History of Essex and Hudson counties, New Jersey, Vol. II, Part 119

Author: Shaw, William H
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: [United States :]
Number of Pages: 830

USA > New Jersey > Hudson County > History of Essex and Hudson counties, New Jersey, Vol. II > Part 119
USA > New Jersey > Essex County > History of Essex and Hudson counties, New Jersey, Vol. II > Part 119

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Jonas Lodge

1157

JERSEY CITY.

Always busy and chergetic, he received from the Associates a grant of the block of ground where the Pennsylvania Railroad depot is now built and com. menced the erection of a large wind-mill about one hundred feet east of the present line of tireene Street, which he completed about the year 1515. Mr. Edge imported the mill-stones and machinery, and for years the mill maintained its reputation for the supe- rior quality of its flour and meal. The great Septem- ber gale in 1821 almost destroyed the mill and seriously damaged the bulkheads, so that Mr. Edge was almost ruined financially, but he restored and improved the mill with iron fans, and it worked till 1839. To make place for the railroad track, it was removed to Southhold, L. I., where it remained until within a few years. A fire finished the work of the mill, and left its reputation to tradition. For years Edge's mill served as a landmark for those approach- ing New York by the river or from the sea, and it is yet remembered as a distinguishing feature of the landscape at that time by many now living, who would hardly feel complimented if elassed among the oldest inhabitants. Mr. Edge lost his wife, formerly Frances Ogden, to whom he was married in Chester- field, England, and by whom he had eight children, six living at her death. She died in 1839 at the age of sixty-two years. After the death of his wife Mr. Edge was not engaged in active business. Ilc was a great reader and independent thinker, and having an extraordinary memory as a controversial- ist, he was held in high respect among his neighbors and friends.

Jersey ('ity had grown from a hamlet with a few scattered houses to a large, Hourishing city. The rail- car had supplanted the stage-coach, and the steamer the easy-going sailing-vessel. It took Mr. Edge thirteen weeks to eross the oecan, a journey he lived to see a C'unarder perform to Jersey City in eleven days.

For years Mr. Edge passed a quiet, retired life sur- rounded by his family. His sons Isaac and Joseph were married, and each had brought up a large family ; and his daughter Alice had married James Flemming ; so, surrounded by his children and grand- children, Mr. Edge passed the closing years of his life. and on the 7th day of July, 1851, he died at Jersey t'ity. after a continuous residence there of nearly fifty years. Ile left surviving him his sons Isaac, Benjamin, Wash- ington and Joseph, and his daughters Alice Flemming and Elizabeth Edge, all of whom are now dead except Miss Elizabeth Edge, who is still living in Jersey City a quiet life illumined by unobtrusive charities.

Previous to 1839 the manufacturing industries seem to have been limited to two or three indi- viduals, of whom Isaac Edge, proprietor of the wind- mill, was one, and Peter Sandford another. At that time Jersey City had next to no transportation facili- ties, and nothing to induce capitalists to invest in the manufacture of anything more than for home con-

sumption. All the products of Edge's mill were win- sumed ly the few denizens of the "Hoeck, ' und San lord's bridge, and dock business, that had been established ten years earlier (1529), was not known outside of oll Bergen County. But upon the advent of the New Jersey Railroad and the Morris and Essex Canal new life was given to the "sandhills ' of the loeck yet it was not until 1s40 to 1548 that manufacturing enterprises, beyond the old pioners, seem to have taken root in the sandy and marshy grounds of what is now the second city of the State, both as to population and industries.

One after another the railroad-, the great populat- ing agencies of the country, began to make the " Hoeck" their terminus ; and in 1848 we find 'hat both pop ilation and manufacturing industries had increased more than five hundred per cent. since 1.29, the date at which Sandford established his works. At present there are a large number of manufacturing establishments of all grades of the various branches of industries, of which we herewith give a few of the leading ones.

Manufacturing Establishments. - LORILLAJU'S SNUFF AND TOBACCO MANU FACTORY .- One of the oldest business houses in the country, and the largest manufacturing establishment on the Western Hemis- phere, is that of the well-known firm of P. Lorillard & ( o. It was founded in 1760 as a snuff-factory, and through the long period of over one hundred and twenty-four year- it has been gradually growing in importance, increasing its business and facilities for manufacture, until it stands to-day almost unri- valed as a business concern in the whole world. The factories cover ten acres of ground, extending from Washington to Warren Streets, and from Bay in Second Streets, the buikling- being large, high, well- ventilated and lighted, and giving employment to men, women, girls and boys to the number of four thousand, who are kept busily at work, during at least ten months of the year, in the various processes of manufacturing tobacco into the forms in which the smoker, the chewer or the snuff-taker delights to use it. The manufacture of snuff, which is the oldest branch of the busines, amounts to about one million two hundred thousand dollars annually. It takes trum six to eight months to eure the leaf and bring the product inte a condition fit for the market, but none is sold until a full year has elapsed from the first step - towards its manufacture.

Another extensive branch of the works is that devoted to making plug tobacco, in which several hundred women and girls are constantly engaged in "stemming," or stripping the leaf from the stem. Automatic machines press the tobacco intoshape and ett the plugs into required sizes and weights, atter which hydraulic pressure is used to make them hard and compact, as they reach the hands of the consumer. Some idea of the volume of business in this depart- ment may be had when it is remembered that two

1158

HISTORY OF HUDSON COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

hundred pounds of plug tobacco alone are manufac- tured every minute, or one hundred and twenty thousand pounds daily. Nearly two millions of dol- lar- revenue tax is annually paid to the United States government, and before the revision of the revenue laws, two years ago, Unele Samuel's yearly income from this establishment was three millions five hun- dred thousand dollars. Twenty-nine millions in taxes have been paid to the government within the j ast fifteen years by P. Lorillard & Co. Out of one hundred and twenty-five million pounds of tobacco consumed in this country annually, about twenty- two million pounds are manufactured by this firm, and it is further calenlated that, as the average con- sumption of tobacco for each person is about two pounds and a half, nine million people may be said to use the product of the Lorillards. The capacity of the works is forty million pounds per annum. Of course, in such a large establishment extraordinary precautions are necessary to protect the lives of the inmates in case of fire. A well-drilled fire brigade is maintained, and at night a corps of thirteen watch- men is on duty, under con mand of Capt. Robert l'. Dixon. There are one hundred and sixty signal- stations, to which each watchman has to make the rounds during the night. Every room is provided with water-pipes running along the ceiling, with plugs, at short distances apart, of metal fusible at a low temperature, so that in case of fire breaking out that portion of the room where the temperature was above the fusing-point would instantly be deluged with water.

The firm is composed of Pierre Lorillard, P. Loril- lard. Jr., and ex-Mayor Charle- Seidler, who holds the position of general manager. Dr. Leonard S. Gordon is the chemist, and acts as physi cian to the ailing em- ployes. Mr. M. Mason is superintendent of the fine-

ent and smoking tobacco department, and Mr. White of the snuff department. The New York office is at No. 114 Water Street.

THE MATTHIESSEN & WIECHERS SUGAR REFINING COMPANY, formerly the New Jersey Sugar Refining Company, is an immense establishment at the foot of Washington Street, adjoining the canal basin. It was incorporated by a special charter of the New Jersey Legislature, on March 20, 1867, with the following gentlemen as incorporators: C'onrad Poppenhusen, Frederick Konig, Michael Lienan, Henry R. Kun- hardt, Herman Stursberg and Johannes Lienan. An organization was effected on April 8th, with the fol- lowing directors and officers; Henry R. Kunhardt, Hermann Stursberg, Conrad Poppenhusen, Fred- erick Konig, Johannes Lienan, Frauz O. Matthiessen, William AA. Wiechers as directors, F. O. Matthiesseu as president, and W. A. Wiechers as secretary and treasurer. The building> were erected during the years 1867 and Isba, at a cost of five hundred and fourteen thousand dollars. On Feb. 8, 1870, the original name of the New Jersey Sugar Refining Company was changed to that by which the com- pany is now known, and the property of Messrs. Mat- thiessen & Wiechers was purchased and amalgamated with that of the company.

The works have a capacity for refining one million two hundred thousand pounds of sugar per day, and give employment to about one thousand persons. Mr. Matthiessen is president of the company, MIr. Wiechers vice-president, Mr. J. Jurgensen secretary and treasurer, who, together with E. A. Matthiessen, 11. R. Kunhardt, W. R. Elmenhorst and II. E. Niese, constitute a board of directors. The offices of the company are at No. 106 Wall Street, New York ('ity.

In the absence of any provision by the Jersey City Board of Education for the maintenance of free even- ing-schools. the Messrs. Lorillard have organized a night-school for the two hundred and fifty children in THE HAVEMEYER SUGAR REFINING COMPANY has in August, 1880, with Hector C. Havemeyer, William F. Havemeyer, John E. Searles, Jr., Henry Hav- their employ, in order that they may still continue at | a large establishment in Essex Street. It was organized work without losing the advantages of an education. The school was formally opened in the main library- room in Boorarm Hall, on the 29th of September, emeyer, Charles W. Havemeyer, D. H. Bultmann, 1×4, under the charge of Dr. L. & Gordon. A prin- , E. P. Eastwick and James Havemeyer as trustees. cipal has been engaged, and all the children employed The first officers were Hector C. Havemeyer, president; William F. Havemeyer, vice-president; John E. Searles, Jr . secretary and treasurer. The works were built by Havemeyer, Eastwick & Co. in 1873, at a cost of about three hundred thousand dollars, and were grad- nally enlarged until 1880, when the amount expended on the buildings reached four hundred and twenty- eight thousand dollars. A fire in November, 1883, damaged the works about sixty thousand dollars. The damaged part was restored, and work resumed in February, 1884. in the factory are enrolled in the school. This is done to meet the requirements of the State law, which provides that no child between the ages of twelve and fifteen years shall be employed in any factory, work- shop, mine or establishment, where the manufacture of any kind of goods whatever is carried on, unless such child shall have attended within twelve months immediately preceding such employment some pub- lic day or night-school, or some well-recognized pri- vate-school ; such attendance to be for five days or evening- every week during a period of at least twelve conscentive weeks.

This house can produce three hundred and fifty thousand pounds of refined sugar daily, and employs about one hundred and fifty hands.

The present officers of the company are H. C. Hlav- emeyer, president; W. F. Havemeyer, vice-president; John E. Searles, Jr., treasurer; C. R. lleike, sec- retary; D. H. Bultmann, James Havemeyer, Henry

1159

JERSEY CITY.

Ilavemeyer and Charles Havemeyer constituting, with the president, vice-president and treasurer, a board of trustees. The New York offices are at No. 112 Wall Street.

NATHANIEL TOOKER'S MOLASSES HOUSE, 5E Hud- son Street, has been established about fifteen years. The buildings were added to in Isis, and employ- ment is given to about fifty persons

COLGATE & COMPANY .- The obl establishe Ifirm of Colgate & Co. is known the world over by its hundry and toilet soaps. It was established in Isog, in John Street, New York, by William Colgate, father of the senior member of the present firm. In the days of its origin soap and candles were commonly mrmnufactured at the same establishment, the fats used bwing appli- cable for either purpose. The making of candles is still kept up by the firm, but they are not of the ancient type of tallow. A superior quality of stearine or oriental candles are now made by the Colgates. and are almost exclusively exported to South America For toilet soaps this house stands pre-eminent, their products being largely exported to Europe, China and South America. The machinery in their factory is claimed to be the most perfect in the world, in sup- port of which it may be stated that they have taken prizes for machine-made soap over French products made by hand.

About thirty years ago the works were removed to Jersey City, and now cover the whole block bounded by York, Hudson, Greene and Grand Streets, with docks at the foot of Hudson Street, and large storage- yards. The buildings are of brick and five stories high, and are furnished with three immense iron structures called pans, each with a capacity of from five hun- dred thousand to six hundred thousand pounds. The annual product amounts to many millions of pounds. In the various departments of the works employment is given to about three hundred persoons. In addition to the soap an I candle business, this house manufactures a variety of perfumery at their New York house, No. 55 John Street.

The firm is composed of Samuel Bowles Colgate and Richard M. Colgate. They make their own chemi- eals and do all their own printing, keeping five presses in operation for their labels, wrappers and other necessary printed matter. There is also a special department for making boxes, of which sev- eral thousand are turned out daily.

The Steel Manufactures of Jersey City .- The manufacture of steel in this country is of compara- tively recent date, and it was not until 1848 that the industry made any mark whatever. Its progress was slow, our citizens being blindly prejudiced in favor of English and other European steel, until the enormous duties on all foreign imports during and subsequent to our civil war compelled them to purchase the home manufacture. They then began to recognize the fact that in this department of industry, as in so many others, America was at all events the peer of her rivals,

but so ingrained was the prejudice that wir manu- facturers of all descriptions of steel goods found it necessary, during a long period, to represent them as of English production.

The present remarkable development of the steel manufacture of the United Stat > is due to a small number of far-seeing, energetic men, and notably to three of our own citizen , -Mr. James L. Thompson and the late David Henderson and Dudley S. Gregory . Th two establishments founded by these gentlemen are among the most important of ourcity's industries.

THE JERSEY CITY STEEL COMPANY. This exten- sive establishment giving employment t tw hundred men, is situated at the foot of Warren Street, the buildings covering a block and a half. It was estab- lished in 1861, and has long been known by the firm- name of James R. Thompson & Co. Under Mr. Thompson's management the business has steadily grown to its present large dimensions, and enlarge- melits have been made from time to time to facilitate the increase of business until the capacity of the works now reaches eight thousand tous of steel, in rods and bars, annually. On the Ist of July, 1554, the firm was mergel into a stock company, of which James R. Thompson is president, B. Illingworth vice- president, R. W. Bushnell secretary and D. (i. trautier treasurer.

THE ADIRONDACK STEEL- WORKS, foot of Warren Street, is devoted to the manufacture of crucible steel for a large variety of purpose, such as railroads. cutlery, agricultural implements, etc. It was organized in 1848, and is now run by Andrew Williams, under a lease. The general manager is ex- Mayor H. J. Hop- per. The buildings were erected in 1848, and cost in the neighborhood of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. One hundred persons are employed in the works, the capacity of which is twelve tons of steel per day.

THE WEST BERGEN STEEL-WORKS .- These work -. in West Bergen, Jersey City, were established in the winter of Isso by the present proprietors, Thomas H. Spaulding and Robert F. Jennings. The location is upon the Newark and New York Branch of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad, a side track of which runs into the yards, facilitating the delivery of supplies and the shipping of the company's manufac- tures. The location is one of the best in the country. AAmong the classes of steel made here are the-e known as tool, tap, die, cutlery, file, spring, roller and spindle. The specialties are cutlery, tool, roller and spindle steel. For the manufacture of the two last-mentioned Mesers. Spaulding and Jennings have appliances controlled by patents, and such has been the excellence of the manufacture that they have ser ured the greater part of the trade in these lines of goods throughout the country.

Some iden of the extent of the West Bergen Steel Works can be obtained from a few figures. The buildings, four in number, cover the greater portion

1160

HISTORY OF HUDSON COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

- 18-inch rolls, one train of lo-inch rolls, one train of 9-inch rolls, also one train of 12-inch rolls for cold rolling and a patent dise rolling machine for finishing round steel. The engine power consists of a large horizontal engine of three hundred horse- power, a Westinghouse engine of one hundred and fifty horse-power and a small horizontal engine of seventy-five horse-power. Seven boilers are in use. Electric light is used for night work. From one hundred and thirty-five to one hundred and fifty men find employment here, and with the aggregate power of more than five hundred horses and the superior machinery, turn out about thirty-five hundred tons of crucible steel per year, which is principally sold to New England manufacturers.

Mr. Spaukling, senior partner in the firm owning these works, who was formerly in the woolen commis- sion business in New York, is a son of lienry F. Spaulding, who until recently was the president of the Central Trust Company of New York. Mr. Jen- nings, who is a native of Rochester, N. Y .. from 1871 to the organization of the present partnership had charge of the outside affairs of Benjamin Atha & Co., of Newark.

Miscellaneous Mechanical Industries. - THE WALLIS IRON-WORKS are located at from Nos. Tto 15 Morris Street. The company was incorporated in 1878 under the general laws of New Jersey with Hamilton Wallis, (president ;) William T. Wallis (secretary and treasurer,) and George M. Clapp, as incorporators. The present works were erected in 1ss1, at a cost of ten thousand dollars. About one hundred men are employed on the average in the various departments of the establishment. The Wallis Works manufacture every variety of architec- tural iron-work, wrought-iron roofs, bridges, build- ing-, fire-proof shutters, and all the various parts necessary for large constructions of iron. The New York office is at No, 95 Liberty Street.

THE VULCAN IRON-WORKS .- The specialty of this house is the manufacture of steamboat boilers and machine-work generally. The proprietors are Messrs. Me Williams & Brown, who started the busi- ness at 10 and 12 Morris Street in 1883, and in June, 1884. purchased the large machine-shops at Nos. 42 and 41 Iludson Street. The total value of the buildings in Morris Street and of the machinery in the two places will aggregate nearly eighty thousand dollars, and the capacity for production is from half a million dollars upwards annually. The average number of persons employed is one hundred and twenty-five.

THE JERSEY CITY COPPER-WORKS, 66 to 76 Hudson Street, have been under the proprietorship of Thomas Gannon for nearly twenty-five years. lle succeeded, in 1560 John Benson, who was the oldest established coppersmith in the country. This estali-

of five acres of ground. They contain twenty-four lishment manufactures all the apparatus necessary melting furnaces, four steel hammers, one train of for the refining of sugar or the distillation of rum or alcohol. The stills made here are largely exported to Cuba, Porto Rico, San Domingo, Brazil and other parts of South and Central America. Some of them are monstrous affairs, of a charging capacity of ten thousand gallons. The works employ eighty-five men, and are capable of turning out a million dollars' worth of copper annually.

THE JERSEY CITY SPIKE AND BOLT WORKS, Washington, Morgan and Steuben Streets, manufac- ture twenty thousand tons of iron spikes for boat, ship and railroad use, bolts, splice-bars, nuts, bar- iron, etc., annually, and employ one hundred and fifty men. The firm is composed of W. & J. H. Ames, who founded the business in 1860.

R. HILLIER'S SON & Co., importers and drug millers, 75 to 79 Hudson Street, have been in the business twenty-three years. They have a large five-story brick building in which the grinding and pulverizing of all kinds of drugs, roots and barks for medicinal purposes is carried on, giving employment to twenty-five persons. The firm is composed of George R. Hillier, Francis A. Moore and Isaac V. S. Hillier. They have an office at 46 Cedar Street, New York.

THE JERSEY CITY MACHINE-WORKS, foot of Morris Street, were established in 1869 by N. B. Cush- ing for the manufacture of passenger and freight elevators, and machinery of every description for mills, factories, mines, dry-docks, dredging and marine work. The works were rebuilt in 1876. Mr. Cushing employs about eighty men in his shops. The business extends over a large part of the United States, and the value of the annual product is esti- mated at two hundred thousand dollars.

THE NIAGARA LABORATORY, 82 and 84 Pearl Street, is a large establishment conducted by Messrs. Battelle & Renwick, in the manufacture of saltpetre, in which from fifteen to twenty employes are engaged.

JERSEY CITY PLANING AND MOULDING-MILLS, 306-310 Washington Street, corner of Steuben Street. These mills have been running about twenty years and give employment to thirty-five men. All kinds of wood mouldings, architraves and hand-rails are manufactured, besides which every variety of scroll and straight sawing and turning is done in fine and hard woods. R. A. Knight is the proprietor and F. B. Chidester superintendent.

THEODORE SMITH & BROTHER, machinists and boiler makers, foot of Essex Street. This firm has been established about twenty years, and does an ex- tensive business in the construction of boilers and the manufacture and repair of machinery. The building in which the works are carried on was erected in 1879 at a cost of eleven thousand dollars. The capacity of the works is about two hundred and fifty thousand dollars per annum. Employment is given to one hundred and seventy hands.

1161

JERSEY CITY.

KEARY BROTHERS, builders, corner of Morgan and Washington Streets, Ely and Seventh Streets, have large shops for the preparation of their work as con- tractors and house-builders. The firm was started twenty eight years ago, and in busy times employ from thirty to forty experienced men in all the de- partments of carpenter-work.

THE STANDARD WOOD-TURNING COMPANY WON incorporated in 1-80, with Charles siedler, William J. Tait, 1 .. Il. Broome, James Davies, and F. B. Chidester as incorporators. The factory is at 315 and 317 Washington Street, in a building leased by the company. A specialty is made of balusters, which are turned by improved machinery almost automatic in its workings. The company employs forty hands. and can turn out five thousand balusters daily, be- sides which a large business is done in turning, scroll- sawing and wood-working generally. Charles Sied- ler is the president, and William J. Tait secretary and treasurer.

L. J. TrxBrRy, sash and blind manufacturer, 50-4 Washington Street, has been in the business twenty- five years. lle removed from Green Street in 1871, the old shop being torn down to make room for rail- road improvements. The present factory has a capacity to turn out one hundred thousand dollars' worth of work in a year, giving employment to twelve persons. In addition to their manufacture, this house deals largely in stock work, such as sashes. doors, etc., from mills in New York State.

1. W. MEGILL, 84 Steuben Street, makes a special- ty of stair-building, and employs some fifteen to twenty hands, according to the pressure of business. He has been four years in his present location, and for ten year- previous to his removal carried on the same business in Morgan Street. The buildings are rented from the owners.

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History of Essex and Hudson counties, New Jersey, Vol. II, Part 119

Author: Shaw, William H Publication date: 1884 Publisher: [United States :] Number of Pages: 830

Author: Shaw, William H
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: [United States :]
Number of Pages: 830