time the output is from forty to fifty tons in the same time. The demand for wire and the purposes for whicli it t* mc'l have largely ini;reiuHcd, as indicated by the pro«(iit output of two hundred and forty-five tons ilaily, and the manufacture of four hundred and eighteen different kinds of wire. The increase in the business of the corporation has been most rapiil since the introduction of barbed wire. In 1875 the number of hands employed was seven hundred ; in 1880 two thouHand one hundred, and at > " t'<«-k«t lt>nok of ra(>|»r •ml Inn Win-," pnUUhrd liy W. k the present time, 1889, there arc three thousand names on the pay-roll of the company, for the most part heads of families, supporting directly not less than thirteen thousand persons, aud indirectly, a much larger number. i)t' the operatives, one thousand are Irish; nine hundred Swedes; five hundred .Vmericans; two hun- dred and thirty-six Armenians; forty-five Germans : other nationalities, three hundred and nineteen. The buildings of the corporation cover twenty-five acres of ground, and the machinery is driven by engines of seven thousand two hundred horse-power. The present oUicers of the corporation are: Philip L. Moeu, president and treasurer; Charles F. Washburn, vice-president and secretary ; Philip W. Mocn, assist- ant tresisurer and general superintendent; Charles G. Washburn, assistant secretary and counsel. The above, with George T. Dewey, Esq., constitute the board of directors. The Worcester Wire Company, William E. Rice, president and treasurer, is located on the Old South Worcester privilege, utilized for manufacturing pur- poses from the earliest times. Here is manufactured a variety of wire, including tedder, rake teeth, wire for hay bales, and barbed fencing, bridge rope and general wire ; bottling, baling wire; tinned mattress, tinned broom wire, harvesting wire on spools ; wire for the manufacture of screws, bolts, rivets, nails, buckles, staples, rings, books and eyes, pin, hair-pin, reed, harness, heddle, bonnet, brush, broom, hat, clock and umbrella wire ; also telegraph and tele- phone wire. Wire-working as an industry in Worcester was con- temporaneous with wire-making. In April, 1831, Jabez Bigelow manufactured, in Rutland, "wire sieves, such as meal sieves, sand rid- dles, etc., also manufacturts all kinds of safes for meat and provisions." In lS:341iewas located at the Stone building, Front Street, on the canal, where he manufactured " meat, milk, cheese and provision safes, wire sieves, grain, coal, sand, sugar and bakers' riddles. Fire fenders, sand screens, hatters' hurls, dusters for paper-mills, cellar and window guards, neiling, wire lace, bird cages, plate covers and bnum screens.'' In the following vcar Mr. Rigelow advertised for two girls who could take a loom to their dwelling. In 1845, Mr. Samuel Ayres began to weave wire for Mr. Bigelow in a .shop in Norwich Street. Mr. Bigelow then had three looms — one largo and two small ones — and the busincj's employed in all six hands,. among whom were Mr. iiigelow's sons. The business of wire-working was subse(|uently conducted by several firms, and finally consolidated in the NBtion»l Manufacturing Company, of which Mr. .lonah II. Bigelow, a son of Jabez Bigelow, is presiilcnt. This company has conducted a prosper- ous businc'*! for nuiiiy years, manufacturing a very large variety of wire goods. 42 MANUFACTURES. The business now conducted by the Wire Goods Company wiis commenced by Charles G. Washburn in the fall of 1880, on the top floor of the building then anil now occupied by C. H. Hutchins & Com- pany, in Allen's Court. The articles manufactured were wire goods for cotton and woolen machinery. September 12, 1882, it was incorporated under the name of The Wire Goods Company, and was con- tinued for a time in Allen Court, but was subse- quently moved into the brick factory in Union Street, the present situation. Meantime, the business has very much enlarged, employing at the present time one hundred and twenty hands. In 1888 the busi- ness of the Ayres Manufacturing Company was pur- chased and merged in that of the Wire Goods Com- pany. Among the articles manufactured are bright iron and brass gimlet-pointed wire goods of all kinds. Belt hooks, hitching rings, hand-rail screws, ham- mock hooks, double-pointed tacks, a large variety of wire goods and a number of patented specialties ; in fact, " everything in wire." Mr. A. W. Parmelee is president and treasurer of the company. Harablin & llussell, in Front Street, *e also en- gaged in the manufacture of a variety of wire gotids similar to those made by the National Manufacturing Company. Henry E. Dean, Austin St., manufactures a special line of general hardware and liouse goods, elevator and window guards, also all kinds of steel wire brushes. Another use to which wire is put in Worcester is the manufacture of rivets and burrs, which is con- ducted by Keed & Prince, 42 Gardner Street, in the basement of the pistol factory. This industry was established in 1886. It would be ditBcult to enumerate the variety of articles and machinery, manufactured iu Worcester, into which wire enters in one form or another. Copperas. — An interesting illustration of the utilization of waste products is found in the manu- facture of sulphate of iron or green vitriol — commonly known as copperas, and popularly, but erroneously, supposed to be a salt of copper — from the waste sul- phuric acid used iu cleaning wire. This waste acid, heavily charged as it is with iron, is taken to the works of W. E. Cutter & Co., where, after being evaporated in lead-lined tanks in which iron in the form of waste wire has been placed to further neu- tralize the acid, is drawn off into large cooling-tanks, and the copperas is deposited in green crystals upon sticks suspended in the liquid. Copperas is used in dyeing as a disinfectant, and in the manufacture of ink, and largely in the manufacture of Venetian red, also made by W. E. Cutter & Co. 7,000,000 pounds of copperas are manufactured by this company an- nually, representing about 700 short tons of metallic iron ; about one-third of the copperas is converted into Venetian red, of which the annual product is 2000 tons. This is an oxide of iron paint, and is very extensively used. Copperas can also be obtained by the oxidation of iron pyrites — sulphate of iron. In 1830 a bed of iron pyrites was discovered in Hubbardston, and Mr. Bennett, of that place, with Messrs. John Green, Benjamin F. Heywood and James Cjreen, of Worces- ter, formed a company for the manufacture of cop- peras, and began operations ; but the enterprise did not prove successful. In December, 1828, the canal boat " Worcester," Captain Greep, among other things, brought one ton of copperas from Provi- dence. CHAPTER VI. M.\NUF.\CTURtNG AND MECHANICAL INDUSTRIES. Carriage and Cars — IVood-wjrking Machinery — Musical Lulntmentt — Envelopet. Carriages and Cars. — The business of carriage- making was conducted in Worcester at a very early day. Curtis & Goddard were in business in 1808. In 1822 Osgood Bradley came to Worcester, and started the* stage and carriage business in a small shop in the rear of what is now Parker Block in Main Street, and the same year moved into what is now known as Atchison's carriage-shop in School Street, where he manufactured and kept on hand mail-coaches, chaises, gigs, wagons, sleighs, cutters, etc. Associated with Mr. Bradley was John Man- ning, harness-maker, who afterwards, in 1825, went into business with Edward M. Burr, in the manufac- ture to order of coaches, chaises, saddles and harness, opposite Stiles & Butman's store, a few rods north of the brick hotel. Osgood Bradley & Co. continued in the manufac- ture of coaches, chaises and harnesses in School Street, near Captain Thomas' cofl!ee-house, and were succeeded by Solon Fay, September 2, 1829. Albert Tolman was born in Lincoln, Mass., and came from Concord to Worcester in 1833. At this time, it must be remembered, manufacturing in Worcester was in a very primitive condition ; the shops were all very small, and the proprietor, with one or two workmen and an apprentice, usually did the work. In 18.33, Mr. Tolman formed a co-partner.ship with Mr. Samuel L. Hunstable, and advertised to do chaise and harness-making in the yard of the Central Hotel. At this time a Mr. Goddard had a harness shop north of the Bay State House, near where the Waldo Block now is. Benjamin Goddard was a carriage maker, and had a shop on the corner of Waldo and Exchange Streets, where Walker's ice ofhce now is. A Mr. William Leggett was at that time an old har- ness-maker here, and was afterwards one of the first conductors on the Nashua Railroad. The firm of Tol- man & Hunstable continued until 1837, when the firm WORCESTER, 43 of A. Tolman & Co., wjis formed, composed of A. Tol- man and G. W. Russell, which continued forty years. Their work for many years was the manufacture of first-class family carriages, which they sent all over the world, some of them going to California, and even to Africa and Australia. Mr. Tolman once built a carriage for Mrs. Governor Duncan, of Ohio, before the days of railroad communication ; it was shipped to New Orleans, and from there went up the Ohio River to its destination. Now hundreds of carriages come from Ohio to the East by rail. Meantime Mr. Bradley had again gone into business, and in 1838, Osgood Bradley sold out his business to Rice, Breck & Brown, and prior to 1842, Bradley & Rice engaged in the manufacture of railroad cars, near the Western depot. This factory, which was one hundred and thirty feet by forty feet, was destroyed by tire, May 12, 1842. Mr. Bradley resumed business alone in 1849, and in 1850 had in his employ about one hundred men. His work was done in half a dozen buildings scattered over two and ahalf acres of ground, and at this time he had in process of construction from sixteen to eighteen passenger cars at an average price of three thousand dollars, besides a large num- ber of freight cars. Mr. Bradley continued in business alone until Jan- uary 1, 1883, when he took into partnership his sons, Henry O. and Osgood Bradley, Jr., the firm being Osgood Bradley & Sons. Mr. Bradley remained in the firm until his death, in 1884, the firm-name con- tinued and his sons carrying on the business. Mr. Bradley built the first railroad cars in this country at his shop in School Street. He built four cars for the Boston A Worcester Railroad, one of which was drawn to Boston over the old turnpike road by four horses. In 1847 Abraham Flagg, at his shop, 22 Exchange Street, manufactured I. Woodcock's patent " W'or- ce*teree,'' a two-wheeled vehicle. Woodcock, Jones & Co. also manufactured them. In 18")1 the carriage business in Worcester sup- ported about fifty familie.'i. The largest factory was that of Tolman & Ku.'isell ; it embraced some half- dozen buildings and gave employment to twenty-five hands. Most of their carriages were of the more ex- pensive kind. At this time they were fini-hing three, one for the Adams House, Boston ; one for a New Bed- ford merchant, and one for Mr. White, of Worcester, "the attentive and obliging hackman, whom every- body knows and everybody employs.'' Ikwides these heavier carriagea, Tolman A Russell manufactured a great many lighter vehicles of various patterns and prices, such ns chnisen, phaetons, rocknways and buggies. It is said that this firm at one time refuiied to take a large contract from the Government for the supply of army wagons for the use of the army during the Mexican War, solely on the grsand flats. The round keys were pushed in like the keys upon the small concertinas which are made now. The sharp keys had black rings painted on the ivory. The melodeon was held in the lap, and, while the keys were operated by the hands, the elbows worked the bellows. These instruments were greatly enlarged until they were put upon legs and called aeraphines, the bellows still being worked with the elbows. The cabinet organ is the melodeon on a large scale. Modern instruments have the exhaust bellows, while the old instruments have the pressure bellows. At the beginning this company had six hands; Mr. Morse did the tuning, Mr. Farley made the reeds, and Mr. Pierson the wood-work. Subsequently, in 1852, Piersou & Loring succeeded to the business. WORCESTER. 45 One of tbe first melodeoD-tops made by this com- pany wiis twenty-two inches long, twelve inches wide, with four octaves. The bellows w^re made in two folds ; when the wind went out of one fold it came in and tilled the other. At the last New England Fair one of these instruments, made forty years ago, was shown and operated. Taylor & Farley were manufacturing melodeons in IS.j.'), and in IStii harmoniums for parlors, churches and schools. In ISOS their factory in Hermon Street was erected. In 1860, the Steam Music Company was formed to manufacture the calliope, an instrument designed to produce music by steam — the invention of a Mr. .T. C. Stoddard. In June, LSoS, E. Harrington & Co., at the Junction shop, manufactured melodeon reeds, succeeded by A. iJavis & Co. In 1859 the American Steam Music Company was located in Estabrook's building and employed twelve hands in the manufacture of calliopes and terpsi- choreans. • "The latter is an entirely new thing, and this com- pany has just completed the first one as an e.xperi- ment. Its notes are agreeable and pleasant to the ear. The music for these instruments is arranged by M. Arbuckle, leader of Fisk's Cornet Band, on the same floor." In 1860 the calliope was introduced into England. The Loring & Blake Organ Company, located in Union Street, was incorporated in 1808. Messrs. Loring & Blake, the founders, were at one time with Taylor & Farley Organ Company, and first engaged in business in Southbrid;;e Street, in French's building, and afterwards moved to the building in Hammond Street, which was later burned down and never re- built. From there they moved to the Adams Block, between Main and Southbridge Streets, the site of the new Post-Ollice, and also hired some rooms of E. S. Stone, their mill-work being done in Cypress Street. They now occupy the large (ive-story brick factory in I'nion Street. The lumber used by this company comes compar- lively dry, but they have two large dry-houses with a capacity of fifty thousand feet. From the dry-houses the lumber passes to the mill-room, is cut up into the proper wizes and glue he removed to the north corner of Main and Walnut Streets, where he remained till January, I'Siitj, when he removed to Bigelow Ojurt ; he was then making- one hundreil thousand envelopes per day. This fac- tory was the first building in the United States used exclusively fur the manufacture of envelopes. At that time Mr. David Whitcomb sold out his in- terest in the hardware store of Calvin Foster, and joined his son, the firm being G. Henry Whitcomb In 1873 the business was moved into the present factory in Salisbury Street, additions to which were built in 187S and in 1886. In 1884 the firm became a corporation, known as the Whitcomb Envelope t^orapany. The machines used have been built on their own premises, and the patents upon them are owned by the company. The machines are the in- vention of Mehip with William A. Kichardson, under the firm-name of Harrington & Kichard.-ion, and the manufacture of the same style of revolver was con- tinued. This revolver, which was the starting-point of the present business, was an improvement in con- venience over any other then made, it being so con- structed as to load and have the exploded shells removed by the sliding ejector, without detaching the cylinder or removing any portion of the arm ; and it is believed to have been the first successful shell- ejector used on a metallic cartridge revolver. It had a large sale for a number of years. Various other styles of revolvers have been added, improve- nicnt-i made and patented from time to time. In the fall of 187t; the business wa.s removed from Manches- ter Street to the more commodious quarters 31 Her- mon Street. Here new and improved machinery and appliances were brought into operation, and have been constantly increased from year to year, and ad- ditional room occupied. In 1880 .Me.isr!*. Harrington & Richardson beinme the sole licensees iu the United States for the Uianu- facture of the celebrated Anson tt Deeley hammerlesa gun, an English invention. This wai a high cost arm, ranging in price from eighty-five to three hun- dred dollars. Thf manufacture of thru gun wan con- tinued for about five yearn. In January, 1888, Har- rington & Richardson dissolved their copartnership, and reorganized an a stock company, with the follow- ing oflicers: Gilbert H. Harrington, president ; Wil- liam A. Richardson, treasurer; George F. Brooks, secretjiry. The business of the company is the manufacture of revolving fire-arms exclusively, which are produced of various styles and of dillcrcnt prices, from the plain, substantial, solid frame arm, from which the cylinder is removed by the withdrawal of the centre- pin upon which it revolves, to the more elaborate hinge-frame revolver, employing the automatic shell- ejecting system, by which all the exploded shells are thrown out automatically by the act of opening the arm for reloading. All the arms manufactured by the company have .i high reputation for quality, beauty of appearance and reliability. Very few persons not practically ac- quainted with this business have any idea of the amount and nicety of machinery and special tools and appliances required, and, where revolvers are produced in large numbers, of the care and close inspection necessary to maintain a high standard. If one would undertake to manufacture a new revol- ver of good quality and the average intricate con- struction, and were already provltlcd with all the machinery that can be purchased of machine tool builders, adapted to this business, it would require a year to construct one small revolver, and make the tools and appliances necessary to produce the arm in quantities and of good quality. Iver Johnson & Company, established in 1871, are located at 44 Central Street, and employ two hundred hands. Their products are air pistols, guns, revolvers and other arms; ice and roller skates. January 30, 1856, notice is found of a new rifle invented by B. F. Joslyn, the manufacture of which was controlled by Mr. Eli Thayer. It was claimed to be superior to the Sharpe's rifle, both on account of the rapidity of its loading and the simplicity, safety and cheapness of its construction. In March, 1809, the // said that Mr. Joslyn and Mr. Freeman, of New York, had purchased the large stone shop at South Worcester, where they expected to commence the manufacture of pistols under Jos- lyn's patent at an early day; and, in 1800, the War Department ordered from Mr. Joslyn one thousand of his rifles, which up to that lime was the largest single order for fire-arms ever given to one contractor in the country. The Navy Department had previ- ously ordered five hundred. In April, 1801, they were busy to one hundred horse-power. Additional to engine build- ing is the making of boiler feed-pumps, and the fit- ting of complete steam plants, beside a large general mill-work and repair business. The location of the Washburn Steam Works, in Central Street, was aban- doneil by Mr. Burlingame in IStilt, when he moved to School Street, remaining in that place until 1883. During this year, 1888, he moved to the present loca- tion in Cypress Street. S. E. Hartlian began the manufacture of station- ary, semi-portable and launch engines on a small scale at 44 Central Street, in the year 1874. Increasing business up to 1878-7!) required the employment of from twenty to forty men, engaged mostly in building engines of small power of the types mentioned. In 1882 he sold to the Glen Uock Manufiicturing Company, of (ilen Rock, Pa., that portion of the business relating to slnlioiutry and semi-portable engines, including patterns; after which he gave his whole attention to building yacht and launch engines, high and low pressure and com- pdiMi'l, together with complete Hleiiin iiulfit.s. Be- coming engaged in i-leclric work, the engine building has been gradually abandoned until at the present 54 MANUFACTURES. time he is practically out of the business, engaging in it only to the extent of building an occasional engine for electric purposes. Besides many stationary engines, he has built the steam machinery for about fifty-three yachts and launches, amongst which was a very fine private yacht for Jacob Lorillard, another for Mary Anderson, and one for Chauncy Ives, of New York, as well as seven smaller boats for Lake Quinsigamond, Worcester. Chirk & Knight established the business of engine- building in 1877. They manufactured upright engines up to thirty horse-power. The business is now con- ducted by E. O. Knight.' Mr. Frank Copeland, gunmaker, 17 Hermon Street, makes small vertical steam-engines from one to twenty horse-power. BoiLER.s. — The Stewart Boiler Works were estab- lished in 1864 as Stewart & Dillon. Mr. Charles Stewart learned his trade in Hull, England. He came to Worcester first to manufacture boilers for Bellows & Whitcomb, who were building engines. In 1869, C. Stewart succeeded to the business, and prior to 1872 had purchased the boiler business of Rice, Barton & Pales. Mr. Stewart and William Allen were in partnership from 1872 to 1875, when they dissolved. The business has since been conducted by Charles Stewart and C. Stewart & Son. Their castings are all made in the city, and their boiler-plate from American steel. They manufacture locomotive and stationary boilers. William Allen & Sons were established in 1875, after the dissolution of the partnership between Stewart & Allen. They were first situated in South- bridge Street, near the Junction, and in 1823 removed to their present location in Green Street, in the old shops of the New York Steam-Engine Company. They manufacture all classes of steam-boilers, — tubular, locomotive and marine boilers, feed-water heaters, bleaching kiers, dye-well extractors and iron tanks of all kinds ; iron cases for water-wheels and boilers for residences; have an iron and brass- foundry, and make their own castings. They occupy a substantial brick two-story building, a boiler-shop and foundry, and occupy sixty thousand feet of land. Mr. William Allen is an Englishman, and served his apprenticeship at the works of James Watt, Bir- mingham, England. > I am indebted to Mr. E. E. Hill for much of the material need in the article on steam-engines. C. G. \V. CHAPTER VIII. WORCESTER— ( Cb«/j«a^/^.) MANUFACTURING AND MECHANICAL INDUSTRIES. Boots atid Shoei—Bif/dow Heeling •Macliine—LeaVter Belting — Boot and Shoe Machinery — Last* — Vies. Boots and Shoes.— From Caleb A. Walls Remi- niscences we learn that Captain Palmer Goulding, a cordwainer, came to Worcester just previous to the first organization of the town, and built a house on the east of the Common, where his son Palmer, Jr., and grandson Daniel afterwards lived. They also carried on the business of tanning, shoe-making, making malt, curing hams, etc. Their place of business w^aa in front of their dwelling, and occupied ground between, what are now Front, Mechanic, Church and Spring Streets. Almost every town had a tanyard, and leather of sufficiently good quality was made to serve the needs of the shoemakers and saddlers. The embargo and War of 1 81 2 greatly stimulated the cordwainers, who began to make boots and shoes in quantities in anticipation of the wants of their cus- tomers, and when a few dozen pairs had accumulated, they were put in saddle-bags and taken to market, principally Bristol, R. I., the first wholesale boot and shoe market in the country, it being a sea-port town. At this time the bottoms of all boots and shoes were sewed on ; putting them on with pegs was an invention of a later date, and very greatly reduced the cost ; this improvement aided materially in the development of the industry. Among the first to adopt it was Joseph Walker, of Ilopkinton, Mass. The next step in the development of the boot and shoe industry was for the makers of leather to sell it to merchants in the larger towns and cities, who, in turn, sold to the shoemakers, and they, in course of time, paid for it out of the product, in boots and shoes, which were sold by the leather dealers to the jobbers in Bristol, Providence, Boston and New York. These cities held the trade for many years. The next step in the development was the separa- tion of the leather business from boot and shoe manu- facturing, the firms dealing in the leather requiring money payment for leather and ihe boot and shoe manufacturers selling their product to firms dealing in boots and shoes only, who, in turn, sold them, usually by the case of sixty pairs of shoes and twelve pair of boots, to country store-keepers, who from that time have kept them in stock as universally as dry- goods or groceries. Among the first towns in which this business was begun was Hopkinton ; then in the adjoining town of Milford; and about the same time in several other eastern towns ; shortly afterwards in Grafton, where Oliver Ward learned his trade of Clark Brown. Mr. Ward started in business in North Brookfield in 1810, WORCESTER. 55 and from the history of North Bruokfield we learn that " he made his own pegs; maple loyrs were sawed in sctlious of the proper length, which were then split with a long knife and the splint divided into pegs. Tlie next improvement was to cut the points of the pegs in the blocks with a knife and mallet before splitting ; and the next was to cut the points with the tail gouge driven like a carpenter's plane; and the next to do the whole by machinery.'' Tyler Batchellcr, of Brooktield, also learned the shoemaker's trade in Grafton, and, returning to Brooktield, commenced business in ISllt, with his brother Ezra, who learned his trade of Oliver Ward. Worcester was more than a quarter of a century behind these towns in the boot and shoe business, but has to-day an important place in this industry. Previous to 1S13 the only man engaged in boot and shoeuiaking in Worcester was John Tyler Hubbard, whose shop was on Front Street, corner of Spring. Ue would hardly be called a manufacturer at the present day, as he did business in a very small way, and, when he had accumulated a few dozen pairs, would take them to Bristol, R. I., for sale. In 1813 John Dolliver and Fos:er Newell made for the market ladies' morocco and kid shoes opposite the Court-Uouse. In February, 1818, Earle & Chase had a quantity ofgoai-skin leather dressed in the manner of black kid, which they were having manufactured into shoes and boots. In 1824 Benjamin B. Otis commenced business near the harness shop of Enos Tucker, and continued until 1850, part of the time with John C. Otis, as B. B. Otis & Co. In 1850 C. H. Fitch became a partner, the firm-name being Otis, Fitch & Co. The same year B. B. Otis retired, and a new firm was organized of Fitch &. Otis, which continued until 1800. For three years from 1863 the firm wa.s Dike & Fitch, and from that time until 1886 the business was conducted under the name of C. H. Fitch & Co. In l&IH Scott & Smith were manufacturing ladies' shoes of various kinds, nearly opposite the Central meeting-house, at the sign of "The (iolden Slipper," where they made ladies' kid and double prunella walking shoes and pumps. In 18.'i4 Charles Wolcot and Nathaniel Stone had a -hop three doors south of the Centre School-house, under the -f-'i/i* jirinting-ofTice, where they manufai:- tured birfils and shoe*, alsf> ladiea' kid, morocco an7 Newton Penniman was 56 MANUFACTURES. admitted. Mr. Barker afterwards continued for sev- eral years alone. In 1847 J. Munyan was manufacturing shoes in Main Street, and continued until 1850. In 1849 Rufus Wesson, Jr., came to Worcester from Shrewsbur)', and was in business in Harding's Block, 4.5 Front Street, until 1873. His son, J. E. Wesson, began alone in 1868, and is now doing a large busi- ness in Mulberry Street. In 1851 W. A. S. Smythe commenced the manufac- ture of shoes at the corner of Union and Market Streets. In 1860 his brother, Eobert L. Smythe, joined him. They gave up manufiicturing in 1872, being then situated in Foster Street. In 1852 Hiram French succeeded to the business of Wm. A. Corbet, and continued the manufacture of boots until 1871. In 1853 Aaron G. Walker commenced manufactur- ing, and continued alone until 1857, when he went into company with E. N. Childs. In 1853 C. O. Houghton began the manufacture of boots at Lincoln Square. In 1857 he admitted his brother. Alba Houghton, into the partnership of C. C. Houghton & Co., and continued with him until 1864, when Alba Houghton retired. In 1864 the partnership of Houghton & Heywood was formed and was dir^solved in 1867. H. B. Adams was then admitted, and the firm of Houghton & Adams con- tinued for one year. Mr. Houghton was alone until 1871, when Wm. Warren became a partner, the firm-name being C. C. Houghton & Co. Mr. Warren retired in 1884. At present the firm consists of C. C. Houghton, F. N. Houghton and E. W. Warren, and is known as C. C. Houghton & Co., which is situated in Houghton's Block, corner of Front St. and Salem Square. In 1853 E. N. Childs came to Worcester from Mill- bury, and engaged in business with Albert Gould for one year. In 1854 Albert S. Brown became a partner. They did business as Childs & Brown until 1857, when Mr. Brown retired, and A. G. Walker was admitted into the firm of E. N. Childs & Co. In 1862 Mr. Walker retired, and Mr. Childs continued under the same firm-name until 1881. During the last few years his sons were interested with him in the busi- ness. In 18.55 Luther Stowe came to Worcester from Grafton and commenced business in Mechanic Street, soon after which he formed a partnership with E. A. Muzzy, as E. A. Muzzy & Co. The firm dissolved in 1865. Mr. Stowe and Mr. J. F. Davenport, under the title of L. Stowe & Co., commenced business in Wash- ington Square. In 1875 Mr. Davenport retired, and the business was continued under the firm-name of Luther Stowe & Co. In 1880 they moved to a factory in Grafton Street, and still continue there under the old firm-name, Mr. Stowe's son now being a partner. In 1857 David Cummings began with Mr. Hudson, the firm-name being Cummings & Hudson. Mr. Hudson retired in 1862, and Mr. Cummings continued alone until 1866, when he left Worcester. He re- turned in 1880, and with his partners, E. H. Hurlbert and D. E. Spencer, built and occupied the factory in King Street, now occupied by them. E. A. Muzzy and Luther Stowe commenced manu- facturing, in 1857, as E. A. Muzzy & Co., continuing until 1865, when Mr. Stowe went out and Mr. Muzzy retired from manufacturing, the business being con- tinued by G. L. Battelle and F. A. Muzzy, under the old name of E. A. Muzzy & Co., until 1875. In 1860 H. B. .Tenks came to Worcester from North Brookfield, and commenced the manufacture of boots and shoes, continuing until 1871. Also, in 1860, H. B. Fay came to Worcester from Shrewsbury. He continued to manufacture until 1887, most of the time under the firm-name of H. B. Fay & Co. In 1862 J. H. Walker commenced business in Eaton Place. In 1864 George M. Walker was admitted, the firm-name being changed to J. H. & G. M. Walker. They afterwards built a factory in Front Street and one in Eaton Place. In 1870 they built and moved to a factory in Water Street, the capacity of which was doubled in 1879. G. M. Walker retired in 1870. Samuel Davenport took his place, and in 1880 H. Y. Simpson was also admitted, the firm-name always remaining J. H. & G. M. Walker. The specialty of this firm was the widely-known " Walker boot." They retired from business January, 1888. In 1863 J. W. Brigham & Co., who had been manu- facturing for three or four years in a small building near the junction of Main and Southbridge Streets, built and moved into the factory in Southbridge Street, where they now are. In 1864 Bigelow & Trask commenced the manufac- ture of shoes in Austin Street. In 1866 they were in- corporated under the name of the Bay State Shoe and Leather Company, and have been doing business under that name ever since at the same place. The headquarters of this corporation is in New York, J. Munyan, before referred to as manufacturing in 1847, is vice-president and Worcester agent. In 1805 E. H. and O. N. Stark formed a partnership under the name of E. H. Stark & Co., and have con- tinued without change, and are at the present time located in Main Street, above Myrtle. In 1866 Simon J. Woodbury, of Sutton, moved a building from that place to the site of the shop now occupied by Goddard, Fay & Stone, and he, with others, manufactured for a short time. In 1866 Raw- son i*t Linnell moved their business from West Boylston to Worcester, bringing with them twenty-two families and commenced manufacturing in Pleasant Street, near Main, under the name of E. C. Linnell & Co. In 1868 they built a factory on the site of the Wood- bury building in Austin Street. Mr. Linnell with- drew in 1869, and a new firm was organized under the name of D. G. Rawson & Co., consisting of D. G. WORCESTER. 57 i;aw-on, D. S. Goddard, W. B. Fay, which continued | until 1881. j In 1807 Albu Houghton withdrew from the firm of C. C. Houghton & Co. and commenced buiiinesa on his own account under the name of Alba Houghton .\: Co. and continued uutil 1882. In 1867, on the dis- i i-olution of the firm of Houghton & Heywood, S. R. Hey wood went into business for himself and was alone until 1873, when Oicar Phillips waa admitted as a partner, and business was done under the firm- name of S. R. Heywood & Co. In 1880 they moved to their new factory in Winter Street, and in 1884 were incorporated under the name of the Heywood Boot and Shoe Company. The specialty of this cor- poration is the widcly-lcnown " Wachusett Boot," and line sewed shoes. In 1871, A.G. Walker and Samuel Brown withdrew from the firm of Stone, Walker & Brown, and, com- mencing under the name of Walker & Brown, con- tinued until 1879, when Mr. Walker retired. Mr. Brown went on alone under the same firm-name, and is at present doing business as Walker & Brown, In Barton Place, his son being a partner. In 1871, Whitcomb, Dadmun & Stowe commenced in Soutbbridge Street, and continued for four years, when the firm dissolved, and C. C. & C. H. Whitcomb formed a new partnership, under the name of Whit- comb Brnthers, and were manufacturing for nine years, when the firm was again , established the business of mannriicturing shoe-heels from upper leather rem- nants bought at the boot and shoe factories. He was ainon); the first in the country to enga);e in this occu- l>ation :i> a distinct business. Heels bail been niaile for till." inorit part of sole leather in shoe lactories. Most of this work is done by hand. The heel pieces are cut by dies. The business has so grown that there are now two hundred concerns in the country in this special line of work. P^roni twelve hands Mr. Dean's busines-s has grown into the employment of one hun- dred and tifty. In .March, 1861, T. K. Earle & Co. sold their belt manufacturing tools to Graton & Knight, a tiriu formed March 11, 1861, and composed of H. C. IK .M AN'i'K.AcriiitKKs. — Mr. A. M. Howe began the die business in Westbnro' in the year 1S;')7, and moved to Worcester in LSctii. In 18m/Mitiy — I'orttU — bkatf* — CKntrt — Ou* — MMt/raciip^ utid It'itl'lert — iSHKjmdr;/ "/ /ii(iiij«/ri>ii not herrto/nre mfittirmril. I'AfKl! Machi.vkky. — Isaac (ioddard whs born in South Koyalston, Vt., in 1800. He came to Massa- chusetts in 181 :i, and was apprenticed to Elijah Bur- bank at Quinsigamoiid to learn paper-making. After serving bis time, he went to Millbiiry, and about 1K:;;{ ma he came to Worci'ster, formed a partnership with .Mr. Howe, ami. under the tirm- name of Howe & Goddard, began making paper machinery at the old Red Mills. It is said thai six months after starting they |>ul in a steam-engine of Mix horse-power. This they used for two years, in coninnction with their water-power. February I, 184.'i, they moved to the Cnioii Street factory, now occupied by their successors. In the summer of 184(;, (imldard. Rice \- Co. bought from Isaac Davis, for thirty-one Ihouiand dollars, the I'ac- tory occupied by them in Union Street. .April 1, 18t)2, (ioddard, Rice & Co. dissolvcil, and May 1st (leorge M. Rice, (Jeorgc S. Barton and Joseph K. Falcs fornie.'t niaiiufarlured the \'aii«l4rri)tlrml id How* k (iixMard, «n. t '. >V . J?. Wiiisliin, wliii liuil been cngngod ill nieclianical business at Nen'tmi I'pper I'ulls, occu- pied 11 small room in Cypress Street, in Merrifield's building, doing machine jobbing. Ill IS.'i", observing that skating was becoming popu- lar, they ventured to make tweuty-tive pairs of skates, of which they soM nineteen pair during tlic first year. Ill I80S, in aalicipatinii of the demand, they niaiiii- factured two hundred pairs, but before the end of the year had manufactured and sold two thousand Hve hundred pairs. Seth ('. Wiiislow ilieil in ISTI, and bis interest was purchased by Samuel W'inslow. lu 1872 Mr. Wiiislow made roller-skates for .J. L. Plympton, of New York, which were used in this country, and e.xported to Europe and to India, and cootiiiuever one hundred different styles were iiiaile, many of which were patented, and they were sent all over the world. Febrilan,' .'), I8S!I, the K. W. Vaill Chair Manufuctiiring Company was incor|>or- horated and succce<, : club-lioiiHes and private residences. .\moii^ the buildings erecteil by them arc the Wor- cester High School, Crompton'i) Block, Burnside Building, .Ml Saints' Church, the First llniversalist Chiirch, all of Worcester. Their most expeimive buildings hav<' been erected elsewhere. The gyinnnHium, Seaver Mall and the ' Law School at Harvard University ; the .Marshal 62 MANUFACTURES. Field Building, at Chicago, erected in 1885 at a cost of $900,000 ; the New York Life Insurance Building, at Omaha, costing over $500,000 ; another building for the same insurance company in Kansas City, costing a like amount; the Allegheny Court-house and jail, at Pittsburgh, costing §2,500,000; the Union League Club-house, New York ; the Algonquin Club- house, Boston ; besides many private residences, the most expeusive of whicli Is " Kellogg Terrace,'' Crreat Barrlngton, which cost $()Ofi,000. It has not been attempted to give an extended ac- count of all the manufactories in Worcester; space and time would not permit of this. The following alphabetical summary of most of those not hitherto mentioned in the text will give some idea of their variety and number : Agricui.tihal Macuinury. — B. F. Goddard, mowing-machines, 105 Front Street. Awls. — American Awl Company, 195 Front Street, manufacturers of and dealers in raw-hide mallets, wax thread needles, lasting-machine awls, wax thread awls, Bigelow heeling awls, Bigelow heeling drivers. New Era drivers. New Era pegging awls, Varney peg- ging awls, Varney drivers, German pegging drivers, German pegging awls, shoe-knives, shoe-shaves. J. McCarty, 19 Church Street, proprietor National Awl Company; established 1878; machine awls for peggi ng-machi nes. Sumner Packard & Co., of Grafton, made the firsl machine awls for boot and shoe-pegging machines. Band-Saws.— W. F. Burgess & Co., (56 School Street. Bicycles. — Iver Johnson & Co. ; Samuel Winslow. Bolt Maxufactukers. — In 1828 Wheelock & Rice manufactured nuts and washers at the machine- shop then recently occupied by William Hovey. In 1839 H. W. Jliller was engaged in this business. In 1855 Thomas Smith and William Conkey bought of J. and J. C. Brown and (ieorge Dryden their tools and interest in the manufacture of nuts and washers, chain links, etc., and filled up a shop in Cypress Street, Merrifield's building. In 1859 they employed four hands making patent bit pieces and doing cold punching. Mr. Smith has been an iron-worker in Worcester for fifty-three years ; he made the first die in the world to make a mowing-machine knife. He now manufactures bolts, nuts, rods, building irons for houses, bridges, cold iron punching. In 1835 Mr. Smith worked for Phelps i*i Bickford, ia Grove Street, and worked on the first looms built for William Crompton in this country. J. Fred. Wilson, cold punched nut-', wa.shers, chain links, etc. Boot and Shok Lasts. — Porter & Gardner, Foster Street. Boot and Shoe Machinery. — John J. Adams, 85 Mechanic Street. Box-Makers, (wood and paper).— Baker & Co., Foster Street; C. F. Darling, 66 Foster Street; J. W. Howe, 163 Union Street. C. W. Humphrey, 42 South- bridge Street, turns out from five thousand to six thousand paper boxes per day. The Whitcomb En- velope Company also make paper boxes. Brewer.s. — There was a brewery in Worcester in 1822. Sixty-two and one-half cents a bushel was paid for barley delivered at the brewery. In 1827 the Worcester Distillery offersfor sale New England rum, molasses, cider brandy, high wines. Bowler Brothers, Quinsigamond Aveuue, corner Lafayette Street, established the business of brewing ale and porter in 1883. They pay a larger tax to the United States (Jovernment than any one outside ot Boston. Brooms. — O. M. Dean, 170 Austin Street. Brushes. — Ellis Thayer manufiictured brushes in Worcester in 1849. In 18(19 the firm became Thayer & Mason; in 1878 Mr. J. Fred. Mason became pro- prietor. He manufactures brushes of all descrip- tions. Carders' Tools. — William H. Brown, 81 Me- chanic Street, Lewis' patent card clamps, card ratchets, hammers, gauges, tools, scrapers, Kiinball's patent card stretcher. CLrpriN(;-MArHiNEs. — Coates' Clipper Manufac- turing Company, 237 Chandler Street. Copying-Pre.sses. — R. E. Kidder, 35 Hermon Street. Also manufactures patent Universal Sewing- Machine. Cotton.— H. W. Smith, Wachusett Mills, fine dress ginghams. Court-Plaster.— C. B. Bobbins, 70 Portland Street. CiTRRlERs. — P. Corriveau, 32 Hermon Street. William Leonard, 2 Sargent Street. CfRTAiN Poles and Rings. — Worcester .Mould- ing Works, Foster Street. Dental Instruments. — C. B. R. Claflin, 38 F"ront Street. Die Cutter Stock. — Loring Coes & Co., manu- facturers of machine knives, cutter plate for dies to leather, cloth and paper ; moulding cutter-plate for wood, marble, etc.; all kinds and sizes of shear plates, and strips for cotton and woolen machinei/. L. Hardy &Co., manufacturers of machine knive.s, straight cutter ensilage, lawn-mower, meat-cutter, cork-cutter, rag-cutter and bone knives; shear-blades and strips for cotton and woolen goods. Also die cutter stock lor boots and shoes; all kinds of welded stock rolled to any thickness from fourteen gauge to three-quarter inch thick. Wood-working machine- knives, planers, moulding-knives and blanks ; paper- cutting, leather-splitting and stripping-knives. Doors, S.vsh, Blinds, &f. — Charles Baker & Co., wholesale and retail lumber dealers; manufacture doors, windows, blinds, window and door frames, in- side and outside ornamental finish from architects' plans. Y'ardn at Manchester, Grove and Prescolt Streets. WORCESTER. G3 A. W. Joslyn, 181 Union Street. George Peirce, .'530 Park Avenue. D. & C. P. Stevens & Co., 24 Southbridge Street. Rice & Grilfin M;iiiufacturing Co., Sargent Street Willinni Ross, 13>! Main Street. Ohain" Pll'K. — James Draper, drain sewerand well pipe, Bloomingilalf. .•V. B. Lovell, cement pijie. S. E. Todd, Soiithl>riilge Street. Drili. M.wiTKAcruRERs. — Six in number, some of whom have already been mentioned. George Burnham v^- Co., l.'p HernKin Street, im- proved upright drills. K. W. Long, .successor to (Jeorge ('. Tafl, No. 8 Harris Court, improved upright self-feed drills. I.«well Wrench Company. Ratchet drills, ratchet wrenches. Prentice Bros., 49 Hermon Street. Upright drills. DroI" FoRiiIXiis.— Worcester Drop Forging Works, No. .W Bradley Street, t^uick-action vises; shuttle irons. Drv Pi.atk MASirFACTrRER.i. — Plifcnix I'late Company, manufacturers of Pha-nix gelatine dry- plate, argentic plate for positive pictures, ebonized and maroon wood and metal panels ; also japanned iron and tinned sheets of all sizes for painters and lithographers. Dye-Hou-SRs.— In 1828 William B. Fox did dyeiiiL' of all kinds. ,Iohn H. Starkie, Layard Place. Worcester Silk Co., 390 Afain Street. Worcester Bleach and Dye Works, dyers and bleadiera of cotton, woolen and worsted yarns, threads, tapes, et*. Also black, white and fancy col- ored warps in chains and beams furnished to order in any desired |)attern. Present location. Grove Street. After April I, ls8;'t. West PVemont Street, New Wor- cester. F;ave Tkouoiis. — A. Bangs it Co., 175 Union Street. K1.EVAT0R.S, HviiRAri.lc — Washburn Shop, Poly- technic Institute. Hydraulic Manufacturing Co., 23 Hermon Street. Worcester Klevat Union Street, manufacturers of eaves troughs, iSic. J. li. Cuinmings, 197 Union Street. Hardware Masupacturers.— A. W. GIHord, 77 Beacon Street Hill Dryer Co., 21 Hermon Street. A. .McDonald, 418 Main Street. Morgan Spring Co., 2') Lincoln Street. Wire Goods Co., 20 Union Street. Heei, Ma.siiacturers.- E. I). Barrows & Son, 195 Front Street. E. N. Dean, 194 Front Street. A. D. Hall, ItU Front Street. G. S. Hatch, lt)4 Front Street. Myrick, Shepard & Co. Hosiery. — Holland Hosiery Company, 194 Front Street. Ink.— Levi R. Rockwood, 23 Orient Street. Loo.M Reicds. — For cotton, woolen, carpet and wire cloth mills, .lolin Wliittaker, 194 Front Street. Mll.K Ca.ns. — .lames H. Whittle, manufacture of tin cylinders of all diameters. MouLi>iN. — Worcester Needle Company, Sewing mai'hine iiec MI'XHANICAI, INDl'STRIKS. Reuacns for Wurceater^K Proviinmtce as n Mtutii/artiimig Cilij—lii'Om with Power for Itait—Mcrrifietd BHiUti»i}—}tfinv*'0"?. (i. Reed, wheelwright ; Worcester Knitting Company ; Worcester Machine Company ; (ieorge Dryden, machinist ; Hood, Battell it Company, sewing-machines; Edward Lawrence, tool-maker; Oaniel Palmer, box-maker; Howard Holden, grist-mill ; Rodney A. >L .luliniinn it Com- pany, wool-spinning machinery. NVhen rebuilt, the buililings measured over eleven hundred feet in length, fifty feet in width, and three stories in height ; the area of the floors was over four acres and a half; the power wius obtained from a three hundred and tifty horse-power engine, the same which is running to-day. In LSo'.t .Mr. .\[errifield bad leased rooms and power in his buildings to over fitly firms, each employing from two to eighty hands. Among them : — Al/.irus Brown, on the corner of Union and Ex- change .Streets, who, with fifty hands, engaged in the manufacture of Manny's Patent .'Mower and Reaper combined. Uaniel Tainter, in I'nion .Street, employed thirty hands in making woolen-carding m.ichines and jacks. Johnson & Co. employed twenty hands making jacks for woolen machinery. Richardson it Maw- hinney, in the same .street, emi)loyed twenty-four hands on lasts and boot-trees. L. W. Pond (iccui)ied about two liundre7 Mr. Wood disposed of his interest to Colonel Estabrook. The main building was fiuir hundrcil and lilly feet long by fifty feet wi5, and on the 3d of Sep- tend)er the corner-stone was hiid, the day being ob- served lus a holiday. The building was com|>)eted in IH.IT, and was dedicated March U'th oftliat year. .■\notlier and .strikln-; illustration of the interest taken by the manufacturers and mechanics of Wor- cester in educational aftairs is found in their gener- ous contributions toward the building and endow- ment fund of the Worcester I'lilyteclitiic Institute, a schi>i>l free to residents of Worcester County. The founder, .lohii Boynton, of Tenipleton, pro- vided that the school should be located in Worcester, if theciti/.ens would furnish the fiinds necessary to pur- cluisea lot and erect suitable buildings. This condition was complied with, and among the contributors were workmen in twenty of the then (L'SIkS) largest shops and factories. .\t the .same time Ichabod Washburn built, eiiuip- ped and endowed a machine-shop, connected with the institute, in which students were to be taught the [practical nianipulation of tools. This conception of a school-.shop is unique. The maximum number planned for by the founder to be instructed at atiy one time was twenty. For the psist live years over one hundred pupils have received instruction ejich year. .Meanticne the schools of the city have increased in number and efficiency. No child, however poor, need be deprived of a thorough education, free of any cost for instruction, and in the public schoids being even relieved of the expense of buying books. Up to 1840 manual labor in our shops was, for the most part, performed by Americans. Worcester naturally attracted boys from the country, and the farmers' sons became our mechanics. .\bout this time Irish emigration commenced and, as the heavier kin,01(i,75(i ; total value of goods made and work done, ?!:28,0;il),524, the difler- ent industries standing in the following onlcr: — Metallic goods, other than inui ; boots, shoes and slippers; iron goods; wood ami metal goods; building material for building anil stone-work; textiles; food preparations; miscellaneous clothing and straw g(M)ds ; woolen goods ; paper and paper goods ; leather; printing and publishing; paints, colors, oils and chemicals. .lune '■'•(), 1885, there were employeil in manufactur- ing and mechanical industries |l!,.'iGl) peojile -13,413 males, 3153 females— of which i;475 were under twenty- one, and H.D'.M twenty one atid over; 10,512 ol these work by the day, and li<»54 by the piece. 'I'lie total amount paid in wages in the census year was ?'7,l)(;it,755. 68 MANUFACTURES. Worcester has developed from a country town to a large manutacturing city in less than sixty years. The population in lS;iO waa a little over four thousand, and to-day is probably eighty thousand. Within that time the steam-engine, the railroad, telegraph and telephone have enormously increased the productive |)o\ver of labor. The improvement in the condition of the laboring cla-sses is no less marked ; contrary to the opinion once held, the in- troduction of labor-saving machinery has advanced instead of lowering wages; has reduced, instead ol extending the hours of labor. The laborer receives a constantly-increasing proportion, the capitalist .1 constantly-decreasing proportion in the division of gains. Many of our mechanics own their homes, and are naturally deeply interested in the welfare of the city. Avenues for advancement are always open to the capable and industrious. From their ranks will come the leading business men of the next generation, upon whom the continuance of prosperity will depend. It is worthy of note that the causes of Worcester's prosperity are found within and not without. No abnormal conditions have prevailed, a change in which can bring disaster. No Government works or patronage of any kind have contributed to her ad- vancement. We need not fear the natural advan- tages of other sections of the country, for there must always be conducted here the manufacture of the finer gi'ade of goods, requiring intelligent and delicate manipulation. As we review the past and forecast the future, we can but feel that Worcester is worthy of her civic seal, — The Heart of the Com.mox- WEAI.TH. H 46 '78"^ ■■I^'^- ^v^. "^ ''M^^S /'\ ^m^-" '^^'^ ^''»4^v' /^\ ^^^^^^ -^ % \^ * ..-^^ ,o ' u^ ■^-' '"'<• <\ ^ . V ■-'^, ■J* -^.-0^- ,^-^-. ,:> ..^" .c- c'-' /■-, ^.. .•^- LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 014 110 952 2 •