USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Uxbridge > Address delivered at the Unitarian church, in Uxbridge, Mass., in 1864, with further statements, not made a part of the address, but included in the notes > Part 9
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operating jacks and mules, in place of hand-jacks, -these self-operating machines having recently come into success- ful use. At this time this mill is equipped with five full sets of fancy cassimere machinery.
After selling his share of this mill to C. A. and S. M. Wheelock, Moses Taft left manufacturing till the winter of 1846 and '47, when he hired a mill in Burrillville, and with Samuel W. Scott, who had been in his employment for sev- eral years, again went into the manufacture of satinets, which he continued till the winter of 1849 and '50, when this mill was burned. The next year, in company with J. W. Day, whose name has been mentioned in connection with the Uxbridge Woolen mill, under the firm of Taft and Day, he hired the Capron mill and continued the same business for some years, when Dea. William C. Capron was admitted to the firm, making it Taft, Day and Co. This firm was shortly changed to Taft and Capron, by the withdrawal of J. W. Day, and so continued till about 1862, when Messrs. R. and J. Taft, who had long been in business as merchants, bought them out and continued the business until after the close of the war, when their lease expired. Messrs. Henry and Charles C. Capron took the mill for a few years. On the withdrawal of Charles C. Capron, Wil- liam E. Hayward entered into copartnership with Henry Capron, and the mill has since been run by Capron and Hayward.
After the burning of the mill run by Moses Taft in Bur- rillville, he took measures to secure the water rights and land for what is now known as the Central mill, bought the canal of the old Blackstone Canal company, and laid the
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foundation for the mill in the autumn of 1852. It was completed the next year and leased to Israel M. Southwick and Richard Sayles, under the name of Southwick and Sayles, who continued to run the mill till 1859, when they sold out their lease to Bradford, Taft & Co., of Provi- dence, R. I., Mr. Sayles continuing to superintend the mill till his health failed some time in 1862 or '63. Daniel W. Taft then took the superintendency of the mill, and con- tinued so until he took the lease in his own name, in 1869. Messrs. R. and J. Taft bought the mill property of Moses Taft about 1865, and made extensive additions to the power in 1866, by building a new dam, and in 1875, they made an addition to the mill and built a new dye-house, making the mill suitable for ten sets of machinery for making fancy cassimeres-fancy cassimeres having always been made in this mill. They had put in an eighty-horse power steam engine, some two years previous to this time, to supply power while making repairs, which had become necessary on account of the breaking of their dam. They have now ample power in the dryest season.
After the burning of the factory in Burrillville, in the winter of 1849 and '50, Samuel W. Scott returned to Uxbridge, and the next year took a lease of the Day mill and ran it by the yard, and has run it on contract, and on his own account, up to the present time. IIe bought the mill and farm about 1859 or '60. It was burnt in the sum- mer of 1878, and immediately re-built in an enlarged and greatly improved manner, with first-class machinery in every respect, for making satinets, which has always been the fabric made here. The mill has three sets of cards, forty-
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eight inches wide, three self-operating mules and twenty-six looms. It is run by J. R. Scott and Co., Samuel W. Scott superintending the mill.
After selling the lease of the Central mill to Bradford, Taft and Co., Israel M. Southwick continued to make the repairs at that mill, as he had previously done when in company with R. Sayles, until about 1865 or '66, when again, in company with R. Sayles, they bought the old Rivulet mill, enlarged it to more than twice its former size, put in steam-power and fitted it up to receive machinery. Mr. Southwick then sold his right to Zadok A. Taft. Messrs. Sayles and Taft then put in machinery and leased it to parties from Providence, for making knitting yarn, and it was run on this work till it was burned, in the fall of 1873. It was re-built the next year in a much improved manner. At first cotton machinery was put in, but it soon gave place to woolen machinery, with which Mr. Sayles was well acquainted. It has four complete sets of satinet machinery, with self-operating mules.
About the year 1834, Alvin Cook purchased a small building on the Emerson Brook, which was originally built for a cabinetmaker's shop. He greatly enlarged it and put in woolen cards, spinning machines and looms, but no finishing machinery. He ran the machinery by the yard, for Effingham L. Capron, who was then running the Capron mill, making satinets. He was obliged to succumb to the financial pressure of 1837, and was never again engaged in manufacturing. From 1837 to the present year, 1879, with the exception of a year or two, when the property was used for the manufacture of satinet warps, and perhaps for
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some mechanical purposes, the mill has been unoccupied. It has lately been purchased by D. M. Lee, repaired and fitted up for a shoddy mill.
The Ironstone Mill, after the failure of Fairbanks and Messenger, passed through various hands. It was burnt, and after laying idle for several years has, within the last year, passed into the hands of Abijah Esten, and has been re-built for a shoddy mill.
Some five or six years ago, Zadok A. Taft bought a farm through which runs the Emerson Brook, at what was for- merly known as the Leonard Taft mills. These mills had fallen into decay. Mr. Taft erected a mill into which he at first put machinery for making cotton warps. This ma- chinery has been removed, and the mill enlarged with the design of leasing it for a satinet mill. It has never been occupied as such, and is now used in making shoddy.
This closes the account of the woolen business in Ux- bridge. It remains to speak of the cotton manufacturing, of which nothing has been said, except incidentally, and in connection with the manufacture of satinets.
It has been noticed, that preparation for the manufacture of cotton in this town was begun by Ebenezer (?) Clapp. The building is now standing nearly opposite the boarding- house at the Uxbridge Cotton mills, and is used for a tene- ment house. I think that nothing but yarn was ever made in it. How long Mr. Clapp continued to run the mill, I do not know; but I have been told, that about 1817 or '18, a Mr. Seaver came from Boston and took charge of it for Robert Rogerson. However this may be, Mr. Roger- son soon after bought the mill and power, together with the
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land for tenements, and improved the power to about double its original amount, by raising the dam and banks of the trench, thus increasing the fall, and in 1823, he built the West Stone mill, which was a model mill in every respect. The machinery was chiefly made on the premises, and under the direction of Learned Scott, of Cumberland, R. I., I believe, who also made the plans of the new mill and superintended its erection. The machinery was built in the best possible manner and regardless of cost, and the goods made at this mill were as fine and as perfect as any then made in this country.
The East mill was built in 1827, in the same style of perfection as the West, and with such improvements as four years experience had shown to be desirable.
The whole village is laid out with so much taste that it attracts the notice of any stranger who may pass through it.
Mr. Rogerson was a man of great public spirit. He built the hall in which the Baptist Society worship, and by him it was " dedicated to Christian worship without regard to sect,"-the Rev. Samuel Clarke, then pastor of the First Congregational Society in Uxbridge, preaching the dedica- tion sermon. The hall was at first occupied by the Metho- dists, afterwards by the Baptists, then again by the Methodists, and for the last thirty years or more by the Baptists.
In 1835 or '36, Mr. Rogerson bore one-third of the expense of building the arched bridge in the village, over the Mumford River, also the retaining walls and grading the road made necessary by building the bridge. Of course, this was in addition to his regular taxes. Mr. Rogerson
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will always be remembered, by those who knew him, as a man of great personal enterprise and public spirit.
Financial crashes, like that of 1837, have little regard for these characteristics, or any other good quality, unless it is largely combined with prudence. This was not Mr. Rogerson's character, and the storm that struck him took from him all he had ; and he, who a few years before could reckon his property by hundreds of thousands, went forth penniless, never to recover from his misfortunes. I never visit this village without a feeling of sadness, to which I feel incapable of giving expression, as I think of the busi- ness fate of this worthy man.
The property now passed into the hands of mortgagees. A new corporation was formed, called the " Uxbridge Cot- ton Mills," and they were run under this name till 1850, when they were sold to the Messrs. Whitin, of North- bridge, who built an addition of brick, uniting the two stone mills in 1851, making the mill about three hundred and twenty feet long and three stories high, with attics and basements to the stone mills. New and improved machin- ery was put into the mill, and everything was done to make it a first-class mill of about ten thousand spindles. It con- tinued to be operated by the Messrs. Whitin, Charles E. Whitin being superintendent, until the division of the Whitin estate, when it passed to the youngest brother, James F. Whitin, who now owns it. It is under the superintendence of George Whitin. This is the only cot- ton mill in town, or ever has been,-with the exception of the small one at Ironstone, built in 1814, and those that have been spoken of as used for making satinet warps.
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In looking over what I have written, I notice the omis- sion of the change made on the dissolution of the firm of II. and C. C. Capron. A new dye-house having been built for the better accommodation of the works, C. C. Capron took the old brick dye-house, which was also a stock-house, and thoroughly repaired it, and put in a water-wheel and machinery for the manufacture of shoddy. The mill was burned a few years afterwards, but immediately re-built, much enlarged and improved, and is now one of the best mills for the manufacture of shoddy in the country.
In concluding my account of the Manufactures of Ux- bridge, I think it may be well to make a statement of the improvements made in woolen machinery since 1810.
The first improvement was the revolving shear-blade, by William Hovey ; the next, the bobbin-winder, which had but a short life ; then the napping machine and gigs, in place of the hand-jacks, for raising the nap on woolens ; then the power satinet looms in place of the hand-looms (the power-loom for cotton weaving was first put into opera- tion in this country in Waltham, Mass., in 1816) ; the Goulding improvement for carding and spinning, by which young children were generally thrown out of employment in woolen mills, and the number of other operatives in card- ing and spinning was reduced to nearly, or quite, one-half the number previously required. Next came the dressing of woolen warps by power, and at about the same time a power brushing machine was introduced for removing dust and smoothing down the nap, after the cloth had passed through the various finishing operations, and before it was put into the press.
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This was followed by a greater perfection in the construc- tion of woolen machinery, and improvements in the Gould- ing machinery, whereby an increase in the size of machin- cry and the speed with which it could be run were made desirable and possible. Looms for weaving fancy woolens were then introduced, particularly the loom patented by William Crompton, with improvements in finishing machin- ery, especially in the shearing machine, by which the amount of work was increased and better done ;- this improvement consisting of an increase in the number of blades in the revolver. Then came the rotary fulling mill, the renewal of the Crompton patent, and the improvement made on the loom by his son George ; the James Green- halgh improvement on the fancy loom, by which the warp was operated with greater ease than before, and enabling the manufacturer to use a finer warp when it was desirable to do so; the continuous and self-saving list shearing machine of Parks and Woolson, and other makers; the double-acting gig; the self-operating mule, reducing the number of spinners one-half; the double cylinder, or Guessner gig, and the Knowles fancy loom. There have also been great improvements made in every kind of power- loom, enabling the manufacturer to increase the speed of the satinet loom from eighty-five to one hundred and twenty- five picks per minute, and the cotton loom, from ninety to one hundred and eighty picks per minute.
Notwithstanding all these improvements, and the decrease of the cost of manufacturing, the operatives in the woolen mills now carn more per day than they did in 1824. I have omitted to notice one improvement, which came into use
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in 1846, the " burring machine," applied to the first breaker of the carding, which has done for burry and dirty wool, what the cotton gin has done for cotton : also the " burr picker," used to rid the wool of burrs and open it better, before it comes to the cards. There have been other improvements made, such as the shoddy picker, the flock cutting machines, and wool scouring machines.
The improvements in cotton machinery have been so great, that for a man to take a mill, fitted up in the best manner of twenty years ago, and attempt to run it in com- petition with one properly fitted up to-day, would be his certain financial ruin.
CHARLES A. WHEELOCK, 1879.
APPENDIX XIV.
As an Illustration of the quality of the young ladies of the town, and as containing important facts, many of which were new to me, I take the liberty to print a composition written by a young lady of Uxbridge, thirteen years old at the time when it was written, March 20th, 1832, and which came under my observation since the lecture was delivered.
HENRY CHIAPIN.
DESCRIPTION OF UXBRIDGE. - 1832.
Uxbridge is a small and pleasant town, situated in the southern part of Worcester county, upon the Blackstone river. It is bounded on the north by Northbridge and Upton, on the east by Mendon, south by Smithfield, and west by Douglas. It is five and a half miles in length, four and a half in breadth, and twenty-two miles in circum- ference ; containing 15,616 acres of land, of which 1,097 are appropriated to tillage, 1,924 to upland mowing, 1,178 to meadow mowing, 4,612 to pasturage, 352 to roads, 315 covered with water, about 4,000 with forest woods, 1,962 unimproved ; and the remainder, which equals 136 acres, is so barren as to be unimprovable.
The rivers of Uxbridge are the Blackstone, Mumford and the West, which is very small.
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The Blackstone is much the largest : it is formed of three branches, one of which rises in Worcester, the other in Holden, and the other in Paxton; it passes through the castern part of the town and unites with the Providence river about one mile below Providence. The Mumford is next in size ; it issues from Badluck pond in Douglas and Manchaug pond in Sutton, takes a south-casterly course and empties into the Blackstone river about half a mile from the centre of the town. The West river issues from a pond in Upton, runs a south-casterly course and unites with the Blackstone about one-fourth of a mile from the mouth of the Mumford.
The canal, which passes through the eastern part of the town, derives its name from the Blackstone river; it is forty-five miles in length, and connects Worcester with Providence. There are no less than forty-two locks upon the whole canal, four of which are in this town.
The other bodies of water in the town are Shokalog and Pout ponds, the former of which is in the south-western part of the town, and is about one-fourth of a mile in width and one-half in length, and one mile in circumfer- ence. The latter is about one-quarter of a mile cast of the church, and is comparatively small.
The principal hills are Goat hill, Wolf hill, Watchusecic hill, Liberty hill, and one which is situated near the centre of the town, called Fair-Mount, though not generally known by any particular name. Goat hill, so-called from the number of goats which ranged upon it before the settle- ment of the town, is in the north-eastern part of the town. The castern side of the hill is well adapted to grazing ;
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upon the summit there are a number of rocks, some of which are ten feet in height.
Wolf hill is nearly opposite Goat hill ; it derives its name from the circumstance that wolves formerly inhabited it. Watchusecic hill is in the western part of the town, and the boundary line between Douglas and Uxbridge passes directly over its summit. Liberty hill, over which there is a road, is in the centre of the town ; from it you have a fine view of the manufactories owned by Robert Rogerson of Boston.
Though we find many hills in Uxbridge and its vicinity, yet they are not diversified as is generally the case with val- leys, yet the eye rests with pleasure upon the fertile valley through which the Blackstone and its tributary streams wind their way. This valley is from one to three-quarters of a mile wide. The banks of the Blackstone are skirted with elms, walnuts, willows, and other kinds of trees, which are not unfrequently twined with the grape-vine, the fruit of which is very delicious.
There are a number of forests in the town, but the only dense ones are in the south-eastern part. The kinds of wood which are most abundant are chestnut and oak. There are two beautiful groves of pine in the southern part of the town, and one of birch in the eastern part.
Besides the abundance of wood, there is a field of peat, which covers two acres, and is considered preferable to wood, or coal, for fuel.
The minerals in the town are stone and iron. The prin- cipal quarry of stone is near Rogerson's village, it consists of Gneïssoid, and a great deal of it is used in building. In
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the south-western part of the town, there is an iron mine, from which considerable quantities were formerly taken. There is also a mineral spring impregnated with iron, near the centre of the town. The number of buildings in Ux- bridge is about four hundred and eighty ; one bank, two churches, one female seminary, the upper part of which is a Masonic hall, two hundred and forty-five dwelling-houses, twelve school-houses, one hundred and ninety-five barns, five stores, three grist-mills and six saw-mills. The capital of the bank is about one hundred thousand dollars.
Uxbridge is celebrated for its manufactories, of which there are seven, four of which are surrounded by villages. The largest village is owned by Robert Rogerson; it is in the north-eastern part of the town; in it are two factories in which cotton cloth of a very superior quality is made. The factories are built of a kind of stone called Gneïssoid ; they are situated on opposite sides of the Mumford, and are connected by an arched bridge, which adds much to the picturesque scenery of the place. The dwelling-houses are built of brick, and are one story and a half high, with the exception of three, which are two. In these factories they run 6,680 spindles, 144 looms, employ 120 persons, and weave 11,500 yards of cloth weekly.
Capron's village is in the centre of the town. The factory is built of wood, excepting the lower part, which is of brick, and the houses are constructed of wood. In this factory satinets are made, and 384 cotton spindles are used for making satinet warps, and 600 for woolen, twenty looms are used and sixty persons are employed. The factory owned by the Woolen Manufacturing Company, is in the
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eastern part of the town, and it is built of brick, and the houses which surround it are of wood. Kerseymeres and satinets were both formerly made, but at present the manu- facture of the latter only is attended to.
The other factories are small and are owned by Clark Taft, Luke Taft and Joseph Day. The two latter are situated on West River in the eastern part of the town, the former upon Stony Brook in the western. These three are devoted to the manufacture of satinets. In all of the woolen factories, 2,500 spindles and 100 looms are used. In the cotton factories 10,000 spindles and 2,000 looms. In the year 1830, there were 2,500 yards of cloth made daily. Besides the factories for making cloth there are others at which organs, shuttles, hats and splints are made.
The whole population of Uxbridge is 2,036, of which about one-third are employed in manufactures. Though this employment so much engrosses the time and attention of the inhabitants, yet education is not neglected. The town is divided into twelve school districts, in each of which there is a committee of three chosen to select a teacher and attend to the affairs of the school, which is con- tinued during the winter. There is also a committee of five chosen by the town for visiting and examining the schools.
The average number of scholars in each district is fifty, making the whole number that attend the public schools six hundred. Six hundred dollars are raised annually for the support of schools.
As another means of education, there is a library, called
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the Uxbridge Social Library, which contains from two to three hundred volumes ; some of which are Scott's novels, others histories, and others the periodicals of the day.
The population of Uxbridge, as is generally the case with any town, is made up of a mixed number, but most of them are intelligent, enterprising and industrious. Their principal employments are agriculture and manufactures.
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APPENDIX XV.
OF SOME MEMBERS OF THE CAPRON FAMILY.
Uxbridge, for many years, has in various ways felt, and always for good, the influence of the Capron family. We cannot, of course, speak in detail of all the members of it. We limit our notice to these four members : John Willard Capron, commonly called Col. Capron ; - his next younger brother, William Cargill, always known as the Deacon ;- and the two sons, William Banfield, and Samuel Mills : all now dead.
JOIIN WILLARD CAPRON was born in Uxbridge, February 14th, 1797. With the exception of a short time that he spent in Leicester Academy, he was educated in the public schools of this town. He married, January 4th, 1820, Abigail M. Read, who died May 22d, 1828 : and Octo- ber 30th, 1831, he married Catharine B. Messenger. She is now living, and several of their children.
After Col. Capron left school, he, and his brothers Effing- ham L. and William, were admitted to a partnership with their father, John Capron, in manufacturing ;- their manu- factory was the store now occupied by Hayward and Taft. For ten years he was connected with a military organization, and in 1825, he was made Colonel of Infantry. A number of years, beginning with 1827, he was postmaster of the town ; and for nearly thirty years he held the office of notary
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public. In 1836 and '37 he was a member of the State Legislature.
Besides these official relations, he was long and inti- mately connected with the affairs of the town; being chosen for many consecutive years, to fill the office of Chairman of the Board of Selectmen. Colonel Capron was one in whom the people of the town placed the most implicit confidence. He was universally respected and trusted. He was not a social man, in the popular sense of that phrase, being rather silent and reserved; and yet he was by no means a repelling man. There was a quiet cheerfulness about him which rendered him a very pleasant man to meet. Much property came into his hands in his frequent administration of trusts, and no one could be more scrupulously honest than he. Colonel Capron was emphati- cally a good townsman ; large-hearted, public-minded-and he leaves behind him an unblemished reputation. He died December 25th, 1878, and on the 28th was buried from the Evangelical Congregational Church.
The following notice of Dea. WILLIAM CARGILL CAPRON, has been furnished me by Rev. Dr. Hooker, of Boston :-
" The whole life of this excellent man was spent in Ux- bridge-his native town. It was a life of no ostentation, no aspiration for office and honor among the people, no panting after popular favor in any way. Office and honor came, for there was worth to care for them, and therefore fitness for them. His intelligence, his constant acquaint- ance with a choice library, his vigorous support of all religious institutions, his natural good judgment and com- mon sense, could not fail, and did not, to give him an eminent place in the esteem of all his fellow-citizens. He . identified himself specially with the best interests of the
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