History of the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Vol. II, Part 122

Author: L.H. Everts & Co
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: Philadelphia : Louis H. Everts
Number of Pages: 896

USA > Massachusetts > Franklin County > History of the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Vol. II > Part 122

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924

HISTORY OF THE CONNECTICUT VALLEY.

machine demanded. A careful examination of various local- ities resulted in the selection of lIolyoke as the future home of their business, and on the 27th day of July, A.D. 1865, the first meeting was held for organization as a corporation under

MERRICK THREAD-MILLS, HOLYOKE.

the laws of Massachusetts. The organization was effected with Elisha Johnson, of Wethersfield, Conn., as president, and Timothy Merrick, of Holyoke, as treasurer and clerk, and the following as board of directors, viz., Elisha Johnson, Timothy Merrick, Ilerbert F. Palmer, Austin Merrick, Ori- gen Hall, George Chapman, Lyman R. Hopkins, Palmer Southworth, William Boardman, adopting as their corporate name The Holyoke Thread Company, which was at a subse- quent meeting changed to The Merriek Thread Company, with a capital of $200,000.

The business of the corporation, as set forth in the articles of association, is the manufacture of spool cotton.

The company, having leased the necessary inill-site and ten- ement grounds from the Holyoke Water-Power Company, along with three mill-powers of water from the second-level canal, began at once the foundations for the necessary build- ings, and the following year completed the structures substan- tially as they appear to-day. The dimensions of the principal buildings are as follows : main building, 206 by 66 feet, four stories high, besides attic ; picker-house and repair-shop, 114 by 40 feet, two stories, flat roof ; spool-shop and bleach-house, 166 by 40 feet, two stories ; all forming three sides of a square, which is completed by the office building and gangway, af- fording communication between the various parts through the interior court. One-half of the capacity of the buildings

having been taken by the necessary carding, spinning, and twisting machinery, the company near the close of 1867 commenced the manufacture of three-cord spool cotton, giving employment to about 200 hands. Jan. 1, 1868, the capital stock was inereased to $350,000, and the filling of the balance of the unoccupied room with the necessary carding, combing, and spinning machines requisite to the most ap- proved methods of working fine Sea Island cotton soon fol- lowed, enabling the company to produce a first-class article of six- and three-cord spool cotton, especially adapted to meet the requirements of manufacturers of clothing, straw-goods, and soft leather, as a substitute for silk or linen, besides being suited to general domestic requirements. The furnishing of a thread and a bobbin fitted for use in the shuttle of the sew- ing-machine, thus avoiding the necessity of filling the iron bobbin in the usual way, has grown to be quite an important branch of the business, which the company control under a license from the patentee. Some two years since a further addition to the plant became necessary, and the company ac- quired by purchase from the assignees of the IIampden Mills the property known as the " Little Hampden," putting the mill in complete repair and filling it with the most improved machinery for making the coarser numbers of their three-cord thread, which do not require Sea Island cotton.

The present capacity of the works is as follows : fine mill, 11,544 spindles spinning, 6300 spindles twisting ; coarse mill,

4048 spindles spinning, 1656 spindles twisting. Add to the foregoing the entire machinery for the manufacture of the spools and the dycing, bleaching, dressing, and spooling of the entire product of the spindles of the plant, and there is a yearly product amounting in value to $450,000. The manu- facturing department is under the efficient supervision of J. M. Dunham, Esq., who has ably filled the position of super- intendent for the past ten years.

The present officers of the company are as follows: Presi- dent, Lyman R. Hopkins; Treasurer, Timothy Merrick ; Clerk and Paymaster, C. W. Reder; Board of Directors, Timothy Merrick, Lyman R. Hopkins, Herbert F. Palmer, C. W. Reder, George C. Basson, John Amidon, S. W. Robbins. Principal selling offices, 370 Broadway, New York; 276 Dev- onshire Street, Boston ; 248 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia ; 27 German Street, Baltimore.

HADLEY COMPANY SPOOL-COTTON MANUFACTORY.

This company was organized in 1863. It has a capital stock of $600,000, with but few stockholders, all of whom reside in the eastern part of the State. The company owns about 14 acres of land, on which are the mills and tenements.

The central part of the mill is 80 by 48 feet, four stories high, and a wing on either side, each 200 by 60 feet, three stories high, with an additional east wing 200 hy 60 feet, two stories high, to which a tower is attached, 30 by 30 feet. The picker-room is 200 hy 48 feet, and the combing-room 96 by 48 feet, each one story high. The dye-house is 160 hy 60 feet, and the repair-shop 140 by 40 feet, each two stories high, with a stock house 200 by 30 feet, one story high, besides the finish- ing mill 100 by 40 feet, and the office building. It will thus be seen that there are about four acres of flooring in these buildings, or as much as is contained in a tract of land one and a half times as large as llampden Park. The company owns six large blocks, containing 53 tenements, where many of its employés find a home.

Work was begun on the stone foundations of what are known as the cottages, Feb. 4, 1848. April 4, 1848, the first stone was laid in the foundations of the office building, and April 15th of the same year the foundation of the blocks was begun. The first briek was laid in the office building April 18th, and in the blocks May 16, 1848. May 11th of the same year the " Cataraet House" was opened as a hotel. Work was be- gun on the pieker- and combing-room Oet. 26, 1848, and No- vember 7th, following, a ball was given in the office building. It was not till Sept. 13, 1849, that the first brick was laid in the mill proper. The brick-work of the mill and tenements was all done under the direction of Charles MeClellan, of Chicopee.

The mills were built by the Hadley Falls Company, and used for a macbine-shop until the company began to use it.

In 1859, the llolyoke Water-Power Company having sue- ceeded to the rights of the Hadley Falls Company in 1857, sold the property to John C. Whitin, who was sole director of the work as long as it was used as a shop. Much of the ma- chinery now used in the mill, and that formerly used in the Hampden Mills, including the turbine-wheels and conduit- pipes of iron, was made in this old shop, some of it after the shop became the property of the Hadley company. The pipes, fixtures, and apparatus of the gas-works, with the gaso- mieter and eastings, were also made here.

Its power is furnished by water from the Connecticut River, which turns two large water-wheels of the Boyden patent, equal to 500 horse-power and using eight mills power.

Mr. J. S. Davis, the long-time agent of the Lyman Mills, had been instrumental in the formation of the company, and on its organization, or in April, 1863, he was appointed agent for the company, with Wm. Grover, then master-mechanie of the Lyman Mills, as superintendent. Work was begun at once toward putting in machinery for the manufacture of

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HOLYOKE MACHINE GOMPANY, HOLYOKE, MASS

THE HOLYOKE MACHINE COMPANY

is a representative institution of this enterprising city. It was organized in 1863, chiefly through the instrumentality of Stewart Chase, who was treasurer, with a capital of $40,000. This was increased in 1871 to $80,000, and in 1872 to $150,000, its present capital. The value of the first annual product of its business was $60,000, and fifty men were employed. The present annual product is $500,000, aud, running at full capacity, three hundred men are em- ployed. The machine-room proper is three hundred and eighty by fifty, and the foundry one hundred and forty by sixty, feet. In addition are blacksmith-shops, store-houses, etc.

This establishment makes a specialty of water-wheels and machinery for paper- mills, and in this manufacture has won a world-wide reputation. Finishing- machines have been shipped to Scotland, France, and Germany. The establishment was furnished in 1878 and 1879 with an entirely new outfit of the latest improved machinery, and it is now one of the most complete machine-shops in the State.

The present officers of the company are as follows: C. H. Heywood, President ; S. Holman, Treasurer ; S. F. Stebbins, Agent.

925

HISTORY OF HAMPDEN COUNTY.

spool cotton, and Mr. Grover went to Europe in the interests of the new company. Mr. Davis having resigned the agency, Mr. Grover was appointed in his stead in May, 1867.

The officers of the company now are George W. Lyman, President ; Arthur T. Lyman, Treasurer; J. N. Morrill, Clerk ; Wm. Grover, Agent and Superintendent; C. L. Far- rington, Paymaster. The position of paymaster has been held by C. II. Heywood, George A. Ileywood, F. S. Davis, L. D. Thayer, and C. L. Farrington. Mr. Farrington, the present paymaster, has held the position since 1869. William Widdowson, assistant paymaster, was appointed in 1872.

Though this is known as a thread-mill, only about one-third of its product is made into thread. The remaining two-thirds are sold either for yarn, twine, or warp. The company has quite an extensive trade in seine twines, and often in the twisting-room are found 40 or 50 kinds and numbers of twine and yarn at one time. The entire annual product is 727,315 pounds of yarn. Some of the finest is sold to the woolen- manufacturers, and is worked into the woolen so as to make the silk-mixed goods which have been so popular in market.

Very much of the cotton used is the Egyptian cotton, which is shipped directly to the company from England. American cotton is used to some extent, and this comes from Texas and Mississippi, the " Peeler" cotton forming a large portion of the American cotton used.

The total number of spindles in the mill is 20,664. This is one of the largest manufacturing establishments in Holyoke, and adds much to the material prosperity of the city. (We are indebted to the Holyoke Transcript for the above history of the Hadley Company.)

THE LYMAN MILLS.

The Lyman Mills corporation was organized in 1854, but two of the mills were erected and in operation previous to that date, having been erected and operated by the IIadley Falls Company.

The first stone in the foundation of the walls of Mill No. 1 was laid Sept. 5, 1848, and Oct. 12, 1848, the first brick was laid. The 24th day of May, 1849, the first stone was laid of the foundation of the "picker-house," and June 7, 1849, the first shovel of earth was removed in the excavation for Mill No. 2. The first stone was laid in Mill No. 2, Aug. 17, 1849, and the first brick July 9, 1849. July 25, 1849, the first piece of machinery (a speeder) was placed in Mill No. 1, and March 30, 1850, the first water-wheel was set in motion in No. 1, and the first manufacturing was done April 23, 1850. April 15, 1872, the excavating for No. 3 was begun, and in 1873 the mill was in full operation.

The three mills are of the same size " on the ground." The dimensions are 268 by 68 feet, inside the walls. Mills Nos. 1 and 2 are five stories high, with roof-rooms, and No. 3 is four stories high, with flat roof.

The picker building is four stories, 62 by 180 feet ; the buildings on Front Street, containing the office of the company, the cloth-room, belt- and roll-shop, storehouses, etc., have a total length of 426 feet and a width of 36 feet.

The repair-shop was built in the spring of 1860, and is 250 by 34 feet, one story high. There are three brick buildings in the rear of the mills,-the boiler-house, waste-house, pipe- shop, blacksmith-shop, paint-shop, dry-house, etc.,-two of them being about 48 by 28 feet each, and one 90 by 28.

A slight idea of the area of these mills can be obtained by the statement of the fact that there are more than 82 acres of flooring in the factories and appurtenant buildings.

The corporation also own seven large brick " blocks," con- taining 205 tenements. These tenements are kept in good repair and excellently managed.

The brick-work of Mills Nos. 1 and 2 was laid by Capt. Charles MeClellan, of Chicopee, and twenty-seven years have proved the reliability of the work.

The product of No. 1 Mill is principally of standard sheet- ings, flannels, and drills. The standard sheetings are made of four grades, marked respectively A, B, C, and E, 30 to 45 inches in width. Flannels are made of three grades, 30 to 33 inches in width; drillings of one grade, a 44-inch " twill ;" " R-cloth," 50 inches wide, and used in making oil-suits and rubber-clothing; and " T-shirting," 36 inches wide. Mills Nos. 2 and 3 are as one mill in manufacturing, the carding and spinning being done in No. 2, and the spooling, dressing, and weaving in No. 3. These mills manufacture varieties of lawns, cambrics, silesias, and organdies. The lawns and or- gandies are 323 inches wide ; the canbries are of three grades, from 343 to 39 inches wide; satteens of three grades, 36 inches wide; "Y" and "Q," very fine sheeting, 39 inches wide ; " hucks," or toweling ; " K-cloth" of two grades, 30 and 26 inches wide. The cotton used in the mills is of the qualities known as " low middling," " middling," and " good middling." For the cloth woven in No. 1 the " low middlings" and " mid- dlings" are bought, while for the finer work of the other mills the best of cotton that can be found, except the costly "Sea Island," is purchased, the delicate threads of the fine fabrics requiring a staple of length, strength, and body. The cotton from No. 1 comes from Vicksburg and Memphis, and for Nos. 2 and 3 the " Peeler" cotton, grown mostly in Texas, is pur- chased in Galveston.

The power is furnished by the water of the Connecticut River, turning eight water-wheels of the Boyden patent, having together 1433 horse-power, and using 212 mill-powers.

There are 1556 looms in the mills,-viz., 628 in No. 1, and 928 in No. 3. The looms are principally the Chicopee, Hol- yoke, and the Whitin loom. The Holyoke loom was invented in Portsmouth, N. H. Thedrawings and patterns were brought to Holyoke by Jones S. Davis, and the looms were constructed under his direction and supervision, and have been called the Holyoke Joom.

The total number of spindles in these mills is 74,888,-No. 1 Mill containing 23,552, and Nos. 2 and 3, 51,336. The ma- chinery of No. 1 picker-room consists of 3 willows or " open- ers," 3 Kitson compound-pickers, 3 Kitson second-pickers, 4 Lowell and 2 Whitin second-pickers. No. 2 picker-room has 2 English pickers and 3 Whitin pickers, and 1 of Van Winkle's openers. The carding department of No. 1 has 144 " breakers," 192 " finishers," and 30 waste-cards. No. 2 has 108 breakers and 108 finishers, making a total number of cards of 582. The spinning in No. 1 Mill is entirely what is known as "ring-spinning, and the spindles are of the Lowell, Sawyer, and Rabbeth pattern. The spinning in No. 2 is done by 10,560 ring-spindles," and the balance by 30 Mason "mules" and 12 English mules made by Taylor, Lang & Co. The dressing is done in No. 1 by 3 " slashers," 1 of the Harrison manufacture and 2 of Howard & Bullough's.

The operatives number upward of 1200. These are em- ployed as follows :

Mill No. 1. Nos. 2 and 3.

Carding.

111

109

Spinning.

111

153

Dressing

Weaving.

190

305

477

657

Total in three mills

1134

Repair-shop, etc

Yard-hands, etc ...

Cloth-room

Total

1202

Of this number, 402 are males and 800 are females.

The present officials of the company are : President, Thomas Parsons; Treasurer, S. L. Bush; Agent, Q. W. Lovering ; Superintendent, Theop. Parsons; Clerk and Cashier, C. D. Colson.

The first agent of the mill was Mr. Wm. Melcher, who was succeeded in 1853 by Mr. J. S. Davis, who remained until 1871. Mr. Q. W. Lovering, the present agent, has been con-

926

HISTORY OF THE CONNECTICUT VALLEY.

nected with the corporation for near twenty-four years, and has been agent for nearly seven years.

The annual product of the mills is as follows : No. I Mill, 198,000 pieces, 2,686,000 pounds, measuring 7,900,000 yards ; No. 2 Mill, 122,000,000 pieces, 886,000 pounds, measuring 6,000,000 yards.

This is the most extensive manufacturing corporation in the city, and has a capital of $1,470,000.

(The above is condensed from an article written by William S. Loomis, editor and proprietor of the Holyoke Transcript.)

THE UNQUOMONK SILK-MILLS.

This is the only institution of its kind in the city. It was established at Haydenville, Mass., in 1849, and was destroyed by the memorable and disastrous flood of 1874. Mr. William Skinner, its proprietor, then decided to rebuild the mill in Holyoke, and in the following July (1874) it was completed. Here are manufactured machine-twist sewings, button-hole twist, organzine and cashmere sewings, etc.

It is perhaps not inappropriate to remark, in this connee- tion, that the fine residence of Mr. Skinner, which now forms one of the ornaments of the eity of Holyoke, was removed in pieces from llaydenville. It was the only dwelling left stand- ing by the flood on that ever-memorable May day.

THE FARR ALPACA COMPANY

was incorporated under the general statutes, Nov. 13, 1873, with a capital of $250,000. The first meeting of the promoters of the company was held just previous to the outbreak of the financial crisis in September, 1873, but, notwithstanding the generał depression in business which followed, and the long- continued prostration of the trade of Bradford, England, the chief seat of the worsted industry, the company was firmly es- tablished, and has proved a decided success. The erection of the buildings, which are built of brick, was commeneed in De- cember, 1873 ; and six months after, a full range of goods was shown in New York, and at once took the front rank. In view of the depressed state of trade, it was deemed advisable to only partially equip the mill at the start, but the first goods shown were so well received that it was found necessary, in order to meet the demand, to at once fill up the mill to its full capacity,-255 looms,* and duplicate combing, drawing, and spinning machinery was put in to enable the company to pro- duce either lustre or soft goods. Special care is taken in the selection of raw materials ; and all operations in dyeing and finishing (some of which are original) are conducted with a view of producing the brightest lustre and the clearest and most durable color.

The general agent of the company, who closely superintends every operation of manufacturing, has a thoroughly practical knowledge of the work in the various departments of the mill, from selecting and sorting the stock to dyeing and finishing the cloth, and knows, by long experience, what results are needed in each department to produce goods of the highest standard of excellence.

The very satisfactory award on the company's exhibit at the Centennial Exhibition confirms the verdict of the trade on the productions of this company. It is an explicit and positive expression on all essential points in the production of perfect goods, and is fittingly supplemented by Mr. Mitchell, of Bradford, the English judge of award, in his report to the British government, in which he says, " The alpacas, cash- meres, and serges shown by the Farr Alpaca Company were specially good."

The value of the annual produet at the beginning of busi- ness was $500,000, and the value of present annual products amounts to $750,000. The number of employés at the begin- ning was 300; present number, 000. The first president of

the company was Jared Beebe. Ile was succeeded by Gurdon Bill, in 1876. The present officers are as follows : Timothy Merrick, President ; Joseph Metcalf, Treasurer ; H. M. Farr, General Agent.

THE PRENTISS WIRE-MILLS.

This business was established in 1857, by Geo. W. Prentiss, who remained sole proprietor until 1871, when he associated with himself Mr. W. W. Prentiss, who had been superintend- ent of the mills for ten years. William A., son of the founder,

THE PRENTISS WIRE-MILLS.

became a member of the company in 1877. This industry has grown from a comparatively small to one of the leading in- dustries in this flourishing city. The annual product of manufactured goods during the early years was 100 tons, valued at $25,000. The present annual product is 1000 tons, valued at $250,000. In the beginning, 8 persons were em- ployed ; now, 50. The present mill was erected in 1871, and the main building is 45 by 162 feet, three stories high. The L is 45 by 75 feet, two stories. The product of this establish- ment embraces all kinds of iron wire, particularly the highest grades, including those varieties which require especial skill and attention in their manufacture.

THE MASSACHUSETTS SCREW COMPANY

was organized March 14, 1864. The main building is 40 by 152 feet, three stories high, with an L 36 by 65 feet, two stories high. It is situated on the Upper Level Canal, on Cabot Street. The daily product is 2000 gross iron flat-head and wood serews.

Among other manufacturing interests may be mentioned the following :

Hampden Cotton-Mills .- Organized in 1877. Capacity, 1,250,000 pounds per year.

Holyoke Warp Company .- Organized in 1869. Capital, $60,000; capacity, 1500 pounds per day.

Beebe, Webber & Co.'s Woolen-Mills .- Established in 1863. Produet, 450,000 yards per annum.

Germania Mill .- Organized January, 1865 .- Capital, $300,- 000; product, 150,000 yards 6-4 cloth annually.

New York Woolen-Mill .- Built in 1864, and purchased by A. T. Stewart & Co., of New York, in 1870. Product, 360,000 yards per annum.

Conner Bros., manufacturers of wool extracts, shoddy, and flocks.

Joseph Peel, manufacturer of satinet goods.

Henry Seymour Cutlery Company .- Organized in 1839. Cap- ital, $25,000. Henry Seymour, President; Robert II. Sey- mour, Treasurer.

Coghlan's Holyoke Steam-Boiler Works, E. Whitaker Reed, manufacturer .- Established in 1852. Product, $8000 worth per annum.

Buttrick & Flanders, manufacturers of spindles, bolsters, and steps. C. G. Buttrick, T. B. Flanders.

* The equipment has since been increased to 360 looms, with a capacity of 3,750,000 yards per annum.

927

HISTORY OF HAMPDEN COUNTY.

America Phototype Company .- Postal card printing. Cap- ital, $200,000.

Springfield Blanket Company .- Organized May 2, 1870, with a capital of $80,000; manufactures horse-blankets ; pro- duet, 125,000 per annum. This is one of the largest establish- ments of its kind in the country, and justly merits its present success. Treasurer, W. H. Wilkinson.

S. Bacon, Cashier. The first board of directors was as fol- lows : William Whiting, R. B. JJohnson, George C. Ewing, J. G. Melntosh, Joel Russell, Levi Perkine, and George W. Prentiss. Mr. Whiting has been president since its organiza- tion. Mr. Bacon was followed in the cashiership by Charles B. Fisk, who was succeeded by W. C. Simons, the present cashier. The present board of directors is as follows : William

OFFICE

CONN

RIVER

SPRINGFIELD BLANKET COMPANY, HOLYOKE.

F. R. Chapman & Co., established at Miller's Falls, Mass., August, 1874; re-established at Holyoke, May, 1875. Manu- facture table, butchers', and miscellaneous cutlery ; produce, 240 dozen per day. Employ 36 males. Monthly pay-roll, $800.

BANKS.

THE HADLEY FALLS NATIONAL BANK.

The pioneer banking institution in this city was the Hadley Falls Bank, which was organized May 24, 1851, twenty-three years before the city was organized, and only one year after the town of Holyoke was set off from West Springfield. Its original capital was $100,000, which in 1853 was increased to $200,000. The first officers of the bank were C. B. Rising, President; J. R. Warriner, Cashier. The first board of direc- tors was composed of the following : John Ross, N. D. Perry, Cyrus Frink, J. Miller, R. G. Marsh, Whiting Street, A. D. Chapin, and William Melcher. Chester Crafts was chosen in place of Whiting Street, declined. Mr. Street, however, was soon after chosen a director, and remained in the board until his death, in 1878. The following are the several presi- dents and cashiers from the organization to the present time : Presidents, C. B. Rising, Rufus D. Woods, A. D. Chapin, and Charles W. Ranlett; cashiers, J. R. Warriner, C. W. Ranlett. H. P. Terry was chosen cashier in 1864, and has officiated in that capacity since.

The bank was reorganized as the Hadley Falls National Bank, April 3, 1865. The present board of directors is as fol- lows : C. W. Ranlett, Broughton Alvord, William Skinner, Jonas Kendall, Spencer A. White, Benjamin Aldrich, Alfred White, Edwin II. Ball, and Charles B. Prescott. Present capital, $200,000; surplus and earnings, $125,000.

HOLYOKE NATIONAL BANK.

This banking institution was organized in 1872, with a cap- ital of $200,000. Its first officers were as follows : William Whiting, President ; R. B. Johnson, Vice-President; and F.

Whiting, R. B. Johnson, G. W. Prentiss, Joel Russell, C. H. Heywood, J. F. Allyn, and Levi Perkine.

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History of the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Vol. II, Part 122

Author: L.H. Everts & Co Publication date: 1879 Publisher: Philadelphia : Louis H. Everts Number of Pages: 896

Author: L.H. Everts & Co
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: Philadelphia : Louis H. Everts
Number of Pages: 896