USA > New Hampshire > Hillsborough County > Manchester > Manchester on the Merrimack, the story of a city > Part 13
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through these middle years, in this place and in this form the Y. W. C. A. carried on, minister- ing to an increasingly large group. Its first officers were: President, Mrs. William J. Tucker; Vice-president, Mrs. David Cross; Secretary and Treasurer, Josie Bosher; Auditor, Alice Abbott; Board of Directors, Mrs. W. W. Brown, Mrs. Frederick Smyth, Mrs. H. B. Fair- banks, Miss Ellen M. Carroll, Miss Emma J. Lincoln, Miss Jennie Page.
For some reason interest in this organization languished, and during the early years of the new century, it became non-existent. Then in 1920 an enthusiastic group of women formed a local chapter of the national Y. W. C. A., with Mrs. Augustine A. Mooney serving as first president, and the foundations were laid for the activities and services of the present. The headquarters were in rooms in the Pembroke Building, and here the programs and activities were carried on. From the sale of property that was the gift of Mrs. Otis Barton, the nucleus of a building fund was established, and in 1928 the commodious four-story brick building, to be mentioned in a later chapter, was completed. Manchester's "Y. W." is, today, the community center for women and girls, pro- viding rooms for both transient and permanent guests, an auditorium, a gymnasium and a
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swimming pool. Since 1929 Miss Emma Zan- zinger has given devoted and efficient service as executive secretary.
The Manchester Children's Home was or- ganized in 1884, and the Mercy Home, named in honor of Mrs. Mercy Boylston, came into being in 1889. The Women's Christian Tem- perance Union purchased the property on Mammoth Road where the establishment now known as the Boylston Home has proved its worth through many years.
The Orphan Asylum, still an important branch of Catholic Charity, was organized in 1870 and moved to its present site four years later.
Both Catholic and Protestant groups were active during these years in the formation of new churches. The spires visible from Union Street hill today are ample proof that Man- chester is a city of churches. Perhaps, too, pointing skyward among the spreading mills and manufactories, they may be seen as sym- bols of upward-reaching aspiration working side by side with outward-reaching ambition. St. Joseph's Cathedral, built in part by the actual labor of loyal Catholics, was dedicated in 1869, with Rev. John O'Brien as pastor of the new parish. In 1871, the French Catholics, who were immigrating in large numbers from
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Canada, organized themselves under the guidance of Rev. J. A. Chevalier, and two years later built St. Augustine's, on the corner of Beech and Spruce Streets. St. Raphaels, on the west side of the river, was established in 1888, and St. Marie's in 1880. Up to 1884, the Catholic churches of Manchester had been under the charge of the See of Portland, Maine, but in April of that year the Diocese of Man- chester was formed, and in June, Right Rev- erend Denis M. Bradley was consecrated as bishop.
Several Protestant churches laid their founda- tions during this period: Westminster Presby- terian in 1884; Union Congregational (now South Main Street Congregational) in 1883; Swedish Lutheran in 1882; German Presbyte- rian in 1882; St. James Methodist in 1881; First Christian in 1871; French Protestant in 1881. In 1880 the new First Congregational Church on the corner of Hanover and Union Streets was dedicated, its membership having outgrown the old building on the present site of the Strand Theatre.
All this activity on the part of various Protestant groups was supplemented in 1877 by the work of the famous revivalists, Moody and Sankey, who held widely-attended services
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and addressed enthusiastic and responsive audiences.
From the standpoint of material progress during these years, the development of the Manchester Water Works was of outstanding importance. There was plentiful discussion of the project beforehand, and its proponents en- countered formidable opposition as the over- thrifty taxpayers shied off at the seven per cent interest on borrowed money. One is reminded, in reading of those wrangles, of the dissension that preceded the building of the Town House in 1841, and of similar disapproval some years later when the House of Reformation was in the planning stage. The health-angle was stressed by those anxious to forward the water works, and it was pointed out, very perti- nently, that wells were increasingly liable to contamination as the city grew. Fire hazard from insufficient water supply was another argument, and the Mirror and American even came out with reminders of how much soap would be saved by householders because Massa- besic water was soft.
It was in 1871 that after a careful survey Massabesic had been recommended as the most suitable source of supply for city service. Fi- nally it was decided that the construction and control of a water-works system should be con-
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ducted by the municipality, rather than by private enterprise, and the city was duly em- powered by the state legislature to build water- works at a cost not to exceed six-hundred- thousand dollars, to be raised by taxation on loans. The mayor and aldermen were given the privilege of choosing a board of commissioners, consisting of seven men, to have charge of the project. The first board chosen was as follows: Hon. E. A. Straw, E. W. Harrington, William P. Newell, Aretas Blood, Alpheus Gay and A. C. Wallace. S. N. Bell was appointed as clerk. Under the guidance of Col. J. T. Fanning as chief engineer, the work of construction was begun in July, 1872, and finished in the fall of 1874, though already, on July 4 of that year, water had been pumped from the lake into the city. The reservoir was on Mammoth Road, one-hundred-fifty-two feet above Elm Street level, and the pumping station was located near the old Haseltine mill-site. By December, six - hundred - twenty - five service pipes had been laid. The extension of the mains to Piscataquog, on the west side of the river, was accomplished in 1875 and nearly five and a quarter miles of new pipe were laid that year. The rate of increase in services may be judged from the fact that by December 31,
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1877, fourteen-hundred-twenty-nine service pipes were in use.
Public street transportation was another de- velopment of these years. The original grantees of the Manchester Horse Railroad, organized under a charter in 1871, were headed by the following officers: President, Hon. E. A. Straw; Treasurer, Frederick W. Smyth; Directors, E. A. Straw, Frederick Smyth, James A. Weston, Samuel N. Bell, and Benjamin F. Martin; Clerk, James A. Weston; Agent, George W. Riddle. In 1877, they began to solicit subscriptions for stock in the proposed road, and the ready pub- lic response brought the plans to early fruition. From Cleveland, Ohio, came the six original cars, costing between six and seven hundred dollars each, and duly marked: Elm Street, Hotels, Depot, Squog. Twenty-five horses were purchased, and land on Depot Street was leased for stables. Tracks were laid from upper Elm Street to South Main Street on the west side of the river. The evening of September 6, 1877, was the occasion of the "trial-trip", when George W. Riddle and several others enjoyed the sensation of the first horse-car ride in Man- chester. The road was formally opened to the public on September 15. You could ride for a nickel, which you dropped into a box at the front entrance of the vehicle.
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To record the expansion of the mills during this period is to write of one of the most sig- nificant eras in their entire history. It is to write also of a dramatic epoch in Manchester's development. Again we are reminded that "the mills built the city", for the reaching out of the industries for increasing man-power was the source of the immigration that has given the community its diversified population. The year 1865 is memorable in Amoskeag annals. It saw the beginnings of gingham production, and started the Amoskeag on its career as the largest gingham manufactory in the world. Years be- fore, Samuel Blodget had stood on the bleak, forest-skirted banks of the Merrimack and drawn old England and this particular spot in New England together in a prophetic vision. "I foresee a city here that shall become the equal of Manchester, England," he had said. Now, the old and the new, the long-established and the pioneering, were brought together, not in a dream but in reality.
It must be remembered that the importation of over-seas labor was being fostered as a gen- eral policy during these years, and that in 1864, Congress had passed the "Act to Encourage Im- migration". The executives of local mills were all ready to cooperate with this principle, since the idea was no stranger to their minds. Agent
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Straw, Treasurer Amory and Director Gardner Brewer, head of the New York selling agency, were well acquainted with the gingham mills of England and Scotland, having visited the in- dustrial centers where they made personal ob- servations of conditions and methods. So it came about that by October, 1865, fifty-three power-loom weavers from England were on their way to Manchester, with transportation furnished, subject to certain conditions, and with provision made for their housing after arrival. They were the forerunners. Presuma- bly they were followed very shortly by friends and relatives who came unofficially, and 1868 and 1870 brought substantial contingents from Scotland. The Manchester Historical Associa- tion has in its possession letters of great interest as human documents: letters from the Glasgow employers, recommending the operatives for skill and ability; letters from clergymen attest- ing to their worth as individuals. For instance, communications like the following were typi- cal:
40 Abbotsford Place, Glasgow, 28th February, 1870
Mr. Mitchell Ward and his wife have been for many years members of my church, and I have much pleasure in bearing testimony to the thorough respectability of themselves and their family --
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I delight especially to be able to add that Mr. Ward takes a warm interest in the advancement of the religious good of others-especially the young. For several years he has acted as superintendent of our juvenile Sunday School.
James G. Stewart, Minister
The arrival of James Reid, master dyer from Glasgow, to assume responsibility for the entire dyeing department of the corporation, was an outstanding event of this period, since his skill and efficiency contributed inestimably to the success of the enterprise. The year 1881 brought from Glasgow another master dyer, Andrew Mungal, who, with his three sons, Robert, Samuel and Thomas, played important roles in the gingham industry.
But it was not Scotch and English only who answered the call of the expanding industry on the Merrimack. To the northward were the French-Canadians, a sturdy, reliable, intelligent race, and to this source also the mills turned for operatives. They came in great numbers, especially after 1870, and in the early 80's. After the completion of the McGregor bridge, there rose the foundations of the "town within a town", French-Canadian Notre Dame, over west of the river in the shadow of Rock Rim- mon. It is to be noted that the newcomers were not all tillers of the soil, ready to exchange
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their out-of-door pursuits for mill work, but also men of education and culture: teachers, clergymen, lawyers. They and their descend- ants have contributed substantially to the busi- ness and professional life of the community, and it is appropriate to note here that the Mayor at this writing-Hon. Josaphat Benoit- is sixth in a continuous line of French-Cana- dians to occupy the highest post in our city government.
The German race also was represented in the growth of the mills, notably in the rise of the gingham industry. Augustus Canis, born in Oelmetz, Germany, and emigrating to this country in the late 40's, had come to Man- chester in 1854 and been for a long period in charge of Amoskeag weaving. Soon after the inauguration of gingham manufacture, he was placed at the head of all weaving in this branch, and continued in this capacity until 1895. Other emigrants from Germany found places in the local mills and thriftily established neat and attractive homes in the community, largely on the west side of the river.
In the 80's, members of the Swedish race be- gan to find their way here in increasing num- bers, until by 1886 there were no less than six hundred. They, too, were loyal Americans, fitting readily into the city's life and interests.
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Thus did the "old countries" contribute valuable material, not only to the growing in- dustry down by the river, but to the city up over the hill, as well. For these newcomers brought not only skills to merge with the Yankee products of the loom but character to merge with the community life. Thus too, was another link forged binding the destinies of two continents.
There were other marks of expansion and development beside those connected with the manufacture of gingham. In 1869 the Blood Locomotive Works, that pioneer among the riverside plants, was enlarged by the erection of a new building on Hollis Street, and several other new mill buildings were added during these years. In 1871 a new dam was built to replace the antiquated masonry of 1837- 1840, the work being under the direction of Agent Ezekiel A. Straw. In 1879 the Amos- keag Company organized a fire department of its own. The 80's saw the beginnings of steam power for machinery; and in 1881 seven new tenement blocks were constructed to help solve the local housing problem created by the increasing mill population. Another important development of these years -again, the effect of mill-growth on town- growth-was the purchase by the Amoskeag
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Company of the area at the north end owned by the Manchester Driving Club, and its con- version into house lots. Within a short space of time this territory, once the site of the Army hospital and later the scene of exciting horse races, bloomed forth with attractive homes.
Prosperity reigned, surely, in the mills during these middle years: for the most part, peace also. The relationship between employers and operatives was generally harmonious, though the year 1886 brought what threatened to be a serious strike. It involved a question of a new schedule for wages, but within eighteen days, the differences were adjusted and the employees returned to work.
Private enterprise was busy during this period, and foundations were being laid for business organizations that were to become permanent, a veritable part of Manchester tradition. It was in 1874 that Roger G. Sullivan began to manufacture cigars in a little tobacco shop at 724 Elm Street. Here was the origin of the 7-20-4 cigar, famous throughout the country, a trade-name borrowed from the number on the door of the little factory on Manchester's growing main thoroughfare. It was in 1881 that William P. Goodman bought a little stationery store at number 5, Hanover Street, on the corner of Elm, and laid the
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foundation for New Hampshire's largest book- store, still carried on by his son William P. Goodman, Jr. His grandson is associated with the business and thus three generations of Goodmans have dispensed books in an estab- lishment that has never moved more than a few rods from its original site. The present propri- etor himself, William P. Goodman, Jr., has been selling books on Hanover Street for fifty years. The Palmer and Garmon Monument Works, still conducting a business was started in this period.
If you had been a Manchester householder in these middle years, you might have gone to John B. Varick's to replace a lost kitchen ham- mer or to buy tacks for the stair carpet. And you would have found them in a store founded in 1845 on the identical spot where one depart- ment of the present much-expanded Varick Company is carrying on its business today. You would have bought laces and ribbons at Weston & Hill's founded in 1870, forerunner of the present James W. Hill Store on the corner of Elm and Merrimack Streets, the firm having borne the Hill name since 1879 when James W. Hill became junior partner. In the block ex- tending southward from the corner of Elm and Hanover Streets there were three little shops catering to the needs of milady of the middle
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years. There was the "Howard Girls" store where she would find worsteds for her fancy work; Otis Barton's, where she might select dress-silks carefully chosen by Leslie M. Folsom, the buyer, later co-partner in Hardy and Fol- som's, and later still proprietor of "Folsom's". This Barton's was the ancestor of Manchester's largest department store of today, the Leavitt Company. And just beyond, there was "Piper's", carrying miscellaneous dry goods. Clarke and Estey's, the "Big 6", was up on Hanover Street, with Frank Fitts's, the "Little 5", close by. And George Clark's Bee Hive was a bit to the north on Elm Street. The George W. Dodge Shoe Company, still a flourishing concern, and Frederick C. Dow, could outfit a whole family with shoe gear, and Plummer and Holton provided haberdashery for men. The householder's heating problems might be taken care of by the firm of Pike and Heald, and the Manchester Heating and Lighting Company were the wholesale distributors of equipment and supplies in these departments. Edmund F. Higgins was proprietor of this firm which was preceded by the Higgins Brothers Furniture Store, and developed into the Man- chester Supply Company of today.
All sorts of delectables were available at the Tea Store which in contradiction to its title,
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perversely carried a huge coffee pot mounted above its door as a sign and a symbol of its function. It was said that before the coffee pot was elevated to its advertising heights, seven small boys were induced to test out its capacity, and that there was even room for an eighth could a sufficiently adventurous spirit have been located among the youngsters. After the seven small boys had scrambled out, the liquid ca- pacity of the receptacle was carefully measured, and found to be three-hundred-two gallons and three quarts. A guessing contest featured this fixing of the gigantic coffee pot in its place, and a barrel of sugar or twenty dollars in cash was offered to the person who might appraise its volume most accurately. J. S. Massek was re- ported as the winner, hazarding a guess of three- hundred-two and two-thirds gallons; but whether he chose the sugar or the money is not on record.
In 1869 the New Hampshire Fire Insurance Company was organized, the first stock insur- ance company in the state. The capital stock was two hundred thousand dollars, and the officers elected were as follows: President, Ezekiel A. Straw; Vice-president, James A. Weston; Secretary, Isaac W. Smith; Treasurer, George B. Chandler; General Agent, John C. French. In 1886 the company built for their
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own use the Elm Street office building a little to the south of City Hall, and occupied it until the erection of the present more commodious quarters on Hanover Street. In 1888 the picturesque reproduction of "the old man of the mountain" was adopted as the symbol and trade-mark of this company that now has rep- resentatives in every state in the union.
In the summer of 1886, announcement was made that Kimball Brothers were leasing a new plant in East Manchester, and that they would employ several hundred workers in the pro- duction of shoes. This branch of manufactur- ing has grown and expanded in the intervening years, until today Manchester may justly claim to be a "shoe city". Further developments of this industry will be recorded in the next chapter.
In 1882, the Granite State Telephone Com- pany was organized in Manchester, with three- hundred-seventy-five regular patrons. But it was several years earlier, in May 1877, that the city had its introduction to that novelty, the telephone. Curiosity and interest were wide- spread, and on the announced date of the "dem- onstration", a sizable crowd of people had gathered at Smyth Hall, where Mr. F. A. Gower was prepared to give a brief account of the theory and functioning of the instrument. The
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apparatus itself, on the platform of the hall, was connected with Boston and Lowell by wires of the Atlantic and Pacific Telegraph Company, and not only music but the human voice was distinctly heard. Governor Person C. Cheney and Ex-Governor Frederick Smyth both con- versed with Dr. Watson of Lowell, while the admiring and marveling public looked on. The first local telephone to be installed was a con- nection between Agent Straw's office and the Machine Shop, and the wiring was done by Edward Bryant, later manager of the com- munity's branch of the Bell Telephone Com- pany. Ex-Governor Smyth quickly availed himself of the new convenience, and his tele- phone, connecting his home and the First Na- tional Bank, was the second in use. The first president of the United States to speak over a telephone was President Hayes who was in- troduced to the instrument while guest of Ex- Governor Smyth. Thus, in 1877, did one of the wonders of the age, so soon to become a commonplace, find its way to Manchester.
It was an important quarter-century, that between the close of the Civil War and 1890. Huge mill expansion with lengthening pay- rolls and enlarged population fostered the de- velopment of private enterprises which laid
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their foundations in these years and paved the way for material progress. And, as we have noted, the less obvious but quite as important "parallel developments" were keeping pace. The outlook for Manchester, in 1890, was en- couraging.
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SEmeni
CITY OF MANCHESTER
GENERAL WILLIAM'S PALACE STREET CAR
Manchester's Mauve Decade
It is easy to assess the growth of a community, statistically; round numbers are satisfyingly tangible. For instance, the population of Man- chester in 1890 was forty-four thousand, one hundred and twenty-six. In 1900, it had in- creased to fifty-six thousand, nine hundred and eighty-seven. Progress and development are revealed in those figures, revealed also in the records of the mills, the city departments, the business establishments. But as to the signifi- cance of those figures and those records-the
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story is yet being unfolded. Manchester's mauve decade is still projecting its influence on Manchester the modern city. Permanent forces were sinking their roots deep in the soil of community life during that decade, and the flowering goes on abundantly.
Nature was not altogether kind in those years. In 1894 a hurricane vented its fury with devastating force on Massabesic Lake and its shores, where thunder, lightning and terrific winds went on a veritable rampage. Noah Reed's dance hall was lifted completely from its foundation, collapsing with a thundering crash. The more thickly-settled portions of the city came in for their share of destruction, when trees, telephone poles and tangled wires were strewn around the streets in wild confusion. Telephone service was almost completely dis- rupted.
The following year, 1895, pointed a reminder of what the river could do in one of its fierce and destructive moods when its usual calm cur- rent was transformed into the might of a mad torrent. The years 1851, 1853 and 1878 had produced floods, but the high-water mark of 1895 exceeded that of any previous flood, re- cording ten and two-tenths feet over the Amos- keag dam. Nine feet and six inches had been reported at the height of the freshet of 1878.
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The mills, dependent on the river's normal behavior, were badly thrown out of gear, their machinery and stock damaged, their basements flooded, their yards under water. The Jefferson Mill, because of its position, suffered most heavily, but nearly all were affected, with con- sequent disruption of working schedules for several days. The bridges were dangerously threatened, though none completely gave way, and there was general paralysis of railroad ser- vice both north and south.
The next year, 1896, produced a flood of even greater violence. On the evening of March 2, during a lashing snowstorm, the river reached a point eleven feet above the dam, thus break- ing all previous records. The bridge supporting the steam pipes leading from the Amoskeag boiler house on the west bank to the various plants on the east collapsed and was swept downstream. This was disaster indeed; coupled with the loss of the highway bridge connecting the various parts of mill property, it spelled complete paralysis for the whole corporation. Temporary repairs were begun at once, but production was suspended for a month.
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