History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II, Part 173

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 173

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At the close of their contract with C. Foster & Co., April 1, 1848, they entered into a contract for five years with Ruggles, Nourse & Mason. At this time, also, they bought for fifty-five hundred dollars the old woolen-mill in which they had both worked in their youth-the water privilege, two houses and about four acres of land. They were now employing from twelve to fifteen men, and making from five to six hundred wrenches a month. They repaired and raised the mill and put in a new water-wheel and new machinery.

"Their contract with Ruggles, Nourse & Mason expired, by limitation, April 1, 1853, and they thence- forward sold their own goods. They had, during the twelve years since their first patent was granted, de- vised, individually or jointly, various improvements in the wrenches and in the special machinery used in their manufacture.

"On July 21, 1853, with Levi Hardy, they pur- chased from Moses Clement his shop, machinery and business-that of the manufacture of shear-blades and knives for hay-cutting machines. The co-part- nership continued until May 2, 1864.

1 Van Slyck, "New England Manufacturers and Manufactories."

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" After the dissolution of their co-partnership, having purchased Mr. Hardy's interest in it, they continued the business, with Charles A. Hardy as the superintendent of the shop, keeping its accounts distinct from those of the wrench business.

" In 1865 they built a dam half a mile above their water privilege, to form a reservoir, and the next year they built a shop at the reservoir, one hundred feet by forty, two stories high, with a basement, de- voting it exclusively to the manufacture of shear- blades, hay-cutter knives and similar articles.

" In 1867 they built a new dam one hundred rods below the reservoir."

On April 1, 1869, they dissolved their co-partner- ship and divided the business-Loring Coes taking the upper privilege, including the shear-blade busi- ness, and A. G. taking the lower privilege, and pay- ing a bonus for the right of choice. At this time they sold monthly from ten to twelve thousand wrenches.1

L. Coes & Company erected the large brick factory at the lower dam, one hundred feet long, fifty feet wide and four stories high, with basement and attic. The building, with the machinery to be used in it, was finished early in 1871.

The Coes Wrench Company is a consolidation of the two companies, which was effected April 1, 1888, with Loring Coes, president ; John H. Coes, treasurer, and Frederick L. Coes, secretary-the two latter, sons of A. G. Coes. They are now manufacturing wrenches under patents of Loring Coes, dated July 6, 1880, and July 8, 1884; are producing fifteen hundred wrenches per day and employ one hundred hands.

At the outlet of the upper pond Mr. Loring Coes carries on quite an extensive business in the manfac- ture of die stock for cutting sole-leather and other purposes. He also makes shear-blades, knives for meat, cheese-cutters and lawn-mower knives. He nas a trip-hammer in this shop, and the old rolling- mill, used for making plane irons, by William Hovey, on the mill dam in Boston many years ago.

L. Hardy & Co., at New Worcester, conducted by Henry A. Hoyt, manufacture shear-blades, die stock for cutters, &c., and John Jacques, at New Worces- ter, manufactures patent shears for book-makers, binders, printers and paper-box makers; also shears for tin-plate workers.

Other manufacturers of wrenches, in a small way, have engaged in the business from time to time. In April, 1852, E. F. Dixie advertises to manufacture "Hewet's celebrated screw-wrench." George C. Taft and John Gleason manufactured wrenches, in con- nection with copying-presses, at Northville, in 1853. B. F. Joslyn, who seems to have been a most ingeni- ous mechanic, and who made several inventions in fire-arms, made several improvements in wrenches, and on one of these, at least, procured a patent.

Ruggles, Nourse & Mason, who were at one time selling agents for the Coes', manufactured wrenches in 1859, in connection with the business in agricul- tural implements.

CHAPTER CXCV. WORCESTER-(Continued.)

MANUFACTURING AND MECHANICAL INDUSTRIES.

Wire-Wire- Workers-Copperas.

WIRE .- In the latter half of the eighteenth century the desirability of commencing the manufacture of wire in this country was very generally recognized. But little progress was made for some years, and most, if not all, of the card-wire was imported from England. In fact, at this time there was very little wire made in the world. From a well-authenticated source the assertion is made that in 1810 the entire output of wire in England would not exceed one four-horse load weekly.

From the report of Albert Gallatin, then Secretary of the Treasury, made in 1810, it appears that the demand for cards was twice as much in 1809 as in 1808, and was increasing.

The wire is imported, and serions inconvenience would attend the stoppage of the supply, although the manufacture might, and would be immediately established to supply all demands, if the same duty were laid on wire, now free, as on other articles of the same material.

In the early days the hardware dealers of Worcester imported their wire from England or Germany. Wire was drawn in Walpole, soon after the Revolution, by Eleazar Smith, and card-wire was drawn by hand in Leicester as early as 1809. In 1813 mention is made of a wire factory, run by Joseph White, in West Boylston; in April, 1814, of its manufacture in Phillipston, and in the same year a wire factory is advertised for sale at Barre, on the Ware River.

Prior to 1815 a building on the present site of the Coes Wrench Factory, Leicester Street, New Wor- cester, was occupied as a wire factory.

Wire was drawn in Spencer between 1815 and 1820. Its manufacture in Worcester was begun in 1831 by Ichabod Washburn and Benjamin Goddard, in a wooden factory at Northville. This was on the second privilege south of North Pond dam, and was built by Frederick W. Paine. The factory now standing on this site is the third one built there, the two preceding having been burned.

Ichabod Washburn first engaged in business in Worcester in 1820, with William H. Howard, in the manufacture of woolen machinery and lead pipe. Mr. Howard shortly afterwards left town, and Mr. Washburn purchased his half of the business, which he continued.

The demand for woolen machinery increasing, Mr. Washburn, in 1822, took as partner Mr. Benjamin

1Van Slyck, "New England Manufacturers and Manufactories."

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HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

Goddard, the firm being Washburn & Goddard, and they soon employed thirty men. They made the first condenser and long-roll spinning-jack ever made in Worcester County, and among the first in the country.

Any one passing in Main Street, by the head of School Street, in the year 1822, might have scen pro- jecting from one of the large sycamore trees standing there, the following sign :- WOOL CARDING AND LEAD AQUEDUCT MANUFACTORY, with a hand point- ing down the street to Washburn & Goddard's shop, on the site now occupied by N. A. Lombard's building, and near the site of the factory for the manufacture of corduroys and fustians, occupied in 1789 by Sam- nel Brazer.

During the winter of 1830-31 Mr. Washburn, in a small wooden building, back of what is now the brick part of N. A. Lombard's factory, in School Street, experimented in the manufacture of wood-screws.

Some time during the year 1831, Mr. Washburn, Mr. Goddard and General Heard visited North Prov- idence, where three brothers-Clement O., Curtis and Henry Read-were making wood-screws under a patent which they owned. An arrangement was made with the Reads, and they moved the screw machinery to the Northville Factory at Worcester. It was brought from Providence on a canal boat, the jour- ney occupying three days.

Meantime, in August, 1831, Washburn & Goddard sold their business in School Street, and moved to Northville, where the manufacture of wire and wood- screws was begun, the wire being manufactured by Washburn & Goddard, the screws under the name of C. Read & Co., with whom Mr. Washburn had an interest. Washburn & Goddard at the same time manufactured card-wire.

Some time between April, 1836, and March, 1837, the screw business was removed to Providence, where it continued for a time under the name of C. Read & Co., but ultimately became the nucleus of the "Eagle," now the "American Screw Company," which has since acquired a world-wide reputation.

Mr. Washburn states, in his autobiography, that the first wire-machine he ever saw was one of self- acting pincers, drawing out about a foot, then pass- ing back and drawing another foot. With this crude machine a man could draw about fifty pounds of wire per day. For this Mr. Washburn substituted the wire-block, which is in use at the present time.

The process of wire-drawing consists in taking a coarse wire rod and drawing it through a hole of less diameter than the rod, in an iron or steel plate, and repeating the operation until the rod is reduced to wire of the required size. The reduction is effected by stretching the wire, and not by removing the metal.

At the present day a piece of steel four inches square and three feet long is rolled into a two hun- dred pound coil of No. 6 rods, measuring about two thousand and forty-six feet. This rod, by the process

of drawing from No. 6 to No. 12, is increased in length to 6,848 feet. The diameter of the No. 12 wire is .105, while the billet from which it is made has a sectional area of sixteen square inches.

Mr. Washburn, at this time, happened to be in New York, when Phelps, Dodge & Co., with whom he had business, said to him that they were starting a wire- mill, and expected to make all the wire that would be wanted in the country, and predicted failure for his mill in Worcester.

January 30, 1835, the partnership was dissolved, Mr. Goddard retaining the factory at Northville for the manufacture of woolen machinery, while Mr. Washburn continued the wire business in a factory built for him, by the late Stephen Salisbury, on Mill Brook, which was dammed for the purpose of provid- ing water-power, thus forming what is now known as Salisbury's Pond. The earth removed to make a basin for the pond forms the high ground now found upon the south side and included within the boundaries of Institute Park.

The building erected by Mr. Salisbury was eighty feet long and forty feet in width, three stories high in the centre, with a sloping roof, two chimneys and surmounted by a cupola containing a bell.

In 1835 Charles Washburn came from Harrison, Me., where he was practicing law, and formed a co- partnership with his brother Ichabod, which con- tinued until January 13, 1838. Meantime Benjamin Goddard discontinued the manufacture of woolen machinery, and the Northville mill came into Mr. Washburn's possession. He then made a contract with Mr. Goddard to draw wire for him, and wire machinery was again set up in the Northville factory.

About the year 1840 Mr. Washburn bought the water power and property now occupied by the Wor- cester Wire Company at South Worcester. Mr. God- dard took charge of the mill, and retained that posi- tion till his death, in 1867, and all three of his sous worked there,-Delano, who afterwards became the accomplished editor of the Boston Advertiser ; Henry, who is now at the head of an important department at the works of the Washburn & Moen Manufacturing Company ; and Dorrance, who for many years was superintendent of the South Works of the corpo- ration.

The South Worcester Mill was a one-story building, about fifty feet long and thirty feet wide. Card-wire was here drawn to No. 19 size, and brought to Grove Street to be finished. Coarser wire, for machinery and telegraph purposes, was also drawn at South Wor- cester.

At the Worcester County Cattle Show, held in Oc- tober, 1838, Ichabod Washburn exhibits very excel- Jent wire Nos. 30, 31, 32 and 33, and also iron wire cards.

In 1842 Charles Washburn again became a partner in the business. February 13, 1845, the old wire- mill in Northville, then used as a cotton-factory and

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occupied by William Crompton, was totally destroyed by fire.

In February, 1847, Prouty & Earle had a wire- factory at Washington Square; subsequently it was purchased by I. & C. Washburn.

At this time the demand for telegraph-wire com- menced. From 1847 until 1859 it was mainly of No. 9 size, Stubs' gauge. It was not galvanized at first, but was sometimes painted or boiled in oil, for the purpose of retarding the inevitable process of oxida- tion. A more complete preservative was later found in zinc, applied by the process known as galvanizing. At first this was somewhat crude, and consisted in dipping the coils of wire iu molten zinc, after which the surplus metal was shaken off by violent pounding.

From 1837 till 1847 Ichabod Washburn purchased in Sweden his wire-rod billets, which were bars of iron about twelve feet long, one and one-eighth inch square in section, and these were rolled into wire-rods at Fall River, Troy and Windsor Locks, Conn. The inconvenience of having the rolling done at a dis- tance led Ichabod and Charles Washburn, in 1847, to look about for a location for a rolling-mill.

Attracted by the water-power at Quinsigamond, a small part of which was then used by the lower paper- mill remaining at that place, they purchased the whole property of the Lincoln family, thus acquiring what they deemed reliable power, and, at the same time, plenty of room for the location of all the build- ings necessary for their purposes.

Under their patronage a new firm was organized to carry on the rod-rolling and wire business, under the title of Washburn, Moen & Co., a firm composed of Henry S. Washburn, Charles Washburn and Philip L. Moen. This company was dissolved January 12, 1849, the business being continued by Henry S. Washburn.

January 1, 1849, the co-partnership theretofore ex- ing between I. & C. Washburn was dissolved, the manufacture of wire in its various branches being continued at the Grove Street mill by Ichabod Wash- burn. A division of the property was had, Charles Washburn taking Quinsigamond. February 9, 1849, he offered to rent for a term of years "the building with water-power sufficient for driving machinery for a sash and blind-factory, or any other business not requiring a very great water-power." At the same time he offers for sale the entire machinery for the manufacture of paper in the said building.

This was the lower of the two paper-mills, which for many years had been run at this point by the Burbanks, and was located in what is known as the scrap-yard of the Washburn & Moen Manufacturing Company, about forty feet south of a well, which is now constantly in use and which afforded water for the operatives in the paper-mill. The end of the mill was parallel with the railroad, and was only sep- arated from it by the width of the old race-way, and stood at a point about four hundred and sixty feet

southeast of the traveled highway, as it crosses the railroad.

April 1, 1850, Philip L. Moen became a partner with Mr. Ichabod Washburn, and has been actively engaged in the business from that time.

In July, 1851, a Mr. Adams had a wire-factory op- posite the Norwich depot, but no further notice of it is to be found.

January 2, 1853, Henry S. Washburn formed a co- partnership with Charles F. Washburn, and they con- tinued at Quinsigamond rolling rods and manufac- turing iron and wire under the firm-name of Henry S. Washburn & Co. Meantime, Ichabod Washburn had made considerable progress in the manufacture of wire, particularly of card-wire, introducing new and improved processes. This was made of Swedish bars one and one-quarter inches square, which were rolled at Quinsigamond into wire rods of a little less than one-quarter of an inch in diameter ; they were then carried to the wire factory at South Worcester and Grove Streets, and drawn to the necessary sizes. The capacity of this rolling-mill was about six long tons per day of ten hours.

Early in his experience as a wire-drawer Mr. Wash- burn adopted certain improved processes for anneal- ing,- that is, restoring the wire, as it became hard and brittle, by repeated drawing to its original soft and pliable condition,-by heating in cast-iron pots and cooling slowly. This improvement consisted in plac- ing the small coils in double air-tight iron-pots.

In 1850, at the suggestion of Mr. Chickering, of Boston, Mr. Washburn devoted his attention to the production of steel wire for piano-fortes, the manu- facture of which had been previously monopolized by several English houses. These experiments were successful ; and the English wire was discarded for that made in Worcester.

From that time to this the Washburn & Moen Com- pany has been the only manufacturer of music-wire in this country.

In February, 1856, the Quinsigamond Mills coa- sisted of a building one hundred and fifty feet front with two wings extending back one hundred and fifty feet, between which was a hoop building, sixty by thirty feet ; these with coal-houses and yards covered more than an acre of ground. Here were manufac- tured Brazer's screws, rivet rods, bright and annealed market and telegraph, spring, fence, buckle and bail wire; also fine hoops. The daily product was ten tons; eighty-five operatives were employed and one hun- dred horse-power was supplied by three water-wheels. The annual product of the mill was valued at three hundred thousand dollars.

The first continuous tempering done by Mr. Icha- bod Washburn was in 1856, in the rear of his Summer Street residence ; this was music wire, and the har- dening was done in water. Early in 1857 the furnace was removed to the old gymnasium in Orchard Street and oil was substituted for water.

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This series of experiments led to an important invention in the process of hardening and tempering continuously. Hitherto this had only been done when the steel wire was in the form of a coil by sub- jecting it first to high heat, and then cooling in oil or water.

But the pressure for music wire and for crinoline wire now coming upon him, the old process became too slow and expensive to be endured, and it became necessary to adopt some more efficient method. This was found in the continuous process of hardening and tempering, which he patented, and which, without any substantial improvement or change has been universally adopted, rendering possible many results which could not otherwise have been reached.

In 1857 the partnership of Henry S. Washburn and Charles F. Washburn was dissolved, and May 1st, of that year, Charles Washburn and Charles F. Wash- bnrn formed a co-partnership under the name of Charles Washburn & Son, and continued in business at the Quinsigamond works. Henry S. Washburn remained in the wire business, and occupied as a fac- tory one of the buildings erected hy Nathan Wash- burn near the freight depot of the Western Railroad.

C. Washburn & Son then manufactured most of their common market wire from scrap iron piled on boards eighteen by eight inches, heated to a welding heat, and rolled into billets which were re-heated and rolled into rods.

The only appliances in their mills for the produc- tion of wire rods were three heating furnaces and a large train of two rolls, in which the pile of heated scrap was rolled to one and one-eighth inch billets of one hundred pounds weight ; and a small train of rolls three high, by which these billets were rolled to three and a half by fonr Stubs' gauge wire rod.

Experiments in the burning of peat were made by Henry S. Washburn & Co., and by I. Washburn & Co., but it did not prove a satisfactory substitute for coal.

In July, 1859, I. Washburn & Company employed one hundred and twenty hands in the Grove Street mill, and made three tons of iron wire per day. They were erecting a new mill three stories high, eighty feet by forty feet, and were also making large additions to the mill in South Worcester; a new annealing house, fifty feet by thirty feet, two stories high, together with additions to the main building.

CRINOLINE WIRE .- The crinoline wire busi- ness commenced about 1859 and lasted for ten years. This was made possible by the continuous hardening and tempering process invented by Mr. Washburn, which made it feasible to temper a cheaper grade of cast steel at very little additional cost, and thus sub- stitute it for the more expensive methods before used for increasing the size of women's skirts. This enabled the skirt-makers to put their goods on the market furnished with steel hoops of great toughness and elasticity, and at a price which put them within

the reach of the poorest; consequently, this line of business was largely increased until about 1870, when other fashions came into vogue and the consumption of tempered steel in this form steadily decreased. For several years the annual output of tempered crinoline wire was one thousand five hundred tons annually, making this company the largest consumer of cast steel in the country.

About 1860 Mr. Washburn introduced continuous annealing, cleaning aud galvanizing. This was an English invention and a great improvement npon the processes previously used, being of especial value at that time in the manufacture of telegraph wire.

In November, 1862, the iron and wire works of Chas. Washburn & Son, Quinsigamond, were totally destroyed by fire.

In 1863 I. Washburn & Moen built a cotton-mill, which was run for about ten years, producing yarn sufficient to cover four tons per day of tempered crinoline wire.

In 1864 I. Washburn & Moen controlled the works at Grove Street and South Worcester, but had no rolling-mill. Their business was confined to iron and cast steel of different grades, Bessemer steel and open-hearth steel being introduced many years later.

Jannary 2, 1865, I. Washburn & Moen changed the co-partnership to a corporation under the style of I. Washburn & Moen Wire Works, organized for the purpose of manufacturing wire aud wire rods. Capi- tal stock, $500,000.

August 4, 1865, the Quinsigamond Iron & Wire Works, which succeeded to the business of Chas. Washburn & Son, was organized.

November 27, 1866, a petition was filed to form a corporation "for making wire and wire rods, cotton yarn and goods, with a capital larger than at present allowed." The petitioners asked to be incorporated under the title of Washburn & Moen Wire Works, with a capital of $600,000.

July 7, 1867, the mill at South Worcester was burned and the business was conducted at Grove Street till March, 1868, when a new mill at South Worcester was in readiness. About a year and one- half from that time the company commenced the erection of most of the present buildings in Grove Street. Meantime, February 24, 1868, the Quinsig- amond Iron & Wire Works and the Washburn & Moen Wire Works were consolidated under the name of the Washburn & Moen Manufacturing Com- pany, with a capital of $1,000,000, and authority to increase this amount to $1,500,000, the present capital, was granted May 26, 1869.

In the fall of 1869 was built the first rolling-mill, at Grove Street. This was a " Continuous Mill," so called, and was in its essential features an English invention.

The adoption of Bessemer steel, which occurred in 1876, created a revolution in the wire business, sub- stituting, as it did, a better and cheaper material for

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very many purposes. This occurred at the begin- ning of the barbed wire business. The use of Besse- mer steel for this purpose alone, besides furnishing a stronger wire than could be made from Swedish iron, represents a saving of at least four million five hun- dred thousand dollars annually to the farmers of the conntry.

BARBED FENCING .- The importance of the fence question to the people of the United States can per- haps be best appreciated by a mere statement of the results contained in the Report of the United States' Department for Agriculture for 1871, from which it appears that the cost of fencing in thirty-seven States had amounted to $1,747,549,931, while the annual cost of repairs amounted to $93,963,187. This to- gether with the annual interest on the original in- vestment at six per cent., made the total cost, exclu- sive of rebuilding, $188,806,182.

The cost of fencing per rod, as stated in this report, varies from 30 cents in Alabama to $2.20 in Rhode Island. In addition, a fence occupies and wastes, upon an average, a piece of land half a rod wide, or one acre in every fifty, making a total of not less than 50,000,000 acres in the United States.

Not only was the expense of fencing with timber enormons, but apprehension was felt that the supply might be unequal to the demands made upon it. Wire as a fencing material was recommended as early as 1821. Speaking of the wastefulness of the common method of wooden-fencing, the secretary of the New York State Agricultural Society for 1850 stated that the worm-fence took "from every one hundred acres an area of five acres."

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History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II, Part 173

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