USA > New Jersey > Morris County > Dover > Dover dates, 1722-1922 : a bicentennial history of Dover, New Jersey , published in connection with Dover's two hundredth anniversary celebration under the direction of the Dover fire department, August 9, 10, 11, 1922 > Part 22
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Lt. Col. R. W. Pinger. Jan. 5, 1919-Aug. 22, 1919. Lt. Col. F. H. Miles, Jr. Aug. 22, 1919-July 22, 1920. Lt. Col. E. M. Shinkle. July 22, 1920-Feb., 1921. Major F. H. Miles, Jr. Feb., 1921-Aug. 31, 1921. Major J. H. Pelot. Aug. 31, 1921-
The names of officers who have served at Picatinny Arsenal as assistants are as follows :
Major W. H. Tschappat Lieut. L. J. Ahern
Capt. D. C. Seagrave
Lieut. C. E. Patridge
Capt. T. L. Coles
Capt. C. T. Harris
Major J. C. Nicholls
Capt. J. B. Fidlar
Capt. J. H. Burns 1 Capt. G. R. Hartrick.
Lieut. F. G. Wallace
A partial list of the emergency officers who trained at Picatinny Arsenal is as follows :
Major A. L. Kibler Capt. J. A. Marshall
Capt. J. S. Bates
Capt. E. H. Davis
Capt. C. A. Tibbals Lieut. A. Given
Capt. G. R. Roe
Lieut. D. L. Rehlaender. 1 Capt. J. F. Cyphers
The activities of the Great War brought no extensive increased facilities or production to the Arsenal. On a broader plan, the knowl- edge gained was used in initiating production at points and under condi- tions favoring production on a larger scale. The facilities and labora- tories at the Arsenal were used to train novices in the arts of ammuni- tion production and in War Department methods. Thus the Arsenal became a Bureau of Standards for makers of ammunition.
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The Armistice found the Arsenal with no plans for the future: The imperative need of storage facilities for housing, first, the tre- mendous amounts of war material in this country, and, second, the equally large amounts returnable from abroad overshadowed all else. In helping to solve this problem Picatinny did more than its full share. No one associated with the Arsenal during the past three and one- half years will deny the herculean proportions of this task.
During this period of production inactivity, the peace time pro- gram for ammunition was worked out. Picatinny Arsenal was desig- nated as the ammunition Arsenal for the Army, and charged with the responsibility of keeping alive all the arts in connection with the production of ammunition. Work preparatory to carrying out of the program then outlined is now nearing completion.
To-day the Arsenal employees number about one thousand, nearly all of whom are drawn from the Dover-Wharton community. The office staff, with the exception of officers and technical men, is com- posed almost entirely of men and women who were educated in local institutions.
The following is a list of official personnel and their work:
Major J. H. Pelot-Commanding Officer.
Major H. C. Davis, Jr-Metal Components and Planning Divisions. Major J. Herbert Hunter-Explosives and Chemical Divisions. Capt. J. C. Vickery-Adjutant.
Capt. J. P. Harris-Loading and Service Divisions.
Capt. D. C. Hall-Ammunition School.
Lieut. M. H. Davis-Storage Division.
In the preparation of this synopsis, much information was obtained from the records in the Dover Library, various publications, the historical societies of New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. The files of Dr. George Lebaw, author of "The History of Preakness," and Mr. William Roome, who is in possession of the records of the original Middle Forge survey, were called on for dates and informa- tion.
ATLAS POWDER COMPANY
The Forcite Works of the Atlas Powder Co., of Wilmington, Del., had its beginning thirty-nine years ago. Its founders were mostly Belgians and Swedes, who July, 1883, on the Southern end of Lake Hopatcong, near Landing, N. J., began the construction of a plant which was known as the American Forcite Powder Manufacturing Company. Mr. Eisler was superintendent in charge of construction. The first employee was Mr. Charles Tice, who has remained continu- usly in the employ of the company. Mr. John Anthony Johnson, till employed at the works. and Mr. Lewis Brown, recently retired on pension, were also among the first employees. Mr. Eisler remained as uperintendent until April 1, 1884 when Mr. J. K. Sundstron was ppointed to that position. From that time up to the present the
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superintendency was held by a number of men. Their names and the terms of their office were as follows :
March, 1887 to Oct., 1887-Mr. A. W. Nibelins.
Oct., 1887 to Jan., 188-The late Mr. Gustaf Reinberg.
Jan., 1888 to April, 1892-Mr. J. B. Smith, of Succasunna, N. J.
Superintendent Smith was killed at the Forcite Works by the explosion of April 18, 1892.
April, 1892 to Jan., 1894-Mr. Bromaine.
Jan., 1894 to May, 1900-The late Mr. T. H. Johnson.
May, 1900 to May, 1906-Mr. Geo. E. Potts.
Mr. Potts resigned May 1, 1906.
May, 1906 to July, 1906-Mr. Chas. A. Patterson.
Mr. Patterson was transferred to one of the other works as Superintendent and was succeeded by :
July, 1906 to Dec., 1912-Mr. A. P. VanGelder.
Jan., 1913 to July, 1917-Mr. E. J. Riederer.
July, 1917 to Nov., 1917-Mr. J. T. Power.
Nov., 1917 to Nov., 1921-Mr. A. Nelson Chase.
Mr. Chase was transferred to another works of the company and Mr. J. B. Turner was appointed Superintendent.
A Mr. Sundholm appeared to have been the active head of the original plant until about 1890 when Mr. Clarence W. Markey obtained control of the stock of the company. In about 1900 the du Pont Com- pany obtained control and held it until December 31, 1912, when, due to a decree of the U. S. District Court, the du Pont Company was divided into three independent companies. The Forcite Works then passed into the hands of the Atlas Powder Company, one of the three new companies formed.
The probable reason for establishing the Forcite Works on the shores of Lake Hopatcong was no doubt due to the proximity to New York and the various iron and zinc mines in Morris and Sussex Counties. At that time the shores of Lake Hopatcong were very thinly populated. It had yet to become the summer resort it now is.
The first gelatin dynamite to be made in the United States was manufactured at the Forcite Works on April 2, 1884. The product was known as 75 per cent. gelatin. The formula for this explosive was worked out by a European concern and the American Forcite Powder Manufacturing Company was licensed to make it in America. At that time the gelatin dynamite was mixed in a copper bowl. Two men working with wooden paddles, mixed the ingredients by hand.
In 1895 dynamite was manufactured at Forcite. All of this was hand packed until August, 1900, when the hand Quinan Packing Machine was installed. This machine was replaced in 1908 by the Hall Packing Machine.
In 1917 Mr. Riederer was transferred to the General Office at Wilmington.
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In 1913 electric power was supplied throughout the plant. Pre- vious to that time compressed air and steam were the only forms of power used.
No raw materials for the manufacture of its products are obtained in the vicinity of the Forcite Works. Supplies must be obtained from many sources, some of them from foreign countries.
The class of labor required for the manufacture of explosives is probably above the average. It is endeavored, at all times, to obtain men who use the utmost care in following their vocation. Foremen are usually men who have been advanced from the "ranks." Super- intendents, Assistant Superintendents, Chemists and Supervisors are mostly professional men who have completed a college training, but there are numerous exceptions to this rule.
The Forcite Works has furnished explosives for many notable enterprises. Among the most important was the construction of the D., L. & W. "Cut-off" from Port Morris, N. J., through Blairstown to the Delaware River. Practically all the explosives used in this project were made at Forcite.
During the late war, Forcite Works made large quantities of sulphuric and nitric acids which were used in other industries making war materials. The main product was nitro-cotton for smokeless; powder manufacture. Large quantities of Nitrate of Ammonia were also made, and shipped to other points where it was mixed with T. N. T. and other ingredients for High Explosive Shells. At the close of the war, the plant was re-arranged to again manufacture only Nitro Glycerine and dynamite used in mines, quarries, etc., and nitric and sulphuric acids used in various industries.
In June, 1922, the Forcite Works employed one hundred and eleven men, nine of whom live in Dover. Mr. Marshall Sanders of Dover has been transferred to the Works at Wilmington, Delaware.
NAVAL AMMUNITION DEPOT, LAKE DENMARK, DOVER, N. J.
Th Naval Ammunition Depot, Lake Denmark, Dover, N. J., located in the township of Rockaway and near Lake Denmark, seven miles from the town of Dover, N. J., was established in 1891, and is under the cognizance of the Bureau of Ordnance, Navy Department. The original tract of land comprising this Depot was ceded by the War Department to the Navy Department in 1891 and comprised 315 acres. In 1902 two additional tracts of land containing 78.58 acres were purchased and by proclamation of the President of the United States, dated August 7, 1918, 671/2 acres of land were commandeered, making the present total acreage of this Depot 451.08.
The first appropriation of any large amount made by Congress for the development of the Depot was contained in the Naval Appro- priation Act of June 7, 1900, and from that date until the entrance of the United States into the World War in 1917 the growth of the Depot was steady. During 1917 and 1918 the storage capacity of this plant was more than doubled.
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This Depot is served by the Wharton and Northern Railroad and connecting lines, has its own interior system of railroad tracks, switches, locomotives, power, electric light and water systems. The principal activity of the Depot is the storage of Ammunition and Ammunition details for the Navy Department.
The classes of labor employed are the necessary clerical, mechan- ical, and common labor required to meet the demands of the Bureau of Ordnance in handling the material shipped to and from the Depot.
This Depot was originally under the jurisdiction of the Com- mandant, Navy Yard, League Island, Philadelphia, Pa., and later under the Commandant of the Navy Yard, New York. In 1910 the Lake Denmark Depot, together with the other Navy Ammunition Depots in the New York District were placed under the Command of the Inspector of Ordnance in Charge, Naval Ammunition Depot, Iona Island, N. Y., and in September, 1919, it became an independent activ- ity of the Third Naval District.
The present Inspector of Ordnance in Charge is Commander David Lyons, U. S. N., and the following officers have been in charge of the Depot at various times.
Commander J. B. Coghlan, U. S. N.
Gunner P. Lynch, U. S. N. Gunner G. Albro, U. S. N.
Chief Gunner C. Dugan, U. S. N. Lieutenant M. W. Gilmartin, U. S. N.
Gunner T. B. Watson, U. S. N.
Chief Gunner H. Johnsen, U. S. N.
Chief Gunner C. B. Babson, U. S. N.
Lieutenant H. Sinclair, U. S. N. Chief Gunner J. C. McDermott, U. S. N.
Lieutenant Samuel Chiles, U. S. N.
Chief Gunner W. J. Creelman, U. S. N.
IRON WORKS, MINES, PIG IRON, STEEL
IRON
ULSTER IRON WORKS, INC.
The Ulster Iron Works of Dover now occupy the site where iron works have been carried on, under changing proprietors, since 1745 or thereabouts. The first forge, built by John Jackson in 1722, has already been described in this book. Joseph Shotwell's purchase of 91 acres in 1745-the heart of Dover-has been mentioned. Iron works on the Rockaway River at that period have been referred to. Hence it seems safe to say that iron works have been carried on upon the present site of the Ulster Iron Works for about 175 years.
The succession has been traced in other parts of this book- Joseph Shotwell 1745, Robert Schooley, Joseph and Stephen Jackson
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1768, Beman 1757, Canfield & Losey 1792, Blackwell & McFarlan, 1817-1869. (See Dover History.)
An old map of 1825 shows that Dover at that date consisted chiefly of the iron works on the Rockaway of which Blackwell and McFarlan were then proprietors, having taken them over from Canfield and Losey in 1817. On this map different buildings are marked by the letters of the alphabet and explained in a key to the list, showing seven dwellings, blacksmith shop, carpenter shop, saw mill, coal (char- coal) house, new rolling mill, rolling and slitting mill, new iron house, chain proof, turning mill, cyder house, forge, another carpenter shop, wood house, new coal house, grindstone, another blacksmith shop, chain shop, another coal house, tavern, barn, chair house, store, school, steel furnace, stone buildings marked xx and frame buildings yy.
Henry McFarlan, Jr., closed the old iron works in 1869, retiring from active business, and sold the property in 1880 to the Dover Iron Company, organized by Judge Francis S. Lathrop, receiver of the Central Railroad, from stockholders of that railroad. (See the article on C. R. R. in this book.)
The Ulster Iron Works originated at Saugerties, Ulster County, New York. Building operations were commenced in 1825. In 1827 the Ulster Iron Works Company was formed with William Young, president. Various changes occurred in the control of the works dur- ing the next fifty years, in the course of which C. R. Mulligan and his brother William became associated with the business.
C. R. Mulligan retired from the firm in 1876 and in 1883 took the management of the Dover Iron Works at Dover, N. J. In 1884 the manufacture of Ulster Iron at Saugerties became unprofitable, owing to lack of railroad connection. The business was then trans- ferred to Dover, where the Dover Iron Works organized by Judge Lathrop had the advantage of the new branch of the Central R. R., recently constructed.
In 1903 C. R. Mulligan and his son, John Mulligan, bought the property of the Dover Iron Works from the stockholders, and changed the name of the concern to "Ulster Iron Works, Inc.," carrying on in Dover the manufacture of that special grade of iron long known fav- orably to the trade as "Ulster Iron" from Saugerties, N. Y.
During the Saugerties history John Simmons figured prominently in the early development and success of the Ulster Iron Works. To him has been ascribed the introduction of the Double Puddling Fur- nace as well as some other developments of furnace construction which are still employed in the manufacture of Ulster Iron. It is also claimed that puddling was first practiced in this country at the Saugerties Mill.
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At the present writing (1922) the firm is organized as follows : President, C. R. Mulligan ; Vice-President, John Mulligan ; Secretary- Treasurer, J. D. B. Vreeland; General Manager, Frank W. Hamilton. The output is marketed by Joseph T. Ryerson & Son, 30 Church St., New York.
The works employ, when running to capacity, about 450 men, con- sisting of puddlers and puddlers' helpers, heaters and helpers, rollers and roll hands, and ordinary laborers.
The business depends upon the prosperity and general conditions of the railroads, the prospects being fair at the present time for a revival of activity.
The process employed at these works consists of the conversion of pig-iron (cast iron) into wrought iron by means of puddling fur- naces and the 'subsequent rolling of the material into merchant bars.
The principal raw materials used are pig iron from Pennsylvania and New Jersey blast furnaces, charcoal pig-iron from the Lake Superior district, ore for fettling from mines of Witherbee, Sherman & Co., Port Henry, N. Y., and bituminous coal from Pennsylvania coal mines.
The equipment consists of double puddling furnaces, heating furnaces and roll trains of the type usually employed in this line of business.
The products are Ulster special locomotive staybolt iron and Ulster engine bolt iron. Only pig iron of the gray forge grade is used and no scrap whatever is charged into the puddling furnaces.
Extensive additions to the original plant of the Ulster Iron Works have been made in recent years, at some distance further north on the Rockaway River. A description of these additions and improve- ments was published in the Iron Trade Review of March 13, 1919, from which the following abstract is taken.
Expansion of the merchant bar iron industry in the eastern states has proceeded very slowly during the past few decades. Few of the plants devoted to this product reflect any marked improvements or extensions. Most of them have been in existence for many years and the methods and the equipment in use have not been affected noticeably by the passing time. In view of this situation the erection of a new and modern puddling mill by the Ulster Iron Works, Dover, N. J., looms up as the most important recent development in the progress. of this industry in the East. The company will have a capacity of from 80 to 100 tons in 24 hours, or more than double its best previous output when the new mill is in operation. Its old plant has eleven double puddling furnaces. The new plant now contains eleven com- plete double puddling furnaces and space is provided for a second group of eleven furnaces, for which the brick and other materials are now at hand. Ultimately the puddling capacity of the entire works will be 125 to 150 tons daily.
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The new plant in its entirety was laid out in accordance with ideas advanced by John Mulligan, working in conjunction with the T. W. Price Engineering Company, Woolworth Building, New York City. The latter interest had charge of designing a large portion of the work, and also the superintendence of construction and contracts.
In the new plant are to be found all the devices which ingenuity may suggest for the saving of time and labor, such as a monorail system, two overhead conveyors, a magnet crane for unloading pig iron from incoming cars.
Consideration for comfortable working conditions for the men has been one of the dominating factors determining the design of the new plant. The sides of the building can be opened in hot weather and the rolling of the hot iron is done away from the vicinity of the puddling furnace standings.
The power used in the Ulster Iron Works is mostly steam, although there is electric connection for certain purposes.
DOVER BOILER WORKS
The Dover Boiler Works was started in 1874 by Foster F. Birch, for many years a well-known citizen of Dover and father of the present owner, William F. Birch.
It originally occupied a small rented building on the premises of the Ulster Iron Works; later moving to the old school house at the foot of Morris street, this site now being occupied by Mr. Heller as a wholesale grocery warehouse. From a small repair shop only doing hand repair work, and having only one or two men, the plant has grown until at present it is the largest and best equipped con- tract Plate Work Shop in the New York District and possibly the entire East.
The work manufactured consists of a general line of steel plate work, such as, tanks for all purposes, stacks, flues, flumes, stills, dryers, coal bins, ash hoppers, etc. These are made of steel plate and shapes such as angles, I-beams, channels, rounds, squares, rivets, bolts, cast- ings, etc., etc.
These materials are secured from the large steel mills, such as, Bethlehem Steel Company, Bethlehem, Pa .; Midvale Steel Company, of Johnstown, Coatesville and Philadelphia ; Lukens Steel Company of Coatesville, Pa .; Worth Steel Company of Claymont, Del .; Central Iron and Steel Company of Harrisburg, Pa .; The Phoenix Iron Com- pany of Phoenixville, Pa., etc. Practically all of this steel is made from ore coming from the famous Messaba Range in the Lake Superior district.
The output of the Dover Boiler Works goes all over the United States and practically all over the world.
The most famous buildings in the United States have Dover Boiler Works equipment in them. The Woolworth Building in New York City, the highest in the world, has the stack and also the tanks made by the Dover Boiler Works.
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The Equitable Building, the largest building in the world, has the stack built by the Dover Boiler Works. This stack is II feet in diameter and 640 feet high.
On the Pacific Coast, in Seattle, Washington, the L. C. Smith Building, which is 40 stories high and the highest on the West Coast, has a Dover stack in it.
Troubled Mexico has a great deal of Dover equipment in its oil refineries, mines and plantations.
Porto Rico, Cuba and the West Indies have many Dover installa- tions helping to operate sugar plantations, oil refineries and asphalt plants.
South America is dotted with equipment from Dover. In the silver mines of Peru, among the peaks of the Andes, in Brazil and the Argentine, Dover helps to recover silver, produce electric current, operate abattoirs and other enterprises.
In distant India the most modern of blast furnaces are partly Dover equipment.
Far away China has several installations for handling and refin- ing Soya Bean Oil. It also has modern cotton mills, some of which are operated by Dover equipment.
In Penang there are cement mills with equipment from Dover.
In the Philippines are several sugar plantations, cocoanut oil sta- tions, etc., with materials from Dover.
Snowy Siberia has also some Dover equipment in its gold mines.
Norway produces aluminum in large quantities and Dover appar- atus is helping to do it.
In Old England, in Sunny France, in Africa and in practically the whole world, equipment manufactured by the Dover Boiler Works helps to do the world's work.
The Dover Boiler Works is owned by Mr. William F. Birch, who is also the General Manager. The products of the Works are sold from three offices, viz: One in Dover, New Jersey, with Mr. J. V. Loughlin in charge; one in New York City with Mr. Walter Goldsworthy in charge; one in Philadelphia, Pa., with Mr. Henry F. Vache in charge.
Dover is an excellent location for a works of this character. Being only 38 miles from New York City, it is easily and quickly reached by freight; but, if necessary, work is trucked to its destination, thus avoiding freight delays.
About one hundred and fifty persons are employed, including engi- neers, bookkeepers, stenographers, clerks, boilermakers, machinists, blacksmiths, welders, flangers, pipe-fitters, patternmakers, electricians, handymen and laborers.
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THE McKIERNAN-TERRY DRILL COMPANY DOVER N. J.
Mr. Samuel G. McKiernan, a contractor of Paterson, N. J., along about 1890 developed a rock drill of what is now commonly known as the tripod type. At the same time Mr. Gustave Reinberg, associated with the Atlantic Dynamite Co., was furnishing Mr. McKiernan with powder on his contracting work, and a friendship grew out of this business association which later brought the two together as partners. McKiernan at that time had his drills manufactured in Paterson and Mr. Reinberg undertook their exploitation in the territory which he was traveling for the Powder Co.
The business prospered and in 1895 a corporation was formed known as the McKiernan Drill Co. To increase the market for the McKiernan drill, an air compressor was manufactured for the new company by the Lambert Hoisting Engine Co. of Newark. The busi- ness continued to grow to such an extent that in October, 1900, a piece of property was purchased on Richards avenue, Dover, N. J., where its plant was established and which it has occupied up to the present time.
At about the time the Dover property was acquired there began to be an occasional demand for pile hammers for driving wooden sheet- ing in trenching operations. This device was an adaptation of the standard rock drill which the company was building.
The McKiernan drill became well and favorably known among mines in the regions about Dover and for a number of years was stand- ard equipment with them. Several large quarry companies in the Hud- son River valley also became converts to McKiernan apparatus, so with the growing trade, new machinery was installed in the factory and the facilities for production largely increased.
In 1910 the McKiernan Drill Co. absorbed The Terry Core Drill Co., the latter organization being manufacturers of a core drill for exploratory work which had gained a considerable reputation at home and abroad. With the consolidation there came into the organization a new personnel, and with the exception of Mr. Gustave Reinberg, who died in 1915, the same official organization is still in charge of the enterprise.
In mechanical lines styles change as well as they do in other industries, and so in 1910 there was a departure from the conventional type of drilling equipment and the introduction of what is now com- monly known as the "one man" drill. At the same time there came about an increased demand for pile-driving equipment incident to the exploitation of steel sheet piling, which was introduced into the market by some of the large steel manufacturers. The growing business in this line made necessary the development of very much larger pile hammers than the Company had made before. For the successful use of steel sheet piling it was necessary to have a reliable pile-driving
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