USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Professional and industrial history of Suffolk County, Massachusetts, Volume III > Part 45
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In 1829 Harvey Redding began the manufacture of artistic stained glass in Boston, and for the last ten years his son, Walter S. Redding, with John C. Baird, has carried on the same business under the firm name of Redding, Baird & Co. The resources of this firm include im- ported rolled cathedral glass, and a great variety of ornamental glass- work for public halls, theatres, and private residences. A special feature is made of church and memorial windows. In 1881 Horace J. Phipps embarked in the same business, and later was joined by William Slocum, under the firm name of Phipps, Slocum & Co. They confine themselves to the modern American school of strictly mosaic opalescent glass-work, and among many pieces of this work are the memorial win- dows in St. Matthew's German Lutheran Church, Philadelphia; First Parish Church, Northampton, Mass .; "Old North " Church, Ports- mouth, N. H. ; Church of the Messiah, Boston; First Congregational Church, Chelsea, and St. Luke's Church, Norfolk, Va.
Brass musical instruments were manufactured in Boston as early as 1835 by a Mr. Bailey, who carries on a small business in that line. At a later date Richardson & Bailey made valve instruments of a high grade of excellence; their cornets being celebrated for their brilliancy and purity of tone.
The first industrial census for Massachusetts was made in 1832. It exhibited the cities and towns constituting Boston of to-day as produc- ing goods to the amount of more than $12,250, 000. The industries, in which half a million and over were annually produced, were ship- building, book publishing, manufacture of clothing, copper and brass works, and sugar refineries. The production of pianos had grown to ten hundred and eighty-three, valued at about $300,000; leather at $228,000; hats, $194,642; iron castings, $312,000; cabinet ware, $148, - 100; straw bonnets, $182, 450; brushes, $93,000; carriages and harnesses, $128,805; trunks and whips, $174,000; machinery, $326,000; looking- glasses, $14,500; stereotype work, $157,000. Besides these the fol- lowing statistics are taken from this census;
Geo, Curtis
459
INDUSTRIAL HISTORY.
No. Emp. 359
Capital. Value Product. No. Est.
Boots and shoes
102,641
Furnaces
289
665,000
372,000
5
Axes
8
2,000
7,500
I
Glass
77
47,000
48,000
3
Chairs and cabinet work
164
148,100
23
Combs
41
121,000
41,000
Tinware
116
I 12.032
37
Distilleries
86
622,000
Axletrees
6
6,000
10,000
1
Brewing.
8
30,000
12 000
I
Soap and candles
29
125 000
93,000
7
Whale oil refining.
16
100,000
135,000
1
Copper and brass foundries
200
316,300
756,754
13 -
Pianos and organs
220
163,500
302,700
18
Gold and silver leaf
36
11,200
43,000
5
Sugar refining
92
303,653
976,454
4
Jewelry
36
91,000
63,000
3
C'hain cables
20
75,000
60,000
Silverware
52
20,000
165,100
5
Umbrellas
63
36,500
65,000
IO
Granite, marble and stones
400
165,500
336,000
17
Blank books and stationery
50
49,000
78,000
5
Gas
40
375,000
100,000
I
Lasts
29
18,000
· 40,000
2
Veckties and suspenders
456
58,200
122,000
8
Books
900
850,000
925,000
4
Clothing
2,946
710,894
1,765,666
97
1
1
I
1
I
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
To South Boston, early famous for its extensive manufactures, was added an important industry by the establishment, in 1836, of the Ful- ton Iron Foundry, which had its origin in the efforts of George C. and Thomas Thacher and William G. Billings. George C. Thacher had formerly been connected with Cyrus Alger in the foundry business, but in 1835, having severed business relations with Mr. Alger, he or- ganized the Fulton Iron Foundry Company, which was incorporated one year later. Despite fears to the contrary, great success attended this company, and within a few years it was found necessary to greatly enlarge the works. The castings for the engines of the United States steam frigate Saranac were cast at this foundry. George C. Thacher, who was a pioneer in the iron industry in the United States, died in 1856. At South Boston, about contemporary with the establishment of the Fulton Iron Company, existed the Adams Printing Press and Ma- chine shop, where were manufactured by Seth Adams not only the famous printing presses, invented by his brother Isaac, but sugar mills, steam engines and general machinery. Jabez Coney's foundry for the manufacture of iron steamships and machinery was also in operation at this time. In East Boston the Boyden Malleable Iron and Steel Com-
926,856
I3
Ship-building
400
SUFFOLK COUNTY
pany began operations in 1835. At one time three hundred men were employed, but speculative methods finally caused a suspension of the works.
Henry N. Hooper was for many years a prominent figure in indus- trial affairs in Boston. He was born in Manchester, Mass., in 1299. When a boy he was apprenticed to Gedney King, and learned the trade of mathematical and nautical instrument maker, which he followed after attaining his majority until he became agent of the Boston Cop- per Company. This business he afterwards acquired in company with William Blake and Thomas Richardson, the firm name being Henry N. Hooper & Co. This firm won wide reputation for the excellence of their manufactures, one leading specialty being the casting of church bells. The belfries of many church edifices all over the country still bear melodions evidence of the superiority of their work. Mr. Hooper served in the city government, was a director of the Bunker Hill Monument Association, and interested in many business enterprises. He died in 1865. William Blake, for many years associated in partnership with Mr. Hooper, was born in Boston, in 1796, and learned the trade of cop- persmith with Paul Revere.
Herbert H. Stimpson was the first to manufacture a sheet-iron air- tight stove in Boston, and the Stimpson cooking range was, in its day, a standard in its line. He was a native of Portland, Me., where he was born in 1802. When quite young his father removed to Boston, and the boy was educated in the public schools of this city. He early manifested an aptitude for mechanical employments, and was appren- ticed to learn the business of sheet-iron worker. As an apprentice he invented several articles of considerable merit, from which he realized pecuniary benefit. So enterprising was he that before his majority he purchased his time, and opened a shop on State street, where he suc- ceeded so well that he took into the concern his brother Frederick H. The firm of H. H. & F. H. Stimpson, manufacturers of furnaces and ranges, was one of the best known in this city many years ago, and their establishment, at the corner of Congress and Water streets, will be remembered by most of our older readers. Mr. Stimpson retired from business many years since on account of failing health. In 1845 he removed to Cambridge, where he took an active part in public affairs, being one of the projectors of the Cambridge horse railroad, and its first president. He was also interested in the manufacture of
461
INDUSTRIAL HISTORY.
an improved rifle, and visited several of the European governments on business connected with it. In the early days of railroading the flanges of the wheels were put on the outside, and were changed to the inside at the suggestion of Mr. Stimpson. This improvement, now regarded as indispensable, is evidence of his remarkable mechanical common sense, but was of no pecuniary benefit to him. Mr. Stimpson died in Lancaster, Mass., January 20, 188%. Frederick H. Stimpson, the younger of the two brothers, died in Boston in 1873. He served for seven years on the School Committee and in the City Council.
Gardner Chilson was for a long series of years known in Boston as a very successful manufacturer of stoves, ranges and furnaces. His establishment in Blackstone street was known and patronized by a great number of people for more than a generation. He introduced many new and excellent designs, and greatly improved the quality of his work, and was financially and mechanically successful. He was born in the State of Connecticut in 1803, and died in Boston in 18:1.
The name of Hiram Tucker, of Boston, is connected with many im- portant inventions. His first invention made public was for mirror marble mantelpieces, in 1848, and soon after he went into partnership with Bowers & Pratt, iron founders, for the manufacture of these mantels under his patent. In 1851, during his connection with this firm, he went to England. It is a singular coincidence that his brother- in-law, Elias Howe, jr., the inventor of the Howe sewing machine, was employed by him as assistant superintendent, and personally assisted in putting up the first mantel, Mr. Howe, at that time, using his spare time on his sewing machine experiments. After leaving this firm, in 1851, Mr. Tucker commenced the manufacture of fancy iron castings, and in 1852 he invented what was known as a process of marbleizing slate for the manufacture of mantels, table tops, etc. In 1858 he in- vented the Tucker spring bed ; in 1862 the undulating spring bed bottom, which was largely used in the government hospitals during the civil war; in 1864 a bronze finish for cast-iron, and later a process for coring irregular iron work. His latest invention was a horse car switch. He was born in Haverhill, N. H., November 15, 1822, and died in Boston, October 21, 1882.
The following are the census statistics of the principal manufactures of the county of Suffolk for the year ending June 1, 1860:
162
SUFFOLK COUNTY.
Manufactures.
No. of Establishm'ts.
No. Hands Employed.
Capital.
Value of Products.
Bed springs
4
20
4,600
43.500
Billiard Tables
4
25
5,000
53,500
Blank books and book binding
I3
449
74,900
418,500
Boots and shoes
48
349
166,200
370,952
Boxes, paper.
9
118
25,650
120,000
Bread, crackers, etc
39
178
96,400
516,106
Brass founding
IO
122
155,800
317,900
Brass cocks and gauges
7
172
150,500
299,445
Camphene.
6
22
83,000
729,040
Caps
5
57
32,500
51,000
Carriages
8
115
54,500
95,100
Casks and barrels
5
53
31,000
93,438
Chemicals
3
9
15,500
45,100
Cigars
47
18,700
64,516
Cloaks and mantillas
IO
285
86,300
462,460
Clothing
4,017
1,078,300
4,567,749
Coffee mills.
1
27
33,000
268,900
Confectionery
187
83,100
365,900
Copper smelting
55
300,000
500,000
Copper sinithing.
12
201
273,100
427,290
Cutlery
2
I8
13,500
30,000
Drugs and medicines
70
98,000
280,952
Flour
2
6
25,000
126,360
Furniture 1
29
386
290,200
737,845
Furniture, school
5
177
51,900
161,500
Furs
6
55
49,000
269,000
Gas
1
232
1,383,000
608,733
Glassware
3
347
310,000
362,500
Hats.
7
168
45,000
183,500
Horseshoes
3
16
900
13,900
Iron work, building
I
40
8,000
40,000
Iron founding
5
322
261,000
580,000
Iron railing
6
32
23,500
83,700
Iron, rolled
2
400
470,000
1,460,000
Iron safes.
6
115
142,000
290,980
Iron shafting
I
40
20,000
86,500
Iron steamships
I
300
190,000
914,700
Iron work, ornamental
I
60
20,000
75,000
Instruments, mathematical
9
13,000
24,500
Instruments, surgical
5
I5,000
10,000
Instruments, telegraphic
2
22
8,000
19,500
Jewelry
9
32
14,950
43,800
Lasts
5
44
14,900
53,385
Leather.
7
143
103,000
573,250
Leather belting
T
9
9,500
37,600
Liquors, distilled
5
34
266,000
766,000
Liquors, malt.
6
65
118,500
336,604
Locomotives, etc.
1
80
25,000
80,000
Lumber, planed
6
74,600
807,250
Machinery, steam engines, etc.
28
650
646, 100
972,650
Marble
22
454
242,200
501,800
Masts
3
29
56,000
93,000
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
.
1
1
2
I
I
20,000
20,000
Japanned ware.
I
I
I
1
4
I
1 The figures for this industry are much too small. The manufacture of furniture in Boston at this time was a very prominent and extensive business.
463
INDUSTRIAL HISTORY.
Manufactures.
No. of Establishm'ts.
No. Hands Employed.
Capital.
Value of Products.
Matches
68
39,000
65,000
Military caps-
18
4,000
30,000
Millinery
8
167
44,500
238,450
Mineral water
5
52
47,000
122,774
Musical instruments, miscellaneons1
4
III
88,200
144,100
Musical instruments, pianoforte
16
730
823,000
1,461,500
Oil, linseed.
3
IOI
400,000
957,500
Oil, lard
2
13
32,000
149,850
Oil, water
I
3
6,000
20,000
Oil, kerosene
4
I66
380,000
883,500
Oil, whale
2
T
2
4,000
8,500
Paper hanging
2
32
22,500
56,500
Picture frames
15
107
64,700
183,600
Preserved pickles and fruit.
2
87
70,000
177,250
Printing, book and job
23
362
285,200
659,522
Printing, newspapers
77
893
1,176,500
1,703,280
Printing presses
100
200,000
103,500
Pumps and blocks
6
31
23,700
40,300
Rigging
2
28
20,600
46,000
Roofing, composition
5
34
14,100
66,000
Roofing, slate
I
2C
12,000
70,000
Sails.
13
46
20,200
92,280
Saddlery and harness
23
178
74,000
216,310
Salt, ground.
3
26
60,000
75,000
Saltpetre
2
3,000
23,500
Sash, doors and blinds
4
25
10,900
27,800
Sewing machines
5
456
236,000
1,045,000
55,000
128,110
Oil, curriers'
The G. W. & F. Smith Iron Company was founded, in 1836, by G. W. Smith and a Mr. Nutting, the firm then being Nutting & Smith. After the retirement of Mr. Nutting, Mr. Smith conducted the business alone for a while, and then admitted Mr. Felton into partnership. Franklin Smith, a nephew of G. W. Smith, was admitted to the firm in 1853, when Mr. Felton retired, and the style of the firm became G. W. & F. Smith. In 1880 the corporation of the G. W. & F. Smith Iron Company was formed and succeeded to the business. Franklin Smith is the president, and his son, Elmer F. Smith, secretary of the corpora- tion, which for a number of years has been one of the largest manufact- urers of building and architectural iron work in New England. The
I The manufacture of musical instruments, exclusive of pianos, was much greater than the cen- sus returns indicate. Mason & Hamlin's manufactory of cabinet organs at this time was the largest of their kind in the United States. They had a capacity of making a hundred a week, or five thousand per year. E. & G. Hook employed at this time in their organ factory at Roxbury, fifty hands, and for the three preceding years averaged twenty-two church organs annually, some of them very large W. B. D. Simmons also had an extensive church organ factory on Charles street. Besides these, a directory of this year (1860) gives the names of S. D. & H. W. Smith, Will- iam Stevens, Walter Crosby, George Freemantle, Graves & Co., Charles W. Lawrence, Benjamin F. Richardson, Charles Stumcka, the White Musical Instrument Company, White Brothers, and James H. White as manufacturers of musical instruments, exclusive of pianos.
464
SUFFOLK COUNTY.
wrought iron works are located on Federal street, and the foundry on Farnham street, Roxbury; in the two establishments two hundred and fifty workmen are employed. From these works have been furnished the iron for many of the fine buildings in Boston, among them the City Hall, the State House, and the Post-Office dome, while throughout New England many of the largest and finest buildings have been supplied with structural work from this company. George W. Smith, the founder of this corporation, was born in Gloucester, Rhode Island, in 1812. He came to Boston when a boy and learned the blacksmith's trade. Beginning in a small way, by his skill, industry, and fidelity, he worked his way up to be the head of one of the most successful and extensive works of its kind in New England. He was the oldest mem- ber of Columbus Lodge F. & A. M., a member of St. Andrew's Chap- ter, Royal Arch Masons, and a knight templar of Boston Commandery, and also held membership in several social, musical and business or- ganizations. He died at his home in Dorchester, January 10, 1886.
The first locomotive built in Boston was made, in 1840, by Holmes Hinckley. Mr. Hinckley was for many years one of the most impor- tant figures in the industrial history of Boston. The son of very poor parents, he was very early inured to hardships. He first learned the trade of a carpenter. Subsequently he was employed as a pattern maker of machinery for factories, and here acquired a sufficient knowl- edge of mechanical principles to venture upon the construction of ma- chinery. In 1826 he rented an old building on Lenox street, Boston Neck, and began his career as a machinist. Among his early attempts at machine making was the construction of a stationary steam engine, which, when finished, was the third one built in the State of Massachu- setts. Previous to 1840 he had constructed a larger number than any other machinist in New England.
In 1840 he undertook to build a locomotive on a different plan from any then in use. Although friends sought to discourage him from the undertaking, he worked on, cheered by his own faith in his ultimate success. When he had finished his engine it was not an easy matter to find a purchaser; but finally the Eastern Railroad bought it and placed it on the Portland end of the line. He proceeded at once to build four more, and before they were completed the success of his first locomotive was so well assured that all of them were ordered, and, in two years, ten more were contracted for and delivered. From that time until 1848 Mr. Hinckley, in connection with Mr, Freeny, made the build-
465
INDUSTRIAL HISTORY.
ing of locomotives his principal business. During this period the Hinckley engine attained a reputation second to none in the country. In 1848 a company was organized and incorporated under the title of the Boston Locomotive Works, with Mr. Hinckley as president and superintendent. The buildings were greatly enlarged, and the busi- ness so rapidly prospered that in 185: the property of the company was valued at upwards of half a million dollars. At this time Mr. Hinckley resigned the superintendency of the details of the business into the hands of younger men, who unfortunately were not equal to the task of carrying the concern through the general financial difficulties of that period, and a disastrous failure overtook the enterprise. At this critical period Mr. Hinckley again took the helm, and by his masterful manage- ment soon established the business on a sound basis. In 1861 Jarvis Williams, who had come to Boston and established himself in the same line of business, was induced to unite with Mr. Hinckley in the pur- chase of a part of the premises formerly owned by the Boston Loco- motive Works, when a co-partnership was formed, consisting of Holmes Hinckley, Jarvis Williams, Daniel F. Child, and Adam Ayer, under the firm name of Hinckley, Williams & Co. The War of the Rebellion be- ginning soon after the co-partnership was formed, the firm accepted a contract from the naval department for two thousand shells. Addi- tional buildings were afterwards erected and furnaces put up to supply ordnance and projectiles as they might be needed. During the ex- istence of the war the firm supplied upwards of fifty thousand shot and shell, and more than 100 guns of ten and eleven inch calibre.
After the war closed the firm again turned its attention to the manu- facture of locomotives. In 1864 the company was incorporated as The Hinckley & Williams Locomotive Works, and from that date until 1889 the managers of the works confined their operations to the manufacture of locomotives, boilers and railroad machinery. Mr. Hinckley was chosen president of the new company, and held that position until his death on February 8, 1866. In 1889 the machinery of the company was sold, and the land and buildings transferred to the West End Street Railway Company, and on the site of the old works is now located one of the electric power houses of the street railway company.
Jarvis Williams, who was long associated with Mr. Hinckley in busi- ness, was born in Augusta, Me., in 1823, and died in Boston, in 1870. He was a man of cultivation, possessed a comprehensive intellect, fine tastes and wide information.
59
466
SUFFOLK COUNTY.
In 1857 a severe blow was inflicted upon the industries of Boston, but the war quickly obliterated the signs of depression and stimulated them to an abnormal and somewhat dangerous activity. The close of the war found Boston with an annual industrial production which had nearly doubled in ten years. The following statistics from the State census of 1865 for Suffolk county shows a highly gratifying progress in the lead- ing industries over the returns made in 1860.
Kind of Manufacture.
No. Est.
No. Emnp. 20
30.000
45.000
Calico.
I
18
5,000
140,000
Horse blankets
I
12
3,000
10,000
Knit hoods, shawls, etc.
4
215
38,000
112,000
Worsted goods.
6
IO
2,000
4,500
Linen collars and cuffs
IO
63
24,000
47,000
Feathers and artificial flowers
I
13
1,000
3,000
Braids and elastic cords
4
100
51,000
119,000
Bonnet ribbons
2
130
22,000
550,000
Dress trimmings
5
79
20,000
49,000
Rolling, sliting and nail mills
2
650
600,000
2,500,000
Forges
3
80
23,000
168,000
Hollow ware and castings
4
311
185,000
763,000
Cotton and woolen machinery
38
721
485,000
1,503,784
Locomotives, steam engines and boilers_
13
1,468
719,000
3,414,000
Axes, hatchets and edged tools
2
6
4,000
7,000
Files.
3
29
17,000
28,970
Mechanics' tools
196
267,500
434,875
Cutlery
1
2
2,000
5,000
Locks
I
I
250
1,200
Gas, water and steam pipes
190
225,000
650,000
Iron railing and safes
9
8
62,800
129,500
Copper
IO
IOC
100,000
332,835
Brass foundries
153
I 56,400
599,300
Gas and oil fixtures and lamps.
4
180
75,000
288,140
Britannia ware
2
14
10,500
32,000
Corsets
4
184
23,000
199,600
Hoop skirts
5
163
28,150
257,768
Glass
9
332
232,000
611,600
Chemicals
2
I
8
3,000
15,000
Paper collars
4
97
315,500
178,305
Organs, melodeons and harmoniums
4
205
231,000
358,000
Pianos
17
866
591,000
1,514,974
Printing.
8g
1,437
674,450
990,027
Book binding.
30
398
179,900
497,556
Type and stereotype foundries
7
100
102,500
199,000
Sewing machines
3
245
230,000
769,428
Looking glass and picture frames
22
168
93,3 00
216,791
Chronometers, watches, gold and silver
ware.
20
209
205,200
609,633
Mattresses
8
142
89,750
326,601
Brushes.
3
130
115,000
210,000
Saddles, harnesses and trunks
37
224
152,600
242,595
Military goods
2
IC
2,000
6,000
Upholstery
17
126
128,000
237,350
I
Capital Invested.
Value of Product.
Cotton batting
1
I
52,500
122,000
Paper hangings
12
2
t
I
461
INDUSTRIAL HISTORY.
Kind of Manufacture.
No. Est.
No. Emp.
Capital Invested.
Value of Product.
Hats and caps
3
359
181,000
525,122
Gloves, mittens and fur goods
16
192
317,500
549,835
Cordage
2
5
150
3,400
Ship building.
12
915
423,000
3,265,000
Boats
1
15
3,700
18,400
Masts and spars.
77,000
857,600
Sails
36
147
122,650
303,757
Salt
I
1,000
6,000
Railroad cars, wagons and sleighs
28
275
132,700
318,785
Sugar refining
2
225
850,000
4,100,000
Confectionery
23
195
76,000
495,728
Umbrellas and parasols
4
82
47,000
117,000
Clothing
232
20,684
3,865,350
15,186,833
Coffee mills
9
62
70,250
606,850
Marble and stone works
20
450
254,050
584,800
Soap.
5
33
19,500
53,865
Kerosene
4
125
310,000
1,267,120
Ammunition
3
455
526,750
1,355,600
Blacksmith shops
75
269
88,750
422,391
Chairs
6
102
35,000
110,500
Cabinetware
19
818
417,900
1,187,890
Tinware
51
257
170,350
599,950
White lead
40
40,000
150,000
Drugs and dyestuff
46
171
137,300
533,300
Varnish
2
6
25,000
68,000
Currying
21
177
125,200
768,724
Belting
16
82,000
222,000
Boots and shoes
678
212,372
793,498
Bonnets and hats (straw)
26
32,000
90,000
Bricks
I
35
100,000
53,116
Philosophical and mathematical instru- ments
IC
70
79,200
126,800
Blacking
3
Snuff, tobacco and cigars
205
126,575
327,070
Blocks and pumps.
31
29,500
32,000
Gold leaf
61
28,800
102.800
Casks
7
43
22,000
117,500
Stone and earthenware.
25
5,000
15,000
Coffins
8
31
25,400
56,700
Sashes, doors and blinds
6
3º
3,800
50,000
Boxes
15
259
42,350
170,0.0
Matches
70
30,000
100,000
India rubber goods
30
10,000
20,000
Gas
3
366
1,498,625
1,042,695
Bakeries
54
194
82,550
735,930
Distilleries
4
36
160,000
235,000
Breweries
6
136
315,000
734,825
Artincial limbs
I
20
7,000
140,000
Bags
2
16
31,000
305,000
Paper bags.
7
2,000
4,500
Billiard tables
3
2
22,300
48,750
Wood mouldings
5
126
73,200
206,000
Millinery establishments
57
458
156,850
681,739
Nets and seines
2
211
101,000
201,000
Steam gauges
2
45
102,500
152,000
Sugar from molasses
2
39
225,000
995,000
Wood saws
2
5
5,500
11,000
1
1
1
1
t
J
1
1
1
I
-
5
I
I
I
I
1
1
2
30,100
60,878
8
8
568
SUFFOLK COUNTY.
The introduction of steam heating apparatus for warming buildings, now so widely used, had its origin in Boston through the agency of James J. Walworth and Joseph Nason. The history of this undertak- ing, which began in 1841, is told in the sketch of J. J. Walworth, which appears elsewhere in this volume. For eight years Mr. Walworth and Mr. Nason were associated together under the firm name of Walworth &' Nason, when they dissolved, Mr. Walworth, with his brother, C. C. Walworth, continuing the business alone in Boston for some time and Mr. Nason removing to New York. Some years later Mr. Walworth, associating with himself as partner his brother, C. C. Walworth, and Marshall S. Scudder, formed the firm of J. J. Walworth & Co. In 1812 the corporation of the Walworth Manufacturing Company was formed with a capital of $400,000, of which J. J. Walworth, the founder of the business, remained president until about two years ago, since which C. C. Walworth has been president. The factory of the com- pany was originally at 18 Devonshire street. In 1852 it was moved to Blake Court. Several years ago the works were moved to Cambridge- port, where they remained until the completion of their extensive plant in South Boston in 1882, where 800 hands are employed. Many im- portant inventions and contrivances necessary to the development of their business originated with this concern, among them being the introduction of the fan system of ventilation, the establishment of a scale of sizes and weights of valves and fittings, a machine for tapping six fittings at once, the introduction of the present die-plate design, the Stanwood pipe cutter, the Stillson wrench, the Walworth bench vice, the Walworth pipe taps and reamers, and the Hall tapping ma- chine, all of which are labor-saving devices of well recognized merit. Of late years the construction of gas machines, manufacture of supplies for steam, gas and water users, iron and steel poles for the purpose of supporting and carrying the trolley wires for street railways have formed an important part of the business of the Walworth Manufactur- ing Company. The value of their production now reaches the sum of $2,000,000 annually. The advance made by the company during the past fifty years can be best illustrated by the fact that while in 1842 a small stock of pipe, at the utmost, 5,000 feet, was bought with consider- able hesitation, and was considered a large transaction at that time, in 18922 between four and five million feet of pipe was handled by this company.
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