The History of Peoria County, Illinois. Containing a history of the Northwest-history of Illinois-history of the county, its early settlement, growth, development, resources, etc., etc., Part 90

Author: Johnson & co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago : Johnson & Company
Number of Pages: 932

USA > Illinois > Peoria County > The History of Peoria County, Illinois. Containing a history of the Northwest-history of Illinois-history of the county, its early settlement, growth, development, resources, etc., etc. > Part 90

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The Union Corn-Planter Works, at 802 S. Washington Street, are owned by the firm of James Selby & Co., were established in 1872, and have been conducted under the present firm name since 1873. The capital invested is about $100,000, and the annual turn out of planters about 4,000. Employ in workshop about seventy hands, and keep four men on the road. Their principal business is done in the States of Illinois, Ohio, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, and Nebraska.

Hearst, Dunn & Co., 718 S. Washington Street, manufacture the Star Corn-Planter, and have been in business since 1864. Abont forty hands are employed in the factory, and 3,000 planters are annually turned out. Their trade is principally with the Western States, and four traveling agents are employed.

R. C. Buckley, 515 S. Washington Street has been in the business since 1863, and manufactures principally for customers in the county. Makes sulky-plows, cultivators, harrows, etc., and does an annual business of $5,000.

Baking Powder .- Probably the largest manufacturers of this article in Peoria are Sloan, Johnson & Co., 60 and 62 S. Water Street, and C. J. Off & Co., 16 and 18 Liberty Street, and among the other makers are the firmus of C. A. Bowman & Co., Charles Fisher & Co., and Smith & Strong.

Boiler Makers .- McAleenan & Cody, on S. Water Street, near Chestnut, have for three years conducted a business that was established some six or seven years ago. They are very busy and have during last year done about $50,000 worth of work - construct- ing forty-five new boilers -among them the large boilers for the Monarch Mills and Peoria Sugar Refinery.

J. E. Eastman & Co., corner S. Water and Oak Streets, have been in existence as a firm only three or four months, but the business they carry on is the oldest one in their line in Peoria, it having been established about fifteen years ago. They have on their books nearly $8,000 worth of work contracted for and partly in process of construction,

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HISTORY OF PEORIA COUNTY.

among this being three new boilers for the l'eoria Grape Sugar Company's works. These are each five feet in diameter by sixteen feet in length.

Brass Founders and Coppersmiths. - Kinsey & Mahler, 400 S. Adams Street, stand at the head of this line of business in the city. The business was established in 1850, and has been conducted for 18 years under the present firm name. They manufacture all kinds of brass and copper goods, distillery and brewery supplies, such as stills, worms, etc. Worked up last year about 25 tons brass and about 12 tons copper, and keep an average of 20 hands employed. Did a local business last year of about $120,000. In addition to what is manufactured, the firm keep a full line of gas fixtures and plumber's material, and also handle extensively iron pipe for steam heating purposes.

Simpson & MeGlinn, 228 S. Adams Street, has been in business 10 years, and man- ufacture all kinds of brass and copper work, for distillery and other purposes. Employ about 10 workmen the year through, and did a business of about 820,000 during the past year. Their stock, etc., is worth about 85,000.

Breweries. - By far the largest brewery in the city is the Eagle brewery of Gipps & Co. on South Water Street, between the bridges. It was started in 1867 as an ale brew- ery, but since 1869 has manufactured only lager beer. At the latter date it was con- ducted by the firm of Gipps, Howe & Co., and between then and 1872, when the present firm name was adopted, many changes took place in the firm which controlled it. About 30 hands are employed, and during last year 465,000 gallons of beer was manufactured, three-fourths of which was consumed in the city. This is a greater quantity than is brewed in all the other breweries in the county and all foreign beer brought into the city combined. The firm have paid out for cooperage in the past 10 years the large sum of 840,000. During the last year they have used 45,000 bushels of barley malt and about the same number of pounds of hops. Use 3,000 tons of ice annually and from three to four tons of coal per day. They have about 8115.000 invested in their business, 850,000 of which is in kegs and puncheons. The last year's repair bill for wagons, etc., amounted 10 83,500.

The City brewery of Jacob Müller is near the corner of N. Water and Erwin Streets, and was started about 25 years ago, and has been under the control of its present owner about two years. An average of 10 hands are employed, and 140,000 gallons of beer brewed annually, all of which is solt in the county.

The Union brewery at 1381 S. Washington Street is owned by Angust Weber. and has been conducted by him for about nine years. He brews an average of 160,000 gal- lons of beer per year, and employs abont 12 hands.

Conrad Bitz, 1,707 South Water Street, and Joseph Meyer, 123 Douglas Street, have also small lager beer breweries, and sell all they brew in the city.

Button Manufactory. - Hurd & Co., on S. Adams Street, near Elin Street, manu- facture all kinds of ivory buttons. They have been in business since 1874, average 35 hands employed the year round, and turn out 150 gross of buttons per day. The but- tons are made from a substance called vegetable ivory, which is the fruit of a palm in- digenous to South America, and is received at the factory in its natural state, there to undergo the various processes of husking, drying, cutting. ete., necessary to the produc- tion of a finished button. The firm have all the work they can do, and the orders ahead are accumulating fast.

Candle and Lard Oil Manufacturers .- John F. Faber & Co., Commercial Alley, be- tween Fulton and Liberty Streets, have been in business about fourteen years. Mann- facture about 500 boxes candles per annum, render a great deal of tallow, and cured about 900 hides in the past year. Has accommodations for making 500 boxes candles per month, and one barrel of lard oil per day. All his goods are made for the local trade. Business last year amounted to about $25,000.

F. C. Koenig & Co., 107 Clay Street, have been established about twenty-five years,

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HISTORY OF PEORIA COUNTY

and make about 600 boxes candles a year, all of which are sold in the city. Render abont fifty barrels of tallow, and cure 300 hides per month. Did a business last year of about $35,000.

Carriages, Buggies and Wagons .- Geo. Pfeiffer, Jr., 532 to 538 S. Adams Street, has been in business since 1868, and manufactures more wagons and buggies than any other maker in the city. He employs about thirty-five hands, and conducts in addition a large livery business. Turned out last year about $52,000 worth of work, and has invested in plant and stock about $50,000. He manufactures exclusively for the home trade.

D. L. Bigham & Co., 115 to 119 N. Washington Street, have carried on for the last seven or eight years a business established over thirty years ago, at the same location. Employ about twenty-five workmen, and have one traveling salesman during the season. Their business last year amounted to about $40,000, and their stock will run about $18- 000.

Christian Gentes, 115 to 117 Fulton Street, has during the past year conducted a business which was established in 1865. Employs about seven hands, and does an almost exclusively local trade.

There are several other firms in the city in this line of business, manufacturing principally for the local trade. Among them are the following : G. W. Smith's Sons, 305 Fulton Street ; Johnson & Dalton, 1210 S. Adams Street ; Wm. Hupe, 211 Bridge Street, and John Schroder, 203 Bridge Street.

Coopers .- William Hughes, 600 N. Jefferson, has been engaged in business as cooper, at the same location for thirty-five years, and manufactures every kind of barrel that can be made out of elm and oak. Has a general average of thirty hands at work through the year, and thinks about 500,000 staves would be a fair average of his yearly business.

Hutchinson & Madigan, 104 Henry Street, have been in business about seven years, and manufacture all kinds of barrels. They employ about forty-five men, and do an average yearly business of about 300,000 staves. All the barrels they make are sold in the city.

Dudley & Mosher, South Water Street, near Lisk, have been established in business about three years, and manufacture principally for local distillers. Carry a stock worth about 83,000, give employment to about twenty-five hands, and estimate their average annual business at about 365,000 staves.

Coopers Union No. 2 .- This shop is located near the foot of Water Street, and gives employment to an average of eighteen hands. It has been in existence about eight years, manufactures principally iron bound barrels, and does an average yearly business of about 250,000 staves.

John Zimmerman, whose shop is on S. Water Street, near Woolner's Distillery, has been in business for five or six years, employs about fifteen hands, and does a yearly business of about 300,000 staves.

Nixon & Co., employ an average of twenty-two hands, and use about 350,000 staves a year.

J. M. N. Joyce on N. Washington Street, near Fayette, employs about ten hands, and does a good business.

In addition to those mentioned there are quite a large number of smaller shops scat- tered through the city, doing a local business and affording employment to anywhere from three to ten men each.

Crackers and Confectionery .- Kellogg & Davis, corner Sixth and Franklin Streets, have been in business since 1867, but the manufacture of their goods was commenced at that location some fifteen years previous. The factory is three stories high and built of brick ; has all the latest improved machinery for kneading, baking, etc., with a capacity

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IHISTORY OF PEORIA COUNTY.

of thirty barrels of flour per day. At present they are using fifteen barrels of flour per day (making sixty barrels of crackers) and 1,500 pounds of sugar. Their goods are principally sold in Illinois and lowa. An average of thirty hands are employed and three traveling men are constantly on the road. The stock runs about 815,000, and the busi- ness last year amounted to about $150,000.

Harsch Brothers, 310 and 312 S. Washington Street, have been established ten years, and conduct a large business. They manufacture all kinds of erackers and confec- tioneries, using about a ton of sugar daily, and making about 360 barrels of erackers a week. All of their goods are sold in Illinois. Their business last year amounted to about $130,000, and they carry a stock of about $20,000. In their factory and store twenty-nine hands are employed, and two traveling men are always on the road.

Founders and Machinists .- Nicol, Burr & Co., corner South Water and Walnut Streets, have for the past fifteen years conducted the business established about the year 1855 by William Peters. They at present do much the largest business in this line in the city, and have about forty-five hands in steady employ. During the past year they constructed the two engines and other machinery of the Monarch Mills, and much of the machinery for the Peoria Sugar Refinery. Last year's business amounted to about 875,000.

('Rorke & Co., corner Maple and Washington Streets, are proprietors of the Wash- ington Foundry, which was started in 1868 on the cooperative and joint stock plan. Mr. O'Rorke has bought out the other interest, and now conducts the business himself. An average of ten hands are employed, and about three hundred tons of castings are an- nually made. They elaim to make the best eastings in the West. Value of building. ete .. about $10,000.

Mosher & Armstrong, 830 South Washington Street, carry on business as machinists, and do considerable repair work. They have been in business about five years, employ nine hands. and did a business last year of about $10,000.

Adam Lucas, 211 Fulton Street, has been established in business for twenty-three years. Ile for many years manufactured safes, but at present makes supports for build- ings and iron railing. Employs seven hands, land did ast year a business of about 8,000.

Furniture Manufacturers .- The only furniture manufacturers in the county are Comstock & Avery, whose warehouse is at 114 to 120 Main Street. The business was established in 1862, and has been conducted under the present firm name since 1968. They manufacture all kinds of furniture, but make a specialty of parlor furniture, and also manufacture Shaw's Patent Reclining Chair. With the exception of the Reclining Chair, the business is an entirely local one. The warerooms are three stories in height, and are filled with furniture, worth the plant upwards of $50.000. The parlor furniture is manufactured in workshops in rear of the warehouse, and the other articles of furniture at various shops in the city, Twenty-five workmen are steadily employed. The busi- ness of the firm last year amounted to about $125,000.

Milling .- Cox, Bruner & Co., are the owners of the Vienna Mills at 160 North Fayette Street. This mill was established about twenty years ago, and the present building was ereeted about 1867, to replace the old one which had a short time previously been burned. The mill is a fine one, three stories high with basement, and built of brick. Under the old process of milling, its full capacity was about 300 barrels flour per day. but in May last, when the present owners came into possession, machinery for grinding by the new process was put in, and its present eapacity is now about 200 barrels per day. It is also supplied with all the latest improvements in the way of reeling, bolting, and purifying. They employ about fifteen hands and two traveling men. The flour is almost all ground to supply custom trade in this State, but a little of it is shipped to Indiana.

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HISTORY OF PEORIA COUNTY.

The mill is at present using from 800 to 1,000 bushels of grain a day, which is ordinarily supplied by the home market.

The Globe Mills, ou Globe Street near Main, are owned by J. W. Gift, formerly of Eureka, Illinois, are fitted up with all the newest and most approved machinery for mill- ing by the new process, and have a capacity of about 125 barrels per day.

Manufacturing Pharmacists. - Allaire, Woodward & Co., 100 to 106 Hamilton Street, have been engaged in this business since 1873. They manufacture fluid and solid medical extracts, sugar coated pills, and grind, powder, and press all kinds of staple Botanic drugs. Make no patent medicines. They ship their goods to Europe, Australia, and to every State and Territory in the Union. About 400,000 pounds of roots and herbs were manipulated by them during last year, and their sales aggregated $70,000. The domestic roots, etc., come from the Southern States, and a great part of them from North Carolina. Their business has increased 43 per cent. in the past year, and their present factory is becoming too small to keep pace with it. About forty hands are kept steadily employed, and a change to more commodious quarters will soon be made.

Paper Boxes .- Benjamin Foster, 111 Main Street, has been engaged in the manu- facture of paper boxes for about eight years. He makes all kinds of boxes for holding candy, starch, buttons, etc., etc., and uses about thirty-five tons of paper annually. Did a business last year of about $7,500, and employs an average of ten hands.

Peoria Plating Works .- These are the only plating works in the city, and were established in the latter part of 187×. They are located at 402 South Adams Street, and are under the management of J. S. Dunlap. The enterprise is a local one, and bids fair soon to become one of considerable importance. All kinds of silver plated goods are manufactured, and they also do electrotyping in gold, nickel, bronze, etc. The works have a capacity of 25 ounces per hour, and a dynamo electric machine is used in the depositing room. Two floors are occupied and nine workmen are presently employed. The business last year amounted to about $5,000 and is increasing rapidly, has in fact doubled every six months since the start. A stock of about $3,000 is carried, and three traveling agents employed constantly. Considerable replating is done, and any pattern in flat or hollow ware can be duplicated. At present rate of business the works are turning out fifty full tea sets a year, besides hundreds of knives, forks, spoons, and other small articles. Their trade is almost all in Illinois, with occasional and increasing orders from adjoining States.

Peoria Pottery Company .- This industry was started in Peoria in 1860 by the American Pottery Company, who principally manufactured white ware. The present company consists of George Wolfe, Austin F. Johnson, and Mrs. Lydia Bradley, and has been in existence eight or ten years. It makes a specialty of fine glazed stone ware, such as milk pans, jugs, jars, etc., which are moulded in plaster of paris moulds, thus securing great regularity of size, shape, and thickness ; also manufacture vast quantities of flower pots, both plain and fancy in shape. Many of the fancy pots are from original designs, and others from the best imported designs. The finer class of goods manufac- tured are decorated by skilled and highly paid workmen. Experiments have recently been made in the manufacture of majolica with excellent results, and the company hope soon to make its manufacture a prominent item of their business. Four large kilns are in use ior baking the pottery, ronnd in shape, and with a diameter of sixteen feet inside. The foundations for another kiln have been laid, and it will be built and made ready for use in the coming Spring. An idea of the extent of the works may be gathered from the fact that it has a capacity for turning out 30,000 gallons of milk pans, jugs, etc., or 300,- 000 flower pots per week. An average of fifty hands are employed the year round. Fifteen tons of coal are used per day. The clay used comes by rail from Scottsburg, in McDonough county, in this State, and is of superior quality. Of this 9,000,000 pounds per annum are used. This clay is also capable of making a very fine fire brick, and

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thousands are annually made at the pottery, both in the shape of the plain fire brick, and as boiler tile and cupola brick. The works cover five acres of ground, and use every foot of it, and the main building is 280x190 feet. Upwards of $25,000 is annually paid out for labor, and the works have been in steady operation during the last five years. never missing over a day at a time, and then only through some misadventure. Two traveling men are constantly on the road, and the goods are sold in every State and Territory in the Union, outside of the New England States. The opposition this company has to contend with is from small competitors, and in the matter of price only, as the quality of goods here manufactured. can not be surpassed anywhere. This is the largest pottery for the manufacture of fine glazed stone ware in America.

Pump Manufacturers .- This industry is represented by J. W. Frazee & Co., whose office and factory is on the corner of S. Water and Chestnut Streets. They have been in business about sixteen years, manufacture wood, chain, and rubber bottom pumps, and turned out last year about 10,000 pumps of various kinds, using in their manufacture nearly 750,000 feet of lumber. They also manufacture extensively all kinds of wood tubing, and have the capacity for making 100 pumps in ten hours with ease. An aver- age of twelve hands are employed, and $30,000 is invested in the business. This is the only pump manufactory at present in operation in the city.

Printers, Binders, and Blank Book Makers .- J. W. Franks & Sons, 210 and 212 Main Street, have been in business since 1874, do a large and increasing trade, and have the best facilities for doing all kinds of book and job printing of any firm in that business in State, outside of Chicago. They have, besides job work. printed and bound 40,000 vol- umes during the past year, among them the histories of Tazewell and Fulton counties. They do a great deal of edition work. and have now on hand six different books in pro- cess of publication. Their establishment occupies five floors, and gives employment to thirty-five hands. Over 50,000 pounds of book paper, and 81,500 worth of gold leaf. were used last year.

N. C. Nason, 402.S. Adams Street, has been established in the printing business in this city for twenty-six years, and is the founder of the Daily Transcript. Does a large job business, necessitating the use of steam power to run his presses.

11. S. Hill, corner of Washington and Fulton Streets, has been in the business for twenty-five years, employs an average of sixteen hands, and has facilities for doing all kinds of printing, except the coarser kinds of poster work. His establishment occupies two Hoors ; his paper bill runs about $500 per month, and his business last year amounted to about $25,000. The daily Peoria Commercial Report, for the Board of Trade, is printed by him.

There are also many other printing offices in the city, exclusive of newspaper ofices. among them the following: Win. Cox & Co., B. Creamer & Co., W. B. Deleplaine, Elderkin & Co., Lauren & Wiltz, Rouse & Hardin, Singer Bros, and Wolf, Bros. & Wolfram.

Sash, Doors, Blinds, Ete. - Wm. Truesdale & Sous, corner of N. Water and Fay- ette Streets, have been established since January, 1852, and do a very extensive business. They employ an average of forty hands, and did a business last year of about $100,000. Their workshop is 165x80 feet in size, with n height of three stories on river side. The warehouse, containing the office, manufactured goods, and rooms for glazing, etc., is 100x60 feet, and two stories high. They do a great deal of jobbing trade. and used lust year about 1,000,000 feet of lumber. No traveling men are kept, as all the goods they ean manufacture can be sold without them.

John Herschberger, 701 S. Washington Street, has been established in business for fifteen years, employs about thirty hands, and did a business last year of $30.000

H. A. Bush, 716 S. Washington Street, has also been some time in the trade, and is doing an increasing business.

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HISTORY OF PEORIA COUNTY.

Sheet Steel Workers. - J. J. Steiger, 213 to 217 Harrison Street, has been engaged in the manufacture of saws, sickles, sickle seetions, moulding bits, etc., since 1855, and has about 815,000 invested in his business. He employs on an average ten hands, and his goods are sold all over this western country. His yearly business amounts to about $8,000.

Show Case Manufacturer. - The only dealer in this class of goods in Peoria is John R. Zeigler, 215 Hamilton Street. who commenced their manufacture in 1864. He also deals extensively in plate glass, and keeps a large stock of both crystal and French plate glass. Employs four hands in shop, and during the last year did a business of about $44,000.

Stove Foundry. - The Challenge Stove Works, owned and operated by Cutter & Procter, are on corner of N. Water and Fayette Streets. All kinds of cooking and heat- ing stoves are here manufactured, giving employment to about one hundred hands. The works have been established for about fifteen years. Three traveling men are kept con- stantly on the road pushing the sale of the goods, the bulk of which is sold in the States of Illinois, Missouri and Iowa. The works are extensive and have great facilities for meeting any sudden call upon them. The moulding room is 206x70 feet in size, the warehouse 200x44 and four stories high. besides another building 100x48 and three stories high. Iron to the amount of 1,200 tons is used, and 10,000 stoves manufactured in course of a year.

Trunks. - David Rowan, 132 N. Adams Street, conducts a business that was estab- lished some eight years ago, and became sole proprietor about seven months ago. Em- ploys an average of eight hands, manufactures about 2,000 trunks and 1,500 satchels an- nually, carries a stock of about $5,000, and does an average yearly business of about $14,000.

Twine and Cordage Manufacturer. - William Bergner, 1612 S. Adams Street. has manufactured twine and cordage at this location for four years, and has great facilities for production. He makes all kinds of tarred work, and his walk is 280 feet in length. His goods are almost all sold to the jobbing trade in the city. Uses about twelve tons of hemp and does a business of about $3,000 per year.

File and Rasp Cutter. - Lonis Steier, 610 S. Washington Street, has been estab- lished in the city for over ten years, and is the only file cutter in the county. Manufac- tures all kinds of files and rasps, and disposes of them almost exclusively in Illinois and Indiana. He does a business of from 88,000 to $10,000 a year.

Yeast Manufacturers. - A branch of the Waterloo Yeast Company, of Waterloo, New York, established in 1853, was started in Peoria in the Spring of 1873, for the pur- pose of more conveniently supplying the western trade with the " Twin Brothers Dry Hop Yeast." The branch is under the charge of Mr. W. A. Stratton, employs fifteen hands, and turns out daily about 5,000 packages of twelve cakes each.

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The History of Peoria County, Illinois. Containing a history of the Northwest-history of Illinois-history of the county, its early settlement, growth, development, resources, etc., etc., Part 90

Author: Johnson & co., Chicago, pub Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Chicago : Johnson & Company Number of Pages: 932

Author: Johnson & co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago : Johnson & Company
Number of Pages: 932