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 23
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hammer, and so it can readily be seen that the success of one depended largely upon the other, and so it follows that with the introduction of steel sheet piling throughout this country and in foreign lands, the pile hammer followed as a companion to it.
Other articles of manufacture are lifting jacks, known in the trade as the "Doughboy Jack," a name to which it is justly entitled as it represents a development far ahead of anything of its kind hereto- fore made. Drills, of course, are one of the standard products and, like any household tool, are too well known to warrant describing.
The addition of a large building during the war period increased the capacity of the plant and with improved business conditions, the. company will have accommodation for an increased volume of trade: which in the future will inure to the benefit of the community.
To-day McKiernan-Terry products are a familiar name in every country throughout the world, its pile-driving apparatus in particular being standard not only with all large engineering and construction firms in the United States, but also in all other countries in the world where pile-driving of any kind is done.
During the world war McKiernan-Terry Pile Hammers played their part. They drove practically all of the piling, several miles in extent, for the new harbor at Richboro, England, from which point: the British shipped the bulk of their supplies and troops to France. This was what was known as "The Netted Way."
Their use in English dock-yards and for artillery foundations and building foundations, was another place where they figured conspicuously.
In France the French engineers used them at the front for driving piles for the emplacement of guns. They also came into use when temporary bridges were erected and their speedy work was greater than would have been possible had the engineers been obliged to resort. to the old type of drop hammer.
At the conclusion of the war the French engineers made special mention of McKiernan-Terry pile hammers in a report which they submitted to this Government.
In our own country, this apparatus played its part in the war period at such places as the great shipyard at Hog Island and other large ones 'in the South and on the Pacific Coast, at some of the cantonments, quartermasters' terminals, and in many other important and necessary projects of the time.
As a peace-time device, it has played an equally important part in the construction of great engineering enterprises throughout the world.
In the building of subways in the United States it has predomin- ated. It has played an important part in similar work in Paris, Buenos Aires, and Tokyo.
In the building of dams the call for McKiernan-Terry pile ham- mers has come from many large cities in India, South Africa, Siam,
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on the Murray River in Australia, and such other remote corners as New Zealand.
In the building of highways for transportation, Nome and Fair- banks, Alaska, join hands with Cape Town. Through the Strait Set- tlements into the Jungles of Java, in fact. there is scarcely any place in the world where any important engineering operation has been performed, that McKiernan-Terry pile hammers have not followed in the wake of the engineer.
Mr. T. E. Sturtevant, long a resident of Rockaway, N. J., has been associated with the company since 1900. To his effort is attrib- uted the development of the various lines which the company is now manufacturing. Mr. Sturtevant was in charge of the plant for a number of years and also served as an officer of the company. Later on he became the company's Chief Engineer, which position he still occupies, as well as that of Treasurer. He is the only one of the orig- inal McKiernan Drill Co. officials, who is still active in the organiza- tion.
Mr. A. W. Buttenheim, President, came into the organization with The Terry Core Drill Co. in 1910. Mr. Buttenheim is Vice-Presi- dent of The Frederick Snare Corp., a large and successful engineering and contracting concern in New York. Despite his many duties inci- dent to that business, he has been able to give valuable time and atten- tion to the interests of the McKiernan-Terry Drill Co.
Mr. Buttenheim's brother, Lester H. Buttenheim, from 1910 until 192I was attached to the sales organization of the company in New York City, since when he has become Vice-President and Super- intendent of the Dover Works.
Mr. Charles S. Ackley, Secretary, with headquarters in New York, and also a Terry Core Drill officer, has been in charge of sales since 1910.
After Mr. L. H. Buttenheim left the selling organization to assume his duties in Dover, his place was filled in the New York office by Mr. Earle R. Evans, who is also Assistant Secretary and Assistant Treasurer of the Company.
A word with reference to the employees of the organization may not be amiss. Many of those who started with the company at its Dover plant in 1900, are still members of the organization. Sev- eral have never had employment in any other concern and have grown up and developed there as skilled artisans. Practically 90 per cent. of the factory employees are skilled workmen, such as tool makers, pattern makers, blacksmiths, machinists, draftsmen, etc. By reason of the depressed condition in business, the number of employees at the present is only about one-half of those engaged in normal times. It is expected, though, that with a betterment in trade conditions, both foreign and domestic the number of employees will be much larger than at any time in the past. The handiwork of these crafts- men has been attested by mechanical critics both in this country and abroad. This, in itself, is a commentary on a few of Dover's citizens in which the town should take pride.
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The fact that many of the company's employees have seen service' for two decades, is proof of the fairness of the company's manage- ment toward them. Many of the workers are stockholders in the company and it has been a policy of the management to interest all those who are able to do so in the purchase of its shares in order that they may feel that they haye a real interest in the success and prosperity of the McKiernan-Terry Drill Co., and as a safe invest- ment for their savings.
After twenty years of persistent work and the advertising of its. product, there is no longer any doubt in the minds of a prospective buyer as to where the factory of the McKiernan-Terry Drill Co. is located.
Unfortunately the business has suffered in common with all others during the post-war adjustment. The peak of prosperity cul- minated with 1920, since when business dropped to a point comparable with that of 1914. At present there are strong indications of a better business tone and, strange though it may seem, the export business has taken a new turn and a substantial portion of the output is now going to foreign fields.
There are but three manufacturers in the United States of equip- ment of the type made by the McKiernan-Terry Drill Co. and as they have no foreign competitor worthy of mention, the export market is not only large, but is just beginning to grow.
The growth of the business bears a close relationship to the product which was built in 1900 and that of the present day. Take, for instance, the pile hammer line: In 1900 a large McKiernan pile hammer weighed but 145 lbs .; to-day it is not uncommon to find a McKiernan-Terry hammer that weighs 13,000 lbs. at work either around New York City, London, or in some far-off corner of Asia.
The company extends credit for assistance rendered by many of Dover's citizens and business organizations who have helped to develop a growing industry in which it is believed this community must take a just pride.
THE DOWNS-SLATER IRON FOUNDRY, INC.
Founded 1911, by John W. Downs and Walter Slater. Located at the old Washington Forge, Wharton, N. J. Removed to Dover, to a new foundry on Salem street, in September, 1916, for the convenience of customers and better railroad facilities. .
The firm consists of John W. Downs, President; Walter Slater, Secretary and Treasurer ; Charles M. Downs, Vice-President. These are the officers and sole owners.
The company employs eleven molders, one coremaker, two pattern- makers, one carpenter, one stenographer, one cupola-tender, four lab- orers.
The raw materials used by the foundry consist of wood from Dover,
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sand from Pennsylvania, pig iron from Pennsylvania and New Jersey, coke from New Jersey, flour and linseed oil from Dover.
The foundry turns out iron grey castings and general jobbing work for Dover and vicinity, doing practically all the work of this kind that they require.
The power employed is electricity. The equipment of our pattern shop is as good as any between Dover and Newark.
Transportation of products is by trucks, Central R. R., and Lacka- wanna R. R.
Business is improving and growing. This is the only foundry doing general work in Dover.
THE FROG AND SWITCH SHOP
The Frog and Switch Shop of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Company is located at East Dover, N. J.
At this plant all maintenance of way material such as frogs, cross- ings, switches, switch stands, etc., are manufactured. In addition to this: a large amount of metal fence, push cars and hand cars are manufactured and gasoline motor cars are repaired and also a large amount of miscel- laneous other work is turned out at this plant, such as repairs to track and tools. All new track tools for the entire Lackawanna System are distributed from the store-house in connection with the plant. This industry was moved to Dover in 1912 from Kingston, Pa., where it was operated from 1899 to 1912.
The raw material used at this plant consists of steel rail of sections: to correspond with the sections in main track of this company. It is: furnished by the different rail mills in the Eastern District. In addi- tion to this, a large quantity of bar iron and mild steel is used in the: manufacture of frogs, crossings, and switches.
The product from this plant is shipped to every point on the Dela- ware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, this being the only mainten- ance shop of its kind on the system; and, in fact, there is no other plant of its kind on any other railroad so extensively engaged in the manufac- ture of track material.
The machinery is largely of special type, in that machine tools used for this class of work must necessarily be very rigid and powerful.
This machinery is purchased from time to time and the machines now in use in this plant came from practically all parts of the country.
The location of this shop is particularly advantageous to the Dela- ware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, for the reason that the larger portion of its output is used on the Eastern end of the road.
The plant is in the Engineering Department, Mr. A. J. Neafie, Principal Assistant Engineer, being in direct charge of this plant, to- gether with everything pertaining to maintenance of way. The super- visory officer in charge of the plant proper is Mr. C. B. French. The other employees consist of six office men, nine blacksmiths, 22 machin- ists, 35 helpers to mechanics, and five apprentices, making a total of 100 employees who are steadily employed the year round.
The yearly payroll at this shop, for 1921, was something in excess
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of $140,000.00. During the year 1921, this industry handled material shipments, including track tools and other product, worth something over $725,000.00.
Close to the shops are located two hot-houses for growing plants to be placed in the station grounds along the line of the road. Between 48,000 and 50,000 plants are used per annum.
There is also a concrete post manufacturing plant, where concrete posts for use along the right of way are manufactured. At the present time it is turning out approximately 240 posts per day.
C. B. FRENCH, General Shop Foreman.
IRON MINES-PIG IRON-STEEL
RICHARD MINE
The Richard Mine, owned by The Thomas Iron Company, is located in Rockaway Township. The property was purchased by the present owner on October 30, 1856, and has been in continuous opera- tion since 1857. The total production during this period is approxi- mately 3,500,000 tons of magnetic iron ore, all of which was shipped to the furnaces of The Thomas Iron Company. During the past few months the concentrating mill has been modernized under the direction of Roche & Stoddard, Consulting Engineers. Upon its completion in the near future it will be as modern as any concentating mill in the United States.
In 1918 the adjoining Allen and Teabo Mines, owned by Wharton Steel Company, were purchased. Such ore as is found in this property will be mined and milled through the plant on the Richard property.
NOTE :- This is that mine that Richard B. Faesch advertised for sale or rent, in 1816, described as lying in the Township of Pequan- nock, near Mt. Pleasant, adding that "a new whim has lately been erected for the purpose of raising the ore with a horse." John Jacob Faesch, of Revolutionary times, named this mine after his son, Rich- ard .- ED.
THE REPLOGLE STEEL COMPANY
REPLOGLE STEEL COMPANY :- Successors to the Wharton Steel Company, organized and incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware, October 30th, 1919. HOME OFFICE :- Furnace avenue, Wharton, New Jersey. LOCATION OF PLANT :- Wharton, New Jersey. OFFICERS :-
Chairman of Board, J. Leonard Replogle President, Leonard Peckitt Vice-President, Charles M. MacNeill
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Vice-President, Lewis P. Ross
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Secretary and Treasurer, S. H. Bell
Assistant Secretary and Treasurer, E. F. Nickerson Auditor, L. R. Dohm
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FURNACE PLANT :- The furnace plant consists of two blast fur- naces including all necessary auxiliary equipment for economical operation.
POWER USED :- Steam and electricity.
PRODUCT :- The product consists of pig iron only.
VARIETIES :- The various grades of pig iron produced are : Basic, Bessemer, Forge, Foundry, Malleable.
TRANSPORTATION :- The plant has excellent railroad facilities, being served by the Central Railroad of New Jersey, Delaware, Lackawanna and Western and Wharton and Northern Railroad Companies.
OPERATIONS :- At the present time only one furnace is being oper- ated.
MINING PROPERTY :- In addition to the furnace plant, the com- pany operates a well-developed mine at Replogle Village (Scrub Oak), within two miles of the plant itself. Mining operations are not being conducted at the present time.
WHARTON STEEL COMPANY :- Wharton Steel Company, of which Replogle Steel Company are successors, was organized and incorporated under the laws of the State of New Jersey, Novem- ber 8th, 1907.
OFFICERS :- The officers elected at the first meeting of the directors after incorporation were:
President, Joseph Wharton
Secretary, Harry C. Wenner
Vice-President, J. Bertram Lippincott Treasurer, Harrison S. Morris
The Jerseyman of August 26, 1922, states that the Replogle Steel Company, which increased its holdings this spring by the purchase of the Empire Steel and Iron Company, is now employing 1,000 persons.
The history of the company prior to the incorporation of the Whar- ton Steel Company involves that of the Port Oram Iron Company, New Jersey Iron Mining Company and several lesser mining and blast fur- nace operations, all of which were purchased at different times by Joseph Wharton and finally lost their identity through incorporation as Wharton Steel Company.
THE WHARTON AND NORTHERN RAILROAD
The Replogle Company operates the Wharton and Northern Rail- road, which is a common carrier, having 231/2 miles of main track extending from Wharton to Green Pond Junction, N. J. This road serves the army and navy arsenal at Picatinny and also has an extensive cross-over business in raw material with three important lines. It con- nects at Wharton with the D., L. & W. Railroad, at Wharton and Lake Junction with the Central Railroad of New Jersey, and at Green Pond Junction with the Erie Railroad. There is also a trackage agreement with the Central Railroad of New Jersey for the operation of trains between Lake Junction and Hopatcong Junction and in this way the blast furnaces are connected with the Replogle mine.
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THE NORTH JERSEY STEEL COMPANY
I. Name and Location: North Jersey Steel Company, incorpo- rated June 29, 1920, under the laws of New Jersey. The only plant in operation at present is the Beach Glen Mine, located two miles north of Rockaway, N. J. The business office of the company is in Dover, in the National Union Bank Building.
2. Officers: H. M. Roche, President and Manager ; H. P. Hen- derson, Vice-President and Consulting Engineer; W. E. Shaw, Jr., Secretary ; E. Chegwidden, Assistant Treasurer; J. C. Stoddard, Chief Mining Engineer.
3. Number of employees ranges from 100 to 300, depending upon the demand for ore. Class of labor includes Americans, Italians, Span- iards, Russians and Slavonians. Principal number of men are employed underground and are Russians, Slavonians and Spaniards.
4. At the present time the average wage paid per man is $3.50 per eight-hour day.
5. Value of year's output depends upon business conditions. Average price of iron ore f. o. b. Mines for the past ten years and prior to the war was $3.50 per ton ; a price of $4.50 per ton may be expected at the present time. The output of the mine will range from 50,000 tons as a minimum to 250,000 tons per years as a maximum. As a by- product crushed stone and sand are produced from milling operations,. and at the present time the selling price f. o. b. Mines is $1.25 per ton for crushed rock and $0.80 per ton for the sand size. The tonnage of crushed rock will vary from 25,000 to 100,000 tons per annum, and the production of the sand size will vary from 50,000 to 150,000 tons per annum.
6. A great variety of machinery, of course, is used in mining and concentrating iron ores. The principal manufacturers of mining machin- ery are: Ingersoll-Rand Co., Sullivan Machinery Co., Denver Rock Drill Co., and the Chicago Pneumatic Tool Co. The principal manu- facturers of milling machinery are: Traylor Engineering & Mfg. Co., Stephens-Adamson Mfg. Co., and Dings Magnetic Separator Co.
7. The product of this company at present is a Bessemer ore run- ning 60 per cent. in iron and 0.03 per cent. phosphorus. As by-products crushed rock of various sizes and sand are produced.
8. Concentrated iron ore is sold to a number of blast furnaces in Eastern Pennsylvania, while the crushed rock and sand are disposed of throughout Northern New Jersey to contractors.
9. At the Beach Glen Mine electric power is used, purchased from. The New Jersey Power & Light Co., at Dover.
IO. Re-opening of old mines in Northern New Jersey should be- of special interest to people of Dover, as Dover is the center of the iron ore district in the northern part of the State, and should a number of the old mines be re-opened, Dover perhaps would benefit more than any other town. The application of better mining methods and the very considerable advance in the art of concentrating iron ores has made it possible to re-open many of the old mines in the vicinity of Dover- and operate them with a very considerable profit.
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DEVELOPING NORTH JERSEY IRON ORES By E. C. Kreutzberg REAL DEVELOPMENT WORK BEGAN IN 1912
Iron ore mines in New Jersey were first worked in 1710 and from that time to 1912 mining continued on a more or less intermittent scale with practically no change in methods and without the use of adequate equipment. Blast furnace men have long known of New Jersey iron ores, but it is only since 1912 that the value of these ores and their extent has been fully realized. In the last two years the importance of these ores to eastern blast furnaces has become pro- nounced, the change being due not only to the increased freight rates on Lake Superior ores but also on account of the fact that a consider- able advance in the art of concentrating the iron ores has been made. The concentrated ores are now much more desirable, from the furnace- man's point of view, than formerly.
Since pre-revolutionary days New Jersey has been noted for its iron mines, although from 1883 to 1912 production declined, owing to the influx of cheap western ores to eastern furnaces. Since 1912 the situation has changed decidedly, as New Jersey concentrated iron ores: now can be delivered to eastern furnaces at a considerably lower cost than western ores, on account of the introduction of new methods in mining Jersey ore deposits and on account of the development of mag- netic ore concentration to a high state of efficiency. Another important factor that helped to revive Jersey iron mining is the very large increase in the cost of transporting Lake Superior ores to eastern districts. Quite recently two of the old New Jersey mines have been reopened, one of these being the Beach Glen mine. The Beach Glen iron ore property, near Rockaway, N. J., was taken over by the North Jersey Steel Co., July 1, 1920, and ore shipments from the mine com- menced January 1, 1921. Diamond drilling disclosed four ore shoots. The property is estimated to contain 10,500,000 tons of crude ore as follows: One million five hundred thousands tons copper free, low phosphorous ore ; 3,000,000 tons bessemer ore and 6,000,000 tons non- bessemer ore.
LOCATION OF PROPERTY
The Beach Glen property is located two miles north of the town of Rockaway, in Morris County, New Jersey. The mine is thirty-eight miles northwest of New York harbor and is in the center of the iron ore region of the New Jersey highlands. The Hibernia branch of the Central Railroad of New Jersey passes within 1,000 feet of the plant at the mine and rail connection is made through a switch 2,000 feet long. The Beach Glen mine property, controlled by the North Jersey Steel Company, is 1.4 miles long by o.6-mile wide and contains approxi- mately 500 acres. The ore shoots extend entirely through the property in the direction of its longitudinal axis. Beach Glen is one mile southeast of the Hibernia mine and the strike of the Beach Glen ore is parallel with the strike of the Hibernia shoots. In the same district is the Mt. Hope mine, owned by the Empire Steel & Iron Company ; the Richard mine, owned by the Thomas Iron Co., and the Replogle mine owned by the Wharton Steel Company.
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HISTORY OF BEACH GLEN MINE
It is probable that this mine was first operated about 1760 as in that year there was a charcoal forge built at Beach Glen on the borders of Beach Glen pond and within 200 feet of where the main Beach Glen ore shoot outcropped. This forge continued in operation for many years and was dismantled in 1854. The first mining work of record was in 1808 when the surface was stripped and the ore excavated for a depth of a few feet. It is not known how long work continued at that time but the place was shortly after abandoned and was reopened in 1851. At that time the ore was taken from two shafts one on the southwest edge of the hill and the other 400 feet farther northeast, both openings being made on the same ore shoot. There is no record as to whether or not the mine was worked continuously from 1851 to 1868, but in the latter year it was operated and continued in operation until 1875 when work was again stopped. The mine was reopened in 1879 and ore taken from two ore shoots. The mine then closed down in September, 1885, and was reopened in 1896, being operated continu- ously up to 1900. In 1901 the mine was reopened and a three-com- partment shaft was sunk to a depth of 460 feet. The shaft was in ore all the way and ore also was hoisted from small stopes through this shaft. In 1903 the mine closed down and had not been worked up to July, 1920, when the North Jersey Steel Company took over the property.
The early work at the mine was mostly confined to the western- most ore shoot from which a bessemer grade of ore was produced. The total production of this mine up to 1920 was approximately 200,000 tons. The mine was formerly worked at periods of good times and when the price of iron ores was high. As is the case at all New Jersey mines, the ores must be concentrated before shipment to furnaces and in the early days the only method by which these ores were prepared for market was by hand-cobbing. The early miners had practically no machinery and as long as activities were confined to hand-drilling and hand-cobbing, the mines could only be worked when the price of ore was extremely high. In recent years, however, conditions have changed so that New Jersey iron ores now may be mined, prepared for market and delivered to consuming furnaces in eastern Pennsylvania at a lower cost than iron ores from any other source.
Leonard Peckitt, president of the Empire Steel & Iron Co., prob- ably was the first to realize the importance of modernizing operations at the New Jersey mines. The Empire Steel & Iron Co. had operated the Mount Hope and Oxford mines from 1899 to 1912 by practically the same methods that had been used for the past 100 years. In 1912, Mr. Peckitt employed Wilkens & Devereaux, of New York, as con- sulting mining engineers for the Mount Hope and Oxford mines. He agreed to a scheme presented by the engineers for modernizing the mine at an expenditure of several hundred thousand dollars. H. M. Roche, now president of the North Jersey Steel Co., was given active
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