History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II, Part 172

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 172

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The building of railroads created an increased demand for machinists' tools, and in 1845, Samuel C. Coombs, a machinist in the employ of Phelps & Bick- ford, in company with R. R. Shepard and Martin Lathe, a wood-worker, in the same shop, formed a co-partnership under the style of S. C. Coombs & Co. They started in the Court Mills, then moved to Dr. Heywood's shop. Before they moved C. Wheelock was taken into partnership. From the Heywood shop, in Central Street, now used by the Harrington Broth- ers as a paint shop, they removed to the Estabrook shop, where they occupied room in the northern end of the building, where their successors, the Lathe & Morse Tool Co., continued until they moved to their own building. in Gold Street, where they are now

located. Their business from the start has been the manufacture of lathes and planers. They employ on an average about fifty hands, and their product goes all over the world.

The first exhibit of machinists' tools was made by S. C. Coombs & Co., at the Mechanics' Exhibition held in September, 1851. The first exhibition of the Mechanics' Association was held in the City Hall, Tuesday, September 26, 1848, and the circular announ- cing it was signed by William B. Fox, William A. Wheeler, Ichabod Washburn, William N. Bickford, Freeman Upham, John Boyden and Samuel Davis.

A. & S. Thayer began at Court Mills in 1845, where they employed ten men in the manufacture of engine lathes. These were an improvement upon the lathes then in use, and attracted much attention among machinists.

A. & S. Thayer moved from Court Mills into Allen & Thurber's Pistol Shop, which stood just south of Merrifield's present engine-house, and was burned in 1854.

They occupied the south-end basement, while Samuel Flagg & Co. occupied the north end. They afterwards moved into the Dr. Heywood building, in Central Street. While there, Sewall Thayer died. Upon his death, A. Thayer associated with him H. H. Houghton and E. C. Cleveland. They moved back into the pistol-shop, and remained in Union Street till the fire, when they removed to Washing- ton Street (present location of the Allen Boiler Works), and continued in business until 1857, when Mr. Cleveland retired. They continued the business at the Washington Street shop until the breaking out of the war, or a little later, and were employing about one hundred and fifty men, and making some of the finest tools in the country, when the business was bought by the New York Steam-Engine Com- pany, and continued a short time under that name, when it was moved to Passaic, N. J., and finally went out of existence.

The firm of Samuel Flagg & Co. was organized in 1847. Mr. Flagg associated with him Henry Hol- land and two of his former apprentices,-L. W. Pond and Ephraim H. Bellows. They started in the sec- ond floor of Heywood's building, in a room twenty feet by forty. They remained there but a short time, until Allen & Thurber's building was ready for tenants, when they moved into the north end ; they remained there until 1849, when Mr. William T. Merrifield put up his first brick building ; they then moved into the same location now occupied by the Wheelock Steam-Engine Company. Shortly be- fore the fire they took the whole basement, and were burned out in 1854, when they went into the lower floor of the Goddard & Rice factory in Union Street, where they remained until the Merrifield buildings were rebuilt, to which they returned, remaining until 1861.

Prior to this time Mr. Pond had bought out the

P. Colin

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others in interest. Meantime J. B. Lawrence, in 1854, built the east end of the building lately occu- pied by the Pond Machine Tool Company. In 1861 L. W. Pond purchased this, and built the west end, and continued there until 1875, when the business was continued by the Pond Machine Tool Company, which in 1888 removed to Plainfield, N. J. While in Worcester, they maintained a high reputation for the quality of their work, excelling particularly in the production of large tools.

The brothers, Carter Whitcomb (who had been in the employ of Howe & Goddard) and Alonzo Whit- comb (who had been in the employ of S. C. Coombs & Co.) formed a copartnership under the name of Carter Whitcomb & Co., and began the manufacture of copying-presses, in 1849, in the Union Street shop of Howe & Goddard. They occupied room in Merri- field's shop prior to the fire of 1854, when they were burned out; they returned soon after the new build- ing was completed, and later went to the Estabrook building, and from there to the present location in Gold Street.

This was the first successful attempt to establish in this country the business of manufacturing copying- presses. George C. Taft had previously begun the manufacture, but continued only a short time, when it fell into the hands of the Messrs. Whitcomb. These presses have been sold throughout the coun- try, the sales, some years, amounting to five thousand presses. From the first this company has manufac- tured iron planers, and later commenced the manu- facture of shears and punching-machines. The iron planers first made very light and poorly constructed; the gears were cast, the cut-gear was unheard of. This company continues to make copying-presses, iron planers and shears for cutting iron plate for boilers, but their principal business is in planers.

In 1856 Samuel Flagg organized a Machinist Tool Company, composed of Samuel Flagg, Pierson Cowie, Dexter Flagg, Lemuel G. Mason and George H. Blanchard. They only continued in business a short time, but made at their shop, in Merrifield's build- ing, the largest lathe, with one exception, up to that time made in the country. It weighed about thirty- five tons; the length of the ways was thirty-five feet and width eight feet. They also engaged in the manufacture of machines for mortising iron, weigh- ing six tons each, some of which were made for the government.

In the fall of 1864 Joseph A. Sawyer had a little shop in the building known as Hey wood's Boot Shop, in Main Street, for repair work and the manufacture of sewing and other machines; subsequently he re- moved to the second floor of the Union Water Meter Shop in Hermon Street, where he manufactured shafting, pulleys and friction pulleys. In the fall of 1877 he built his present shop, one-story, forty by seventy-two feet, and in 1881 he built two additional stories, to furnish room and power to let. Mr.

Joseph A. Sawyer was the inventor of a machine for pleating cloth up to eighteen inches in width, which was sold to the Elm City Company, of New Haven, and is said to be the only practical pleating-machine ever invented. Mr. Sawyer invented many devices now used in boot and shoe factories. Since his death, in May, 1888, the business has been continued by his son, who manufactures Sawyer's Combined Hand and Power Planer, and who also does a large business in fitting up corset and boot and shoe shops, putting up the stitching-machines and keeping them in repair. Mr. Sawyer has made much automatic machinery used in the organ and reed business, and makes a specialty of difficult machines for special purposes. Their work is of a varied character, and much of it very delicate.

Parritt Blaisdell, who was with Wood, Light & Co. for fifteen years, built a shop in Jackson Street in 1865 and commenced the manufacture of machinists' tools, with four or five men. Afterwards he took into company John P. Jones, and in 1873 S. E. Hil- dreth. Mr. Blaisdell died in 1874. His widow sold a part of his interest to Enoch Earle, and all of these partners are in the business at the present time. They have enlarged their shop and increased their business until at the present time they employ about one hundred men.

W. F. Bancroft & Co., established in 1870 by Kent & Bancroft, make self-operating spinning machinery, lathes, planers and special machinery.

William H. Eddy, manufacturer of machinists' tools, established 1873, manufactures planers, twist- drills, grinding-machines, stone, bolt and gear cut- ters; the twist drill-grinders are his own invention ; he has also devised a clutch friction pulley that pre- vents noise in the changing of belts. He began with two men, but now employs eighteen. Mr. Eddy was contractor for L. W. Pond for twenty-one years.

F. E. Reed, in April, 1875, purchased a half-inter - est in the concern of A. F. Prentice, who then em- ployed six men in French's building, in Hermon Street. In August, 1877, Mr. Reed purchased Mr. Prentice's interest and continued the business alone. At first he occupied but one floor, but soon added another, and later, built a commodious shop in Gold Street, which was finished in 1883, two stories and a basement, one hundred and eighty by fifty-five feet. The machinery and tools are all new and of the best patterns. One hundred and twenty-five men find employment in this business, and the power is fur- nished by a forty horse-power Brown engine, while an Armington & Sims engine drives an Edison dyna- mo which supplies three hundred sixteen candle- power lamps. The principal products of this shop are engine-lathes, ten to twenty inch swing, hand- lathes from nine to sixteen inch swing and a large line of foot-power lathes, with or without screw-cut- ting attachments. These machines are shipped to England, Germany, Japan, Mexico and to other

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HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

countries, and large quantities to all parts of the United States.

Under the names of Boynton & Plummer, 50 Lagrange Street, James Kindred, H. S. Brown and Henry Kindred have, since 1878, manufactured blacksmith drills, bolt-cutting machines and shaping- machines, and are the pioneers in this class of work in the city. Their trade extends throughout the coun- try and to Australia and South America.

In February, 1878, E. H. Wood began to manufac- ture for Harwood & Quincy, of Boston, the Bramwell Feeder, which is used for feeding the wool into card- ing-machines. This feeder has revolutionized the work of supplying carding-machines, and has been a great factor in the development of the wool-carding business.

In 1881 their present shop, near the Junction, was completed and the Harwood & Quincy Machine Com- pany was formed. The Bramwell Feeder was invented by W. C. Bramwell, of Terre Haute, Ind. ; the entire patent is owned by Harwood & Quincy, who have the exclusive manufacture of the machine. Mr. Ed- win H. Wood, the superintendent of this company, was seventeen years the foreman in the shop of Daniel Tainter, formerly a well-known manufacturer of woolen machinery.

In 1879 Mr. W. C. Young, began with one assistant in Mawhinney's building, No. 19 Church Street, the manufacture of shoe tools and edge planes ; he now employs twenty hands in the manufacture of engine- lathes, wood-turning and amateur lathes, which he designs himself, exporting a large number.

J. A. Fuller, at No. 3 Cypress Street, makes machinists' tools, lathes, planers and speed-lathes, employing seven men; he also manufactures bench- gears and small dynamos.

Currier & Snyder began in 1883 in Central, and are now at 17 Hermon Street, where they manufacture upright drills. At first they employed but one hand, and now they employ fifteen. The ease and rapidity with which their drills can be manipulated have won for them a high reputation. Both the partners were for many years employed in the Blaisdell shop.

The Powell Planer Company was incorporated in 1887 for the manufacture of machinists' tools, and make a specialty of iron planers. They control pat- ents upon lathe devices, for shifting belts, and for general convenience in operating the machine; and have a system for securing a very fine, even surface for the working parts of their machines by using what they call " surface plates." Starting with three men, they now give employment to fifty.

The tools made previous to 1845 were very much lighter than those made to-day. The beds of the engine lathes were of wood, with strips of iron bolted to them for the ways, and the carriage that held the cutting tool was operated by a chain. Grad- ually this was superseded by a rack and gears driven by a rod in front of the lathe. Tools have been very

much increased in weight and the workmanship is much improved. There has been as great a change in the character of our shops in the last forty years as in their products. Then, a man was expected to begin work as soon as he could see, and to continue until nine o'clock at night, with half an hour for breakfast, an hour for dinner and half an hour for supper. Whale-oil lamps were used; there smoked badly, and made the atmosphere almost unendurable. Pay came but once in six months, and then often in the form of a note,-a strong contrast with the short hours of the present day, steam heat, gas or the electric light and weekly wages in cash.

AGRICULURAL IMPLEMENTS .- It is said that it took the observation of the farmers and the inventive genius of the mechanics of the country, from 1797 to 1842, to decide upon the best form of a plow. It was a subject that seemed to afford endless opportunity for argument and controversy. Thomas Jefferson was much interested in the subject, and in a letter writ- ten to Jonathan Williams, in July, 1796, says that he has discovered "the form of a mould-board of least resistance," that he has reduced it to practice, and that his theory is fully confirmed. He gave this sub- ject careful study, as appears from his correspond- ence.

The first iron plow in Worcester County was made by William A. Wheeler, in Hardwick, in 1822, but plows of some sort were made in Worcester in 1821 and prior to that time by Oliver Wetherbee, who car- ried on the business in the blacksmith's shop of Levi Howe, and later at his own shop, a few rods from Captain Thomas' inn.

In November, 1823, Mr. Wheeler announces that he will keep on hand all kinds of plows at his shop in Thomas Street.

In November, 1824, the committee, in reporting upon the articles exhibited at the Cattle Show, then lately held, refer to two cast-iron plows exhibited by Oliver Wetherbee, and state that those plows are fast superseding those of the old construction.

Burt & Merrick, in June, 1828, appear as agents of the Hitchcock plow, claimed to be superior to those previously used, and in 1829 Benjamin Butman & Co. had for sale "Nourse's Cast-Iron Plows." These plows were manufactured by J. & J. Nourse, at Shrewsbury, and were known as the Hartford Cast- Iron Plows.

In April, 1833, C. Howard's cast-iron plows are of- fered for sale by G. T. Rice & Co., and, at the same time, Mr. Wheeler announces that he has "just re- ceived an assortment of plow-points from the various patterns heretofore cast at Brookfield." Meantime, Mr. Joel Nourse appears to have moved from Shrews- bury to Worcester, and to have taken a shop in Thomas Street, for in August, 1833, be there offers for sale plows of the most approved construction and of five different sizes. He also offers for sale in March, 1834, his "side-hill plows." Mr. Nourse seems to

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WORCESTER.

have been a successful manufacturer of plows, for in its report, the committee at the Cattle Show, in 1835, compliment him highly, and say that all the plows on the field except three were of his make.

J. Nourse & Co., March, 1836, added the manufac- ture of cultivators to their business, and in March, 1838, Rnggles, Nourse & Mason, a firm composed of Draper Ruggles, Joel Nourse and J. C. Mason, an- nounce that they have made arrangements for mann- facturing on an extensive scale the most improved form of cast-iron plows, and that they have secured Jethro Wood's patent on the same, and add,-" Most of the cast-iron plows are made too short, and are too concave for the mould-board to run easily." Ruggles, Nourse & Mason make plows for turning over green sward, turning over stubble; and also make three sizes of the celebrated side-hill plows; also, improved seed-sowers, improved expanded cultivators, and Coats' patent revolving hay-rake.

The first plow made by Nourse and others was a clumsy affair ; the mould-board and standard were of iron, the rest of wood.

Ruggles, Nourse & Mason were in Thomas Street, at first, about opposite the present location of the City Water-works Shop; afterwards Mr. Samuel Davis induced them to move to Court Mills, where increased facilities enabled them to largely extend their busi- ness.

The next.new implement made by Ruggles, Nourse & Mason was the Wilkes revolving horse-rake. They were constant exhibitors at the Cattle Shows, and in 1851 showed over twenty different kinds of plows. This industry was a most important one. Worcester, at that time, is said to have been more largely en- gaged in the manufacture of agricultural implements than any other city or town in the United States, and the business had been entirely developed within a comparatively few years; for there were those living who remembered the stub hoes and wooden plows, while the sensation of first seeing the cast-iron plow was fresh in the recollection of many farmers in the county. Ruggles, Nourse & Mason at this time, 1851, occupied the Court Mills, the main building be- ing of brick, two hundred and fifty feet long, seventy- five feet wide and four stories high, and employing about two hundred hands. The motive-power was partly steam and partly water, supplied by Mill Brook. The same turbine wheel is still used for power in E. W. Vaill's chair factory.

The white oak timber used was furnished by Oak- ham, Paxton, Sterling and other towns. The iron castings were made in an adjoining building, and three tons of iron were used daily. The product was sold in Boston, where the sales-room occupied the second story in Quincy Market, and where were dis- played upwards of three hundred different patterns of plows alone, to say nothing of other agricultural implements and dairy equipment.

Among the recipients of medals at the Crystal Pal-

ace Exhibition in New York, in 1854, was the Wor- cester Shovel Company, for Kimball's patent shovels with malleable iron sockets; and Ruggles, Nourse & Mason for Armsby's patent corn shovel, for Perry's patent meat-cutter and a vegetable-cutter ; also, for double sod and subsoil plow. In 1855 they offer mowing-machines for sale.

April 1, 1856, Ruggles, Nourse & Mason were suc- ceeded by Nourse, Mason & Company, consisting of Joel Nourse, Peter Harvey and Samuel Davis.

After a time Nourse, Mason & Company sold out to Mr. Nourse, who organized a company consisting of Joel Nourse, Peter Harvey and Sampson & Tappan, of Boston, doing business under the name of Nourse, Mason & Company. Meantime, they had started a shop at Groton Junction, where they were increasing their capacity as well as employing all the labor that could be accommodated at the Worcester factory. In 1859 they were employing two hundred and fifty hands ; their pay-roll amounted to eight thousand or nine thousand dollars per month, and they had in- creased their power by putting in a sixty horse- power engine.

In 1860 the works were purchased by Oliver Ames & Sons, and, in 1874, moved to the large brick factory in Prescott Street, where they are now in operation, under the name of the "Ames Plow Co." They manufacture all kinds of agricultural implements, power-machines, meat-cutters, etc. In 1887 they made seven thousand wheelbarrows. They make seven thousand plows yearly, and employ one hun- dred and seventy men.

In 1857, J. T. Adriance & Co., manufactured Man- ny's improved mowing-machine, and during that year made about six hundred of them. Alzirus Brown, in 1858, also manufactured these machines and Manny's reaper, employing about forty to fifty hands.

In September, 1859, J. M. C. Armsby, who had previously been a partner in Nourse, Mason & Co., completed his building in Central Street, for the manufacture of plows, cultivators, harrows, horse- rakes, hoes, etc. It was one hundred feet long, thirty- five feet wide and four stories high, with two wings extending back-one seventy-four and the other fifty feet. An engine of twenty-five horse-power, made by the Putnam Machine Company, was the only piece of machinery in the building not of Worcester manu- facture. .

A patent was granted, December, 1861, to L. G. Kniffen, of Worcester, on his Union Mower. He formed a company for its manufacture, to be known as the "Union Mowing-Machine Company," Alzirns Brown, agent.

THE WRENCH BUSINESS .- The water privilege at New Worcester, occupied by the two factories of the Coes Wrench Company, are, historically, of consider- able interest. .

Captain Daniel Gookin, who was one of the com-

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HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

missioners appointed by the General Court, October 11, 1665, to survey the country in the vicinity of Lake Quinsigamoud, to determine if there be a "meet place for a plantation, that it may be improved for that end, and not spoiled by granting of farms," was the original owner of this property, and from him Mr. Loring Coes' great-grandfather had a deed of this water-power and built a saw-mill at the upper dam, where previously there was a beaver dam.

On the site of the Leicester Street mill, wool and carding machinery was built from an early day. This privilege came into the hands of Moses Clements, and from him passed to William Stowell, who also made woolen machinery, carding machinery and jacks. From Stowell the privilege passed to Thomas Harbach, at one time associated with Joseph Con- verse, tben to Edward and Martin Wilder, from whom it was purchased by L. & A. G. Coes, in 1848. At the southwest end of the Leieester Street Works was the old Clements building, of wood, two stories high and fifty or sixty feet long. It was later taken down by the Coes'. The building at the northeast end, still standing, was erected by William Stowell, about 1835, and was at one time occupied by Kimball & Fuller, in the manufacture of woolen machinery. Lor- ing and A. G. Coes were both born in New Worcester, and both worked for Kimball & Fuller. In 1836 the brothers formed a copartnership and purchased this business, which, meantime, in November, 1835, had been moved from New Worcester to Court Mills. Here they continued until October, 1839, when the Court Mills were destroyed by fire. This loss so far im- paired their capital as to prevent their starting again. Their fellow-tenants also burned out were, Samuel Davis, builder of woolen machinery ; Ruggles, Nourse & Mason, manufacturers of plows and agricultural implements ; H. W. Miller, punching-machines for manufacturing nuts, washers, etc., and Thomas E. Daniels, builder of planing-machines.

After the fire the brothers went to Springfield, Mass., and engaged as pattern-makers in the foundry of Laurin Trask ;1 while there employed they made a model of a new and improved form of the wrench, a tool which they constantly used. There were at that time two styles-one of English invention, and the other known as the Merrick or Springfield wrench. The mechanism of both these wrenches was such that both hands were used to open or close them. This was often inconvenient, as it was important to so adjust the wrench to different openings, by the hand in which it was held, as to leave the other hand free for other demands of the work. It occurred to the Coes Brothers to dispense with the screw on the shaft, as in the Merrick wrench, and affix by the side of the shaft, a small bar in the form of a screw, which should enter another screw formed in the lower or movable jaw of the wrench ; and that the first screw

should also have, at its lower end, where it should enter the handle, a rosette always in reach of the thumb of the hand that held the wrench.

This rosette, being pressed and turned by the thumb would operate the screw, and the opening and closing of the wrench would easily be effected by one hand. It seemed to them that this adjustment would make the tool much stronger by removing the indentations from the bar or shaft, and that there would be less liability of injury to the wrench from severe or im- proper use.

In November, 1840, they returned to Worcester, and at once directed their efforts to securing a patent for their invention. The patterns of their spinning machinery had been saved from the fire, and these they sold to Samuel Davis, a manufacturer of woolen machinery, and so obtained the means for securing a patent, which was granted to Loring Coes, April 16, 1841.

The brothers now formed a co-partnership under the name of L. & A. G. Coes, for the manufacture of wrenches under this patent. They were without capital, and Henry W. Miller, a hardware dealer in Worcester, aided them by fitting up a shop (in the northwest end of Court Mill, in Mr. Miller's shop), with the requisite machinery and tools, of which he retained the ownership, taking and selling all the wrenches manufactured by the Messrs. Coes. The business was so far successful that early in 1843 they were able to purchase the machinery and tools. They were now employing three hands, and made a con- tract with C. Foster & Co. to sell their goods. The next winter (1843-44) they moved to the shop of Albert Curtis, in New Worcester. They leased a basement in one of Mr. Curtis' buildings who built them a black- smith shop, and put in a trip-hammer for their use.

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History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II, Part 172

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