USA > Iowa > Dubuque County > The history of Dubuque County, Iowa : containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, etc. > Part 79
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But little time was lost, however, in perfecting arrangements for rebuild- ing, and a four-story brick structure, 40x60, with engine and dry house, were erected on the site of the burned premises, at a cost of about $12,000. Bus- iness increased annually, the Association began to wield an extended influence, and, on August 15, 1877, the corporation was re-organized, the capital stock increased to $40,000, paid up, and the facilities for work materially improved.
The present officers are: Henry Wunderlich, President and General Manager; John Stuber, Secretary, and C. Jacobi, foreman. About eighty hands are employed, at a weekly salary of $1,000, and not less than $100,000 worth of stock, of the finest finish and for ordinary uses, is placed upon the market each year, finding its purchasers in Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Dakota and Nebraska.
Since 1871, when the boiler of the factory exploded, killing two men and entailing a pecuniary loss of $5,000, nothing but prosperity has attended the venture, the stock of which is to-day regarded as among the most valuable issued.
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HISTORY OF DUBUQUE COUNTY.
Furniture and Burial Case Company .- Among the many industries in Dubuque, none deserve more encouragement than the Furniture and Burial Case Company, whose factory is on the corner of Washington and Eighteenth streets. From a comparatively small beginning it has grown into proportions that place it beside the largest establishments of the kind in the West. Recently, the Company has opened a warehouse at No. 584 Main street, where a full line of their goods can be found in stock, which includes all kinds of furniture, from the most costly parlor suites to the common grades. As the Company manufacture their own goods, they are able to warrant them as being of the best quality and durable. Every article in the furniture line can be found at their store-elegant bookcases, bureaus, easy and rocking chairs, sofas, lounges, tete-a-tetes, fancy goods, looking-glasses, brackets, stands, chamber sets, sideboards, etc., in all the modern styles. The Company also make a specialty of coffins and burial cases, they doing a very heavy business in that line. The establishment is under the superintendency of Mr. Kley, a gentleman who is practical and thoroughly understands the wants of the trade and custom.
The Company was organized February 1, 1877, with a capital of $16,000; since when it has been materially increased. Employment is furnished to fifty hands, at a weekly cost of $300.
The yearly sales amount to from $50,000 to $60,000, and the business is managed by a Board of Directors, consisting of John Hartman, Henry Huber and A. Koester.
Herancourt's or the " Key City" Furniture Factory .- This is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, manufactory of its kind in the State, having been founded in 1845 by V. Herancourt, he coming at that date from Ohio. The. business was at that early time of small proportions. This was a new country, and the wants of the people few and simple. The works were then located at No. 90 Main street, and but one or two, or at the most half a dozen, hands were employed, hand or horse power being used to operate the limited machinery.
Since that period, Dubuque has grown to be a city, and the furniture factory of 1845 has increased in proportion. In place of the small shop with few workmen and limited productions annually, one of the largest enterprises of the kind in the Western States, shipping vast quantities of manufactured articles throughout the trans-Mississippi country, has been substituted.
In 1854, the large stone building, corner of Eleventh and Washington streets, was built and the factory moved thither. A few years later, the paint and finishing departments were added, the works and yard now occupying an entire half-block. Every improvement that experience and an intimate knowl- edge of the trade can suggest has been made, new machinery introduced, and the business annually turns out a large variety and immense quantity of work.
On March 17, 1867, Valentine Herancourt, the founder, deceased, since when it has been carried on by his widow and heirs, employing an average force of forty-five men, at a weekly salary aggregating $250. Under their management the business has largely increased, and the close of the last decade witnessed a prosperity that can only be attained by that attention to details which invariably produces just deserts.
The amount invested is stated at $25,000, and the annual business at double that amount.
Since the foregoing was written, the Herancourt estate has disposed of its business to Herman Mauer and others, representing the "Key City Furniture Company " organized in February, 1880, of which Mr. Mauer is the President.
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HISTORY OF DUBUQUE COUNTY.
Farley, Loetscher & Co., Sash and Blind Factory, at the corner of Eighth and Jackson streets, is a monument to the enterprise, industry, integrity and skill of its proprietors. The company consists of J. P. Farley, C. Loetscher, A. B. Carlin and J. Rickard.
In 1876, the company commenced business in the old establishment, 40x60 feet, two stories high, on the site of the present structure. Business increased with surprising rapidity, and but a short time elapsed before the company found its room too limited to permit of supplying the demands on it. In the spring of 1879, the old building was removed, and in its stead the new one, which is unquestionably the finest, and perhaps the largest, sash, door and blind factory west of Chicago, erected. It is now complete in all its details and in perfect running order, a veritable hive of industry on a mammoth scale.
The basement, which is a well-lighted apartment the full size of the main building, is used for the molding department and for the storage of glass, build- ing-paper, moldings and other goods. At present, two of Houstin & Smith's latest improved molding machines are in use, and turn out work with amazing rapidity and faultless precision. Here are two sets of shafting made by the Novelty Iron Works, one 120, the other 60, feet long, for driving the multifari- ous machinery on the three upper floors. An endless chain arrangement, work- ing in a gutter in the basement floor, conveys the shavings from every floor as they descend through chutes to the fire-room, where they serve as ample fuel to feed the furnaces. An elevator, 5x12 feet, strong enough to move a house on, connects the basement with each of the upper stories.
The first story appears to be headquarters for bustling business. To the left of the front door are two neatly appointed offices. It has all the " modern improvements," including the Bell telephone. Among the machinery on the first floor is a Gray & Woods planer, one of H. P. Smith's panel raising and mortising machines, a tenoning and two sticking machines, and one of Hoyt's shaving machines, a turning lathe, boring machine, and a Rowley & Hermance blind- slat planer. There is also a cross-cut saw, rip saw, scroll saw, and band saw, which moves with almost amusing ease in the hands of a skilled operator.
The second story is set apart for finishing work, in which two of the latest improved saws and rabbeting-machines are used.
The third story is the finishing room, where sash and blinds get the last touches, and all the glazing is done. A saw and rabbeting machine are also employed in this department.
The planing-mill is 40x80 feet, at the rear of the main building. Here a Walker planing machine, with a capacity per day of 10,000 feet, dressed on both sides, is kept humming, in response to two matching-machines, each of which has a capacity for 12,000 feet per day. A siding and rip saw are also in operation here. The shavings from these machines are carried by draft flues above them into a sheet-iron chute, through which they find their way to the fire-room. The engine and dry rooms, 20x80 feet, are separated from the main building by the planing-mill, which is only one-story high, with basement for storage purposes, and 40 feet of shafting. It is iron-roofed, like the balance of the buildings. In case of fire originating in the engine department, which seems like an utter impossibility, the planing-mill would, from its construction, serve as a perfect fire break.
The engine-room contains a eighty-four horse-power engine, one of Rouse, Dean & Co.'s make. It is a handsome piece of machinery and does its work with easy effectiveness. In addition to other valuable features, it is furnished with two improvements of Mr. Loetscher's invention-a balance slide valve and
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HISTORY OF DUBUQUE COUNTY.
cut-off valve-by the use of which an increase of 30 per cent in the supply of steam is procured, and a saving of 30 per cent in fuel effected. The value of these Loetscher extras is very appreciable. There are two 18-feet boilers, of 42-inch diameter each, and ten 6-inch flues. They are imbedded in a massive resting place of brick, solid enough in appearance to resist an earthquake. They are supplied with water from a Baragwanath patent heater, which is fed by one of Blake's patent steam feed pumps, a modest-looking little arrange- ment, which attends to its business without making a particle of fuss unless there is necessity for it, and then it seems to be equal to any occasion. It has a tremendous amount of power harnessed in a small body. By connecting a half-inch nozzle with it, a stream can be forced through and over any part of the building. James Hunt, an engineer of over twenty years' experience, has charge of the department.
The fire-room is like a stone, brick and iron vault. Hither the shavings used for fuel are conducted by the endless chain running from the basement mentioned already, and through the iron chutes, which act like a gullet for the planing-mill. The occurrence of fire in this room would be powerless for evil if it should occur, which is almost impossible. It would be hemmed in by bar- riers from which it could not escape. Notwithstanding this apparent immu- nity, water-pipes, connected with the water-works, are available in every room and on every floor, to make assurance doubly sure. Nothing seems to have been omitted in the planning of this establishment that tended to its strength, security and convenience, even to the water-closets, of which there are two, one for the lower and one for the upper stories.
It will in return contribute to the prosperity of the city, and minister to the welfare directly of hundreds who depend upon the hum of its industry for their support. The buildings cost $15,000 and the machinery $10,000.
The firm employ a force of eighty hands, at a weekly compensation of $450, and consume 1,500,000 feet of the upper grades of timber annually, the sales of which aggregate $100,000, distributed throughout the West. The investment represents a valuation of $50,000.
The Saw and Planing Mill at the foot of Seventh street, was established in 1876, by O. H. Ingram, D. Kennedy and W. H. Day, who still maintain con- trol of one of the largest establishments of the kind to be found in the North- west. The buildings were erected and furnished in the year mentioned, at a cost of $40,000, and when run to its full capacity the business employs the services of 100 men.
The rough material is obtained on the Black, St. Croix and Chippewa Rivers, and from these sources comes the stock which enables the firm to turn out 13,000,000 feet of finished lumber annually, in addition to large quanti- ties of shingles, laths, pickets, etc.
The trade is exclusively wholesale, extending throughout the West, and business to the amount of $250,000 per year is transacted in these sections.
The investment is stated at not less than $200,000.
Novelty Iron Works .- These works occupy the inclosure bounded by Tenth and Eleventh streets, east of Washington street, and comprise machine- shop, boiler-shop, and other buildings of brick and frame. The company suc- ceeded to the firm of J. L. Dickinson & Co., and was organized and com- menced business January 1, 1876, with a capital of $60,000, and the following officers, all of whom have served in the same capacity to the present time: C. S. Burt, President; George O. Cowles, Secretary and Treasurer, and J. L. Dickinson, Superintendent. A force of fifty men is usually employed, and
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the work done is of a very comprehensive character, including machinery for flour-mills, saw-mills, steam engines, water-wheels, well-drilling machines, horse powers, they having one of the largest and best-arranged establishments in the West, with a high reputation for the quality of work turned out. The ship- ments of machinery, etc., extend into all the surrounding States, as also into Dakota, Nebraska, Montana and California.
The monthly pay-roll amounts to $1,800, and the sales of stock are upward of $100,000 per year.
The works have demonstrated that home manufactures can thrive here, and both directly and indirectly have added to the prosperity of the city.
Iowa Iron Works, Rouse, Dean & Co .- Among the most noticeable, and one which will attract the attention of strangers, is the iron foundry and machine- shop of Rouse, Dean & Co., corner of Ninth and Washington streets. It was first established in March, 1852 ; subsequently became known under the firm name of Rouse & Dean, from which it was changed to the Iowa Iron Works, H. Rouse, Charles B. Dean and William Hopkins composing the company. From small beginnings, troublesome times, financial panics, and indifferent suc- cess generally, the establishment has continued to grow and is now regarded as among the most prominent and valuable of Dubuque's material interests.
The principal feature of the business is the building of engines, movable and stationary ; heavy steamboat work castings, and columns for building pur- poses, etc., etc.
The firm give employment to sixty men, the pay for whom aggregates about $3,000 per month, and the sales about $75,000 per year. The firm of Rouse, Dean & Co. was dissolved on April 15, 1880, H. Rouse retiring ; hereafter C. B. Dean, William Hopkins and J. McMurchy will conduct the business under the firm name of "Dean, Hopkins & McMurchy."
A. Y. McDonalds' Foundry, located at No. 557 Iowa street, was first estab- lished in a small way on Seventh street, between Main and Locust, in August, 1865, when plumbing and gas-fitting comprehended the extent of the business transacted. He continued at that point for about a year, when his shop was moved to Eighth street, between Iowa and Clay, and, after several subsequent removals, his business warranting the expenditure, he began the erection of the buildings now occupied, into which he removed in June, 1877, where he has since remained.
The buildings consist of a foundry one story high, 50x80, and machine-shop three stories in height, 50x70, both of brick, supplied with improved machinery adapted to his business, and cost complete a matter of $10,000.
The enterprise includes the manufacture of iron pumps, of which he turns out about four thousand annually, brass castings, steam and gas fittings. He employs forty men at a weekly compensation of $400, and does an annual busi- ness of $60,000.
The investment is represented at $25,000, and his products, in addition to a local market, find large sale in the surrounding country.
Norwegian Plow Company .- The beginning of this enterprise was in a small blacksmith-shop in the village of Orfordville, Wis., where H. H. Sater, the present Superintendent, commenced the manufacture of plows over a small anvil, and with limited resources. In 1874, a more extensive shop was erected at Brodhead, C. W. Mitchell and others becoming interested in the enterprise, when machinery was employed and plows manufactured more systematically.
In 1877, W. C. Chamberlain, who had long contemplated the establishment of plow-works in Iowa, purchased an interest in the concern, and a branch shop.
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HISTORY OF DUBUQUE COUNTY.
and salesroom was opened in Dubuque-the firm name being Chamberlain, Mitchell & Co. In 1879, George Stephens and others united with the firm, and a stock company was organized. Large and substantial works of brick and stone were erected at the foot of Main street, where improved machin- ery and modern appliances for the manufacture of plows were introduced. The reputation of the plows has been high from the start; their sales have increased with great rapidity, and custom is found in the extreme northern por- tions of Minnesota, as also in Southern Kansas.
The officers are: W. C. Chamberlain, President ; C. W. Mitchell, Vice President ; George Stephens, Secretary and Treasurer, and H. H. Sater, Superintendent ; G. B. Burch, A. A. Cooper and R. H. Collier, Directors.
The capital invested is quoted at $40,000 ; 75 men are employed, and the annual sales aggregate $100,000.
The Northwestern Wire Works were established in 1867, by T. C. Duddy, in a store of the Lorimier House. In the fall of 1874, he purchased the old Baptist Church, at No. 38 Ninth street, his present location. He manufactures every variety of wire goods, including cloth and screens for windows, fanning- mills, etc., employs a force of nineteen men and boys, paying therefor a total of $200 weekly, and sells $15,000 worth of goods annually, in Missouri, Minne- sota and Iowa.
The investment he values at $5,000.
Peaslee's Ale Brewery first came to the front in 1866, when the venture was undertaken on White street, with facilities for the manufacture of twenty- five barrels, which amount at that time more than equaled the demand. Mr. Peaslee spent much time in experimenting, to, if possible, manufacture an ale both palatable and refreshing, as also wholesome, and free from alcohol as possible, and finally succeeded in his object, sending out a beverage that secured an almost universal reputation for purity and excellence.
In its manufacture great attention is paid to the selection of the grain, which is one of the main features in compounding ale of a superior quality, and has given that of Mr. Peaslee such wide celebrity. The grain must be full, round, heavy and sweet, sweated and seasoned in the stack. The grain is subjected to a process of steeping, and left to dry; when that is completed, the malting or germinating, in which the starch is converted into sugar, is proceeded with, the sugar then ferments, and the alcoholic portion of the ale is obtained. When the gluten and mucilage in the grain have been disposed of, and it becomes white, the malt is subjected to what is called kiln-drying, the moisture remain- ing being thereby expelled. The mashing process follows, during which the hops are introduced, supplemented by straining, cooling, etc., when yeast is added, and the fermentation allowed to continue under the most careful obser- vation, until it is drawn off into casks, when the ale is placed in cool cellars, and is ready for commerce.
In the year 1870, the sales of the establishment became so great that it was necessary for Mr. Peaslee to seek larger quarters and greater facilities. For that purpose he purchased the Continental, at the corner of Fourth and Iowa streets, a building formerly occupied by himself as an hotel, which he recon- structed into a splendid brewery. The basement is used as a storehouse, the first floor as a brew-house and engine-room ; the third floor for the malt, hops, etc., used in the manufacture, and the fourth floor as the cooper-shop.
March 30, 1878, Mr. Peaslee deceased, since when his heirs have carried on the business, manufacturing 5,000 barrels of ale annually, requiring the services of fifteen men, at a monthly remuneration of $400.
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The business represents an investment of $30,000, and the product is shipped to all parts of the country, commanding an annual increased demand by reason of its purity and healthfulness.
Dubuque Brewery is located at the junction of Eagle Point and Couler avenues, and is regarded as one of the leading establishments of the kind in Iowa. The business had its origin more than a third of a century ago, on the present site, where Anton Gehrig began the erection of buildings to be devoted to the manufacture of Gambrinus' beverage. While the building was in proc- ess of completion, Mr. Gehrig died, and Anton Heeb, the present proprietor, succeeded to the "domain." The building, 25x50, was completed in the fall of 1846, and began operations with a capacity for the manufacture of six barrels of beer per diem, all the supplies at that time being obtained at St. Louis.
In time the business increased, the consumption of beer became more general and the demand for this commodity so universal, that Mr. Heeb was compelled to enlarge his quarters and increase his resources. This was accom- plished in part in 1856 and in part in 1860, by the erection of additional buildings, fronting on Couler avenue, and occupied for office, residence and- shipping purposes, increasing the dimensions of the original brewery, and completing a malt-house and cellars; the latter, by the way, together with the malt-house, supplied with the most recent improvements, and unsurpassed by those of a similar character in the West.
The house fronting on Couler avenue is of brick, two stories high, 90x65; the brewery is also of brick, three stories high, 90x40, and the malt-house is four stories in height, 100 feet front by 40 feet deep, and built of stone, the total cost of these improvements being upward of $100,000, and owned and conducted by Anton Heeb, requiring the services of fourteen hands at a monthly salary of $500, and turning out 700 barrels of beer every 25 days. The capital invested represents not less than the eighth of a million, and the annual receipts are stated at $60,000. . The product is in great demand, and shipped to points in Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado and throughout the Northwest, where it is held in high regard.
The Key City Brewery first started about 1852, when it was known as the City Brewery, at the head of which was Ignatz Seeger. At that day, its present location was without the city limits, and the " stone brewery " was long a guide-board, so to speak, to country folk entering the city by what is now known as Southern avenue or South Locust street. Mr. Seeger continued the manufacture of beer, cream-ale, porter and the general qualities of malt liquors for some years, when he disposed of a part of his interest in the concern to the Dubuque Joint Stock Beer Brewing Company for $24,000. This company was composed of Frank Brady, A. Gleed, A. Reichman, Ignatz Seeger and others, who completed improvements and operated the concern until 1873, when Ambrose Gleed leased the premises and "ran " them until 1876, when they were sus- pended and closed up.
In January, 1878, the brewery, machinery, etc., was sold under a decree of court in foreclosure proceedings, for $7,000, John Pier, the present owner, being the purchaser.
The capacity of the brewery is stated at about ten barrels per day, which are sold principally in Dubuque City and County, producing an annual revenue of about $20,000, and furnishing employment to six men at a weekly cost of $70. The investment represents $15,000, and is carried by John Pier, the proprietor.
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HISTORY OF DUBUQUE COUNTY.
The Western Brewery, at the northern terminus of the Hill Street Railway, on the road to Delhi, is conducted by M. Tschirgi and J. Schwind, and had its origin in the brewery now managed by Anton Heeb, on Couler avenue.
In 1846, Mr. Tschirgi, in conjunction with M. Gehrig, began the erection of the present Heeb brewery. Before its completion, Mr. Gehrig deceased. His surviving partner finished and operated the undertaking until the spring of 1847, when Mr. Heeb took charge. Tschirgi followed brewing at Peru for a year, when he returned to Main, between Sixth and Seventh, remaining there until 1850. In that year, he erected a house for business purposes on Julien avenue, west of the Lorimier Hotel, and engaged in making and selling beer until 1855, when his enterprise was disposed of to Kurtz & Welder. During the same year, he became associated with his present partner, and, purchasing sixteen acres of ground, began the improvements thereon, which are to-day valued at $80,000. These consist of a brewery-one of the most complete in the West, an ice-house, two residences, a beer hall and pagoda, all, save the latter, built of stone, and adding in no small degree to the attraction of that portion of the city.
When running to its full capacity, the firm employ ten men, and turn out 300 barrels of beer per week, at a cost, for material and labor, of $1,000.
The investment is quoted at about $100,000, and the annual trade, which is local, west and south, at $50,000.
The Northern Brewery, at the terminus of the Couler Avenue Railway, in the northern limits of the city, was established, in 1865, by Adam Glab, on its present site. In that year, he erected the brewery and malt-house on the brow of a hill overlooking the avenue, at a cost of $25,000; and, in the spring following, put up the building abutting on that highway. In addition, he built ice-houses, etc., and laid out a garden, planted the same with trees and shrub- bery, erected summer-houses, tenpin alleys, etc., and so ornamented the sur- roundings that, in season, the gardens are largely patronized by visitors from the city and surrounding country, seeking pure air and innocent amusement, from which a large revenue is annually derived.
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