History of Morris County, New Jersey, Part 13

Author: Halsey, Edmund Drake, 1840-1896; Aikman, Robert; Axtell, Samuel Beach, 1809-1891; Brewster, James F; Green, R. S. (Rufus Smith), 1848-1925; Howell, Monroe; Kanouse, John L; Megie, Burtis C; Neighbour, James H; Stoddard, E. W. (Elijah Woodward), 1820-1913
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: New York : W.W. Munsell & co.
Number of Pages: 540

USA > New Jersey > Morris County > History of Morris County, New Jersey > Part 13

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William Jackson stated as a fact of his personal knowl- edge-and we use his own language-that while Faesch was still carrying on Mount Hope, and Stotesbury Hibernia, Chilion Ford kept a store in Rockaway in the house south of the main street and near the Hibernia railroad, and on him orders were drawn by each company to its workmen, who came down each Saturday to draw their supplies for a week at a time. Every man appeared with his jug, and the first thing was a half gallon of rum to each man, and the balance of their orders in the necessaries of life. After their sacks were filled a general treating took place, after which they moved off over the bridge on their way home. When they crossed the race bridge and arrived at their parting point another big drink must be had all round, by which time " the critter " began to work, and then the national elements (Dutch and Irish, with a mixture of American by way of variety) brought on a general fight, which lasted a short time, when the hatchet was buried and all united in another drink and left-each on his winding way, the women and boys bringing up the rear.

July 28th 1788 -Sheriff Arnold conveyed to Gabriel Ford, after a sale made under a judgment recovered by the executors of Jacob Ford sen. against the executors of Jacob Ford jr., deceased, the seven tracts of land " called and known by the name of Mount Hope, in the possession of John Jacob Faesch, Esq., as tenant there- of," and May roth 1793 Judge Ford conveyed the whole to Faesch, so ending the lease. Faesch died May 29th 1799, and is buried at Morristown by the side of his wife and his two sons, John Jacob jr., who died in 1809, and Richard B., who died in 1820. The two sons and one daughter died single. Besides these Mr. Faesch left one daughter, who married William H. Robinson of New York, and who died leaving two daughters, one of whom married Robert J. Girard.

After Faesch's death his two sons continued to carry on the business; but the creditors of their father became dissatisfied and filed a bill in chancery February 21st 1801 to compel a sale of the lands of Faesch in satisfac- tion of their claims. A list of the property alleged to is no longer a manufacturing property, but is one of the

have belonged to him at his death includes the Mount Hope and Middle forge tracts (containing together 7,600 acres), the Rockaway forge, the Jackson or Jacobs mine, a mine at Long Pond, a share in the Morris Academy and several small lots. His Mount Hope lands included the Richards, Allen and Teabo mines, none of which except perhaps the Richards were then developed. The result of this suit was the appointment of General John Doughty, of Morristown, a special commissioner to sell these lands. He was engaged for several years in divid- ing them up and disposing of them. The homestead at Mt. Hope, with 831 acres around it, including the mines, meadow and furnace, was sold September 25th 1809 for $7,655 to Moses Phillips jr., of Orange county, New York. The land so conveyed is what is generally known now as the Mount Hope tract. Then or soon after Moses Phillips became the owner of Hickory Hill tract, Middle forge tract, the Bartow tract, which lies south of Middle forge, and other lands, making up about 2,600 acres. He did not reside at Mount Hope himself, but sent his sons Henry W. Phillips and Lewis Phillips to manage the property-giving them an agreement of purchase.

In 1814 the property was leased to a company consist- ing of Robert McQueen, Abraham Kinney and Eliphalet Sturtevant and known as McQueen & Co. They re- paired the old stack after it had lain idle for fifteen years, and did a thriving business, making pig iron and all kinds of hollow ware. Kinney and Sturtevant were not in the concern long and their place was taken by Colonel Thomas Muir, a brother-in-law of Mr. McQueen. The first lease lasted seven years, and it was renewed for five. Alexander. Norris, who then lived close by, fixes the date of the beginning of the lease by the fact that when peace was declared in 1815 they had a flag hoisted in the top of the furnace, which had not yet been started. Mr. Norris says the last blast was made in the fall of 1827, after which the furnace was permitted to lie idle, and finally to go down. While operating Mount Hope Colonel Muir purchased the White Meadow tract and made it his residence. He continued to reside there until his death, which occurred September 28th 1855.

November 29th 1831, by act of Legislature, the Mount Hope Mining Company was incorporated, the incorpor ators being Samuel Richards, Moses Phillips, Samuel G. Wright and Thomas S. Richards. The capital stock was fixed at $60,000. In April previous Moses Phillips had conveyed to Samuel Richards and Samuel G. Wright a two-thirds interest in the tract of 831 acres, and two- thirds of all the minerals in the adjoining lands, owned by him at the time. After the incorporation of the com- pany all three of the owners conveyed to the company, which has ever since been the owner. The stock has changed hands, but no transfers have been made by ordinary deeds of conveyance. By supplements to its charter the company was allowed to build a railroad to Rockaway (which was done), to construct furnaces, mills, etc., and to increase its capital stock to $300,000. This

HISTORY OF MORRIS COUNTY.

most extensive and productive mineral properties in the State. Edward R. Biddle became the owner of the stock several years after the formation of the company, and by him it was sold to Moses Taylor and his associates about the year 1855, for $80,000, which was considered a marvelous price at the time.

SPLIT ROCK FURNACE.

The only other charcoal furnace within the bounds of Morris county was built at Split Rock by the late Hon. Andrew B. Cobb, of Parsippany, about 1862. Mr. Cobb was a son of Colonel Lemuel Cobb, the well known sur- veyor of the board of proprietors, and both by inherit- ance and purchase became the owner of large tracts of land in the northern part of the county, much of it covered with wood. He was also the owner of the Split Rock mine. To make his wood and ore available he built the furnace near his forge. It made but a few tons of iron, however, before it went out of blast, and has since been idle. It was found unprofitable in this day of an- thracite furnaces.

CHAPTER IX.

SLIFTING AND ROLLING MILLS-ANTHRACITE FURNACES AND FOUNDRIES.

HE act of Parliament passed in 1749, already alluded to, was intended to prevent the con- struction of any slitting or rolling mills in the province, and continued in force until the time of the Revolution. Every mill built while this law was in force had to be built covertly. In spite of the law, however, a slitting-mill was erected at Old Boonton, by David Ogden or his son Samuel Ogden, about the year 1770. In a deed given for it in 1805 the "slitting-mill lot" was said to have been conveyed to Samuel Ogden by Thomas Peer by deed dated August 6th 1770, and this was probably the date of its erection. The Ogdens had by this time sold out their Ringwood property to the London Company and turned their attention to Morris county.

For the purpose of concealment the mill built by the Ogdens was so constructed that the upper part was a grist-mill, while the slitting works were underneath. It stood on the east side of the river; and the shape of the ground, which rose abruptly from near the river's edge, made the erection of such a building very feasible. The entrance to the mill was from the hillside, and in the room thus entered was the run of stones for grinding grain; and it was so arranged that the room below could be closed up entirely, and upon little warning, so as to give no sign of the purpose for which it was used. An Englishman named Campsen, one of the ancestors of the Righter family at Parsippany, was the architect. It is said that Governor William Franklin visited this place, were suffered to fall into disuse.

having been informed that one of the prohibited mills was being carried on here by stealth. Colonel Ogden received the governor and his suite with great hospitality, and in- sisted on their dining immediately on their arrival. This the governor's party were not unwilling to do, as they had made a long and fatiguing journey. At the table, which was lavishly spread, choice liquors circulated freely; and the governor was not only unable to find any "slitting-mill " in Boonton, but indignant at the " un- founded slander." It was reported that Franklin had an interest in it himself, which might account for his not seeing too much.

The mill was probably a small affair. At its best it was only an apology for an iron-mill, as they could only roll out bars of iron or slit them from the sizes drawn by the forgemen. Their heating furnace was designed to use dry wood, so that nothing better than a red heat could be produced, "leaving the rods or hoops when rolled or slit about as red as a fox," as one said who had seen the mill in operation. It was carried on by the Ogdens in connection with a forge and other works through the war and until 1784. In 1778 Samuel Ogden advertises in the New Jersey Gazette rod and sheet iron for sale at Boonton. It seems that Samuel Ogden was the principal owner, as his name most frequently occurs in connection with it; but Isaac Ogden and Nicholas Hoffman each owned a sixth interest, which was bought May Ist 1784 by Samuel Ogden from Abraham Kitchel, agent for Morris county, on inquisition found January Ist 1777 against Isaac Ogden, and September 21st 1777 against Hoffman, they having joined the army of the king. Kitchel conveys as the property of each of these loyalists one-sixth of the slitting-mill, rolling-mill, coal- houses, dwelling-houses, raceways, dams, etc., and speaks of a forge-the property of Samuel Ogden. The same year, 1784, March Ist, Samuel Ogden of New York, merchant, leases to John Jacob Faesch, of Mount Hope, the moiety of several tracts at Boonton for twenty-one years, under an arrangement that they should jointly erect a " four-fire forge and forge hammers with a trip hammer at the place where the old forge, which is now pulled down, at Boonton aforesaid, formerly stood," the . management of the forge and also of the grist-mill to be joint. The rent reserved was £50 New York currency in silver or gold, reckoning Spanish milled dollars at 8 shillings each and English guineas at 37 shillings and 4 pence each. Wood was to be furnished for the supply of " said forge, and other iron manufactories to be car- ried on at Boonton by the parties," off the premises of said Ogden at nine pence per cord.

October 8th 1805, on the expiration of this lease, Samuel Ogden and Euphemia his wife, of Newark, con- veyed to John Jacob Faesch and Richard B. Faesch, the sons of John Jacob Faesch sen., who had died in 1799, the whole property at Boonton. They carried on the business but a short time, and the works, with the excep- tion of the forge, which continued to be operated by John Righter, then its owner, until a comparatively recent date,

SPEEDWELL AND DOVER IRON MILLS.

Thomas C. Willis, of Powerville, whose father was son of the judge, and were visited by Dr. Tuttle, who superintendent of the heating furnace at Old Boonton in wrote a description of them for the New York Tribune. 1800, and who was himself born there, said that in his childhood there were at Old Boonton, on the easterly bank of the river, a rolling-mill, a slitting-mill and a saw-mill. The iron used in these mills was taken from the heating furnaces, rolled and slitted on single heat. On the westerly bank of the river, near the bend, were a large potash factory, a nail-cutting factory, a grist-mill and a blacksmith shop. On the same side, opposite the slitting-mill, stood a large bloomary, con- taining four fires and two trip hammers. A large build- ing containing eight refining furnaces stood upon the spot where the forge afterward stood.

Another gentleman, whose memory reaches back almost as far, says that there were three dams across the river below the present road and one above.

SPEEDWELL.

At that time there was made at the works a great variety of articles-press screws, car wheels and axles, mill machinery, etc. Six moulders were employed in the foundry, eight men in the blacksmith shop, ten in the machine shops, and these with other laborers made up an aggregate of forty-five, whose wages would amount to some $14,400 per annum. The works used then annually 200 tons of anthracite coal, 100 tons of bituminous coal, 100 tons of Scotch pig and roo tons of American pig, 95 tons wrought iron, 1,400 pounds of cast steel and 1,000 pounds of brass, copper, etc. The annual product was estimated at $50,000. Judge Vail died in 1864, leaving these works to his executors in such a manner that they cannot be sold and can only be operated by certain per- sons who are named. For this or for some other reason they have lain idle for several years.

DOVER MILL.

The second slitting-mill in the county was built at Speedwell, by Jacob Arnold and John Kinney, about the The third slitting or rolling-mill erected in the county was at Dover. In 1792 Israel Canfield and Jacob Losey, forming the well-known firm of Canfield & Losey, bought from Josiah Beman his forge, etc. Soon afterward they built the dam where it is now, and erected the forge which was standing until within a few years, when the building was transferred to other use. They built also a rolling and slitting-mill after the model of the Old Boonton mill, and heated their iron with wood in the same way. Soon after the erection of their rolling-mill they built a factory for cutting nails, the heading of which was done in dies by hand. Besides the property in Dover they purchased and leased large quantities of land, mines and forges, and carried on the iron business on what was then considered a grand scale. It must be remarked, however, that while business flourished in Dover the place was notorious for its infidelity and con- sequent wickedness. Many of its prominent citizens were open adherents of Tom Paine, and they gloried in disseminating his sentiments among all classes. time of the Revolutionary war. It is impossible to fix the date more exactly. In the New Jersey Gazette, pub- lished in 1778, is notice of Arnold, Kinney & Co. opening a store in Morristown, " next door to Colonel Henry Remsen's," showing the partnership to have existed at that date. Both men had been and were prominent in the county. Arnold kept the hotel in Morristown where, in January 1777, Washington took up his winter quarters, and which is still standing, on the northwest side of the public square. He commanded, as has been stated, the troop of horse known as "Arnold's light horse," a detach- ment of which did duty as guard for Governor Livingston. Kinney had been sheriff of the county, and had had some experience in the iron business. The venture was a per- fect failure. It is said that after the whole had been con- structed, through some defect which they could not remedy, the machinery entirely failed to do its work. The debts contracted in its erection pressed the partners and the property was sold. Enoch Beach, as coroner (Arnold being sheriff) sold the interest of Jacob Arnold In 1817 the firm of Canfield & Losey failed, and Blackwell & McFarlan, iron merchants of New York, who were creditors of the concern, purchased the whole property. With the iron works passed also nearly the whole site of Dover, the Longwood forge and tract, and the mines which the old firm had developed. The village of Dover was laid out by Messrs. Blackwell & McFarlan as it is at present-on either side of the straight, wide street called Blackwell street, with other streets, named after the counties, crossing it at right angles. From an advertisement of the company in a newspaper published in 1827 it appears that the iron works, then in full opera- tion, consisted of three rolling-mills and two chain cable shops. Jacob Losey was the resident agent of the com- pany, the members of which still lived in New York. January 1Ith 1796 to Dr. Timothy Johnes, who sold to Stephen Vail in 1807. The interest of Kinney had also been sold, and a deed from James C. Canfield and wife to Stephen Vail in 1814 for this half speaks of all the new buildings which Stephen Vail, William Campfield and Isaac Canfield have erected since the deed to Vail in 1807, viz .: trip-hammer works, blacksmith shop, coal house, turning shop, etc. From the ruin of a second partnership Stephen Vail came out the owner of the whole property at Speedwell, and under his management it be- came an important manufactory. The work done here has been mostly for the southern and South American trade, in the shape of sugar-mills, coffee hullers, etc. It if said the boiler of the first ocean steamer that crossed the Atlantic was forged here and the first cast-iron plow To the firm of Blackwell & McFarlan succeeded as made in America was made here. In 1853 the Speedwell owner of the Dover property Henry McFarlan, son of iron works were being carried on by Hon. George Vail, Henry McFarlan sen., one of the members of the old son of Judge Stephen Vail, and Isaac A. Canfield, grand-

firm. Dr. Tuttle visited the works in 1853, and gives us

HISTORY OF MORRIS COUNTY.

this statement of the business done for the year ending self, in the old rolling-mill at Paterson, then owned by April ist of that year: Octagon bars rolled into rivet rods 3/8 to 34 inch; round and various sizes of merchant iron, 39272 tons; boiler rivets made from the above, 735,746 pounds, a little more than 328 tons; anthracite coal con- sumed, 1,000 tons. The octagon iron was worth $55 per ton, making the raw material used worth $21,287. The coal cost about $4,300." The amount of wages paid was about $11,000, among twenty-five hands, and the product of the whole work was valued at $50,000.

In addition to the rolling-mill and rivet factory Mr. McFarlan had furnaces for converting Swedes and English iron into steel. The following is the list for the year above specified: Converted and rolled into spring steel from Swedes and English iron, 1,000 tons; toe cork or shoeing steel, 3234 tons; American bar steel, 16 tons.

The superintendent of the works, who furnished to Dr. Tuttle this information, was Guy M. Hinchman. He was born in Elmira, N. Y., November 29th 1795. In 1810 he removed to Morris county, taking up his residence at Succasunna. When only 23 years of age he was the owner and operator of the Mount Pleasant mine. From 1823 to 1834 he was engaged in business in New York, after which he returned to Dover, where he spent the re- mainder of his life, acting as superintendent of the iron works until 1869, when Mr. McFarlan ceased to operate them. He was a man of great activity, a kind-hearted, courtly gentleman of the old school, yet keeping pace with and aiding in all social and public improvements. He died February 13th 1879, retaining all his faculties until the last.

Henry McFarlan drove the mill from 1830, when his father died, to 1869. He leased the property in 1875 to Wynkoop & O'Conner, who ran it only a short time, claiming that the raising of a dam below the mill by the Morris Canal Company had so far affected the power of the mill as to render it comparatively useless. This question is now and has been for several years in the courts. In 1880 Mr. McFarlan sold the mills, and they are now operated by the Dover Iron Company, who have put in steam engines and are driving the works with vigor. Hon. George Richards is the president of the company, and under his efficient management the works give employment to a large number of operatives and turn out large quantities of fish plates and other railroad material.

Samuel and Roswell Colt, in the year 1820, under our con- tract to furnish the United States government with a cer- tain quantity of rolled round and hammered iron at the navy yard at Brooklyn, N. Y., in which we succeeded to the entire satisfaction of the government. Our experiments at rolling round and square iron induced us to build the rolling-mill at Rockaway in 1821 and 1822. Messrs. Blackwell & McFarlan, owners of the Dover rolling-mill and forge, seeing our success. proceeded to alter and re- build their rolling-mill for rolling all kinds of iron, which they completed about the same time. We finished our rolling-mill in November 1822."

In 1826 William sold out to his brother his interest and commenced the erection of the forge, furnace, etc., at Clinton. Left the sole owner of the mill Colonel Jackson proceeded to extend his operations, and devel- oped a large iron business. He was already or soon after became the owner of the two forges with five fires at Rockaway, and of the Swedes, Teabo and Jackson mines. In 1830 he built a second mill upon the same dam. He expended money liberally but with judgment in new machinery, and in experiments to test the qualities of the various ores and the best methods of working them. His works were a market for the various forges in the county, and the finished product was mostly carted to tide water by his teams, which returned with supplies. The Morris Canal, during the boating season, brought anthracite coal from the Lehigh Valley; but so long as he continued bis business his teams were on the road between Rockaway and Newark. He built a steel furnace near the canal, in which blistered steel was made from the iron bars. He was a man of great enterprise and determination, and continued to carry on his mill through the various vicissi- tudes of the iron business until 1852, when he sold the mill, lower forge and steel furnace properties to Freeman Wood.

Mr. Wood proceeded to enlarge the mill, putting in steam engines, etc. February 12th 1855 the Rockaway Manufacturing Company was organized, its incorporators being Freeman Wood, George Hand Smith, Lyman A. Chandler, Theodore T. Wood and Nathaniel Mott. The property was transferred to it August 14th the same year. This company made a bad failure a few years after, and the Morris County Bank, one of the principal creditors, became the real owner of the mills as mortgagee. By the bank the property was rented to James Horner, who manufactured steel there until just after the war, when he removed his business to Pompton. November 3d ROCKAWAY ROLLING-MILL. 1862 Theodore Little, as master in chancery, conveyed January 26th 1822 Colonel Joseph Jackson and his brother William entered into an agreement to build a rolling-mill on the colonel's land in Rockaway, to be driven by water from an extension of the lower forge dam. This agreement was to continue for twenty-one years, when the colonel was to have the mill at its ap- praised value. The brothers had previously rented a mill in Paterson, and William Jackson made the following memorandum: the property to John H. Allen, who, February 27th fol- lowing, conveyed it to Thomas E. Allen and Israel D. Condit. They ran it a couple of years, when Mr. Allen conveyed his half to his partner, Mr. Condit. Mr. Condit has been the owner ever since, with the exception of two or three years, when it was owned by Adoniram B. Judson, the deed to him being dated January 19th 1867 and the deed back to Mr. Condit, which was made by the sheriff, being dated February 13th 1871. Mr. " The first bar of round and square iron ever rolled in Judson operated the works under the name of the Jud- this county was done by Colonel Joseph Jackson and my- | son Steel and Iron Works, himself, James L. Baldwin

POWERVILLE AND BOONTON IRON WORKS.

and George Neimus being the incorporators. The in- corporation act was approved February 26th 1868. The concern is now being operated by the American Swedes Iron Company, organized in August 1881, which is using Wilson's process for the manufacture of wrought iron directly from the ore, which is obtained from Block Island. The history of the works for the last eighteen years has been that of unsuccessful experiment for the most part-many new processes for making iron and steel having been attempted without profitable results. C. T. Raynolds, H. R. Raynolds and Colonel G. W. Thompson are the principal men in the present company.

THE POWERVILLE ROLLING-MILL.

This mill, which was early owned by Colonel William Scott, whose name has been frequently mentioned, was carried on by him until his death, when it fell in the di- vision of his estate to his son Elijah D. Scott. By him it was in part devised and in part deeded to Thomas C. Willis, who carried it on until his death, in 1864, in con- nection with his forge. Dr. Tuttle, in his review of the iron manufactures of the county in 1853, speaks of the admirable economy with which it was conducted. Per- · haps no mill in the county at that time paid better inter- est on the capital invested, which Mr. Willis estimated at $50,000. The profitableness of the concern was owing to the careful management and also to the kind of iron made, which was mostly hoop iron, then very profitable. It was estimated that the mill used about 500 tuns of blooms a year, of coal 600 tons, and the product in hoop and rod iron was about 450 tons, which averaged at that time $100 per ton. Mr. Willis was a man deservedly popular with all who had dealings with him and highly esteemed and respected throughout the county.

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