History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II, Part 171

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton)
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1464

USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II > Part 171

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The Crompton Carpet Company was organ- ized in 1870 by George Crompton, who, with the superintendent, Horace Wyman, invented and pat- ented a loom for weaving Brussels carpets by power, there being at that time no power loom for that pur- pose, except the Bigelow loom and two makes of Eng- lish looms, the right to use which could not be ob- tained in this country. The manufacture of Brussels carpets, therefore, was confined to the Bigelow Com- pany at Clinton, and the greater part of the carpets used in the United States was imported from Eng- land, and a high price was consequently maintained. Mr. Crompton associated with himself in the enter- prise Dr. Joseph Sargent, William Cross, Horace Wyman, W. W. Rice, William H. Jourdan and Cal- vin Foster-George Crompton being president of the company ; William Cross, treasurer; Joseph Sargent, Jr., agent, and M. J. Whitall, superintendent. After the death of Mr. Cross, Joseph Sargent, Jr., was elected treasurer.

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They commenced operations with sixteen looms of Crompton make. The factory was located in South Worcester and was a two-story building, French roof, 115x60, run by water-power, the amount being esti- mated at one hundred horse-power. In 1871 a dye-house was added to the mill (which stood near the site of the old White & Boyden mill, burned August, 1863, 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- delphia, 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 first. 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 land and the ruins of the Packacheag Mill in part to Mr. M. J. Whittall and in part to William James Hogg, Jr.

Mr. Whittall, who was superintendent of the Crompton Carpet-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. Whittall added eight more carpet-looms; but business increasing, more room was needed, and he determined to erect a building for himself; and in 1883 bought of Mr. Crompton a piece of land facing Mr. Crompton'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 an 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 en this spot he erected another carpet-mill, and also 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 bun- 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- tinned 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 favorable 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 1865. The business was 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 Glasgo, Conn., was incorporated in March, 1883, and for a time the business was con- ducted in Foster Street, in the building of Charles Baker. In 1885 the company removed to Beacon Street, where it is now located. The average daily production, at the present time, is four thousand dozen of two hundred yards.

The process of manufacture is most interesting, and consists 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 four 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 Glasgo Thread Company was the first to in-

ByWhittall

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troduce fine Sea Island thread upon pound spools. Formerly only the small spools were used, but now almost any size may be found, from two hundred to thirty thousand yards, which 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 six 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 manufactories, was established in 1887, and is located at 75 Central Street, under the management of Mr. Robert Ruddy.

C. H. Hutchins & Co., 2 Allen Court, established in 1876, 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- lished in 1878, and manufactures tapes, bindings, gal- loons and webbings, and operates sixty-eight looms.

A. G. Hildreth, in Stevens' Block, manufactures overalls, pants, shirts, butchers' frocks, etc., employs forty-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 1883, 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. Brownell manufactures improved twist- ing machinery of his own invention for laying hard and soft twines, lines and cordage.

The Carroll Machine and Spindle Works manu- facture machinery for twisting yarns.

Among the smaller manufactures conuected with textile fabrics, but none the less important, may be mentioned the improved loom-reeds, manufactured by M. Place & Co., whose business was originally estab- lished by Silas Dinsmore in 1840.

William H. Brown, 81 Mechanic Street, manufac- tures a number of ingenious tools for the use of card- ers. This business was established in 1855.

In 1876, Mr. B. S. Roy, now located at 75 Beacon Street, began the manufacture of card-grinders, 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- sity of a better method for grinding the card-clothing, engaged in his present business. The old method

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 CXCIV.

WORCESTER-(Continued.)

MANUFACTURING AND MECHANICAL INDUSTRIES.

Foundries-Machinists' Tools-Agricultural Implements-Wrenches.

FOUNDRIES .- 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-House in Wor- cester. This blacksmith's shop was on the site of the foundry. In 1825 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 1826 the business passed under the control of the Worcester & Brookfield Iron Foundry, which had furnaces in both places.

Daniel Heywood & Co. furnished at this time all kinds of castings. The demand appears to have been considerable, for in 1827 Washburn & Goddard 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 Burbank, at Quinsigamond, 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 1833 the Worcester Iron 'Foundry removed from Quinsigamond to the first mill privilege north of Main Street, one mile from

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the Court-ITouse, 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- irou work, fire-proof safes, mill-irons, 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 nse.

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 passed into the hands of William F. Wheeler, 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 Brass Foundry, built by A. A. Trask, was operated by S. Trask & Co. in the manufacture of cauldron-ketties, stoves, oven-doors, ash-pits, etc., and in 1843 a new foundry was built near the Bostou and Worcester Railroad by Henry P. Howe, and was occupied by George Goodnow in the manufacture of iron, copper, 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 Chaffee'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 State, 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 night», when the furnaces 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, Mc Farland & 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

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works, is largely owing to the reasonable price in comparison with forgings, as odd shapes can be more easily produced than 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 (present site of Rice, Bar- ton & Fales) and also at the Junction Foundry in Southbridge Street. After Mr. Earle's death, Willard Jones, Wood & Light, Richardson, Merriam & 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 at Danielson ville, Conn., in 1863, where they manufactured stoves and machinery castings. In 1865 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 hands.

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 1866, and made iron castings. They removed from there to Thomas Street Foundry, when the Wheeler Foundry Company moved to Mechanic Street. This foundry afterwards came into the possession of the Holyoke Machine Company.

L. H. Wells and Herbert M. Rice began business January 1, 1867, in North Foster Street. Mr. Wells learned his trade of Jason Chapin, and was subse- quently foreman of the late George Crompton's foun- dry, in Green Street. Mr. Wells purchased Mr. Rice's interest in September, 1869, and in 1877 in- vented his bronze metal, largely and successfully used for hearings. By the use of chemicals the oxi- dation of the tin, one of the ingredients, is prevented ; the metal is ten per cent. denser than the ordinary bronze, and of a very firm, tough structure. In 1887 Mr. Wells purchased the Chapin Foundry in Sum- mer Street, to which he has removed. Mr. Wells has the largest set of furnaces in the 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 Hermon Street, manufac- tures machinery and tool castings, and makes a spe- cialty of light castings ; was established in 1877. 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 Crompton, and started with forty men. Dou- ble that number are now employed on all kinds of work, including steam-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-bells, 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.

Arnold & Pierce, at the Hammond Street Foun- dry, established in 1882, began with six 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 Whitcomb 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.

MACHINISTS' TOOLS. - The manufacture of ma- chinists' tools has, for many years, had a most promi- nent place among the industries of Worcester. To Samuel Flagg, or, as he was 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 made by William A. Wheeler. He made a turning-lathe, which was the first one Mr. Wheeler had when he started his machine-shop. The ways and frame of his machine were of wood, the head and tail-box of iron.

Mr. Flagg hired room and power of Samuel Davis, the lessee of Court Mills, and there made hand and engine lathes. He had no planer when he com- menced, and at this time the planing of iron was

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HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

looked upon as a remarkable accomplishment. The work was done by hand-chipping and filing, which was of necessity tedious and unsatisfactory.

The old Court Mills, located on Mill Brook, at the junction of Lincoln Square and what is now Union Street, was the cradle of the machinists' tools indus- try in Worcester, as it was of many others.

Mr. Flagg started with eight or ten men, and every one thought that he was visionary to expect to keep them occupied in building machinists' tools. He was the first man in Worcester to use a planer in this business. He commenced in Court Mills. Ruggles, Nourse & Mason, and Thomas Daniels, the inventor of the Daniels planer, were also tenants. Deacon Richard Ball was at this time Mr. Daniels' foreman.

In 1845 Thomson, Skinner & Co. succeeded to Mr. Flagg's business. They moved to Merrifield's build- ing, and, shortly before the fire of 1854, were absorbed by the New Haven Manufacturing Company, and removed from the city, Mr. Flagg continued without a competitor until Pierson Cowie started in the old Red Mill, the present location of the Crompton Loom Works. From there he removed to the then new building of Howe & Goddard, now Rice, Barton & Fales, in Foster Street, and thence into the building where W. T. Merrifield's engine is now located.

In 1845 or 1846, Cowie made six iron-planing machines which were driven with a common log chain passing over a drum at each end of the machine. This arrangement was, in a few years, superseded by a rack and gears.

He was succeeded in 1845 or 1846 by Woodburn, Light & Co., who, in 1851, moved to Estabrook's new building at the Junction, built by Charles Wood and Col. James Estabrook. Later the firm became Wood, Light & Co., and, in 1870, built the shop now occupied by Mciver Brothers, where they at one time did a very flourishing business, and had the best equipped shop in New England, employing one hundred and seventy-five men. They introduced greatly improved methods for turning shafting, increasing the amount from forty or fifty feet per day to three hundred feet. They also invented and manufactured bolt-cutting machines, the best then known.

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History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II, Part 171

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) Publication date: 1889 Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis & Co. Number of Pages: 1464

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton)
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1464